Passion for the trails

My passion for the trail started long before my running life started.  Living in NWOhio we don’t have a lot of good hiking or any hills, but the hills called.  I loved trips to SEOhio, N.Y., Vermont, and N.H. where I could get out into nature.

My running life began in Aug. 2008 with kids grades K-8 on my daughters cross country team.  A year later and 60lbs lighter I ran my first marathon.  Then some friends told me about the Tecumseh Trail Marathon coming up, I went not knowing what to expect.  I was hooked; the people there talked about amazing feats (100milers, 24hr, and Mountain runs), walked the hills, ate food at aid stations, took salt, and talked with the people around them.  The atmosphere and people were completely different from the roadrunner crowd.  Laid back, beer drinking folks more interested in having a good time than running a good time, the race was the goal.  A few months later another friend who just returned from Mexico told me about this 50 miler at Mohican I’d enjoy and told me to read a book  “Born to Run”.  I did both.  When I got to the prerace dinner and meeting and meet up with the friend who told me about the race he sat with Michal True (Caballo Blanco) introduced me, he had brought Caballo up with him after running the Copper Canyon Ultra.  I got to spend some time running with Caballo at that race and over the next week.  I really enjoyed his easy going attitude.  The greatest memory of that time is when Caballo invited me to do his race; he told me it’s only a little harder than Mohican.  I never did, and regret it. 

Since then I search out trail races, always looking for a new challenge or fun event I can get to.  But, I always go back to Mohican where this year I completed my first 100miler.  At the finish line I was already talking about doing it again some of the other first timer thought me crazy but I knew that is where I belong. 

I have tried to immerse myself in the Ultra life through websites like trailandultrarunning.com, podcasts, books, and videos.  Podcasts is where I first heard of Ultimate Direction Ultra Vest, I was interested immediately, the maker of the best bottles on the market and designed by Scott Jurek this is what I want to use on my next challenge.