11 myles - 1.18:33

Wildcat Ridge - 9:00 AM

50s, clear, dry

mind/body - very good

easy effort

Perfect running weather this morning. I'm sure the conditions will be similar up in the Cache Valley next week. The hay is in the barn at this point with not much else to do but eat and rest. 47 myles for the week with only 6283 of climbing. I feel fresh not only in terms of the body but the mind as well. I am very eager and excited for this race. Part of the reason for my excitement is from putting more time and myles over the last 3 weeks than ever before. And I want to see if it translates, I'm confident it will make a difference. But the other reason for my excitement are the pictures below.

This is my son Jaxon at the Buffalo 25K earlier this year. The first thing I noticed was the genuine excitement on his face. It made me realize that we all should feel this way at the start of a race. Getting to the start line should be exciting because you made it through all the training. Then the race itself is a celebration of all the training. So the message here is if you don't feel this sense of excitement on what lies ahead then maybe you should be thinking twice before stepping on that start line.

Jaxon and Rick

Jaxon and Cheryl Meltzer

Ready to go!

Still smiling at the start of the race

Thanks for the inspiration once again Jaxon!