"You can't script Adventures like this"

Having just got back from a biking trip around Oregon in which the biking was somewhat diminished due to a) weather but mostly b) my wife now being pregnant, when I saw this today I instantly knew I was going to miss the more challenging trips we usually go on in the next couple of years..

Three friends from Colorado set out to conquer the Huayhuash Range in the Andes, on Mountainbikes... this sort of trip is borne of a true sense of adventure.. challenge, weirdness, adversity, danger.

For the full trip details head to: http://huayhuash.bikemag.com/

Thanks a lot guys, I am on my second day back at work from a biking holiday and I am now burning to get out for another one... well done ;)

Shutting off the Excuse Machine

Adventure Journal popped up today with a great little article about Turning off the Excuse Machine.

I laughed when I read the line ..By pointing out that we are “so out of shape,” we’re implying that our real self is actually a super-fit gnar machine that would obviously be crushing it, if only we had been able to sneak a few more workouts in the last couple of weeks.

This is so me! oh man did this article just call me out :)
I keep blaming my work for not letting me be the lean mean machine, training 10-14 times a week in 7 different sports guy,,, back when I was 20.

Not nailing my target of sub 4 hours in either of my 2 marathons was a bit of a blow to my ego, and yet I had excuses for both times to make me feel a bit better about it. Sick the first year was a fairly good excuse, but last year.... well that was all down to me not putting in the hard yards.

Have you ever seen the movie "About Time" ? No big spoiler alert here, but the message of the movie is that you don't have to have special time warp abilities to enjoy life to its fullest. You just have to pay attention, stop to smell the roses, and appreciate the beauty that surrounds you every day,

And that's kind of the message that the article had as well. Stop it with the excuses. You don't have to be crushing it and at the front of the pack. How many other people managed to get off their ass this weekend and get outdoors like you did. In fact, even better than that - who cares how many people got outdoors last weekend. You did, and if you took the time to appreciate what was around you, breathed some of that fresh air, saw the little creatures running about... well that's the goal. Don't apologise for being slow, revel in the hard work and tired exhaustion. take a break and look at whats around you.

Thinking back on the first marathon I did, I remember turning the comer at the top of the long downhill stretch from UBC to Jericho beach: The mountains of the North Shore were perfectly framed in the big V of the West Coast evergreens on either side of the road, the sun was out after months of training in the cold and wet weather, and it was warm with clear blue skies. I felt so good to just be there, doing this, running, my first marathon.. I felt emotional and giddy. I was absolutely loving the moment. That's my best memory of the day in fact.

Feeling good, enjoying the sun, loving life..

..as I crossed the line. I think I wished I had done a little more training right about then.

My goal for this summer - train as much as I can, and don't be the Excuses Guy if I don't crush it every single ride and run   :)