Cathedral Rock in Every Which Way!

16 runners took various trails around, above and through Cathedral Rock! A few ran back into Oak Creek Village, up the Bell Rock Pathway, to Templeton, over the Highline (first time!) and back via Baldwin east. A few ran Baldwin west, along Templeton to the H-T junction & back, while others also ran over the Highline. Still others ran Baldwin east to Templeton to Hwy 89 & back on the Highline route.

Along the way, Tony kicked Bruce's butt (guess he's almost ready for a 50-miler) and several people came back bloody. Where is Mackenzie when you need her to add to that?

(Thanks to Bruce for the post).

I Heart Huckaby! (Water, Water everywhere)!

12 runners enjoyed Sedona's spring sunshine. The first challenge was staying dry across a small canyon flowing with water. Once along Oak Creek, a felled Sycamore created an unexpected obstacle and one runner simply could not hurdle the hazard. Finally, there was no way to cross the raging waters of Oak Creek. After returning to the trail head, we hoped we would not have to compete with the crowds at the Sedona St Patrick Day Parade in our search for coffee!

West Side Street Run

As I showed up at Thorpe Park at 8:55, I wondered is this the right place for the run this morning? I drove home, checked natra.org and indeed it was. I couldn't imagine a run without a couple of companions and when I returned, sure enough, there was Bruce, Mackenzie and Annika. We decided to stick to the streets after twisting our ankles on a short section of the snow packed Urban Trail. So we hit the streets following Annika the entire way. With flurries floating in the air, we anticipated that the big storm was just beginning to arrive. As we drove over to the Kickstand for coffee, we noticed a half dozen runners who also were trying to sneak in a run before the storm. In all, a nice 4.5 mile run to kick off what promises to be a weekend full of cross country skiing!

Fort Tuthill Urban Trail to Ponderosa Trails

Neil, Tony, Sabrina and Aaron decided to forgo the treacherous drive to Sedona and run on the Flagstaff Urban Trail System. There was little question that this was perhaps the most miserable weather conditions under which we have ever conducted a group run. It was a heavy wet snow that could not decide if it wanted to be snow or rain. As we slogged our way through the run, our feet became soaking cold. Running alongside roads, several cars slushed us, but by that time we were so wet and cold it did not matter. The only saving grace was that we returned to the seasoned kitchen and warmed up with teas and coffees. Hopefully the showery snow will decide that it wants to truly hit Flagstaff with a real snowstorm. I mapped the route on mapmyrun.com. Check it out below.

Sedona Marathon Aid Station 5

For the 6th straight year, NATRA staffed Aid Station 5. Bret, Colombe, Bridget, Ian, Bruce, James, Tom, Neil, David, Susan, Mike and Alexis had a blast serving the about 800 runners who competed in the half and full marathons. We were all so proud and Jason and Brian's one-two finish in the marathon and the rest of the Flagstaff contingent who smiled as they passed by Aid Station 5. What happens at a typical encounter with Aid Station 5? See the goofy video below. Watch closely as the moon makes a very unexpected appearance at Aid Station 5!

Old Munds Wagon Trail/Merry-Go-Round

Eleven humans and two dogs began the 9 AM climb past frozen waterfalls
in oddly warm weather and great trail conditions to the Merry-Go-Round.
One late-sleeper started later, making it an even dozen. Still two
others carved their own route, vaguely associated with the scheduled
NATRA run of the day. What a wonderful day to be alive!

Coffee & treats followed at the usual place, including some incredible
chocolate cake, courtesy of the Blanchards. (Thanks to Bruce for the post and photo above and newcomer Kimball for the photo below!)

Rocky Ridge - Elden Road

It is seriously hard to believe that one year ago we were buried under 5 feet of snow. As the Arizona Daily Sun reported today, this is shaping up as the second driest January in Flagstaff's history. With that in mind, we figured our best option was heading up Rocky Ridge.

11 runners including two newbies showed up. We welcomed John, visiting from Washinton DC and Mike who just moved to Flagstaff from San Diego. Rocky Ridge was for the most part pretty clear with most runners navigating the tricky icy patches. I do however know there are going to be at least few sore butts as I watched the slips and falls safely from my position at the back of the gang. As Mackenzie, Amber and I all whined about missing Rhiannon and Tim (Rhi leading the pack with a shirtless Tim), the run reminded of one of our favorite NATRA pictures from the archives of January 2007 (on this very run!)






After the run we visited Late for the Train and basked in the warmth of the powerful January sun, hoping winter will soon return.