Evergreen Hall of Fame Induction

 I was honored to be inducted into my college athletics Hall of Fame this month. My alma matter being the Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. 

 I was not the fast kid. I was the last kid. I remember running at Junior Olympics, cross country. The official would say into a walky-talky when I ran by, “Last place has gone by me, last place has gone by.” When I would complain to my coach about this she said, “Oh they don't say that!” But they totally did.

 So to get to a place where I was setting school records, making nationals, and being honored with a Hall of fame induction still feels a little surreal.

 I was not the most naturally talented, but when I got to college I discovered a talent of sorts that I did have and that was that I was willing to run more miles than just about anyone.

 When I went to Evergreen I had a friend on the custodial staff, a man who mowed the lawns. He would see us at practice and read articles about the team in The Olympian. He'd see me running over the summer and would chat with me about the article about the team he'd read. We'd often do intervals in the field and in 2007 I was leading the girl's team by a lot. In 2008 our team got a lot better. We got some new girls. We were the best team in Evergreen's history- nationally ranked, third place in our competitive conference. We were really close in time and would pace each other at practice and it was great to be a part of a competitive team that made each other better. Except, my friend, the custodian, had a chat with me. He was concerned I had not run enough over the summer, and that was why my teammates were beating me. I tried to explain- it's not me, it's them! I had actually run more and was running faster. Simplest explanation tells us that it is more likely that 1 runner got slower than 4 other runners got faster, but in this case the simplest explanation was not correct.

 It was not my idea to be an ultra runner. It was my post collegiate coach's. But ultra running was the best avenue for my success because in ultra running the work horse is rewarded. It was less about natural talent and more about how hard you were willing to work. 

 I used to run 140 mile weeks. 

 30 mile long runs.

 Once, a 4 x 10 mile.

 8 hour time trial. 

 I used to run to work, run home. Run from my sister's house in Seattle to my parents' in Renton. This was actually when I was lazy, as I wouldn't waste time commuting and could sleep in!

 I wouldn't say I loved every minute of this. In fact I spent quite a few hours running whilst feeling very sorry for myself. I did it because I wanted to be the best runner I could be.

 When people say- oh it's just sports. Sports don't matter. The lessons I take from my ultra training help me in every area of my life.

 Hard work, perseverance, dealing with adversity, accountability, self esteem and confidence. I can't believe that most parents out there that haven't gone through ultra training!  

 I tell myself when I am not feeling well - once I did not feel well and then I ran 40 more miles. You've got this!