Some generations ago, my family scoured the Scottish highlands. By day, dressed in their finest plaids and hose, they leapt along the mountainsides like stags.
By night, sitting around the hearth drinking scotch, they told stories about the mountains they loved.
Then one day, someone told them a story about Canada. Jovial adventurers, they adjusted their plaids, rolled up their hose, and sailed across the sea.
But when they arrived, something was missing.
So, they traveled inland.
After trudging through an endless flat forest, they came across some hills, but they weren’t exactly the highlands of home.
So they picked up their suitcases and hopped back on the train.
But, beyond the wee hills, all they saw was flat.
They turned around, and when they arrived back at the wee hills, they unpacked their suitcases, peeled off their hose, and decided to stay.
They built houses.
They settled towns.
Eventually, the wee hills became home.
To my ancestors, they were just wee hills.
But to me, the day before an ultra trail race, they were mountains.
It had been years since I’d visited what were now known as “the hills” and, as my husband and I scoped out the race location the night before my race, I was humbled by what 2800ft of vertical ascent really looked like.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I was scared the hills would break me.
I knew that they could.
As I bounced between fatigue and panic, I thought about my history in the hills.
I thought of my great grandmother who, a century before, refused to say “obey” in her wedding vows, and I thought of my great grandfather who loved her for it.
They climbed these hills.
I thought of my grandmother who, having little, raised 8 children nearly all on her own while she kept the family farm going.
She worked these hills.
I thought about my great uncle who, despite crashing his plane 3 times in two world wars, survived with a just broken nose.
He walked home to these hills.
Suddenly, I sat up.
I pulled the covers back, and looked at my feet. I wiggled my toes.
Generations of my feet had scoured these hills.
“You’ll know what to do,” I said to them and, finally, I fell asleep.
The morning of the race, I put on my running skirt, rolled up my compression socks, and got ready for battle.
“How do you feel?” my husband asked as we pulled up to the race.
“Hmph,” I replied, staring down the hills ahead.
“You’ve gone monk, haven’t you?” he asked.
“Nay, I’ve gone Fleck.” I whispered.
The gun went off.
When the hills got so steep that I needed a rope for support, I climbed them. When my quads burned and my eyes stung with sweat, I worked through the pain.
I dodged wasps’ nests.
I ran through meadows and jumped over rivers.
Finally, I jumped the finish line.
Race complete, I grabbed a pint of beer and walked out into the meadow to look back at the hills.
Soon after, my husband walked over to me.
“Something tells me you’ve got a story to tell,” he said.
I adjusted my skirt and looked down at my feet. I wiggled my toes.
“No,” I replied, still looking at my feet, “this story belongs to them.”
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It’s not a post featuring Scotland until there’s somebody named Angus somewhere in there.
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LOL! It really isn’t, is it?
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Nay, lassie.
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You are amazing. You did your family proud. I love the story and the history.
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Thank you! You’re sweet. Hope the RLRF is going well!
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I’m so tired. I want to Run Even Less and hope that it leads to Running Even Faster. Somehow I doubt it. LOL
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LOL! I feel your pain!! We’re almost done the season! Hang in there, girl! 🙂
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Fabulous story. I also have some Highland genes. Most importantly, did your Canadian Scot ever get some scotch?
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haha! Indeed, I presume he did, since the taste for it has carried down through the generations. 🙂
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This is an awesome & inspiring post! I kind of feel like finding a mountain to climb now… I wonder if I have some Scottish blood in me, and that’s why I miss the mountains. 😉 How cool you found your strength and determination through your family and their history! 🙂
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I will say this…. mountains ARE fun to climb. Any mountains in SC? You should give it a try! 😀
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Well done! Hills, which are mountains to me, are no joke. At least your scottish heritage carried you through it. Cute drawings!
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Thank you! If you ever get a chance to try a trail race, I very much recommend it! Hills are tough, but trail racers are so much fun to run with, and they don’t judge you for taking walking breaks! 🙂
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I have so much awe and respect for the heritage we have. My family goes back to settling in the “hills” of Oro Township, 3 miles from Horseshoe Valley, which is now an alpine ski area.
My grandpa and grandma, never really talked much about those early days, and it often took a lot of questions on my part for them to share. They worked the land with horses, chopped down trees with axes, lost many friends from black diphtheria, and raised a family through the Great Depression. I can’t even imagine the hardships.
I love this post, and the way you shared your heritage. Thank you for sharing your tremendous family heritage in such a beautiful and unique way. Am blown away by your great uncle, having survived 3 plane crashes. And your grandmother, WOW, who worked the farm and raised 8 children on her own is absolutely amazing.
It would have an incredible feeling to return to the hill country of your ancestors to race this ultra event. And you did it. Not only did you complete it, you conquered it. Congratulations! Well done friend…..very well done!! 🙂
~Carl~
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Thanks, Carl!
Indeed, my uncle had some stories to tell. Whenever I get scared about flying, I think of him… he wasn’t afraid of crashing, so neither should I be! LOL!
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Haha “going monk” – love the Zoolander reference!
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LOL! I’m glad someone picked up on that! 😀
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Love it! A different perspective is sometimes all we need to reframe our mindset. Congrats on your race!
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Thanks! It’s so true. So much of running is a mental competition, with only ourselves to beat!
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As a fellow Scot, congrats and hope you chased that beer back with some…Scotch LOL!
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I nearly altered history by saying I had a post-race scotch, but I knew no one would believe that there’s a race out there that gives out free scotch at the finish line (but maybe there should be!). Beer is a good recovery drink, though. Later that night I enjoyed a scotch! 🙂
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Good for you! You are right about beer! I’ve drunk it a couple of times when I had heat exhaustion.
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You need a plaid running skirt. asap.
🙂
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I wholeheartedly agree. Maybe I should go in to that business!
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Going Monk Fleck! Love it!
Sometime we just have to tell ourselves, F it and just do it! That’ll be British Scottish attitude in you (I know being Scottish isn’t being British depending on who you speak too, but as an Island, we’re just get on with it!) Sounds like you had a great time running the mountains! Just a wee bit jealous!
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So true! And, don’t worry, I’m a bit of both… but my mountain climbing genes are definitely from the Scot side (as is my love of shortbread). 🙂
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Phew!
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Over 2000 feet of ascent? You are one brave runner.
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Some did the 75k, which was over 6000 feet of ascent… It was cool to see such conditioned athletes in the flesh, but I have to admit, I was happy to finish the race and enjoy pizza 3 hours before they did. 🙂
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