The lottery for entry numbers for the Mount Washington Road Race was today, and I got a number! I ran Mount Washington for the first time last year, and when I got the email today telling me I got in again this year, I was ecstatic. Then, immediately, I thought about how hard running up the mountain is, and I almost wished I hadn’t gotten a number. If I had lost in the lottery, well that wouldn’t have been my fault, it was just chance.

After watching me suffer and enjoy the run last year, Jodi decided she would like to take a crack at it too. Unfortunately, she didn’t get selected. It would have been fun to stand on the starting line together, but not this year.

I ran 2:05 last year, so now I’ve got three months to lose a few pounds of useless fat — I’m on the cusp of qualifying as a Clydesdale — and try to get my legs and lungs in shape so I can try to come in under two hours. It’s important to have goals.