Bucket List

The idea of the Naked Run is alive and well. I even have a few tentative dates picked out. If you get Trail Runner Magazine, you know that running naked is one of the things in an article about a Bucket List for trail runners that was published several months ago. I've had a few conversations with friends recently about Bucket Lists, some before I die, some before I turn 30. Either way, it inspired me to put together an athletic Bucket List and also put together a list a things that I have done, purposefully or not.

Some of the things will be easy to accomplish and some may be pipe dreams, but either way they make the list. I hope to keep this list and update it every year. If nothing else, it will keep me motivated to try new things and continue to get outside my comfort zone. So, here it is:

Sam's Bucket List 2010

• Run naked!
• Race in Vibrams
• Sprint triathlon barefoot (shoes on the bike, of course)
• Average 20+mph in a 70.3 race
• Qualify for Clearwater (Yikes! It's in print!)
• Ironman distance race
• Pace/crew for a friend in a 100 mi race
• Adventure race
• Run a marathon (seems a little silly, but oh well)
• Climb barefoot
• Get certified in lead-climbing
• On-site a V4 problem
• Learn to snowboard
• Learn to surf
• Snowshoe
• Scuba dive somewhere warm
• Polar plunge somewhere cold

As I was compiling this list, I realized a lot of these are built off of other goals I already achieved. So here are some of the things I achieved on purpose:

• Triathlons up to 70.3 distance
• 3rd place AG in a sprint
• Ultra marathons up to 50 mi (but no marathon)
• Century ride
• Belay certified for climbing
• Finished a V4, on-sited a V3
• Outdoor bouldering (climbing w/out a harness, less than 25 feet)
• Wake boarding, water skiing, snow skiing
• Open water kayaking (with alligators, no less)
• Canoe racing (concrete canoe and regular, won most races)

And here are some things I did but not quite on purpose:

• Dumped a canoe in the Missippi in February
• Lost my bottoms wake boarding (tie-on suits are not a good choice)
• Crashed a 4-wheeler (the 4-wheeler won)
• Hit in the chest by a golf ball on the fly (no wonder there are no golf-related goals)

This year, I'm hoping to knock a few of those things off my list. Yes, I think the naked running will be the first one achieved. For each goal I accomplish, I plan to add one more to the list. I don't think the point of a bucket list is to ever finish it. I think the point is to always have a list. But I don't see naked bike riding in my future. :)