My fitness is declining while my waistline is growing. Oh well, that’s the story for many of us active people as we transition through the various twists and turns of life. What is the catalyst that adds that little bounce to our daily step and gets us to dive straight into our endeavors, whether they be exercising (training), work, family, whatever? For me, my days seem to turn almost solely on motivation. I’m motivated, I get after it and get things done; my motivation is in the tank and things happen at a different pace, a different intensity, a different finished product.
Many of us who are athletically minded, understand event motivation. You choose an event or a rec league sport, you commit to it and just like that, your overall motivation takes an uptick; it affects everything else in your life, too. The Leadville 100; flag football; Skirt Chasers 5k Runs; an attempt on a local peak; a weekend of skiing or riding double black diamond terrain at Crested Butte. It doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s a date circled on the calendar and you can work toward it; if it’s challenging and gets you out of your comfort zone; then added motivation is usually automatic. It can be a bit of a let down once the event comes and goes and there is nothing new to shoot for. Maybe that’s a secret of life; simply a non-stop series of goals and challenges.
I don’t feel like I have that event looming out there that pumps me up right now. My Leadville 100 train has finally pulled into the station, at least the iteration that it’s been these last few years. The Grand Traverse is too far away to fire me up now. I’m psyched to ski but, for whatever reason, at 45 years of age, it just isn’t the same giddy, chomping at the bit feeling it used to be. I have officially retired from flag football; it’s just too hard on my body. I’m happy not waking up really sore in the morning. Hockey starts in less than 2 months and that’s fun but I guess I’m lacking a physical challenge that stirs my inner drive.
Weird, though, the latest idea that has piqued my interest - kind of like the Colorado Trail Race or the Great Divide Race: very cool to ponder but not likely to happen - is walking to my mom’s house in southwest Denver. I told our oldest son about it on a recent hike and he keeps bringing it up, as in, “when we walk to grandma’s.” He’s very keen on it and thinks 14 will be the right age. He’s 11 now. I explained how we’d set out for various towns along the way: Aspen, Buena Vista, Leadville, Fairplay; taking several days of food to get to each one; bring the credit card and stay in motels when we did hit a town, reorganize, resupply, eat some Mexican food, then head out again. We’d need a day pack to bag fourteeners and other day hikes along the way, too. No schedule. Yeah, I now, I’d need to not have a job, but those are just details.
Honestly, I’ve been around the block enough times to know that the romance of walking to Grandma’s house would likely wear off about 15 miles out of Gunni: “Wait a minute. I’m walking to Denver! I’m I out of my %&*#%*% mind!” No, I probably won’t walk to Denver….. I’ll just have to tell Coop that we’re going to cut our teeth by walking to Paonia, summiting West Elk Peak and Mount Gunnison as we cross the West Elk Wildenress….but not until he’s 14!
But does it always have to be physical? Certainly not, but I’m a good example of someone who is stuck in the physical realm, the cerebral/career oriented one being more unexplored. My wife, Susan, a Registered Nurse (RN) before racing bikes, was able to step seamlessly back into that profession and now has a challenging and rewarding career in the surgical unit at the Gunnison Valley Hospital. My undergrad degrees are in Business and Communications and I was already racing bikes when I got them. They’re probably good foundation degrees if you’re in your twenties and heading out into the job market, but at 45, I feel thoroughly trained to do nothing specific. I took some accounting; I took some film making. I’m not an accountant; I’m not a film maker (I knew I should have paid more attention to those KC Diesel Driving School commercials I used to see during Gilligan’s Island!)
There is nothing that says I couldn’t be one of these things but staring down the learning curve is intimidating, especially since I feel like I really only have about 5 more years with our kids being young and I don’t want to miss that. Sure, I could try to start a business (Own your own business and you only have to work half days. You can do whatever you want with the other 12 hours!) or I could go back to school for a masters or further, specific ed. But if I did either of those, these next five years would fly by and all of the sudden I’d look at our boys and say, “What the hell happened? When did you guys grow goatees?” To this day I have never heard anyone say, “I really wish I hadn’t spent all that time with my kids when they were young.” I have heard the opposite, however.
I actually had a great plan. I was going to see if I could get on at Sugah’s Cafe here in Gunnison and work the 9am to 3pm weekday shift, learning the ropes of gourmet southern cooking. There is something to be said for a punch in punch out job, one that doesn’t follow you around 24/7. I probably wouldn’t have been taking money to the bank in suitcases, but if that and Susan’s income were able to support our fairly spartan lifestyle (not a high-def, plasma, wall mount whatever TV in the house; newest vehicle almost 10 years old), I could see some appeal in it. But my buddy Clint beat me to it and Matt hired him! I’m going to check that guy into next Tuesday once hockey starts. Ah, I need some time in my days during the week anyway to get out and get after it.
No, actually, the non-profit Gunnison Trails I started in ‘06 has gained lots of support and momentum. My call is to continue working to establish it as a relevant non-profit here in the valley. Working with the federal agencies is tough, though. Talk about motivation fluctuation! Everything Gunnison Trails does is tied to public lands and the processes that they are managed by. Right now, we have ambitious proposals in to the agencies and we’re waiting to see what they’re going to come back with. One of these is an epic singletrack between Gunnison and Crested Butte Trail. Most think it’s a long-shot but talk about an asset, not only to our area here, but to the entire state of Colorado. This says nothing of the educational opportunities that would be part of getting it planned and built. 100% hand-built is the goal, too. None of this ATV width tread with a singletrack on it. Come check out the trails in the Gunni Valley; all narrow bench, hand-built trails.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see but I’d sure like to spend the next 15 years planning and building epic, high-quality, non-motorized trails for people around here. For now though, I’m going for a ride! Here are some pics of summer winding down.
Cramming in some fun before school starts! Suzee and Ben at the go-cart track in Poncha Springs.
Cooper and Sam. Ben and Sam aren't taller than the chainsawed bear do they can't drive 'til next summer.
Checking out the S Mountain trails next to downtown Salida.
Riding the Salida Trails!
Last or first day of freedom depending on your perspective! The Sunday before school starts hiking on Sawtooth Mountain. That's the peak in the background. Dark clouds and tired legs meant we didn't get to it but we did attain this little knob at nearly 12,000 feet.
The traditional back to school photo 2009.
The ride to school begins anew, only to be trumped by snow and Walk to School Day (we'll drive that day and commence walking once we put the bikes up for winter.)
Finally, the post school drop off ride with Suzee at Hartmans!
