Run Wild Missoula Monthly Newsletter

Running Wild | August 2021

Run Wild Missoula Interim Executive Director:

Reframing the Question

“You’ve been running a lot, what are you training for?”

I know I am not the only person who has heard some variation of this before. Living in an active town, such as Missoula, and being involved in our running community tends to expose you to a group of overly active people.

After not training for anything for well over a year and only running when I felt like it, I quietly started a run streak. It was nothing extreme, just a personal goal to maintain a connection with Tony while I worked through the grieving process. A few days turned into a few weeks turned into a few months. When people started to notice my weekly mileage jumped from 20ish miles to 40+, I started getting asked the above question... A lot.

My typical answer is “just training for life!” To be honest, I’m not training for anything in particular. I am registered for a 10 mile race in early October, but that seems so far away at this point.

The constant focus on “what are you training for” can be damaging, both physically and mentally. If I’m not training for a specific race, am I still committed enough to be considered a “serious runner”? Is it acceptable to take a few days off, because I'm feeling drained from the heat and poor air quality? What if I'm never motivated enough to truly “train” for a race again?

Fortunately, these are not things that typically go through my mind, because I have a mostly healthy relationship with running. A few weeks ago, I was asked “how is your running going?” Which I loved! I was able to talk about how running was making me feel – tired, but that my endurance was continuing to build. I was actually feeling pretty excited about the consistency I was experiencing.

Unfortunately, my run streak came to an end recently; sooner than my ultimate goal. Maybe I was cursed because I wasn’t training for anything? Or, the heat and smoke finally caught up with me? Or, in reality, my body was tired and needed a break. Either way, I’m still not "training" for anything.

The next time you want to ask someone about their running, consider asking “how is your running going?” instead of “what are you training for?”

Run Wild, Run Free –

Ashley

M Trail Stewardship

Thank you is an understatement when it comes to acknowledging the over 1,125 volunteer hours that have been put into restoring one of our most iconic and heavily used trails - the M Trail!

In addition to those who have volunteered with Montana Trail Crew, there are many Run Wild Missoula members who have also donated their time to lend a hand. We are so fortunate to have incredible trails surrounding Missoula for our use and even more fortunate to have community members to help maintain them. Read more about the work being done on the M Trail here.

Do you want to help restore the M Trail? Montana Trail Crew has a few work days scheduled (see below). You can also contact Steve Gaskill for more information.

Member Spotlight: Tanner Pace

This month’s member spotlight features Tanner Pace. Tanner is from Missoula and has spent his life in the valley, with the exception of a short stint in Grenoble, France. Tanner first joined Run Wild Missoula as a high school cross country athlete to participate in local races. After spending four years playing lacrosse for the University of Montana, he rejoined RWM to get back into running. When Tanner isn’t working as a data analyst, he’s an avid collector of hobbies and is leading this year’s 301 Summer Trail Session!

Learn More About Tanner Here >>>

Our member spotlight format has taken on a different shape. We really value our members and want to highlight who they are both as people in our membership and also in the community. We hope that you enjoy getting to know each other as much as we do!

Member Spotlight Nomination Form

Do you know someone from our Run Wild Missoula community that we should get to know better? With over 1,400 members, we have a wealth of talent, passion, expertise, inspiration, and enthusiasm for running and walking among us. Click Here to Nominate

BOP Run-Walk Social • August 15th

BOP Run - Walk Socials are back! Run Wild Missoula welcomes runners and walkers at any pace. We make that welcome even more inviting with activities aimed at the Back of the Pack (BOP) Our program is always evolving, reflecting the interests of members. BOP Socials are a great way to meet other runners and walkers in our community of all paces!

The next BOP Social will be on Sunday, August 15th at Pineview Park at 10:00 AM

Stay up to date about BOP Socials by joining the Run Walk Run Wild Facebook group or subscribing to the Monthly BOP bulletin by emailing backofpack@runwildmissoula.org.

MTC Stewardship Opportunity • August 19th

Join Montana Trail Crew in partnership with Friends of the M Trail to help restore one of Missoula's most iconic trails, the M Trail. Our next day of stewardship will be on Thursday, August 19th from 4:30 PM -to 7:00 PM. No prior experience is necessary and all are welcome. Stewardship days are limited to 10 volunteers and free. We ask that you please RSVP so that we know how many tools to bring.

For more information & to sign up, click here.

Last Wednesday Beer Run • August 25th

Join us at Cranky Sam Public House on Wednesday, August 25th for our Last Wednesday Beer Run! This will be our first official beer run from this location. Cranky Sam Public House has a variety of beer and wine on tap, and usually has a food truck out back. Extra bonus?? You can order Biga Pizza to go right next door!

A 3 and 5 mile course will be offered. Our beer runs are open to everyone - Run Wild Missoula membership is not required. As outlined in our "Rules of the Run," for safety reasons, we ask that dogs are not present during the Beer Run.

Questions? Please contact our Chancellor of Libations

Roots Run • August 28th

The Roots Run is a 4 mile fun run that kicks off the Saturday portion of the Annual River City Roots Festival! The run will take place at 8:30 AM on Saturday, August 28th. Participants will receive an under Armour Short Sleeve Technical Tee provided by Bob Wards, Chip Timing, and More! Participants 21 and over also receive a Roots Festival drink cup, wristband, and one free drink ticket ($10 value)!

For more information and to register, click here.

We are also looking for volunteers! Click here to check out volunteers slots.

RWM Club Miles

So far this year, we have collectively walked or ran 70,846 miles!

RWM Members who run or walk over 1200 or 2000 miles in one year will receive a Run Wild Missoula customized gift. Even if you didn't run or walk over 1200 miles, we still encourage you to post your miles! We love to see how much activity our club really does. The deadline to register for the Mileage Club was Wednesday, June 30th.

Video: How to log miles

For more information about Mileage Club, click here.

If you have any questions, email Sally, sallyh@runwildmissoula.org