Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

As we come to the end of another year, I can safely say that in running terms, I've had one of my best for a long time. Whether it's been due to reaching a milestone birthday or simply setting myself new challenges, I really don't know, but one thing's for sure - I've finished every race I've done this year with a smile on my face. Looking back on what I've achieved, I certainly can't complain; 1st lady at the Frozen Ass 50km, 1st lady at the Fast Trax 100km, 2nd lady at the Lost Soul 100km and 2nd lady at the Edmonton Marathon, as well as several race victories over the shorter distances along the way. The major thing for me though was running and winning my first ever 100 mile race in a shade over 21 hours.Even now I still can't believe I did it, especially considering how well I coped both physically and mentally with the distance, and I'm pretty certain that another 100 miler is on the cards in the not too distant future - it's just deci...

It’s strange the different things that motivate people - for me, it’s having a target race to focus on, where everybody knows about it, and there is no shying away from the training and commitment required if I want to succeed. This year however, a few other things have helped me along the way which probably explains why I feel I’ve had one of my best years of running for a very long time. At the beginning of January, I joined the Trentham RC “Run 2013” Facebook group and set myself the goal of running 4000km (2,500 miles) by the end of the year to mark my 40 th birthday. I’ve been conscious of this goal over the months, keeping a record of all miles logged, and I’m happy to say that with just 3 weeks of the year remaining, I’m currently at 3866km and feeling pretty confident that I will exceed my original target. Many of the km covered are a result of the ultras I’ve raced this year. I wanted to run well in the 2013 Alberta Ultra Series and having now come to the end, I feel ...