Birkyness: Game On

I must confess, as June came to end I was starting to doubt my ability to complete the Birkie. Although I had worked myself into decent shape, skiing 50 kilometers seemed a bit of a stretch for a soft, old guy. School work, child care, poor weather, and an overall lack of endurance had all appeared to catch up on me. But I wasn't yet ready to give up.

I knew that July was an important month in my quest for birkyness. With summer vacation approaching the halfway point, July appeared to be a make it or break it month.

Since March I have tracked every mile I have run, biked, or hiked. It was fun to write down and inspiring to add up, but still, nowhere was I seeing a five hour ski in my future...even if it was still eight months away. Slowly I started committing to longer runs, to more challenging bike rides. I honored my rest days, but began to push harder in my workouts.

As I headed into the last week of July I added up the miles. I knew I had stayed diligent, and was feeling quite strong, still I was surprised at the distances my math revealed. On Friday I went for an 18 mile bike ride...bringing me to 203 miles for the month. On Saturday morning, the last day of July, I went on a four mile run, pushing my monthly total to 62.4 miles. Never before had I completed this many miles. Never before in my adult life have I felt this strong and this fit.

I am so confident in fact that last week I sent in my $80 (nonrefundable) registration fee.

The birkie is on...