132 Horsetooth Rock summits
That's the only thing I keep track of now. I'm pretty happy with 132, my second highest to the 164 from 2013. I wouldn't say that my summit count is always correlated to how well my "training" is going. In fact, I would say sometimes it might be negatively correlated because it means that I am getting out on some bigger mountains. But I still like to keep the tally because it does give me some motivation to get to the highest point on my backyard trails, and at least a few others I know are interested in my summit count.
2015 also had me picking up my 7th 100-mile finisher buckle at the very challenging Ouray 100. That was really my only race in 2015. I did finish the inaugural Never Summer 100K, but made a point to never consider it a race since Ouray was just 6 days later. It turned out to be one of my most enjoyable "races" ever on a spectacular course. I look forward to volunteering this year at this great event.
2016 is not shaping up to be much of a racing year for me either. I was pretty disappointed to miss out on Hardrock for a second year in a row, but very excited for many of my friends that got in. I was even denied by the Leadville 100, but wasn't too heartbroken by that one. The only race I plan to run this year now is the Mogollan Monster 100 in September. It is a Hardrock qualifier, which I will need to put my name in the hat for Hardrock 2017, and it will be fun to explore this part of Arizona where I have never been.
My focus this year will be to get out on the trails for the sake of getting out on the trails (no upcoming race needed to motivate me for that). I am excited to knock off some more adventures and routes I have been scheming but never have time to get to. Kristel and I are planning to do some "fastpacking" trips this year, with the ultimate trip being the Nolan's 14 in August. We won't be doing it in under 60 hours.
So let's hope 2016 is filled with enough mountain adventures to keep this blog alive.
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| January summits can be challenging |
