Tales of Trails, Mountains and Rocky Roads

5 races in one day – wow! With my incredible ability to waffle, this has the potential to be a long one, but for once I’ll try to keep things short so as not to prolong the boredom too much. Looking back, last Saturday was superb - 5 crazy runners doing 5 races in one day – what better way to keep us out of mischief on a weekend?! First up was the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Hot Chocolate 10km race. My best time for a 10k since moving over here is just under 42 minutes – that was at the MEC 10k race last April when I first got here. It was much warmer back then with just a few remnants of  ice and snow on the river, and I actually raced in vest and shorts. On Saturday however, it was a nippy -5 but felt much chillier due to overcast skies, and it was so tempting to just hang around the fire pits and heaters that the organizers had kindly set up for us around the start area. The route was a flat out and back course alongside the river and whilst the City of Calgary had ...

I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, no matter how big or small, whether it be testing my own physical limits like when I did my first proper mountain marathon of over 50 miles in the Swiss Alps, or when testing mental strength like doing the Barry 40, going round and round and round in circles to complete 161 laps of an athletics track. Ok, they may be insignificant when compared to challenges undertaken by the likes of Jez Bragg and Lizzy Hawker (both of whom I’m honoured to have met whilst on the same GB team when competing in ultra distance races in the past), but we all have to start somewhere - even learning to ride a bike and staying on for more than a minute can be a challenge for some people! But I digress, and I’m waffling again…… Since September last year, I’ve merrily been competing in the Calgary Road Runners Cross Country events. I haven’t been outstanding but I’ve done ok and I’ve enjoyed doing them. I was really looking forward to the next race th...

My first race of 2013 actually went pretty well – certainly better than I’d imagined it would. During the preceding week , I’d been suffering from intense headaches, a bunged up nose and a chest infection, probably not helped by the small matter of a 37km training run on the previous Sunday as preparation for next month’s ultra! But as those of you that are runners will know, we’re a hardy bunch and we seldom let the “sniffles” get the better of us - neither do we let trivial things such as sub zero temperatures and heavy snow stop us from doing our regular runs, which is probably a good thing as that’s exactly what Calgary encountered prior to race day, making any running exceptionally difficult in the deep snow.  Needless to say, turning up to race at a cold, snowy and barren Nose Creek on a Saturday lunch time probably isn't the most intelligent thing I've ever done. It was race 6 in the Calgary Road Runners Cross Country Grand Prix and whilst I've ...

It's funny how things pan out - how one thing can cause a chain reaction and lead into something else. During the holidays I was busy looking around for races in 2013, but it wasn't an easy task. One of the problems here in Calgary is that races during the winter months are few and far between, but as with the flowers in the spring, there is an abundance of races as soon as the weather starts to warm up and the days become longer, making it very difficult to make a shortlist of "must do's" throughout the year! I'm also one of those runners that likes a bit of variety to keep me interested and avoid complacency - a mixed bag of long races and short races, flat runs and hilly runs, fast paced and slow paced, on road and  on the trails. It's small wonder that I've never really excelled at anything in particular but have tended to be mediocre at most race distances. Anyhow,  I was looking for a road 10k or half marathon sometime in March/Apri...

How fast a year can go! 12 months ago, I was dressed in a Santa costume at a snowy Tittesworth Reservoir in the Staffordshire Moorlands, ready to run my 8 th Christmas Cracker. It was quite an emotional occasion as I was saying my goodbyes to many of my friends, knowing that at some point soon, I would be leaving my home land behind and moving to pastures new across the Atlantic Ocean. OK, it took a few more weeks and a couple more UK races before I eventually left, but by the end of March 2012, me and my boys had packed our bags and waved an (almost) fond farewell to good old blighty. Fast forward 12 months, and what a year it’s been! I’ve had wobbles about moving, I faced initial home sickness, I’ve lost 2 of my best friends in the form of Sammy dog and Bunny rabbit – one due to old age and the other due to problems during quarantine over here in Calgary – and something I never dreamt would ever happen – I got pregnant only to lose my baby a few weeks later. ...

Winter has well and truly set in now here in Calgary and over the past couple of weeks or so, we've had 2 snow storms moving through the area resulting in significant snowfall of around 10-15cm. Thankfully, although a few bumps are inevitable on the roads, the country hasn't ground to a halt and it is reassuring to see that life just goes on as normal no matter what the weather throws at people over here. Despite the weather, I've still been getting out running and have finally managed to get my mileage up to something more realistic in preparation for  my next ultra - the Frozen Ass 50km race, to be held on 18th February next year which also happens to be the same day as my 40th birthday. The race was recommended to me by the awesome ultra runner Ellie Greenwood who used to live in Banff but moved to Vancouver a few months ago. I was meant to have done it earlier this year, but whilst Andy moved to Calgary in early January, my move to Canada was delayed due to the lo...

I've done hundreds of races over the years, so many in fact that some have been forgotten and are buried in the deep dark depths of my mind - it's only when I find an old newspaper clipping or an old black and white photo that the memories of certain races come flooding back. Fortunately most of them have brought feelings of joy, elation and success although there has been the occasional disappointment along the way! Oh yeh! Used to run for Stoke AC - National XC Champs 1986 (33rd) When first starting this blog, I had a feeling that some folks would consider it a bit egotistical and narcissistic - a case of me me me - but they couldn't be further from the truth. I am actually quite a shy person, and I don't particularly like being the centre of attention, but having been pestered by several friends, I finally succumbed to peer pressure and agreed to share my running experiences with those that were interested. I also hoped that maybe others would believe in ...