Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

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...