September 8, 2023 - 10 Years, Really?

Is it really going to take me 10 years to get myself ready for High Five 100? That seems like a darn long time. I'm reminded of something I read or heard somewhere years ago and can't attribute properly, unfortunately. 

People have a tendency to overestimate what they can get done in 1 year and underestimate what they can get done in 10. 

I think this is true. I think I could be ready for High Five 100 far more quickly than in the 10 year period. But that's really not the point, though I've asked myself the 10 year question a few times. Why 10 years? Because I think the likelihood is it will take 7-10 years to actually get picked in the Hardrock 100 lottery and actually get to run that race. 

This journey or project or adventure or whatever it should be called isn't just about finishing High Five 100. In fact, it's very little about that. High Five 100 is just the little carrot at the end, the incentive to keep my moving forward and fired up. This really is about the journey. It's about preparing for and running those other qualifying 100 miles to get Hardrock 100 lottery tickets. It's about the learning I want to engage in to be really well prepared for High Five 100. It's about spending time with friends I've made over the past few years while crewing and pacing and running, getting lost in the mountains with them, making up stories and legends and superstitions along the way (ask me about the Cinnamon Roll Protocol someday.) It really is about the journey as trite and banal as that sounds.

I hope over these 10 years to get back to Hardrock 100 several times to crew, pace, and volunteer. I hope to be able to participate in a "Soft Rock 100" in the next few years. I want to have time to visit the San Juans and scout the potential route for High Five 100 many, many times. Probably many more times than is absolutely necessary. And that's a big part of why I want to do this at all. I love being in those mountains. I enjoy being out there alone for a bit. I really enjoy being out there with others who also get great fulfillment from time in the San Juans.

So, 10 years, really? No, not really. It might be 5 years if I luck out and get picked in the Hardrock Lottery quickly. Maybe 7 years. Heck, maybe it never happens. I could get injured and never run or hike again. High Five 100 could disappear never to be run by anyone again. But 10 years is the time period I'm planning on. 10 years gives me focus and a target. 10 years is the aspiration.

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