2012

With the WS/HRH Double now set the family and I have spent the last 48 hours furiously planning for the summer of 2012. We need to book rooms in Squaw now before the lottery and the masses converge, we need to figure out what to do with the dog during the two races, we need to set up our itinerary of 14'er climbs in early July, we need to make sure all the kinks are out of our travel gear, we need to buy a new car, we need to get a new JetBoil, we need to...you get the idea. It's going to be the "summer of a lifetime."

I must say, I was really really, really hoping this would happen. With my oldest son Carson turning 14 last month, Shelly and I realized the opportunities for full-blown summer vacations were running out. In addition, since we pretty much design our vacations around races, we knew that this three-week window between WS and HRH this year held the key to that one last great escape before life truly takes over. And, it happened.

You see, my family loves WS and HRH. We talk about these races all the time. We sit at dinner over mac and cheese and debate minimalist vs. maximalist shoes as well as the relative difficulties of the "Morton" course vs. the "Jurek" course vs. the "Roes" course. Hell, my kids even know Kyle's splits from the 2008 HRH!

To be frank, my family understands that there is nothing quite like running through the mountains with a bunch of like-minded people who get it. But, from my perspective, when you add to that a family that simply can't wait to get out there with you the experience becomes exponentially more meaningful. I know everyone reading this blog might not understand that but for those who do, you know what I mean. And this post is for you.

AJW