This may be the best advice for any endurance event since so many variables are out of anyone’s control. Hope is always a good thing but it’s grounding when up against things like Mother Nature or mechanical/equipment gremlins.

It’s my nature to be hopeful and optimistic, some might say a bit too optimistic at times. For Otillo, my crazy optimism kicked in when I heard about the event. Somehow, Dave got pulled into the gravitational force of this optimism and agreed to do it together as a team.

With Otillo in a few days, I’m realizing that I’ve experienced the ‘best’ already. It’s been awesome to train with Dave especially while running. He always checks in during our runs. He reminds me to smile, adjust my technique and, occasionally, channels his best James Brown…..“I feel good” “So good” “So good”. Laughing, I reset and plod up the hills. We trained A LOT and it never felt like drudgery.

I’m grateful for such a great partner.

No need to hope for the best. It’s already happened. The only thing that can top it will be a hug at the finish.

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