It’s been a couple months since I posted here, and so I thought it was about time for a general life update post. August through October is always a crazy time in our lives with the fall running and biking calendar packed with activities. Between heat in the summer and cold in the winter, some of the most packed times for events to take place is during our shoulder seasons where things can be a bit more moderate.

This year September started with my usual captaining of the County Road 6 aid station at the Fall Superior 100. However, this year was my final year in that role. After seven consecutive years I decided it was time to take a step back from that role and open up the possibility that I might run the event in the future. Not 100% committed to that yet, but I want the option to exist if I so choose.

It ended up being a great final year, and after working the station all evening I got some sleep and then headed out on course to spend the day shooting photos. I’m really happy with how this album came out and the location I discovered. Unfortunately some rain moved in later in the day darkening the skies a lot, and I had to abandon my location before the final runners came through. Still a great weekend though.

The next week Lisa made an attempt at the Chequamegon 40 bike race. Unfortunately the course was not what she had trained for and it got the better of her. She still learned a lot and came away with a much better sense of what she would need to do in the future at that race. I got the spend the day as crew and spectator which was fun for a change. Had lunch at a delightful cafe in Cable, WI before heading out on course to rescue Lisa from the aid station she dropped at.

The following week I joined my friends Mike and Beth on some of their peak-week long running as they prepare for the No Business 100. I’ll be driving down to Tennessee with them later this week to crew and pace. It should be quite the adventure and I’m excited to help them achieve some amazing goals.

Then we wrapped up September with the epic and gnarly Heck of the North bike race (we did the 55 mile event). Lisa and I did this event together and holy crap was this a ton of fun. The mix of ATV trail and gravel roads made for an exciting and muddy adventure. A previous two days of rain meant that we had to spend a good two hours cleaning bikes when we got home, but it was an insanely great time and we loved getting to see some areas around Two Harbors that we’ve never seen before.

Unfortunately, after arriving home later that night we ended up needing to rescue our son who had gotten into an accident with our car. No one was hurt and everything will be fine, but we’re looking at car shopping when I return from Tennessee.

And then October kicked off with our race, the Fire Tower Trail Races. With the cancellation of the Twin Cities Marathon we ended up with a surge of folks at the last minute wanting to come run our race. We managed to get 167 people through the event at various distances and had an awesome day in the woods. It’s really fun to put these events on and help people reach their goals, but it is very draining for us and we’re looking forward to some down time in the near future. Having to turn around and go on a trip so quickly afterwards means that vacation will need to wait a few more weekends.

The plan is to take it much easier in November and December. Lisa is deep in training for Tuscobia 80 (bike) and I’m going to join some friends in sled pulling training again this year, despite not doing any winter races. I’m just trying to keep my body moving and active and hopefully enter 2024 with a good base to build off of. Excited for things to come in the new year and continuing to try and live my best life.