Give me a planner and I’ll conquer the world.
My primary goal is one I’ve had for a long time. It’s a total cliché too. You know, it’s that one about finishing your novel. Yeah. That. I’ve wanted to be a writer all my life and I recently had a small success in that a short story of mine placed in a contest and was published. But my main goal is to finish the novel that I’ve been working on for many, many, many, years. So many years I can’t even tell you how many because it’s an embarrassment. So that is my primary goal in 2018, get my novel finished!
I did run the Yellowstone Half last year but it’s the Caldera medal that’s calling my name. Plus, I fell in love with the Tetons when we drove through the park last summer. These races are back-to-back weekends in June, and my sister and I are taking a road trip there together. We’ll be camping and hiking the two national parks all week together and I’m super excited about it! I could really use a vacation. Next week marks the start of half training for these races and I’ll keep mixing strength training into my routine as well.
Some of my favorite photos from the Vacations Races I’ve run over the years.
I’m also doing the Rocky Mountain Elk Double again in August and it will be my fourth year participating. I’m super excited because Meridith is flying out to join me for my favorite race! I am so stoked because she’s bringing her whole family and I get to show them Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park. I openly admit my bias for Colorado, and I love showing off the state that I’m so lucky to live in and proud to be from. Those are my three races for the year and while it doesn’t seem like a lot, the Triple is two half marathons and a 5k in seven days. It will be a great challenge.
Last week, I took a class at REI about cross-country skiing, and tomorrow, I’m taking another class there about snowshoeing basics. These classes are free, so check out your local REI for their offerings. I could even ice skate if I wanted to because there’s a pond less than a mile from my house that’s frozen solid right now. The variety and choices are endless! I just have to push myself out of my comfort zone and out of the gym and go give it a try. 2018 is the time to be fearless!
If you want to follow my writing pursuits, I have a Twitter and a website and they come with my undying devotion. You can’t pass THAT up.
I just finished an episode of the You Made it Weird podcast with Jay Duplass and he had some great advice for writers. Write a piece of crap, but finish it. Your first draft should be crap but you have to get through it. It’s so easy to obsess over revisions and get bogged down. That was always my biggest issue when I was writing screenplays in college until I took a class where we weren’t allowed to revise anything until we’d finished the story. It forced us to get out a complete first draft and that it was so much easier to look at the story as a whole and prioritize which parts to revisit first. Not sure what stage of the process you’re in but I just thought I’d share.
Awesome advice, Ryan, thanks! Getting bogged down with revisions was part of the problem, along with getting stuck with a few plot points and not just pressing forward, along with general life stuff like working full time and college part time. But the time for excuses is OVER. I’m determined! Thanks again, I’ll check out your podcast!
So fun to have your friend come race with you. Both races look beautiful!
Good luck with your novel!
Thanks, Meranda! Meridith and I always have a blast when we race together. We can’t wait to be reunited!
We can’t wait to be in Colorado with you!!! Good things on the horizon.