Running Goals 2012

These were my goals I posted on Dailymile last year.

Salt Flats 100M (23:43), Silver City 100k (16:48), Speedgoat 50k (8:06), WIFMER 50M (14:21), Wasatch 100 (33:20). Do something I never thought possible, and have it rank a perfect 2.0 on the AMY KING scale........

I must have ran out of room because I did several others too.  Wilson Creek Frozen 50k (7:48), Pickled Feet 12 Hour (45 miles), Pocatello 20M with Michelle, and the Foothills Frenzy 50k (5:44).

Races and times were the easy part.  The hard part of the goal was doing something I never thought possible and have it rank a perfect 2.0 on the Amy King scale.  A little back story on the AK scale. One day on Dailymile they had a question where they asked people to come up with a word starting with your initials from your first and last name to describe yourself.  Amy wrote ASS KICKER, which I loved, so that is why I named it the AK scale.  So here are my top 4 AK moments from the past year that all scored a perfect 2.0.

1) I had the opportunity to run the Hornet Run 5k with my daughter Kaylee and her friends from Girls on the Run.  It is a program that teaches girls in 3rd-5th grade about self esteem, body image, working as a team, supporting others, and the running actually seemed to be a small part of the program.  Kaylee was super excited and had a wonderful time.  It was a really fun day.  Zach ran and Michelle walked.  Sometimes I feel like I missed out on the joy and excitement of finishing an organized race of this distance when I was getting in shape so it was fun to live it through the eyes of my kids.

2) In May I ran the Pocatello 20 mile trail run with Michelle.  Michelle has done many races but this was my first real opportunity for me to join her from start to finish.  I tried my best to be supportive and not too annoying along the way.  It was fun for me see first hand how she pushed herself and had fun doing it.  She reminded me that no matter how hard it is there is never an excuse to not have fun.  It was also a great feeling to have many of our friends there to share her moment as she crossed the finish line.

3) At the Salt Flats 100M race in April last year my goal was to finish in under 24 hours which I was able to do.  But the true highlight of the day for me, as well as many others, was to see Davina Jackson cross the finish line at her first 100 mile race.  There were many firsts that day but this was a special moment for everyone there.  The excitement at the finish line was awesome and everyone felt lucky to be fortunate enough to share that feeling with her!

4) Joining Amy King at the IMTUF 100 as her pacer was my final AK2.0 moment.  I have told Amy that I really enjoyed being there with her although I think she felt like I was just AK'ing.  It was a good learning experience for me to be a pacer and see how she handled those tough middle miles.  When I joined her at Lick Creek summit she had already done 44 miles and we did 30+ miles together before missing the cutoff at Crestline Trailhead.  The conditions that day were TUF for sure with a starting temperature in the single digits combined with smoke from nearby forest fires and dusty trails followed by all night temperatures in the teens.  We were standing on the ridge above Box Lake just as the sun was coming up and were treated to one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen.  She told me Box Lake and the surrounding mountains hold a lot of special memories for her and her family growing up and I was glad I was there to be a small part of this memory with her.

After the race someone asked me if I have ever DNF'd and I said no.  They said, you will someday and then you'll know how she is feeling.  I agreed and added that when my day comes I hope I can say I tried as hard as Amy and gave it everything I had.

Time to come up with new goals.