Bitterroot Running Group Invites Missoulians to Head South

I joined Run Wild Missoula because, after 15 years of running solitude, I wanted to find some folks to run with. Through RWM I have met many runners and made some good friends. But I haven’t been able to actually run with them very often. We talk about running and plan runs, and the volunteer work is a good thing, but it’s still work, and in any case I am no fan of committees.

The thing is, I live in Stevensville and work in Corvallis. An after-work run in Missoula just isn’t practical, and on weekends the last thing I want to do is drive to Missoula when the options for running in the Bitterroot are so much better: miles of rolling dirt roads with breathtaking views of the Bitterroots and Sapphires. And the trails?Enough to last a lifetime.

Someone, I used to think, should organize some runs in the Bitterroot. Eva Dunn-Froebig apparently had the same idea; at the very least, she is the one who asked if I was interested in being that someone who would organize a Bitterroot Running Group. I said, sure; how hard could it be? Pick a course, announce a time, see who shows up. If I feel like it, mark some turns. Or not; whenever I am in charge of a run, I figure less is more: less organization, less planning, less traffic, less worry. I get all the organizing I need as the Registration Director for the Missoula Marathon. When it’s time to run, I just want to play.

Since March, that’s what a few of us down in the Bitterroot have been doing: running the back roads and trails on Sunday mornings. Recently at Bass Creek, we found (and rescued) one injured red crossbill, found two robins’ eggs, and saw thousands of wildflowers: arrow leaf balsam root, lupine, wild hyacinth, penstemon, and other wildflowers whose names I would not know if a botanist from Florence wasn’t with us. In early April we ran through a snow storm in the Lone Rock area, and we’ve toured Sunset Bench east of Stevensville, cruised up and down Chaffin Lane in Corvallis, run on the east side of Hamilton, and discovered some lovely and lightly-traveled roads on the west side of US 93 between Stevi and Victor.

After years of heading to Missoula for RWM events, or wishing I had the time, I reckon it’s time to invite Missoulians to the Bitterroot. The dates and times for the Bitterroot runs will start appearing in the weekly email newsletter, and I welcome queries at vic.mortimer@gmail.com. The runs always start from a place where toilets are available, and you’ll get a chance to discover the shopping pleasures of the valley. Why, just in Stevensville we have Charbonneau’s Chocolate, the Morningstar Café, and, as a reminder that this is indeed the Bitterroot, an ammo outlet store. Really. We don’t joke about ammo.

So, consider joining us for our next run: Sunday, July 24, in Stevensville. We’ll meet at the southwest corner of the Super 1 just off US 93 and head south on rolling dirt back roads beside lovely meadows at the foot of the Bitterroots. The run is out and back, so distances of anywhere from 4 to 15 miles are available; I’m planning on 8 – 10 miles as I get ready for the Sweathouse Half Marathon in early September.
~ Vic Mortimer

Jeff and Barbara Galloway to Participate in Missoula Marathon

The Missoula Marathon is delighted to host Jeff and Barbara Galloway over Marathon weekend. Jeff will participate in the special marathon beer run from the Badlander tonight at 6pm. He will have a booth at the expo on Saturday from 8am to 3pm, joined by members of the Galloway marathon training class who are excited by the chance to share their experience. The Galloways will also run the marathon on Sunday.

As a special highlight, on Saturday Jeff will present his well-respected 3-hour Running School ($99) at the Wilma, starting at 3:00 pm. The Running School provides a unique opportunity for those who would like to spend time in personal discussion with Jeff about his trademarked run-walk-run program, race strategy and recovery, motivation, injury prevention, nutrition, and other topics drawn from a lifetime of running and coaching. Jeff is particularly passionate about introducing new runners to the sport and to helping established runners pursue their passion for a lifetime, injury-free. Visit http://www.runwildmissoula.org/index.php/ID/fbaef555/item/jeff-galloway-s-running-school/fuseaction/rwm.clubActivities.htm for more information.

Pam Gardiner, Leader of the Back, Run Wild Missoula

Missoula Kid's Marathon

It has come to our attention that more than one local media source has misreported the starting time, date and/or location of the Missoula Kid's Marathon. Here is the real scoop:

The Missoula Kid's Marathon starts at 10am, Saturday, July 9 on the Riverfront Trail in front of the Boone & Crockett Club.

For more information, please visit the Missoula Kid's Marathon website.

Missoula Marathon Photos

Our official race photographer, RacePhotos.net (a division of Referee Photo), will once again be covering the course and finish line with more than 15 photographers.

There are 2 special photo offers you won't want to miss.....the best deal in all of Montana!

