I always read these kinds of stories with longing.

The protagonist, Todd Carmichael, tells of his harrowing 700 mile walk to the South Pole.

If there was ever an aspect of my life that seemed missing, it’s the adventure. I read stories of Pamplona, K2, Everest all with regret and envy.

When I was 12 a friend’s dad took us to Scotland on a cross-country bike ride. I think that’s what got me hooked. That trip changed me.

And while I have traveled a decent amount since then I have done nothing as daring and bold.

Starting SageRock was the most bold thing I have done since. However, starting a business didn’t seem particularly daring at the time. And even in economic turmoil the issues feel more annoying (like nats) than challenging, like Antarctica.

As I think about SageRock, the time when I felt most alive, excited and useful was when it was starting up. The startup phase of a business is always life or death. One wrong decision and you are likely out of the game.

I can, and do, now make plenty of mistakes that result in little to no significant consequence.

Because of this I have committed to running the Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2009.

I’ve decided on the Chicago Marathon because I hear it’s pretty flat. That’s a plus for a guy just starting out. I also picked Chicago because it makes it more of a “thing”. Akron has a marathon. But my concern with starting with my hometown marathon is that I could just as easily wake up that morning and decide I didn’t feel up to it. With Chicago I’ll have gone to an entire different city for the express purpose of running a marathon. If I don’t do it, I’ll feel like a total wanker.

I think a marathon is a good, not-likely-to-die, adventure. I have a 4 year old son who would likely not forgive his dad for running off to Nepal only to be killed in an avalanche. If my adverturing goes well from here, I’ll begin my death defying activities after he graduates high school. I think I should be free to risk my life any way I please at that point.

It’s amusing I tell you this today because I only ran one day last week. I’ve come down with a horrendous cold that has now settled rather severely into my throat. But my official 26 week training schedule doesn’t officially start until April. I should be able to get back to running by Tuesday or Wednesday.

My goal right now is to get to 3-5 miles without stopping before April. That will put me in a good position to knock out my official training.

So, here’s to starting my adventuring life.

Photo from: Lonely Planet on Flickr (Todd Carmichael’s Flickr account)

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1. Rocky Says:
   March 3rd, 2009 at 11:45 am

   Good Luck Sage! You can do it for sure. And, unlike the Antarctica guy, you’ll get to eat a fair amount of carbs along the way . . .

2. Sage Says:
   March 3rd, 2009 at 12:26 pm

   No kidding. I think that guy ate sticks of butter.

3. Todd Carmichael Says:
   April 8th, 2009 at 6:10 pm

   I’m behind you Sage. Sounds like a great goal!

   Todd Carmichael

4. Sage Says:
   April 13th, 2009 at 2:58 pm

   Thanks Todd! I really appreciate it. Today actually starts the beginning of my 26 week training program.