The Look: Decoding the Office Reaction to Your Ultra Adventures
It's Monday morning. You're back at your desk, slightly stiff, maybe a little sleep-deprived, but glowing with the satisfaction of a weekend well-spent. You casually mention to your colleague, "Oh, I ran a 100k this weekend." And then you see it. *The Look*. It's a mixture of confusion, awe, and perhaps a hint of concern, like you've just announced you've joined a cult or started speaking Klingon. It's the look that says, "You did *what*?"
Most of us have faced this. We try to explain the appeal of running many miles, pushing our bodies as well as spending hours on paths to someone who views a 5k as a marathon - it feels like trying to teach a child hard science. The ideas do not quite connect; they grasp the words, but the deep meaning, the desire, the reason often gets lost.
They may ask polite questions, but you see their bewilderment. “Why do that?” they ask, truly curious. How do you explain this? How do you share the feeling of success, the link to nature, the pure joy of pushing past what you thought you could do? It is hard to describe, especially when you face The Look.
They may offer a well meaning but wrong comment about your sense or your knees. They might express worry for your health, picturing you crawling through wild areas, fighting animals and dry conditions - they say it with kindness, but it shows the divide. They just do not grasp it. And that is fine.
Ultra running is a somewhat odd hobby. It does not suit everyone. That makes it special - it is a desire, a calling, a journey into what we can do. As runners, we feel it deeply, even if we cannot always tell others. The next time you meet The Look, just smile, nod in addition to know you belong to a special group. You are a trail runner. You are a bit wild. And you would not change it.
