Wednesday Group Runs   

Tread Lightly Group Runs resume May 4th!

Meet on Wednesday afternoons  at the store at 5:45pm. 
Join us for a 3 to 5 mile no drop trail run for all abilities led by Aubrey or Bryan. These excursions take place on the beautiful South HIlls trail system in Helena. 
We re-group at intersections and other strategic points along the trail. This a a great mid-week stress reliever with fellow runners.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013:
Usually I don’t send out news releases, my co-worker Chelly (author of the TL newsletters), does a fantastic job for me.  However I wanted to take a minute to touch base with all of you in light of recent events.

Last night our group included 17 runners, many new faces, some of the usual suspects, and our fearless leader Aubrey (back from his commitment to the reserve).  We headed up the trail, breaking up into our little sub-groups.   We wound around the mountain, running through the shaded cool areas that make our hands begin to tingle, and then breaking out again into the sun.  One group opted to run the higher trail while another stayed low.  At times we could hear each other or see glimpses of color up (or down) the mountain.  The main group came together again at the trail junction on the back side of Old Chevy.

Now this isn’t typical, and I don’t know why it happened…….if it was the warmer than expected evening, folks needing the shake off mid- week blues, or the residual anxiety of the Boston tragedy…..but for some reason our entire group ran down that mountain like we were possessed.

The faster group flew ahead, it seemed like their feet never touched the dirt.  The middle group raced behind, holding on to the pace and looking to catch a glimpse of the runner ahead, the last group worked just at hard to keep everyone in sight.

He was thinking, “Stick with her, stick with her!”   She was thinking, “Stay ahead of him, just stay ahead of him!!”   And just when you thought your legs were going to explode and that invisible rubber band pulling you to the group ahead was going to snap, you come around a bend in the trail to look up and see the runners in front had stopped to regroup.  Smiling, panting, and looking back to you to cheer you in.  This is repeated all the way down the mountain.  

Afterwards, as folks were changing into warmer clothes, lingering at the store and discussing future runs, what was for dinner or plans for the weekend, there was a pervasive feeling of deep satisfaction.  In a world where we sometimes feel helpless, running (and running hard) is something each of us can control.  I was locking up Tread Lightly and one of the runners was heading across the street to his car.  This gentleman has been running the “Wednesday” runs for years and I heard him say…”Man, it was a good night!....just like the Wednesday runs used to be”

It made my day.

If you don’t know what he meant by that statement, come find out for yourself.

Helena Vigilante Runners  

This local running club meets on Tuesdays at 12:15pm starting mid-March.  This group caters to all levels, with a variety of speed oriented workouts.  This is a great way to give your fitness a jump-start or get you ready for that next big race. Their schedule and locations are posted on their website.

Helena Ultra Runners League (HURL)

Helena Ultra Runner's League (HURL) is a group of trail running fanatics who take full advantage of Helena's extensive signletrack trails. Although many of them take pride in trail running for hours on end often in remote areas where they are no longer on top of the food chain, anyone who enjoys running is welcome to join them. They meet on Saturdays at the Bagel Company at 8:00 am.  They also organize the HURL Elkhorn 50 mi, 50k and 23k races, held the first Saturday in August. These races are mostly on technical single track, remote trail, with no pavement, just dirt, rocks, meadows, forest and incredible views. 50 mile runners run through a historic ghost town and past its cemetery, plus a mountain lake. Join them on August 3, 2013. Register at ultrasignup.com. Like them on Facebook!

Running Freaks   

Feeling like an early 5:00 am run?  The Running Freaks are a group of women that run in the wee morning hours.  The group was created so no woman is running alone.  We have runners of all abilities and run in all temperatures... true freaks!  If you are a woman looking for inspiration and running companions, this is the group for you.  For more info, please send them an email or check out their website.