It's Exciting Times

​It’s times like these when reflection and intentional mindfulness is most important and valuable. For those of you who may not know Olivia and I got engaged last week! It was a beautiful proposal and the past week has been the happiest of my life!
 
With an engagement, the final preparation before the Arizona Trail Race, moving into a new apartment, supporting Olivia through her last semester through college, and getting settled into my new job there has been a hell of a lot going on and a lot more coming up in the next few weeks and months. I always knew it would be incredibly busy but now that the craziness is in full swing it’s hard not to get overwhelmed by everything!
 
The stress of upcoming bills, a huge race, and just the day to day stressors can be paralyzing but through intentional mindfulness and reflection, I have been feeling the most in control than at any other point in my life. I am fairly sure that this new found control and healthy mindset comes from my past experiences and having 24/7 support from Olivia. I have been through rough patches before and I have always emerged stronger and more capable. This knowledge allows me to keep my head up high and dive into the craziness that is life right now.
 
As far as the Arizona Trail goes I am incredibly ready. It has been nearly a year and a half of preparation and training and I can't wait to show the work that has been done. It's still hard to believe that the race is occurring in less than a month now. It has become such an abstract race in my mind. When I officially signed up for the GPS tracking a few days ago I was shaking. In my mind, I still had a few months to train and prepare but here I was signing up to be tracked every 5 minutes over a 750-mile race through Arizona.
 
I feel confident that I will finish the race in a little over 7 days but I am still nervous. I have never hiked through the Grand Canyon and from what I have heard it will be a challenge to say the least. But I do know how to walk so all I will have to do is put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. At the end of the day whether it be in life or hiking through the Grand Canyon all you can do is put one foot in front of the other.
 
I will be driving out to New Mexico on April 7th and do a few days of bikepacking though the land of enchantment before heading to the start of the race in the middle of nowhere Arizona. I can already feel the dry air and warm sun. I am so excited.
 
Tomorrow (3/25/19) I plan on doing a 100-130 miles ride with the current bikepacking set up to test out the new dynamo hub and I’ll take lots of photos to share with all.
 
If you want to become a sponsor and support my record attempt there are a few links on the website where you can sponsor me for as little as $5! Every bit counts and I am so grateful to those who have already donated.
 
Keep on rambling!
 
-Dylan