Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

Well what a week it’s been. Last Monday we had some bad news – some friends of ours had lost their dog to a cougar up in the Bragg Creek area. Jake was an outdoor dog and had been for the 10 years or so that he had graced this earth, so it was a most unfortunate and very sad way to leave it. Our little dog Wilson had spent many hours playing with Jake since our arrival here 12 months ago – swimming in the lake, chasing the squirrels and generally having a great time together - and he was one of the most gentle, loving, friendly and playful boys you’d ever like to meet. He will never be forgotten by either his family or his many fans that met him over the years, and from our point of view,we will always fondly remember the good times he had with Wilson. Wilson at Jake playing at Bragg Creek only last Christmas  It seems a little inconsiderate, but the past week has also been spent trying to find a new live-in playmate for Wilson. Prior to the sad news about Jakey Boy, we’d...

Things over the past few weeks couldn’t have been better – running and racing has gone well, the weather has started to warm up a little despite a couple of heavy dumps of snow, and of course, things have been moving along swiftly with our new house with things due to complete on 29 th March. I’ve been feeling really happy and positive about things, and having read today that male grizzlies are likely to start coming out of their dens over the coming weeks, it already feels like spring is on the horizon. Better still, on April 4 th , I will be celebrating my 366 th day living in Calgary – a full year since I left the UK to start my new life. However, despite my obvious happiness, there are a couple of things to overcome this month. March 13 th marks the first anniversary of losing our 17 year old dog, Sammy. He was too old to move overseas with us and prior to our move last year, under vet advice, he went to live with his nana and grandad Smith who he’d spent many happy day...

The past couple of weeks have been absolutely brilliant, and I’m feeling so positive about my running at the moment. A couple of race victories and some good training sessions are certainly the ticket for putting a spring in my step, and I’m feeling motivated and focused on the months ahead. The good news is that I’ve rekindled my passion for ultra running, and with the Canadian Rockies as my playground as well as the wonderful city of Calgary, I’m pretty sure that I won’t have any problems finding suitable routes to pound out the miles. I’m also very lucky to have met a great bunch of runners here – in fact, the word “great” doesn't do enough justice, and I guess I’m just grateful to call them my buddies. No doubt over the coming months, we will share our running tales and woes about racing and training as we hit the trails and pavements together. In terms of race plans, it would appear that I’m subconsciously trying to become some sort of “Iron Maiden” or "Iron ...