A few days ago we talked about life changes., both the expected/planned and the unexpected/unplanned. Isn't it amazing how we can research, gather data, analyze, ponder, plan and then finally, after much time/effort/energy and sometimes much money, we make a plan for that life change. And then we go about implementing this change. We are excited to get started and fly out of the starting gate with all the enthusiasm we can muster. And at first, the well thought out change starts off as planned and blazes along smoothly. BuT THen!!! Some issue comes along; money runs out, the dog gets sick, work takes over, or you just get side tracked in some manner. What do we do? Often, many folks abandon the needed/wanted change and go to back the previous normal. So, after all the time/effort/energy/money, we have gained not much except lessons learned and sometimes a disappointing feeling that we have failed.

How do we stop this trend of blowing off those well thought out changes in life? It can just come down to determination, focus, and the persistence that you will not give up on what you have started in the change. Even if your progress slows to slower than a snails pace, don't give up and return to the old normal that wasn't working for you. Sometimes you may have take a step back from the process and then refocus and move forward again. If the life change you are trying to make is well worth it in terms of making your life better in some dimension, don't let the concept fail. Deal with whatever became a road block in the change you are trying to make, and then refocus on your plan and keep going. Is this easy? Probably not but if you can keep the ultimate goal in mind and know why you are wanting to make this change, then you can certainly keep moving forward with the life change process.

A personal life change that came about  three years ago was to readjust my running. As has been posted, I have been fortunate enough to run some amazing races and accomplish some wonderful feats in the 30+ year running career. There have been training runs with friends or solo that have left indelible marks in life and I am grateful. And I have accomplished successes with running that I never thought were possible.
With the Captain upgrade in 2015, it was time to make some running changes. These changes were also needed due some aging/overuse issues. The work promotion meant unknown schedules, (mostly weekends/holidays/crazy hours) and of course, much more responsibility where I could not afford to be overly tired and worn out from the long runs. As for the aging issues, the back and neck are in a continual state of almost "ouch;" the legs just don't move that fast anymore (they never really went too fast anyway). And the body started falling head over teakettle on the easiest of technical trails; too many falls that resulted in a cracked sternum, a cracked wrist, banged up knees/elbows/hands, and bruising on the chin, nose, and a few other body parts.
So those are the reasons for the life change in running. With much thought, analyzing, pondering, and self convincing, I retired from racing and trail running. And the miles were greatly reduced. Gone were the long 30 mile runs on trail on a Sunday; gone is the focus towards an upcoming race. The 100 mile weeks are a thing of the past.

So, what replaced all those miles and those races? What else? Running! The differences are in the type of running; the miles are on pavement (yes, yuck, but the body is happy not to be pounding technical trails and the falls that happen). The mileage stayed around 3000 miles for 2016, but for 2017 and 2018, the miles are limited to 2500 for each year. Long runs are now around 15 miles. What has kept the sanity from retiring from so much focus in running: each of these last three years I have set 3 goals: One 100 mile week, One 30 mile run, and no more than 2500 miles each year.  And those are adequate goals that are satisfying and rewarding in themselves.

This particular life change was fairly simple but yet still required much thought and plenty of analyzing. The whole process went mostly as planned and the outcome is perfect. I still enjoying walking out the door in the morning and logging some miles. And being able to find some things to train for (100 mile week; 30 mile run; 2500 miles per year) keeps the spirit alive and provides a source for determination.

Tackle your needed life changes with a vengeance and don't look back.

Alpine Loop/ Summit Trailhead

2018