Quick Hits
It has been a while since I posted my last update, so here it goes:
Running
In October and November, I ran a 2 hour half marathon in San Jose and a 10k night trail run in Usery Mountain Park. The half marathon is probably the hardest physical challenge that I have faced in my adult life, and it was extremely rewarding. Wifey even joined me in San Jose and ran a 10K, despite her previous declaration that "I don't run unless something is chasing me". This is what true love looks like.
I also ran two Spartan Races back-to-back in February that were 5 and 10 miles long with about 23 obstacles in each.
Up Next
The 3rd and final Spartan Race in Dallas on 10/27 will be 13 miles with 35 obstacles. After that, it'll be a quick break before training for the 2019 Rock N Roll Marathon
Travel
Allie was blessed to be able to go to Malawi on a medical missions trip with our church in May. They saw hundreds of patients and were able to minister to people who never would've been able to see without support from all of our friends and family. This was a life changing trip for her and I am excited to go with her and the team in the near future! Allie will be working closely with our church on ministry in that area of the world because of her experiences in Malawi and Mozambique.
While Allie was off changing the world I took that opportunity to try something new, and I was able to travel to Yosemite National Park for the first time ever. I was there camping for about a week, also for the first time ever.
I simultaneously over-prepared and under-prepared for this trip, I hope that next time that goes a little more smoothly. I meal-prepped everything possible with the help of these amazing camping recipes from Bon Appetit, I highly recommend checking these out whether you're camping, or just looking for a little rustic flair for your home cooking (my two favorites were these short ribs and oyster butter fried potatoes) .
Yosemite was probably the most beautiful place that I have ever visited (Bora Bora is either 1a or 2). The views are breathtaking and I don't think any photo that I have can reproduce the feeling when you are looking into those views. Granite rock formations so tall that it's disorienting, waterfalls that completely soak you, and iconic hikes no matter where you decide to go. My biggest hikes were up to El Capitan and Half Dome.
El Capitan was an adventure because I took a back trail for almost the entirety of the hike. I only saw two people the entire time and that was when I had finally reached the 3000-foot peak. It was really peaceful, aside from getting a little lost from time to time and having to kick pinecones the size of footballs out of the "path". That was about 26.25 miles over 11 hours. And for some reason, I skipped breakfast that day.
Half Dome is the highlight of Yosemite for most, personally, I thought it was amazing but I had a tough time because I wasn't ready for that kind of mileage over 3 days. The falls were beautiful to walk up, albeit a little dangerous because of the carved granite steps being covered in water like everyone else on that path. And then there's the part where I forgot my lunch (3000 calorie breakfast burrito, RIP) and my knees were so spent that I walked the last mile sideways/ backward because of the pain. The top of Half Dome brought out a fear of heights that I didn't know that I had in me. The final leg of the hike are steps carved into the top of the mountain that feel like they go straight up without anything to either side to give you a rest. It was worse going up than down, otherwise I would've maybeeee been a little stuck. This hike was about 22 miles overall and was about 10-11 hours. I thought it would be easier than El Capitan because of the shorter overall distance, but then I realized you actually hike up about 4737 ft., 1700 ft. higher than my previous hike. Sidenote, my calves have never looked better than right after this trip.
Overall it was an amazing experience. I got my solo survival camping trip that I had always wanted. I learned a lot about some best camping practices, hiking (get the goofy-looking trekking poles because they take about 70 lbs of pressure off of your knees and that matters when you have a massive hiking pack), and that I don't need that long to be alone EVER. I gave in a few nights in and just watched a movie on my iPad because I needed some sort of noise back in my life.
I thought that was going to be enough to provide a good recap here, but I didn't realize that I would only be working at Empire Southwest for a few more weeks.
New Job
A company reached out to me in June called Foresight Intelligence. I had been at Empire for almost 6 years and was in a really tough position. I had a job that was at one of the most secure and successful companies in the state, but I was stuck in a position that had left me highly specialized but without room to grow. After I finally had an offer from Foresight, Empire had come back with multiple counter-offers that really made it hard to leave. They had recognized that they had left my position without much room to grow and they valued me and my role more than I had thought. In the end, my decision was based on a willingness to try something new, to stretch myself, and to broaden my skillset while I still could. I get to travel, it's just Allie and Iggy at home, and I probably won't have an easier time in my life to work at a startup without assuming the risk that comes with those factors.
I am coming up on my second month with this company and the experience has been great. I feel like I have barely scratched the surface at Foresight Intelligence, so I'll probably have more on this in future posts.