Race Registration Day!
I had almost forgotten what today was when I was waking up, but luckily I had set a reminder to myself that went off just in time. This morning is when registration opened up for The Bear. They said that it went online around 8:00am and I registered well before 8:15 so I imagine I was one of the first. After I missed registering for a couple years due to it filling up, I have been determined to not miss it again so I set alarms and make plans for it now.
The Bear has been a topic of a couple different Run and Drum posts and with good reason: it really is a constant goal for me to keep training and getting better at running, it has been for years. I now have other goals in addition to the ones that pertain to that particular race, but it's always in the back of my mind every time I am doing some hill work or starting to push some personal limits. In years past, I would put off consistent training until March or April - the race is in early July - and even then I wouldn't get after it like I have been the past few months. I'll be ready this year.
If you have any interest in running The Bear, I highly encourage it. It's always a ton of fun and the feeling of finishing that race is one of the best I've ever had. There are some decidedly grueling parts of it in terms of how steep the terrain is and how sometimes it feels like it will never end, but that's part of why I always feel so rewarded when I do get done with it. You also get a pretty sweet shirt that turns out to be a great conversation starter. If you're registering, do it soon though! It fills up quicker and quicker every year.