Long lost update

I've been off the update train for a while now...

The fickle finger of fate that is life has been flipping me the bird lately and I've been busy trying to grab that finger and bite it.

I'll start off with what has been a bother for a few months and that is revisiting Bierdstadt. In my trip report I mention how lousy I was feeling during that climb and how tough it was for me to gain the summit. Well....a few days later I was in the Dr's office and it turns out I was really sick. I wound up on a round of heavy antibiotics and let's just say if I'd have been exposed to Anthrax that week I'd have been good to go. :o

After getting better I was left with a haunting feeling of that climb. I realized that my lack of training might have very well killed me that day. I sort of downplayed how bad I was feeling and long story short I pressed on further than I should have because I wasn't in top shape. Had I been in good shape I'd have known something was wrong and I should stop, get better, and climb another day. But what happened is that I was doubting myself out there. I was thinking wussing out was not acceptable and wound up pushing myself to potentially bad places. I learned the hard lesson of what a disservice it is to show up less than 100% prepared.

I had time to really think about that because it was the last 14er of our season and ahead was a hiatus....a hiatus from hell because I've learned the second hard lesson of the year. A hiatus that lasts too long is damaging to the cause. Knowing that I was going to have to approach my 2011 season in a lot better shape than 2010 because of what I learned and the goal of twice as many 14ers this year I understood the work ahead of me and I let the time available to put me in postpone mode... aka denial.

A ton of other issues came up but the above is enough to illustrate where I've been until the breaking point came during the last UFC event. Thank you Thiago Alves. thank you. Thiago showed up in peak conditioning and performed flawlessly in the event. He was inspiring and the stand out of the entire event IMO. In post fight interviews he gave credit to his improvements to "lifestyle changes". I started looking into what he was talking about and in doing so the urgency to get training for 2011 came to life for me and I felt inspired to get to it.

Getting sick did deal me some setbacks but it also gave me some great perspectives I think. I've put myself in a little bit of a hole currently but have no doubt I can dig out and using what I've learned I intend to hit the first 14er trail head of 2011 the most prepared I've ever been.

Less serious posts to follow but I had to clear that up.....