Quick 2013 Recap, 2014 Preview… Including New Trail and Ultra Book

This past year was a significant deviation from our previous few years. Here’s a quick and dirty review:

• We semi-settled down in the San Diego area,
• We ran a total of one race this year, the San Diego Trail Marathon, which I DNFed at the 26 mile, 384 yard mark. 🙂
• We had a bout of abject poverty, which was both humbling and eye-opening. Thankfully it didn’t last long.
• I worked for UPS as a seasonal worker (actually last holiday season), then a lumber yard. Both jobs were ridiculously physically demanding, which was also a humbling experience.
• I released Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel, which continues to do far better than anticipated. Thank you to everyone that has supported the project!
• Shelly and I started training at an mma gym (San Diego Fight Club) and quickly fell in love with the combination of Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing.
• Our kids settled into the public school routine and adjusted well. It was a relief we didn’t screw them up too badly with our unschooling experiment.
• Shelly started a new job with the city of Chula Vista, best known as the hometown of Mario Lopez and Joel Zumaya.

The next year should be even more exciting. We have a few plans, but will mostly be open to serendipity. This is what we have planned thus far:

• We’re going to continue mma training, which will include some jiu jitsu tournaments and maybe (big maybe) toying with the idea of competing in an amateur mma fight by the end of 2014.
• I’m starting to do some wrestling coaching in the youth program at our gym… the first wrestling exposure I’ve had in roughly a decade.
• I would like to organize some sort of running clinic or class, but I have no idea what form this would take.
• I worked out a deal with a publisher to write a trail running and ultramarathon book (untitled thus far) that will be far more comprehensive than Squirrel Wipe. Tentative release date is fall 2014.
• I’m VERY tentatively considering an ultra for fall 2014, but it will be heavily dependent on the aforementioned mma plans.
• I will continue working on the parenting book I’ve mentioned previously. The ultra book is taking precedent, but I anticipate a late spring/early summer 2014 release of this book.

That’s about all I have on the plate at this time. We’re looking forward to the upcoming year!

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