This past weekend, for the second year in a row, I failed to finish the Leadville Trail 100. After winning the race in my first two attempts in 2006 and 2007 and taking 2008 off due to injury, the last two years have been a symmetrical—if somewhat disheartening—counterpoint to my initial success at this event. While it is one of the most tired clichés to state that we often “learn more” from failure than success, there is a sizeable amount of interesting truth beneath this cliché’s hackneyed surface that overuse can’t dilute. Failure provokes us to question, a practice that is all too easy to dismiss when one has recently experienced success and fulfillment of expectations. If one reason to engage in an irrational activity like racing 100 miles is to catalyze personal growth, then hardship, failure and the subsequent questioning become invaluable opportunities. This past weekend was certainly one of those opportunities for me. The lessons I learned at the Leadville Trail 100 this year all have to do with three basic concepts: patience, respect and humility.