Indy was born on October 4th, 2016 and my life forever changed for the better at that time.
In my lifetime, I've gone from not knowing if I'd survive to adulthood (while being told if I did I would be unable to ever father children), to now being 36 years old and having a perfectly healthy and vibrant 2 1/2 year old, as well as my loving wife and partner in crime. Every day is truly a blessing that I thank God for.
Beyond the above, Holly, Indy and I just broke ground on our new home, which is located in Pike National Forest, just west of the Garden of the Gods, near Manitou Springs. We still have a lot of work ahead of us before it's complete, but by the end of the year, we'll be living in our dream home, with hundreds of miles of trail access right outside our front door!
Since Indy was born, I've managed to still keep running semi-consistently, but completely non-competitively. Along with a couple marathons and a handful of 50 milers since late 2016, I've finished (2) 100-milers, most notably the 2018 Leadville 100 last August. Last year's race marked 6 years since my unfortunate DNF at mile 97 of the 2012 Leadville 100, my subsequent health issues, and then my inability to gain entry back into Leadville via lottery in 2014, 2015, and 2017.
Between the duration of my wait to get back to Leadville, the circumstances following my 2012 DNF, and the difficulty I had getting back into running and racing, I can honestly say that it was my sweetest finish to date.
It was far from my best 100 mile performance when you look at the results (22:56, 41st place), but I was surrounded by my closest friends and family as crew and pacers, had someone new to impress (Indy), and was able to truly appreciate every second of the experience while on the trail. Even though I was already dealing with GI issues at mile 6, and vomiting by mile 9, I never once considered quitting, and never once failed to appreciate how fortunate I was to even be out there again, in good enough physical condition to even attempt such a feat.
As I've grown older (and am nearing my "life expectancy" as a CF patient), I've become more introspective and appreciative of every day I have on this earth. Over the last few years, having personally lived through the experience of some people very close to me dying, along with the joy of seeing new life spring up all around me, my priorities have changed.
We don't know how long we have to live, and since nothing is guaranteed, we need to spend our time in the present, appreciating the people and moments which bring us true joy. If we are always reminiscing over the past or looking forward to the future, it can be easy to overlook the fact that we are currently living the best moments of our lives. Right now will someday be what we remember as the "good 'ol days", and I don't want to miss out on any of it while it's here.
Since this is still primarily a running blog, I'll end by saying I've got a big 2019 ahead of me, and will either be getting my 5th LT 100 finish in late August, or possibly getting the opportunity to run the Angeles Crest 100 in CA in early August. I'm currently on the waitlist, but it's looking like I'll have a pretty good chance of getting in. Besides a couple other races which I'll squeeze in this Spring & Summer, I'm looking forward to seeing Holly complete her first marathon later this year, attempting rim-to-rim-to-rim at the Grand Canyon next month, and being an ambassador for the newly formed Colorado Running Company Trail Team.
Until next time, live in the present, my friends.
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