Excitement & Why Ultrarunning is Amazing

Many words come to mind when I think of ultrarunning. Many are opposites. Fast, slow. Hard, easy. Selfishness, selflessness. Some are adventurous, some are intense. All in all though, I think ultrarunning simply comes down to inspiration. The sport is so cool because inspiration, at least in the four year's I've been ultrarunning, has never been hard to find. The beauty of where we run, the opportunities and possibilities the future holds, that the present holds, numbers...seeing people achieve their goals...you can see how inspiration isn't difficult to find. 

You see, I'm excited because I'm currently amped on all of the above. The mountains are forever beautiful. UltraVT is doing amazing things right now, every day, collectively and individually. This summer brings long runs and big mountains and full days of running and exploring. I'm hitting 100+ mile weeks. I'm running fast. Brett Sherfy DESTROYED UMSTEAD 100. Things are clicking in the running world for UltraVT, and we're thankful. Thankful for only a few injuries on the team, for the support system we have, for our non-running friends still being friends even though we never see them anymore, for living in the crazy luxurious location of Blacksburg. 

I felt compelled to write this post because, well I have two tests and a quiz tomorrow (senioritis), but because I learned a valuable lesson this past weekend while crewing Brett at Umstead. A lesson in thankfulness. He executed the race literally perfectly. He exceeded his expectations and ours. Glove, Jordy, and I were thinking he'd run around 21 hours and that he definitely could sneak in under 20. Brett ran 18:47. Brett never complained. In fact, instead of complaining, he shifted all thoughts to his support system. I was thanked by him and his fiance probably over 30 times in my 24 hour stint at Umstead. Read his race report. None of his favorite moments had anything to do with him. Selfless! 

Caught up in the front of races, I try to say thanks to aid station volunteers and crew, but honestly I'm very inwardly focused. Inward focus is indeed required to race, yet Brett showed that you can smack down a really fantastic run without being me-me-me. So yo Brett, thanks for the lesson. 

ps. Brett is a teacher. Very fitting. I'm excited to follow his and Michelle's lives post-graduation. 

In it. Mile 70ish

30 mile day for the Doc

The buckle!

Obligatory camping pic

The finish line kiss!