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.

Chicken Point

On any given Saturday, you never know who is going to show up on a NATRA run. While we have seen a consistent 12-15 runners, we broke a new Sedona record with 25 runners and 7 dogs on our Chicken Point adventure today! The weather was perfect and unlike the mud, snow and ice of Brins Mesa two weeks ago, these 8 miles were mostly dry. It is always fun to run onto Chicken Point and surprise the visitors that arrive via jeep tours. Yeah, tough bunch we are! Several runners actually started early and logged even more miles. Afterwards we all enjoyed the warmth of Sedona in the plaza at New Frontiers and hailed King David.

Schultz Creek Road to Lincoln Logs

13 runners, Sklar and Annika headed up Schultz Creek Road on Saturday morning. As the warming temperatures of the past few days created hard packed snow, the challenge was avoiding plunging into pockets of the trapped powder beneath. All I could think about was the old game Don't Break the Ice! Thus we had to focus on every step we took, making this a far more strategical run than is often required for heading up Schultz Pass Road. The first group made it all the way to the Lincoln Logs while the rest of us turned around a bit earlier with thoughts of the Seasoned Kitchen treats pulling us back. The return trip was even more challenging as the sun had softened the hard pack and our downhill weight breaking through the hard pack more often than not. Coffee and teas at the Seasoned Kitchen were well earned by all!

Moutainaire 100

A great day for some cross-country skiing at the "Mountainaire 100!"