Beaver Trail

Despite the unlimited amount of possible running routes available to runners in urban/sub-urban settings, I think we often settle into a routine, with a few go-to routes close to home. This is especially true of weekday runs. For example, I have my usual 5-mile and 8-mile loops that I alternate between. I also have a short 3-mile loop for tapering weeks and that 10-mile loop when increased weekly mileage is necessary. For the most part though, I stick to the 5 and 8 loops. Needless to say, we get very familiar with these routes. We use the same sidewalks over and over again, we know the timing of the traffic lights, we know which hill gets our heart rate up, and we even get to anticipate who we will see running or walking, depending on the time of day. Sometimes we get bored with these routes so we run them in the opposite direction and they feel like new! These running routes develop a life of their own and we develop relationships with them.

Eventually, these relationships evolve to the point where a name must be adopted for the regular routes. It is no longer acceptable to call it "5-mile loop" and something more personal is needed. As my relationship developed with my 5-mile route, I began to notice things happening around a pond I run by. I first noticed several trees down, all around it. Further investigation revealed tree stumps sharpened like HB pencils! Then came the large pile of branches in the water, a few feet from shore. Over the weeks, it seemed like more and more trees were being chewed at and that's when "5-mile loop" became "Beaver Trail"!

Despite the signs and the new name, each run on the Beaver Trail left me hanging, with no actual beaver in sight. However, I doubted that the geese swimming around the pond were capable of such feats so I remained hopeful that I would one day see Mr. Beaver. That day came last Saturday morning, running with Christina and my mom. As we got closer to the dam, we noticed movement in the water, and there he was, just outside its home, enjoying the morning sun! Another running victory.

This is why I run.

p.s. My brother in law Andrew, who is training for a marathon, recently saw Mayor Rob Ford on one of his runs. He blogged about his Rob Ford sighting. We now share the special experience of running into Canadian icons (Ford and the Beaver) while running!