Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

With two race victories in just 6 days, it's safe to say that I've had a pretty good week, although saying that, I also like to think that I am realistic when it comes to my running. I know that had Alissa not twisted her ankle at the Frozen Ass 50k, and had Kim turned up to the race the cross country on Saturday rather than having to work, the best I could have hoped for in all honesty is 2nd lady at both races. Even then, there are some other speedy ladies that are always close on my tail these days - Joelle McDonald, Anne Landry, Joanna Ford to name just a few - but I've always been told to seize opportunities and that you can only race those that turn up on the day - put yourself on that start line, and the rest is up to you. The 2 races couldn't have been more different. A 50km run on pavement during a Chinook, resulting in "warmer" temperatures just above freezing with glimpses of the sun that meant I got a bit of a sun burnt face - and then an 8km ...

Calgary is in the throes of yet another “deep freeze”, the type where those that venture outdoors become encrusted in ice after a short period of time, with eyelashes and eyebrows freezing, hair and clothes becoming rigid with ice, and even the ladies end up with beards and moustaches as their faces freeze in the cold air. The good news is that despite the cold, the snow hasn’t been too frequent in recent weeks and most days we are greeted by the bluest skies and brightest sunshine which certainly helps to make the long winter months somewhat more bearable. We're also fortunate to experience many natural wonders – snow capped mountains, icy rivers, sightings of wildlife searching for any scraps of food they can find beneath the snow and ice, as well as “sun dogs” that are formed by ice crystals in the air that reflect off the light to create beautiful golden arcs and rainbows around the sun. I tried to photograph this phenomenon whilst out on a run recently but couldn’t quite c...

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind and I have to say that my mind has been all over the place. Thankfully the things clogging my brain up have been running related, although I do feel like things have become a little muddled with the past, present and future. Shortly after the new year, an old friend from the UK posed the question - how would people feel about a Potteries Marathon revival? I don't think anybody could have anticipated the reaction to such a question, but with at least 1000 followers now supporting the idea, it looks like 2015 will see the return of "The Potts". Potts Marathon Momentos I've so many fond memories of my old home town marathon. It was the first marathon that I ever did at the tender age of 23 - I finished in just under 3 hours 47 minutes off the back of just 2 x 16 mile runs and a couple of 5 milers in training. After that first marathon though, I was hooked. I felt an affinity with the distance and to thi...