Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

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Showing posts from July, 2015

4 Weeks and Counting...... :-)

In exactly one month's time, I will be in Buena Vista, Colorado, and I'll be all set for 6 days of trail running, covering 120 miles with 20,000 ft of ascent. The TransRockies Run is one of my main goals this year and the nerves are already starting to set in, but it's also exciting to know that I get to spend some time with Andy after almost 3 months apart, as well as a week of camping and running in a part of the world I've not yet been to. The course looks amazing and we get to pass through some spectacular locations at high altitude and I know for sure that if all goes to plan, it is going to be an amazing adventure. Training towards the event has been going really well, and thanks to the expert guidance of my fantastic coach Laura, I've been running lots of hills recently - and I mean, LOTS of hills! - as well as increasing my mileage to get my body used to running tired. To help prepare for 6 days of racing, this past weekend I did my first ever back ...

A Little Bit About Me

Now living in Alberta, Canada, I was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent in England, and have been a competitive runner for over 40 years. I began my running career as a track and cross country runner when in my teens before turning to marathon running in my 20's, and then ultra running when I reached my 30's. Although starting out primarily as a road runner, I now consider myself a trail runner and mainly compete in trail races in Canada and the U.S. Over the years, I've completed almost 200 marathons and ultramarathons, and have represented Great Britain at ultra distance world championships numerous times in the past, as well as representing Team Canada at Big's Backyard Ultra World Championship in both 2020 and 2022. More recently, I ran my furthest distance to date when I completed my first 200-mile event -The Divide 200 - in the Rockies of Southern Alberta, finishing in 84 hours and 28 minutes. I still have that drive to be a successful runner, and I enjoy being competitive and training for races. Running has been and still is a huge part of my life, but I couldn't do what I do without the support of my husband Andy who has followed me everywhere to crew and support me at the many races over the years. I am also completely obsessed with my wonderful dogs - Wilson, Tillie and April. These pups continue to be my lucky running mascots and have been to prmlalmost every race with me. They are also my training buddies and I've spent many happy trail miles with them, talking race tactics and seeking advice since they joined our family. After many years of being a successful athlete, these days I am just happy to still be able to run and enjoy what I do - race victories and unlikely PR's are definitely a bonus :-)