What hurts more than turning 50? Shortcuts…

All smiles! Except when it wasn't…

To celebrate my 50th birthday, I did something special.

By “special,” I mean I signed up for a 50-mile mountain bike race.

In case you're wondering — 50 miles on a mountain bike is not the same as 50 miles on a road bike. It's more like dog years.

I call it 1 mountain bike mile = 2 suffering road bike miles.

Add in the jarring, battering, uphill-both-ways terrain at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah — and it's basically like trying to pedal through a washing machine on spin cycle.

Now here's the kicker: I trained maybe 50% of what I needed.

Why? Because I only decided to do it 60 days ago. Like any great midlife crisis, it started with a "you know what would be cool..." and spiraled.

But I'd done longer races before, like the infamous Park City Point-to-Point. Ten hours on a bike. Surely I could survive six, right?

Narrator: He did survive. But barely.

From the first mile, it was like riding through a video game glitch. Nothing flowed. Every time I climbed, the trail turned downward. And poorly marked - more on that forthcoming…

Every time I descended, it yanked back uphill. Every time I got into a climbing rythmn, the course veered back down. Left, right, left, right — it was like trail designers had a personal grudge against any sort of momentum. 

And then I got off course…

I followed three dudes down the wrong trail, then realized something was off when they said they were 9 miles in and I was barely at 6.2. I did the math. It wasn't good. I thought I had missed nearly four full miles of the course.

So I thought. It turned out that I only had to ride about one mile back, but had I kept on that path, I would have short-cut four miles! Not the point of my 50th birthday event. 

Here's where the metaphor kicks in.

I could've kept going. No one would've known. The other guys didn't turn back. I don't think they were even aware of the problem! But I did.

Why? Because skipping steps never feels right when the finish actually matters.

Same goes for selling your home.

There are moments — especially after the inspection report comes in — where skipping steps sounds real nice. You're tired. You want out. You're wondering why the buyer cares that your hot water heater is 147 years old.

You either give the $7,500 concession… or you dig in and risk starting all over again.

Just like I had to decide: push through the extra climb, or fake it and live with the shortcut?

Back on the trail, I kept laughing to myself — because this was supposed to be a celebration. 

At one point, every part of my body hurt, not just my legs. My feet, my back, my hands. Even my feet hurt, and they weren't even doing the pedaling. I remember thinking, “just get my off this mountain!” 

I thought I would never want to ride my bike again…then I crossed the finish line. 

And when my fiancée asked how I felt?

I said, “Remarkably okay.” 

There comes a point (or multiple points) in a real estate transaction where nearly every Buyer or Seller says, “nevermind, we don't want to move!” 

Then we close the deal. Keys are exchanged, boxes unpacked. And nearly instantly, they feel remarkably okay. Relieved. Elated. 

I picked up a Judy's donut chocolate protein milk at the Midway Market. Heaven. I almost forgot that I just spent six hours on my bike…okay not really, but I was definitely feeling a lot better. 

Next day? I was hiking with the dogs. Tired legs. Full heart. No regrets.

And that's the lesson:

The most important moves we make in life always seem like a good idea at the start…

Then we run in that pesky “messy middle”, also known as reality. 

If we can just hang on long enough, maybe slam down a few more carbs and elecrolytes and exercise some constructive self-talk, we get to see the magic of why we started the process in the first place…

Whether we're racing bikes, or moving houses. 

If you're thinking of selling your home — whether you're downsizing, relocating, or just making a change, we'd be honored to be your guide.

My team and I at The Larkin Group have helped over 2,000 families navigate the race course of real estate. We help clients finish strong, shortcut-free. 

Just keep pedaling, 

-Jeremy “Grinning Through a Sore Butt for Real Estate Metaphors” Larkin

PS - Here's a link to every home sold in the Washington County MLS last week: https://www.flexmls.com/share/CMqS4/Selected

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