Hello UVRC Fam. You might have heard some whispers behind closed doors or on the wind or even from a nosey squirrel or two that I, RJ, would be stepping down as President of the Upper Valley Running Club. Well, Friends I have bad news, sometimes rumors are true and this is one of them!

If you missed my note back in I think the January newsletter, I was accepted into a PhD program at the University of Vermont. After spending the last 7 months internally freaking out about all the life changes pursuing a PhD program entails, to say nothing of having to move to a town where I don’t know anyone and start over, I am here in Burlington! I’ve actually been here for almost a month and classes have started! But given that being a PhD student is something of a full-time job and that I no longer formally live in the UV it simply made sense for me to step away from the presidential role. That’s what the graceful, natural, and civil thing to do would have been. Instead what happened was that once I realized that stepping down would also mean I would have to give up the UVRC Ring of Power, Tiara, and Sacred Shoes that have kept me young and beautiful, and also come with a Strava Premium membership; I fled to the UVRC Tower hidden deep in the White Mountains locked the door, and decided my reign would last forever.

However, sensing a disturbance in the UVRC forces, three brave runners made their way into the White Mountains, through the UVRC Labyrinth, the UVRC Swamp of Death, wrestled the UVRC Armed Beartallion (5 bears that know karate) into submission, and solved all the UVRC riddles necessary to make it to the Tower (these things are really what your dues are paying for in case you were curious where the money goes), and challenged me to a duel for dominion over the UVRC.

It was a grueling battle lasting just over 360 seconds; but when the dust settled the three combatants had wrestled the Ring, Tiara, and Shoes from me and emerged as not one but THREE presidents of the UVRC each taking one of the UVRC artifacts and preserving the balance! We honor the Old Laws, so by rights they are now your presidents. And as it is written, I shall diminish and go to the North (aka become a grad student).

This is all a very fantastical way of explaining that I am leaving the UVRC in the very capable hands of three members who you probably already know! Cara Baskin, Drew Prescott, and Kristina Siladi have kindly volunteered to guide the UVRC into the next era and are officially your co-presidents as voted in by your Board of Directors! I’m excited to see from afar what great new things they’ll bring to the UVRC. I've already heard some of their wonderful ideas and, no spoilers, but I think you will be very pleased! It is my honor and privilege to be able to pass the mantle on to such amazing people and I know that their reign will be just and true…..or else I’ll come back (tone indicator: threat)

Before I fully abscond with my share of the UVRC treasure horde never to be seen again, I do want to share a few sincere parting words from my heart. I can say without hyperbole that being the UVRC President was one of the best things I ever did with my life. Interacting with all of you truly taught me the meaning of community and filled me with an immeasurable amount of joy. I found that being President was the exact opposite of a “thankless job”; I have never been more thanked for anything in my life and my typical response to being thanked became a sincere “my pleasure” because it was; it was my distinct privilege to serve you all and I consider myself fortunate to have done so and quite simply, it made me happy 😀. But the true thanks goes out to all of you! Thank you for being a community that welcomed me when I first started running, kept me sane through the rough years, and for bringing me lifelong friends. Thank you for trusting me with your fitness and your health, for being vulnerable at times, for sharing your time, your stories, your victories, and your joy with me. And most of all; thank you for being my Family. I walk away from this feeling fulfilled and grateful beyond measure. It has been a wonderful ride and I loved every minute of it! I will miss you all, but I am only down the road by New England standards so feel free to come visit and help me expand my dominion over the Burlington running clubs.

And lastly if I may, I’d like to leave you with some words of wisdom:

Run for fun.

If you don’t think running is fun, find a way to make it fun. Whatever it takes. Whether that is running in colorful outfits that express your identity, or running with your favorite people, or as a challenge to yourself, to get some time away from the woes of life, to make space for you to think and create, to have an excuse to make silly stories, to connect with your family, to find and explore new music, to compete against other people and build comradery; whatever it is,

Run for fun.

You are the captain of your body, your outlook sets the tone. If you see running as a punishment, then it will be. I encourage you to change your perspective and see running as a celebration. Will every run literally be fun? Absolutely not. Sometimes it just ain’t no good and that’s fine, it happens! But if you don’t try to enjoy them, if you don’t choose to see each run as an enjoyable activity, then NONE of them will be. So with that, my final decree as President of the UVRC is simple: Just have fun out there 😀!

That’s all for now! Catch you on the Flippy Floppy

-RJ (UVRC President Emeritus)