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...

At the beginning of the year, I took a fall on some ice. It was about the eighth time I'd fallen this winter thanks to the fluctuating temperatures in and around Calgary - one minute we would have crazy low temperatures and the next, we'd be up to +10, causing the lying snow to start melting only to refreeze overnight and making the pathways lethal, even by day. This last fall was different - there was no obvious bruising or swelling but I was in considerable discomfort and occasional pain, particularly after a run. I took a few days off which seemed to help, and following a gentle 5km run with young Wilson to test things out, I felt that the pain had subsided and I could handle the discomfort. With that in mind, I decided I would run in the cross country on the Saturday, knowing full well I wouldn't be at my best but figuring that if I did enough to win my age group, I would be happy. The race was at Nose Creek in the north of the city, and having done the race la...

As a runner, there is nothing worse than not being able to run. What's even more frustrating is when the inability to run isn't even due to an overuse/over training injury, or even as a result of running itself - well, not directly anyway. New Year's Day was pretty awesome as I spent a good few hours on the trails around Canmore with some fabulous running friends. It wasn't too cold and we even got some sunshine, and although there was still some lying snow, the actual trails were in pretty good condition with compact snow making for easier running. Having covered around 18km on one side of the valley, we headed over to the opposite side for another 10km or so before heading home. Beautiful trails in Canmore - New Year's Day (Photo taken by Kim) It was a little more icy on this side, particularly on the more popular pathways leading back in to town which had been mostly cleared of snow, although what remained had melted and refrozen, making it a littl...

As we come to the end of another year, I can safely say that in running terms, I've had one of my best for a long time. Whether it's been due to reaching a milestone birthday or simply setting myself new challenges, I really don't know, but one thing's for sure - I've finished every race I've done this year with a smile on my face. Looking back on what I've achieved, I certainly can't complain; 1st lady at the Frozen Ass 50km, 1st lady at the Fast Trax 100km, 2nd lady at the Lost Soul 100km and 2nd lady at the Edmonton Marathon, as well as several race victories over the shorter distances along the way. The major thing for me though was running and winning my first ever 100 mile race in a shade over 21 hours.Even now I still can't believe I did it, especially considering how well I coped both physically and mentally with the distance, and I'm pretty certain that another 100 miler is on the cards in the not too distant future - it's just deci...