39?!?!?! Really???

Pardon my french but HOLY SHIT!! Where has the time gone? It seems like it was yesterday when I was in college... I guess it wasn't too long ago considering I graduated when I was 27. I really don't feel 39 and I probably don't act 39 but age to me is over-rated. I believe people are only as "old" as they feel, and quite frankly I'm in the best shape of my life at 39. But I still have to shake my head...

Am I where I thought I would be at age 39? Absolutely! In debt, happily married with two kids, working my dream job as a pharmaceutical sales rep, and still running. Well maybe not the "still running" thing. I can think back to high school cross country hoping the season would be over soon so that I could play the sport I truly loved - soccer. I hated running! Soccer was the sport that I saw myself playing in the old man 40+ league. But as I got into my early 30s I started to slow down and had a pulled muscle every time I played a game so I hung up the cleats when I turned 32.

I went back to running because I had not accomplished my goal of running a road marathon under 3 hours. I rededicated my training, started eating right, lost 20 lbs, and finally ran a 2.50:30 at the San Diego marathon in 2003. It was the challenge that lured me back and once I achieved my goal I started thinking "what am I physically possible of?"

Something changed in my thought process as I entered my 30s, some like to say it's called maturity. But I just like to see it as I didn't want to let life pass me by. I didn't want to look back on my life and say "shoulda, coulda, woulda" So what am I getting at here? Life is short. We are only here for a very short time so make the most of it. As Brian Fisher likes to tell me in races "don't be afraid to take chances, otherwise you'll never find out what is possible"

So here I am today 39 years old with a good life (meaning I have good family and good friends) and I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm looking for that next challenge. I'm looking for someone to say "you can't do that!"

39 years old and looking to go into the prime of my ultra running career for 2009.

And I'll end with my favorite quote in the world: The more you learn, you learn the less you know. The more you think you know, the less you learn. -Stephen Ashbrook

btw - I ran today for 39:39 and then went for a bike ride with Jaxon for 39:00. Do you think I could possibly swim for 39 minutes straight? Stay tuned for the next challenge...