motivation

hello to all! it's been a while since i've posted anything so i guess it's time. only about 3 months 'til we depart, and everything we need to do to be ready for the climb is already building. outside of the visas, passports, shots, flights, continued fund raising, gathering gear, and all the other logistical concerns that seem to weight us down...the training is coming along for all of us. we're at the point now, 90-100 days out, that our training is getting turned up a notch, or two. with short-term goals in mind, every workout means something. i've written previously about the inspirational aspects of the climb for me and its effects on my (our) training. motivation, though, comes in many colors. the picture i've included in this post is also a great motivator. as brian and i began our climb of mt. rainier last year, brian developed some severe cramping in his quads and we had to slow our pace considerably. he was able to work through the pain that first day and actually felt stronger as we continued to climb the following days. what was happening in this very picture has become motivation for both of us to not let it happen again! brian recently made 8 trips up the cathedral of learning stairs. that's 36 flights per trip. 288 flights. that's over 5000 verticle feet! oh...with a pack. and i'd be willing to bet that on almost every trip up that this photo was motivating him to never let it happen again. kudos to you brian!