In a few hours I will get up and head south into the mountains of southern Arizona for the Old Pueblo 50. A rather grueling trail race with 8,000 feet of climbing and much of it about 5,000 feet of elevation. Mother Nature is apparently working her bag of tricks and might greet us with rain, gale force winds and cold temperatures. The initial worry of running in summer heat was vanquished today with the recent weather report but what is funny is that either way the one thing we can be sure of is that the day will be full of challenge, challenge and more challenge.

So, the only thing to do at this point is to relax and get prepared to bring a strong mind with me. To remind myself of all of the preparation that got me to this point and to appreciate the opportunity to be able to go out and tackle a new challenge. There are many people who will never be able to get out and do this and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to do so. The THPL has taught me a lot and it has prepared me for this moment and I believe it is why I can go to this race relaxed. The formula is simple - I know how to run, I know there will be great support at the race and I know that I have done races that took a similar amount of time. The rest of the day will take care of itself.

Here’s to another challenge on my THPL journey – stay tuned for how it plays out

Loving Life and the opportunity to run the Old Pueblo 50

Ciao
joe