Life Above Ground

Goal #2. Climb to Machu Picchu in Peru.

Next week I turn 27 and while it's not a momentous birthday, it does remind me that I'm getting older. Not old. But, of course, we are all getting older.

Especially in the winter, I am prone to getting stuck in routines. Doing my thing at work, watching a little more TV than I should, skipping a few too many workouts and ordering a few too many pizzas.

I've been a little obsessed lately with diet, nutrition and training plans and for the last 3 weeks I've actually been following one.

P90X, The 4-Hour Body, the Paleo Diet, Triathlete magazine.

All of this information is great to ingest but ultimately I have to make my own goals and use these diets and workout regimens as devices that lead me to something bigger.

And so through all of this reflection and obsession, I've actually started some good habits lately. I started snowshoeing -- mostly at night, after work. It's been a great way to get outside in the winter and it's something I can do in the evening (with my headlamp).

I've also been making a list over the past couples of weeks and I want to share it publicly. It's an ambitious plan for the next 3 years of my life and as you finish reading the list you'll probably say something like, "Yeah right, Josh. There is no way you'll do those things."

Well, maybe I won't cross them all of the list by the time I'm 30 but I'm going to give it one hell of an effort. After the list of 30 things to do before I'm 30, I detail 20 things that I've done prior to turning 27 and it's an impressive list. I encourage you to do the same and let me know what you're top few goals are in the next three years.

As they say in "Shawshank Redemption"....."Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'."

I choose the former.

30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30

1. Be Fluent in Spanish
2. Climb to Maccu Picchu in Peru
3. Play in a WSOP Bracelet Event in Las Vegas
4. Finish a Full Ironman
5. Can't Disclose
6. Can't Disclose
7. Complete a ski skate race
8. Get weight below 165 with body fat under 10%
9. Run 50 miles in one day
10. Bike 200 miles in one day
11. See or Meet President Obama
12. Raise/Donate $5,000 for charities/Kiva
13. Throw a kick-ass concert (Party in the Park) in Forest City
14. Go to Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil in Vegas with my mom and dad
15. Can't Disclose
16. Go to an FC Barcelona or English Premier League Soccer Match
17. Go on an annual 54-hole (minimum) golf trip with Joe, Clint and Sterba
18. Run the Twin Cities Marathon
19. Surf with Stugelmeyer in Seattle
20. Spend a full week cycling in Chianti
21. Either go skydiving or hang gliding
22. Eat at a Michelin starred molecular gastronomy restaurant in Spain.
23. Win a cycling road race or help a teammate win
24. Go to at least 2 more musicals on Broadway
25. Walk 100 holes of golf in one day and break 90 in all five full rounds
26. Bench press 200 pounds
27. Sing the National Anthem at a sporting event
28. Get Lasik Eye Surgery
29. See or Meet the Dalia Lama
30. Host a Photography Exhibit

What I’ve Done Before 27

1. Shook President Bill Clinton’s Hand and got his signature

2. Congratulated Daniel Negreanu on winning a WSOP bracelet

3. Rode in a box car down a hill in Lima, Peru

4. Ran to villages in Cinque Terre

5. Cycled in Tuscany

6. Walked the beaches of Barcelona

7. Ran Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth

8. Completed two Olympic distance triathlons

9. Completed Kansas 70.3 Half-Ironman

10. Helped Relay for Life of Winnebago County raise over $80,000 for cancer research

11. Got a really good job

12. Graduated with a double major in History and Communication from Waldorf College

13. Got into University of Iowa law school (and quit after 2 weeks...a good thing!)

14. 2^nd Place Team at Iowa State Golf Tournament in 2000

15. Made All-State Choir in 2001

16. Ran 12 miles through Boston

17. Seen 3 games at Wrigley Field in Chicago

18. Been to the Masters

19. Done the full week of Ragbrai

20. Rode 154 miles in one day

Enjoy the ride,

Damm