Moving Forward

I'm off to International Falls this morning. I'll go through gear check today and then just mostly chill at the hotel and gather my thoughts. I'm not nervous. Just anxious. All of the preparations are done and it is now time to execute.

Last year after I dropped out, other than a warm bed, the first thing I thought of was what I needed to do to be successful next year. I started making a list immediately. I came up with about 10 things that I would do differently and I have now made all what I would call "improvements". One thing I did was make a pouch on the front of my shirt to warm up food. It gets really old eating things that are frozen solid, which just adds to your problems. After you've been out there awhile eating on your feet while on the move is just something you don't want to do. For me, that is where the trouble started. I wasn't taking in enough calories and my body wasn't creating the heat I needed to do to stay warm. It was about -10 when I quit and the thought of going through another night had me concerned for my safety. Though I was banged up physically and mentally, I was still moving forward but I know I made the right call in pulling the plug. I now know what I could have done to keep me going but at the time I did not and I have no regrets. Live and learn. Two steps forward and one back is a positive net gain. On the ride back to the hotel I was already planning for next year so I was still moving forward.

Many of the people that don't make it to the finish of Arrowhead do not return the following year. Some have tried every year and not yet made it. All I can say is that I am here and I will give it my all. Regardless of whether or not I cross the finish line this year, I will continue to keep moving forward.