@December 31, 2024
2024 kicked off with a trip to New Zealand in February. We chose to just visit the South Island, flying into Christchurch. We drove south through Wanaka and Queenstown, ending in the Fiordland.
Anna’s racing career took off
In April, Anna took 3rd at the Canyons 100K, a UTMB World Major. This was a significant result in the world of ultra running. Anna followed with a solid performance at Western States, finishing just outside of the top ten, but ahead of many international pros. In September, she officially signed with Brooks as a professional runner.
This means that our travel for the next few years will be mostly determined by Anna’s race schedule, but that’s alright with me. Ultras are often in beautiful places.
Attempting to summit Mt Shasta
In 2019 I wrote about summiting Mt Whitney in the snow. This year, the crew got back together in May to summit Mt Shasta.
Unfortunately, due to heavy winds, we only made it to Helen Lake, but still had a great time. I’m immensely grateful for a group of friends that are more concerned about safety than the summit, and came to an immediate, unanimous decision to descend. I wrote a bit more about this on Instagram.
Transitioning to engineering management
In July, I officially became a Tech Lead Manager at Notion. The TLM role is similar to an engineering manager, but with a limited number of reports, so TLMs still make technical contributions.
Over the years, my favorite type of technical work has shifted from shipping features to things that are slower and more methodical. Building systems that are used by other engineers. My hope is that I will have more time to this type of work, while my main focus will be supporting the people on my team.
A few books that I’ve found helpful in this area so far are:
- Shape Up by Ryan Singer
- Engineering Management for the Rest of Us by Sarah Drasner
- Staff Engineer by Will Larson
Running the Tour du Mont Blanc
My favorite trip of the year was running the Tour du Mont Blanc. We went in August, a few weeks before UTMB, so the town was beginning to fill up with pros. It was a great atmosphere.
The TMB circumnavigates Mont Blanc, mostly following ridge lines and valleys. There are several major climbs which often mark the border between countries. The 108-mile route begins in France, crosses into Italy, then Switzerland, and back into France.
We spent the remaining days in Courmayeur, Italy with friends that were in the area for UTMB. For some, it was their 10-year anniversary of going to Courmayeur before the race kicks off in Chamonix: staying at the same hotel, eating at the same restaurant. That made a strong impression on me. I think I am finally just as happy returning to the same places as I would be going somewhere new.
I’m finding that the most rewarding vacations involve accomplishing some specific thing, even if it’s not as physical as this was.
Getting a dog
Anna and I brought home a puppy on New Year’s Eve. We spent a lot of time this year searching for a breeder and learning about dog training.
Wrigley is a field golden retriever. Field goldens tend to be leaner with a slightly shorter, darker coat compared to standard golden retrievers. They’re the original, hunting-dog variant of the golden retriever.
Anna and I like to joke that 2025 will be the “Year of the Dog” (it’s actually the year of the snake 🐍). Regardless, we’ll spend a lot of time raising our puppy.