“I’m part of a community that’s bigger than a time limit.”

As she prepares to run her first half marathon in quite some time, Amy reflects on her feelings about  competition in running - against others and against herself. For years, she’s competed against the voices in her head who demand that she be constantly striving to beat her past. Arbitrary time limits take up so much mental space for runners of all ability levels, but when we let them fall away and grow an awareness of the supportiveness and camaraderie of the running community at large, it’s possible to see that there’s something else there. There’s friendliness, appreciation, and a desire to support one another. We may always be competing against ourselves, but as Amy notes, when we compete against ourselves we’re the only ones who can win. 

Amy Trujillo is a science teacher at a local, public, high-performing magnet school in Denver. She believes in the importance of calling out these narratives because she sees how even her 6th graders have already absorbed implicit messaging about bodies, achievement and competition.