Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

So as we come to the end of yet another year, for some of us it's time to reflect on the past 12 months and all the adventures we've had. For me, it's been a pretty awesome year again and whilst I may not have set the local running scene alight with outstanding performances in any of my races, I've had so much fun both out on the trails and on the roads, and have met lots of fantastic and pretty amazing people along the way. I'm not going to go over all my races again - if you're that interested, you are more than welcome to read previous entries to see what I've been up to - but I will mention some of my favourites moments from this year and I know that they will stay in my memory for a very long time: Del and Kim  in Red Deer Winning the Red Deer Marathon back in May on a cool and rainy day, and celebrating with good friend Kim, who won the half on the same day - not bad for 2 ultra runners! Banff to Jasper Relay  The Calg...

It seems a little strange to see greenery in Calgary during December but the milder temperatures this past week or so has led to pretty much all of the recent snow melting. I'm so used to running indoors this time of year or trudging through deep snow in 5 layers of clothing that it was a refreshing change to be greeted by light rain at today's cross country race at Silver Springs.  The problem is that despite the warmer temperatures, things still hover around freezing point at night and so pavements and pathways turn into skating rinks by morning which makes it treacherous for running. Today was no exception and even though it was raining, the course at Silver Springs was pretty much  80% solid ice - even the organisers recommended not doing the race without spikes or some other sort of traction aids - either that or walk around!  I always enjoy the race at Silver Springs - it usually feels festive with being so close to Christmas and the course is hilly enou...

Last Monday I started my new job as a Walkabout Trainer with Clever Canines in Calgary, and so far I am absolutely loving the work despite the long hours that I am faced with whilst going through the learning process. Dog behaviour is so fascinating and in the short time I have been with the company, I have already learnt so much and have a far better understanding of dog signals and how they play and interact with each other - I am also far more observant of the less friendly signals that dogs send out just before they are about to kick off, which is critical to know about when you have the responsibility of walking and training up to 10 of them at a time. Although the job involves a considerable amount of driving to collect the dogs from their homes each day, it is also physically demanding with two walks daily with up to 10 dogs of different sizes on each walk.  So far, I've managed 7 in one go - the smaller ones are barely noticeable, but 2 Alsations, a couple of Labradoo...

Last weekend there was another cross country race, this time down in Okotoks, and whilst I had every intention of running hard, things didn't quite go to plan on the day. Sure, I was happy enough with 4th lady and being 1st in my age group category, but I personally didn't feel that the performance was a true reflection of how my training has been going in recent weeks and as a result, I felt like I'd let myself down. Considering I had a race that day, I'd woken up feeling far too relaxed and even managed to eat breakfast without the normal pre-race jittery tummy. I was looking forward to racing, but I couldn't muster the usual excitement that I would normally feel. My usual pre-race routine wasn't there and I even had a large coffee and a donut an hour before the race which I wouldn't normally do - in all honesty, I don't think my heart and mind were really in the mood for racing. I was rather hoping that the course would be the same as the prev...

Yesterday I had yet another fabulous run. It was chilly,  snowy, wet and muddy, but  it was  a wonderful  90 minutes  or so spent on the trails around Banff  with my best  running partner . I was initially  hoping to try somewhere new but with bad weather moving in along with low cloud, I wasn’t prepared to risk the safety of Wilson let alone myself, by wandering around on unfamiliar mountain trails at high altitude, especially considering how quickly the weather was deteriorating. We ended up starting on Tunnel Mountain – only a baby in Rocky Mountain terms with a height of around 5,500 ft and a relatively easy climb on a well marked trail. We then joined the trails and pathways alongside the river which led us to the Cave and Basin where we joined the Marshlands loop before heading back towards town and finishing at Bow Falls. Both Wilson and I enjoyed the entire run and it gave some me some quality time with my best buddy as well as allow...

Having being self coached and gone it alone for the past few years, the beginning of October finally marked the start of a new training regime for me with the introduction of more intense speed sessions, back to back long runs, and the addition of strength and mobility work. Whilst I figured I'd done ok just doing my own thing and had some pretty average race results, I was getting to the stage where I wanted to start improving again and get back some of the speed and form that I had about 5 years ago.  I'd somehow plateaued with my training - no matter how much further or faster I tried to run in training, no matter how many rest days I took for fear of over training, I just didn't seem to be improving and I was finding myself once again losing that confidence in what I think and know I'm capable of.  Over the years, I've always found having the right coach extremely useful. They are somebody that can look at things more objectively, somebody to guide you and ...

Last Sunday, I had the most superb time at the Blitz Duathlon. The weather was absolutely beautiful with one of the most awesome blue sky days, and I spent time with some good friends whilst competing in a sport that I really hadn't got a clue about. A day with good friends at the Blitz Duathlon Running is so simple - a decent pair of running shoes, a shirt and shorts, and it's just you and the open road there to explore. Admittedly some runners do go all technical and start talking about what backpack they used, the socks they wear, what percentage of moisture their shirt wicks away - you know the kind of thing - but for me, running is a pure sport where a 3 gram weight difference in a pair of shoes really doesn't matter to me,  and so long as my choice of clothing doesn't rub  and cause chaffing, I'm a happy camper. I know that with running, I don't need to worry about gears and braking systems and such like, and the only advantage I get on the ups an...

The final race of the 5 Peaks Trail Running Series went better than expected and I actually walked away as series champion in both my age group and overall. I won't deny it - other than my single victory at the Glenbow Ranch race a couple of months ago, my best placing was 4th lady and my worst around 17th. I knew that I was leading in my age category, but to win overall was a complete surprise and I know that it's only as a result of the faster ladies not having done enough races to qualify. On arriving at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Saturday morning, it was extremely misty and definitely on the cool side which suited me immensely as I usually have far better runs in cooler conditions. It was only September, and yet earlier in the week, the whole area including Calgary had been hit by a snow storm, and although daytime temperatures had since recovered, there was still snow on the ground in Canmore making the course even more challenging. Pre-Race Mist - Canmore Nord...