"DOWNLOAD ALL YOUR PHOTOS" - download a full-resolution copy of every photo that is taken of you!

This is a $69.95 value offered again at the very special price of only $25. This offer is only good through race day! You may register for this opportunity at the Race Expo in Caras Pavilion during packet pickup at the RacePhotos booth.....you can't miss them! AND, the deal gets better.....everyone registered to download all their photos will receive a FREE 5x7 print of their choice of their race photo! They've never offered this before.

PLUS

"FREE PHOTO" - the Missoula Marathon is the original home of the FREE PHOTO....be sure to have your photo taken with your shiny, new medal at our Victory Stand just past the finish line on the right hand side of Higgins Street....then make your way to Caras Pavilion to the RacePhotos booth where they will print your photo on the spot! They will have 4 printers running that are capable of a photo every 20 seconds! This is the 3rd year for this world-famous opportunity which has been over-the-top popular.

Missoula Youth Homes – Missoula Marathon

In August I will be celebrating my 20th year at The Attention Home, the Youth Homes’ shelter for youth in Missoula. During that time over 3000 youth have come through our doors. I consider it a privilege to have worked with so many amazing kids, families and coworkers. Deciding to run the Missoula Marathon to honor them makes sense for many reasons. While the work we do brings many rewards, it can also be a challenge; exercise has been my main stress management tool. I also feel that the challenges a marathon brings mirrors in many ways the challenges I see working with kids.

Many members of Run Wild will be joining me in running the Missoula Marathon and Half Marathon in support of the Youth Homes. They use the stories of the kids to inspire them during training and during the race and raise money to support The Youth Homes. You can check out all their pages by going to: www.firstgiving.com/youthhomes and clicking on the Missoula Marathon and Half Marathon link on the right side of the page. There are some amazing and inspiring stories there.

When I started at the Youth Homes my first feelings were ones of sadness at the stories I heard, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, poverty, mental illness and the mental and psychological effect of generations of substance abuse. All of the kids were affected by these, most of them by more than one, and some of them by all. However what I quickly became more affected by is the effort and strength the kids show as they try to move forward each day.

I have completed marathons, and many other endurance events, however I have always been well prepared, had all the tools I needed to be successful, and only entered events in which I felt prepared to succeed. As an endurance athlete, however unaccomplished, I recognize the need for proper training, technique, and support. Many of the youth at the Youth Homes run the marathon that is life without many of the things needed for success. As they run the race they don’t experience cheers of encouragement and physical support. Instead, either directly or indirectly, they often hear that even if they try, they will never make it, that they are not good enough or worth the effort, and that they might as well settle for less or just give up. Sometimes the very people who should be providing the most support and encouragement instead add to the heavy burden the kids are already carrying and give them things which hamper their performance.

What is remarkable is not the challenges they face but their ability to move forward. Runners know what happens when the body is asked to do things it is not ready to do; it develops coping mechanisms. If a muscle is strained, or too weak, other parts of the body make up the difference. In the end the determined runner moves forward, but the result is poor technique, lack of effective growth, further injury, and never full potential. The kids I have worked with have managed to perform amazing tasks despite their challenges, but they deserve support.

Anyone that has been at the edge of their ability, running uphill, carrying extra weight , with no water, no food, against the wind, with miles to go, and thinking only of stopping knows the feelings that lead kids to want to just end it. When you see others effortlessly cruising by, with all the support they need, you know where the feeling to lash out or cheat and take a short cut comes from. In these situations the short term sense of well being that the use of drugs and alcohol bring is understandable.

The Attention Home serves as an aid station on the road, where encouragement and support is given. There is a belief they can do it, the expectations are high; they are shown that they are definitely worth the effort. Maybe some of the unnecessary load can be abandoned. Connections can be made to helpful resources. Many times kids leave the Attention Home with their challenges just as great, but they have had the rest and have learned the difference good support and encouragement can bring. Hopefully they will be more likely to stop at the next aid station, believe more in themselves and will know better what will help and hurt them in the long run.

The Youth Homes does a great job of supporting kids and does an equally good job of supporting runners who run in honor of the kids. This year we were given a nice hat, running shirt, and our entry fee for the race for being part of the team. If you’re not “Running 4 Kids” this year, I hope you will be inspired by the pages on www.firstgiving.com/youthhomes and join us next year.
~ Craig Kruegar, Program Director, Shirley Miller Attention Home, Youth Homes

A Glimpse at Who Is Training for the Missoula Marathon

Close to 450 people are registered for the running, walking and run/walk classes to train for the Missoula Marathon. That’s a lot of people to get to know. We thought it would be fun to get to know some of them and find out why they are training for the Missoula Marathon or Half Marathon.

