I spent the better part of Sunday evening and Monday morning sitting on the deck with my buddy Gary Robbins laughing, tipping back a few cool ones and trading war stories.  Top of our agenda was first bagger bragging rights.

One of my BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals) is to run my 100th ultramarathon during my first year in the 50+ age group. That would be 2008. Given that I'm now on track with 94 ultras under my belt, I'm soon going to have to pick the run I celebrate as my 100th.

For nobody other than myself, here are my draft 2008 fitness resolutions:

Running events:

My friends Wade, Dom and Ryne are without a doubt among the best long distance runners in Canada.  They had trained very hard and very smart.  They were all very ready for the Western States 100-mile endurance run.  And yet all 3 failed to complete the 100-mile distance on race day.  There had to be a conspiracy! 

Yesterday, I spent the better part of the day running a 50K in the rain with Pano Skrivanos.  Pano's a great runner, but until yesterday, he'd never run an ultramarathon.  He picked my brain clean of hints and tips for running ultras during our 6 hours together and that got me thinking about ideas to blog about.

Race gear and draw prizes can be very distinctive.  The lions share of my wardrobe came from a race packet.  My fashion-conscious Mom might argue that this is not a good thing, but that doesn't bother me because I am a fashion trend-setter rather than a follower. 

Jackson and fashion.  I've been informed that this is a classic oxymoron. 

I was raised in a household where Mom encouraged us to dress well and to always look our best.  My Mom has been in the fashion business all of her life, so my brothers, sister and me always got good quality, fashionable gear for birthdays and Christmas.  (We still do!)  Fashion played a strong influence in how I was nurtured.