Well, I’m lame at keeping this site up to date. I may use it less to blog and more to post music/poetry in the future. I’ve been blogging elsewhere on some spiritual topics (trying to spare those of you who might not be interested in it here). . . 

Anyway, you might be interested to know that the Birkie (the 50K XC ski race) has come and gone. I have to say I enjoyed the race very much. Because I wasn’t trying to break any records or anything, I could casually ski on and enjoy the weather, the long, challenging trail, and the fact that - despite not really knowing whether I had trained enough - I was in solid enough shape to complete the task at hand.

I finished with a 4h 33m time, which is very acceptable to me.

What did I learn? A few things that I’ll share for anyone who might care.

First off - the hard core peeps who have been doing this for 20+ years love to share their wisdom. If you are considering a Birkie, have no fear, there is a world of Birkie alum who are more than willing to share their mystical secrets to a solid finish (I won’t post those here, as I’m just a novice - but a great deal of the advice I received was certainly helpful!) 

Waxing is an art. I went to a wax clinic and learned some good waxing technique and also that good wax ain’t cheap! (but it makes a difference in a long race, where durability is key.) My friend and I applied some mid priced stuff and it made a world of difference. We had a blast making good natured fun at how carried away people can get with this sport (just like enthusiasts in any sport). 

I also learned that I didn’t like how I initially introduced the idea of doing the Birkie to my wife and family. This created friction during most of the time leading up to the event - regardless of the fact that, deep down, my wife totally supported me.

As with any event that requires more than casual commitment, training for the Birkie, a marathon, or an Iron Man, are all time commitments that are not really great for my current family status. If I do it again, it will probably be if my wife also straps a pair of skis on and trains with me. Also likely would be that the kids do a shorter version as well. Make it a family event. 

I love the fact that I was in good shape and I felt great going into the race. Feeling healthy is a cool thing. That I want to maintain - albeit at a lesser intensity time wise.

Overall, the challenge at hand introduced me to a very cool winter sport that I loved training for and enjoyed very much. If nothing else, I have a great way to stay in shape during the cold winter season, while I enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

That’s probably the greatest thing of it all - I picked up XC skiing and I dig it.  Cool. 

Spring can now begin.

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(and what you need to interject a little life into your life)

One of my long-time friends emailed me and said – “hey, I’ve got this cabin up in Hayward and I’ve got room for you. Do you want to do the Birkie?”

[The Birkie is a 50k cross country ski race]

I thought about it briefly. Looked at the dates. Nothing on the calendar (unusual). Thought, “hey, can’t be as hard as a marathon and I like the idea of staying in shape.”

Obviously I would need to get clearance from the home front. I asked my wife if she was cool with it. Well…she said yes, but a week or so later her comments made me think she didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into when she originally said yes.

Anyway, that’s not the point.

The point is this – I agreed to do it because I believed I could do it.

I wrote my friend, said “yeah, I’m in” and I committed to it. Registered online just before the rates went up.

And then as I talked about it with my friends and family, they got all negative and doubty on me – “What? Are you crazy? Shouldn’t you start with something shorter? You don’t even ski!”

Then, last night, while the kids were practicing ski jumping, one friend who has done the Birkie 6 times talked about how he didn’t finish the first 2 times and how hilly it was.

(Hmm. . .ok, starting to sound like more of a challenge).

My wife still questions me about it now as do others.

My point is still this – I believe I can do it – I committed to do it – I am going to do it. End of story.

My advice to those you may be discouraging is this – don’t get all dark on people who are going after something, believe in it, are capable of it – regardless of how crazy you think it is.

My advice to those of you who think you can do something big, outrageous, and maybe even crazy? Go for it.

There’s a reason some experts recommend that you not share your dreams with everyone - they’ll just tell you how impossible they are! (to be clear, though - it’s not like I’ve been dreaming about the Birkie!)

Anyway, I’ve got 107 (+/-) days to get ready. Just got my XC ski poles today so I can practice with the inline skates. . .I’ll keep you posted.

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