I enjoy this time of year to take advantage of catching up since I’m not that good at it the rest of the year.

This year has had its set of challenges. My dogs, Billy, Eddy, and Marley, have really become my kids (dog lovers understand this sentiment). Eddy, who was the first Springer I adopted, was diagnosed with arthritis in her wrists and ankles. She has been my “bad luck” dog. First, a couple of years ago, she tore ligaments in one of her knees, and had to have surgery, now this. Though she remains a very happy dog; she is just not able to walk for long periods. The curious thing is she just turned five last October. Many tests later, it was determined she suffered from some auto-immune disease in the past that caused the arthritis. Unfortunately, there really isn’t much that can be done for her except to come up with a pain management plan that will make her comfortable. She really loved hiking and backpacking with me and the other dogs, so it remains to be seen if that is something she’ll be able to resume.

Marley, Eddy, Billy
Billy	Marley

My relay race and race timing business continues to do okay. While relay races have become very popular (which is good), this popularity has attracted more corporate-minded businesses. One thing that has been really cool about relay races, is most were started by individuals like myself, who loved to run and enjoyed the relay race concept. We went out, designed a route, and staged the race. We wanted to be successful but not at the expense of other races. But now, with the success of relay races, they, like marathons, have attracted companies that are big business, where the dollar trumps quality and ethics. A company has come to Colorado, copied another relay races’ route, and scheduled their race to conflict with mine. When races were organized by individuals, or small companies, there was respect for others events. Unfortunately, that no longer is the case. So while I am sure I’ll survive (because I’ve been told numerous times that my races are the most organized with the most scenic routes), next year could be a lean one as my Colorado race, the Wild West Relay, has paid my bills and subsidized in large part, my other races.

If I can make it through 2012, I should be okay as I have two new races that, baring unforeseen issues, should start this year, and a third on the drawing board for 2013. For the first year, you hope to break even with a new race, so I hope the new races will be received positively.

But there were good things that happened too. I was able to fit in two river trips: a five-day Yampa trip in Dinosaur National Monument in May, and a 21-day Grand Canyon trip in October. I just returned from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico from timing a 5k race. While there, we ate good fish tacos and snorkeled.

What I’m most excited about is something else I’m working on. When I had my house on the market earlier this year, it was in the hope of moving back to Fort Collins. Then I realized, why move there – why not move to where I really wanted to live? So, I started the process. This past summer, I sent in the paperwork for a Long Term Business Visa Application to New Zealand. My plan is to start a couple of races there, while continuing my races in the States. I would commute back to the States several times a year for the races here.

This has been a fantasy of mine for a long time. I figured I could retire over there, but retirement does not really look like a possibility in the foreseeable future. It would be a challenge to move somewhere where I can’t load up a truck and haul myself, dogs, and belongings, but I’m up for a change of scenery, and a change in culture.

I hope your year has been a good one and I wish you the best for 2012!

Paul, Eddy, Billy, and Marley