Name: Barbara Kennedy
Age: 68
Occupation: Business Consultant - Missoula Job Service
Training Class: Walking
Will this be your first marathon / half marathon? This will be my first time walking a half marathon.
What motivated you to sign up for the training class? I was motivated to do this when I joined the RWM Personnel Committee and met the other people and recognized how much they enjoyed it. My husband and I were interested in participating in something to get us out of our recliners ;-) so we decided this would be a fun and healthy activity. We've always been active with different activities, running, walking, biking, canoeing, etc. and want to stay that way!
What is your race goal? My goal is to participate and finish the 1/2 marathon, remain healthy and stay active for many more years!

Name: Daniel Hathaway
Age: 28
Profession: Teller at MFCU
Training Class: Running
Will this be your first marathon / half marathon? It'll be my first Marathon.
What motivated you to sign up for the training class? I'm on the Run4Kids team and it's included as part of our sign up. I trained off and on with the class last year and it was great. I knew I'd need to really try to make every class to survive the full. It's been awesome and I've made some great new running buddies!
What is your race goal? I saw online somewhere that the average male finishing time is 4:32 so that's what I've been shooting for but, honestly I'll be happy with just being on my feet when I get to the finish line.

Name: Gina Brown
Age: 43
Training Class: Running
Will this be your first marathon / half marathon? This will be my first half marathon!
What motivated you to sign up for the training class? My friend Bethany encouraged me to sign up and I really felt like it would be a great thing to do to prepare for my first half marathon! I have had the best time and have learned so much from this class! I can't wait to sign up for it again next year!
What is your race goal? I use a Garmin so my race goal for my Garmin is 2 1/2 hours, my published time will probably be closer to 3 hours because I have Type 1 diabetes which requires me to stop at the aid stations to check my blood sugar. My real goal however is not a time goal, my real goal is to run the whole thing, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna accomplish that! Can't Wait!!!!

Name: Donna Bennett
Age: 65
Profession: Retired
Training Class: Galloway
Will this be your first marathon / half marathon? First Marathon
What motivated you to sign up for the training class? Started running last year. My goal is to run forever and the Galloway program will let me do this.
What is your race goal? To finish.

~ Eva Dunn-Froebig

View from the Back: Run-Walk-Running in Missoula

As the Missoula Marathon and Half approach, a hardy group of Missoulians is slowly and surely building toward those goals. Inspired by Jeff Galloway’s presentation at the Wilma in January, the Galloway training class has been meeting on Sundays and Wednesdays ever since.

Many members of the class were “fresh off the couch” when they began training on those snowy, icy, windy, dark days of winter. Some were new to running. Some had tried other marathon training programs and had fallen short of their goals. Some had a history of injury and wanted to explore Galloway’s low-mileage, low-intensity endurance training. Ages in the group ranged from 10 to well over 60 years of age. Many (though surely not all) would qualify for the Back of the Pack.

While building toward 13.1 or 26.2, the training class has used Galloway’s trademarked run-walk-run approach to distance. Trainees follow in cycles ranging from 20 seconds walk/60 seconds run to 4 minutes walk/1 minute run, depending on their current best pace at a mile’s distance. Although faster members can choose a higher run-walk ratio, Galloway insists that “there is no such thing as too slow for the long run.” He separates speed workouts from endurance training, and encourages ambitious competitors to add walk breaks on the long runs.

Since midwinter, long runs for the Galloway class have grown from 2 or 4 miles (half or full) to 13 or 26 miles three weeks before the race. As mileage increases, the recovery between long ones grows from one week to three. The basic Galloway midweek program calls for just two maintenance workouts of 15-45 minutes each. The structure of the program calls for building endurance slowly, with minimum weekly mileage and physical impact.

While most Galloway trainees in the Missoula class aim “to finish” their goal distance, a few also want to improve their time in the marathon or half. The Galloway program adds speed work to midweek and short-mileage weekends. It also calls for completing a final run of 14 or 29 miles, exceeding the target race distance to provide additional endurance in support of speed.

Jeff Galloway is a hero at the Back of the Pack. He is also a hero with competitive runners who are willing to try something different to build speed while reducing their likelihood of injury. You can “run-walk-run” wild!

Galloway will be in Missoula July 10 to run-walk-run the Missoula Marathon. He will also offer a 3-hour Running School on July 9, 3-6 pm at the Wilma. The cost is $99. You can register for the Running School at Jeff’s website. (The following link takes you directly to the order form) http://www.jeffgalloway.com/store/index.php/running-schools/running-school-class-jeff-galloway.html

~Pam Gardiner, Leader of the Back, backofpack@runwildmissoula.org