When plans change, just keep going!



December is a great time of year to start making plans for how to make your 2018 EPIC! As this year comes to an end, I wanted to tell a story about one of my more memorable adventures of 2017. As I look back on the year this was one of my favorite memories.Though this trip had its ups and downs it was totally worth it, and I hope it inspires you to find some adventures of your own for the next year.
  
Early this spring some of my friends came up with a plan to ride our bikes on the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota. 106 miles of beautiful trail that was sure to be an adventure. Our plan was to drive down the day before and ride it on a Saturday. The date was set for early spring when there was a chance of beautiful weather or potentially blizzard conditions. We crossed our fingers and watched the weather as the date drew near. 

Saturday morning we woke up to blue skies and a high of 50 in the forecast. Though it was 28 when we started, we were stoked for an awesome afternoon of bikes and friends.
Our plan was to ride the trail and have another friend drive and support us with snacks and extra clothes as needed. Things didn’t go as planned. Our driver caught a cold and had to cancel at the last minute. So, the night before we had packed up some snacks and didn't worry too much about water because there are water stations every 20 miles on the trail.  
 Our first 20 miles were spent feeling joy, anticipation and generally pretty good all around. We rolled up on our first water station at the 20 mile mark ready for a snack and a bottle refill. But as I said before it was early spring, and still frost season, and they hadn't unlocked and hooked up the water taps yet.  That was when we realized we were NOT going to be able to refill water on the trail as planned. It was pretty quiet in our group for a minute or two. But you know what? We didn’t panic. We had faith in our fitness. We had trained for this and we knew we could do it! So we created a plan C. 
The Mickelson trail is a gravel path that runs through town along the Black Hills. We would travel through a few towns along the way and realized we could make it work if we stopped at the gas stations at the 40 and 70 mile markers on the trail. More adventure was suddenly added to our trip in the form of gas station snacks. Hooray!!! 



So we pooled our water resources and continued on with a plan to stop at the next town. We shared water and snacks along the way that day. I ate the most amazing gas station hot dog I have ever tasted and got my first experience with Dill Pickle flavored potato chips. (For my east coast friends I am pretty sure this is the mid western equivalent to Crab chips.)

We made do with what we had and we finished!

The views were beautiful, the company was fantastic and we all got it done. 

This is a lesson that applies to every aspect of your health, and life for that matter. If you don’t give up you WILL get there. It might not be pretty or perfect, but all that matters is that you get it done.
So keep on trucking, don’t give up. Keep going until you reach your goals. IT’S WORTH IT!
I had a lot of time to think that day too, I got kind of discouraged around mile 70. But then I reminded myself how LUCKY I was to be there. I was lucky because I was fit enough to be on the trail, to do something not everyone could. I was blessed to be healthy enough to train for something like this. I see people every day that are struggling with illnesses out of their control and many of them would give everything to have their health. And I felt super happy to be able to share the trip with my husband and 4 great friends.
Being fit isn’t just about looks, and it isn’t just about your health. It’s about making the most of your time here on earth and getting out and seeing the beauty that lies in the outdoors. We had a great weekend, enjoyed our time together, and created an experience I will never forget!

This is our last Wellbeing Wednesday Post for 2017. I cannot wait to see the adventures that 2018 bring for my family, friends, and all of our members at PURENERGY. Through all of our ups and downs I feel so blessed to be a part of your lives! Thanks to all of you for allowing me and the staff at PURENERGY to be a part of your adventures. 

Merry Christmas and Cheers to an adventurous 2018!

Caryn Moxey is the owner of PURENERGY Fitness and has been a personal trainer since 1999. She enjoys doing anything outdoors with family and friends. She also raises 18 crazy chickens and loves to garden and grow apples. 

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