Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

As another New Year's Eve approaches, things are going to be a little different this year when the clock strikes midnight and we welcome in 2016, as I will be competing in my first ever 24 hour race - the Aravaipa Running Across the Years. For me, the race starts at 9am New Year's Eve and ends at the same time on New Year's Day. Across the Years was meant to be my last target race of the year, and I was hoping to target of 210km which if things stay the same, it would give the the B standard qualifier for the Great Britain Team at the World 24 hour Championships in 2017. Whilst I'm still hopeful of a good run, I must admit that the past couple of weeks have been somewhat chaotic what with moving house plus a drive up to Calgary over Christmas break as the sale of our house completed. My scheduled runs have suffered as a result and whilst I've still done some good runs and felt fit and strong, I have lost some of the confidence I had at the start of the month. I was...

I seem to have recovered pretty well from the Las Vegas Marathon and training has now recommenced in full force as I prepare for my final race of the year - Across the Years 24 hour race. This will be my first attempt at racing for 24 hours and I have absolutely no idea how I'll get on. I do have a goal in mind as I need something to aim for, but I'm not sure whether I am being  overly ambitious with my expectations. All I have to go on is the 100 mile race that I did a couple of years ago on the trails in St Paul, northern Alberta. I finished that race in just over 21 hours having spent considerable time running alone in the dark and during the night, with just the glow from my headtorch for company. The terrain was variable and followed open fields and forest trails up and down hills, as well as the occasional scrambling over fences and numerous gates, being guided by reflective flags that marked the unknown trails ahead of me. Across the Years will be very different. Th...

If only I'd had the chance to check out the forecast at 3pm Saturday afternoon - I would then have seen the severe winds warning from the US National Weather Service for the Las Vegas area, which was due to arrive just in time for the marathon on Sunday evening. Maybe then I would have adjusted my goal for the race I'd spent the past 10 weeks working hard for, but up until the actual start of the race on the Sunday evening, I was blissfully unaware of what was coming and had no idea how it was going to impact on my plans. We'd arrived in Vegas on Friday evening having made the 4 hour drive from our home in Phoenix. It was the relatively close proximity that had drawn me to the event, more so than the renowned attractions of the strip with its neon lights, amazing shows, and the selection of bars, restaurants and casinos. Las Vegas would be my 30th marathon - it would also be my last competitive marathon, so I was determined to make myself work for my 8th and final...

With just 10 days to go until the Las Vegas Marathon, I'm starting to feel even more excited and fairly confident of a good race in "Sin City" on November 15th.  Since completing the TransRockies Run back in August of this year, Vegas has been my main focus and I have to say that training has gone extremely well - even with a move to Phoenix and experiencing 100 degree temperatures when first arriving which was during a crucial point in my training program. I was feeling fit and ready for TransRockies after a summer of running on the trails, but marathon training has meant a switch back to mainly roads with lots of speed work and tempo runs, but it would appear that my body has adjusted pretty well and I have found that my average pace on my easy runs is now half a minute per km faster than it was a few months ago. Although training has gone well, it has also been extremely tough, especially the long weekend runs, simply due to the desert heat. Back in Calgary, I...

Today marks a month since we left Canada to start a new life in Phoenix . I’m surprised how quickly a month has passed by, but I have to admit that the transition from Calgary to Phoenix has been difficult – far more so that moving from Stoke to Calgary  almost 4 years ago. The past month has been good and I certainly can’t complain. Phoenix is a really nice city, there are plenty of regional parks with lots of trails to hike or run on, and I’ve even found some decent running routes close by. The dining out is fantastic, people seem to be friendly, and we even found a dog park that was just a 10 minute drive from home that Wilson and Brandy frequent at least once daily. So what’s making things difficult for me at the moment? I guess the easy answer is that Calgary felt like home. I loved the house there, I always felt safe, the weather suited me – yes, even the crazy cold winters and snow! – I was able to get out for runs with my dogs more frequently and even if the d...

Last Saturday called for a 10km easy run on the trails, and with me still working on getting my bearings here in Phoenix, I once again opted to register for a local trail race that was just a 30 minute drive away. This event was organised by Aravaipa Running which are pretty big here in Phoenix, and with a choice of 4 distances of which one was 11km, it once again fitted perfectly with my training program. The race took place at Cave Creek Regional Park just north of where we live, and not surprsingly, we were again treated to outstanding views of the Sonoran Desert and its many peaks stretching out into the distance. Some of the amazing views at Cave Creek In the couple of days leading up to the event, we'd been told to expect thundery rain, but instead we were greeted with warm temperatures and overcast skies. The cloud cover was a blessing as it gave some protection from the burning sun, but it did little to curb the air temperature which was already around 25 degr...

On Thursday evening, I caught wind of a trail race that was taking place in nearby Scottsdale at the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. There was a choice of distances ranging from 4 miles up to 10 miles, and with having a 15km easy trail run scheduled in for that day, I decided to enter the 10 mile race and give it a try. At the minute, I'm building up to the Las Vegas Marathon which takes place in mid-November although after that, the plan is to get back out on the trails and return to ultra running. I currently have a 24 hour race planned at the end of the year which will be my first attempt at a 24 hour, and I'm also contemplating running a 100km in February- the Black Canyon Ultra which is a point to point race in nearby Anthem and which will also be a qualifying race for the Western States 100 miler in 2016. With that in mind, I thought doing the ArizonaReg 10 Mile Trail Race would be a good introduction to trail running in Phoenix, to give me an idea about the org...