Ellie from Ithaca, NY

I don’t know how many times I’ve teared up thinking about how to write this. It’s such a seemingly small thing that many people do, but for some reason it’s deeper for me. I didn’t think I would ever move away from the east coast, but that time has come.

I’m not moving for running.

I’m not moving for a relationship.

I am moving for a job. A job like a normal person. A 40+ hour per week job that I can honestly say I have been preparing for since 2014 when I began working various jobs in my community and running.

I will be moving to Boulder, Colorado to help open and then manage Skratch Labs Cafe, the first storefront and restaurant aligned with the sports nutrition company Skratch Labs. My official title is Front of House Manager. Grab your hydration bottles, reusable coffee cups and tumblers and come see me on Pearl Street in November.

I think this feels so sudden because the process, from application to job offer, took less than a week. This contrasts strikingly with the last job I applied for (and did not get) which took over 3 months. Funnily enough, my mind has been preparing to move long enough now that I’m already in the headspace to make a change. I simply thought the city would be Boston, not Boulder. The commute is a bit more (20 hours more!), but it’s a big move just the same.

Writing about my upcoming move feels like I need to reassure people I am not changing sides. In reality I don’t think there are allegiances or sides in our sport. That might not be entirely true, but ever since I’ve been associated with east coast trail running I’ve tried to bridge the gap between the sects. Whereas I used to want to prove how much better east coast running was than west coast, how much tougher or how much I believed we needed our recognition, now I’ve matured to realize that encouraging these factions with incorrect language is not good for the sport. I absolutely hate it when certain types of trail running (mountains, vertical, gnarly courses etc.) are deemed better than others (runnable races, track races, looped courses, generous cut-off times). I can see the east coast attempting to get their recognition by pigeonholing ourselves into this “toughness is best” niche when that is not in our best interest. This language prevents people from taking up our sport because, quite frankly, that kind of running looks like it sucks. The average person can wrap their head around an ultra in most cases, however if their introduction to the sport is something almost Goggins-esque and rife with toxic masculinity then why would they want to get involved. These reasons and more make it hard for myself to appreciate races like Barkley or Hellgate (though I’ve tried) because the culture surrounding them is fucking stupid.

Sure, the media hype around the west far outshines the east to no fault of anyone. However I’ve been thinking that the “buttery smooth wussy” trails in the west might actually be the best entry point for people to pick up a running habit in the moment. The media content coming out is amazing but also overwhelming for new runners. What I’ve helped build on the east at The Trails Collective serves as a starting point but I’ve worked hard to try to be as inclusive as possible. All races, all runners, all trails are equal. My move to Boulder does not change what I believe. I believe in trail running, all kinds of trail running. I do not believe what I like or what I do is better than other kinds. I am not moving to Boulder for trail running (i actually will be very busy when I get there any running will take a back seat) any more than I am leaving Ithaca because it has winter.

This is not a goodbye, but more an until next time. I will always be Ellie from Ithaca, NY.

The more I think about Finger Lakes Running and specifically, my mentor Ian, the more emotional I get. Then I remember that I get to work with my best friend Amelia, the super intelligent Dawsons and just feel like I will miss them so much. The amount of random, fun, screw around times and conversations we have while mindlessly entering product or dealing with customer service has been such a highlight of the past few months. No matter the traveling or where we are in the country, we now share a bond through the experiences we’ve shared at FLRC. I even stopped eating bananas and yogurt for lunch when I work with Elizabeth because she doesn’t like them. She did not ask me to do that, nor did she ever make a comment about it, I did it because, well, you learn to do small, respectful things for the people you love.

I got to watch Xander finish his senior year, win every award possible at his high school, choose a college and move away for the first time. I watched Elizabeth take ownership over her living situation and not be pushed around because it would have been easier to avoid confrontation. I watched Patrick write a code so that I could fully integrate our preexisting database into an ecommerce store. I listened to Ian yell “AHHHH DANG IT!” every time he couldn’t remember a password and have the satisfaction of telling him what it was because I wrote them all down. Finally, I’ve gotten to spend even more time with Amelia, watch her ups and downs in relationships while her running takes off, winning every local race around town. I got to learn from her free-flowing style of running and it helped me remember how to do the same. These memories will never leave me, but I will feel distant from it halfway across the country. Though we are not raking in millions at a tech start-up, there is something magical about a core group of people who care enough to do a good job while figuring out their lives. This past year the people I consider family has grown substantially and though I might not be close enough to watch Elizabeth’s eye twitch when she’s peeved, I will feel it in my heart.

To the east coast, to my Trails Collective, I have tried to be as inclusive as I can. We have had mid-west and west coast runners on our shows while still maintaining the dominance of east coast trail running that is our mission. I hope my move to Boulder will continue to bridge that divide. The focus of the Trails Collective will always remain in the Northeast, as will my heart and loyalties. Though my zip code will change, I have not. Though I do not know my schedule and therefore my time to put out content, I will always be one message away when you need anything. Though I might not be there in person, I will always be there in spirit. The Trails Collective is who we are. Continue to believe in it as much as I do.

It is not lost on me that I am becoming a statistic. One more person who moves to the west. Another runner who left her roots once she had a taste of running success and decided to move. That isn’t really the story here but I feel the label just the same. There are some things to unpack here. The first is undoubtedly that CO has great running, a community of endurance athletes and a societal structure to support them. It also is the Capital of Overtraining USA where everyone has a shoe contract. That fact alone attracts me because I do not want to stand out. I knowingly am entering a community where I will benefit from being surrounded by thousands of other athletes who are better than me. That is how I made the Olympic Trials. I had two other women to train with who were better than me. That is the God-honest truth. I do not have talent, I have skills that I have developed over time due to working hard. I think so many other women are just as good or better than me but they have not gotten lucky in the right places. Maybe that is why a lot of people move to Boulder. For some reason the culture and community create a ripe environment for hard work and luck to merge and they get better. That’s all running is for me, a continual process of getting better. I am not moving to CO to get better at running, but God damn I refuse to let an opportunity like this go to waste.

Because I am so worried about overtraining and I am coming back from an injury, I have instilled the help of a coach to both make sure I do not overdo it but also to help me with a sense of direction for the next year. There are so many great races and things to try, but I want to avoid FOMO and stay true to the running I want to do, not the kind that looks good on Instagram. Ironically, I want a coach to help me feel comfortable saying no. I haven’t made my move too public yet because I hate saying no. I want to meet all the people and expand my community of friends in Boulder, but I also want to be mindful of my body and the healing process. So to all the people in Boulder who may read this HELLO! I want to meet you…for coffee and short runs in the beginning! I need time to get my sea-legs under me and adjust to a new job (you know, the whole point of moving out there?). I love people and making relationships, but in the words of some famous person, know thyself. Slow down. Take your time. Enjoy the ride.

To my Beast Coast family, I wont be gone long. Keep my seat warm while I’m away.