Personal Narrative-Crested Butte, Colorado

Your peripheral vision is gone—there’s complete focus, then a silence so muted that all you know is the feeling of your heart beating. Then, as you stand there motionless, you feel the adrenaline. I mean really feel it—a syrup coursing through your veins, yet not a syrup as it moves faster than blood. You know when it hits your heart because it starts beating faster, faster, faster, and then the feeling is gone. Then everything is gone—emotions, breath, sensation… Then there is silence. Silence... Bang! This is what it feels like to start a race. It is a feeling that cannot be described with a single word. It is an awareness of self. It took me a very long time to find this feeling. Through many trials and failures, Inevitably I did find it, in a place called Crested Butte, Colorado. It was the home of a camp designed for runners around the country to train together at high elevation. It started with an awareness of my surroundings—The clouds, the smell of the mountain air, the feeling of the cool air rolling off the mountains, and the flowers blooming in patches of yellow and purple with stalks creating their own …show more content…
Admittedly, I was afraid to stay the maximum length of the camp, which was 40 days. So, I decided to stay only a portion of the camp. I then went on to thrive at the camp; after the first week I barely spoke to my parents; looking back it probably scared them. Then when it came time for me to leave, I did not feel the option was even there—I was either staying for 40 days, or I was going to be dragged out by force. Even though it may not sound like it I became very content and more mature at this camp. I learned basic responsibilities, how to do my laundry when I needed to, how to cook a meal without anybody else, how to do the dishes when needed, and how to live in an environment with other people while keeping everyone