It was about this time 2 years ago that I first got my feet wet on the trails. My first run was in the Greenwood Conservation Park but eventually I called the Seaton Trail "home."
As a novice runner, I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming the trail runners were. It was a small group of about 10-12 people with all varying running styles and speeds and they called themselves the "Seaton Mud Puppies." Whenever I needed encouragement they were always there. They never made me feel that I was an "outsider" and I felt like they had adopted me into their clan. As I became a stronger trail runner and finished back to back 25K trail races in the fall of 2005, I was encouraged to enter the Ontario Ultra Series in 2006. This was a series of 6 trail races on various terrains covering at least 25K (although many of those races felt like running a marathon).
I was fortunate enough to place 3rd in my age category for that series and at each race I saw the same friendly faces with plenty of encouragement. This year I got caught up with trying to qualify for Boston and today I realized how much I enjoy trail running.
During my run today I did plenty of listening to Gavin and Howie as they talked about their training and their upcoming races (both will be doing 100 Mile races in September). They both gave great advice for my next two races (32K ITT and 50K Haliburton).
Both men have been running for years and they still have the same love for the sport which is both encouraging and motivating. Even though I've been away from this group this past year, today felt like I hadn't even left. My goals for next year will be to do at least one 50 Mile race and the 50K trail OUS trail series.
If you'd like to learn more about the Seaton Mud Puppies, please visit their website:
http://www.mudpuppies.ca/aboutus.htm
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