I won’t guarantee this will be the start to something I’ve always promised. Chances are I’ll write a few times and before I know it, it’ll be months if not years later — again. It makes me a little sad that the words just seem to fade into time gone by, but maybe someday they’ll be the keeper of the sanity they once were.

Life has been a roller coaster since I last wrote. There’s been two years of races, places and faces. I’m two years post-back surgery and, although still not totally pain free, I’m back to a pretty consistent, albeit slow as a turtle, run. 2022 was too much work and not enough play. And 2023 went by in a blur of sadness while we navigated a brain cancer diagnosis in my mom. Five lesions found just two days before my birthday mid June. Multiple trips east for treatment and support, and an unexpected move west when she begged me to come get her and her 13 year old chihuahua Chloe. For six weeks she was a Colorado girl before she lost a way too short battle. It’s still so surreal to think she’s gone. She was crazy, but she was my crazy, and I miss her something fierce.

Last year saw a high too. Or should I say a long. Four weeks after losing my mom, I fought hard as hell to finish my longest run ever, the Canyonlands 125k. Seventy six grueling desert miles in sun, hail, rain and nearly 50 degree temperature variations. That race probably deserves a story of its own — like lesson learned to avoid inaugural long-distance courses — but there’s just a lot of “never agains” better left unsaid. At the end of the day, I proved a lot to me, and that’s all that really mattered.

So. New year. New goals. The 100 mile attempt is back on the calendar. The hope was Leadville but the lottery odds were not in my favor so it’s the Javelina Jundred in late October. But I still needed a little Leadville Love so Silver rush 50 in July will be a training run. Not sure what else will be as of yet. With two weddings and a funeral, I have to work around time and travel.

I’m ready to make 2024 epic! And with any luck, share the running trail tails as I go.