The Rut 50k recap: Wowzers!!! 🤯 Although falling short of the original goal going into this race (beating my time from last year) I realized that there are so many variables that each race, each day we can't control; weather, terrain, other racers etc. And so instead we learn focus on what it is we CAN control; attitude, mindset, effort..to list a few. Coming into this race I felt excited, fit, and ready to test myself even more on the course that started this dream of trail running competitively just last year. I felt prepared to do something "special" out there. So what actually happened? I felt fantastic on the climbs and the runnable terrain, feeling effortless and smooth. But the biggest downhills (technical, shattered plates of rock that they were) felt alien to me. I froze, walked, ran when it was "safe," fell, slid on the butt, cursed. I felt almost...scared? Then the cramping came. Holy moly I need to finish this race. I realized later that compared to last year, I had ran those downhill sections ten minutes slower 😅 So, I had to readjust my goal. My mindset. I was getting discouraged, started comparing myself to last year thinking maybe I'd gone "backwards" in progress. But that's the funny thing, we tend to be our worst critics. Instead of "hey! I'm running faster uphills and making up lost time!" It's "why am I going slower on the technical downhill? Am I getting worse? How are these other runners flying through this?!" I finished the race probably the most tired and worked than any previous 50k. It wasn't a perfect day, but it was perfect enough. I'd not only challenged my fitness, but my mind and expectations. From the outside things seem so simple, but sometimes so much happens in the during. So I leave you with this: Comparison is the thief of joy. Be proud of the current you. Because that in itself is enough ❤ The biggest THANK YOU to the volunteers, @thenorthface_trail , @ekendall9 , race director @mikefootemt and the family/friends who made this event so memorable 🥲 #neverstopexploring #thenorthface #thenorthfacetrail