Jordan Road Exploration Trail

Ten runners ran in the cool and mostly cloudy conditions of Sedona.

Starting the run from the Jordan Road trailhead were Sabrina, Jennifer,
Heather, Charlie, Brett, Susan, and David (plus Bob and Daisy). Joining the
group later were Tony, Janie, and Margaret. The latter three had started much
earlier and had already completed the Brins Mesa Loop and were closing in on
the lead group.

At the intersection of the Jim Thompson Trail and the Wilson Canyon Trail
the group took a left to explore the section of trail that follows the canyon.

It's still a bit early in the season but some wildflowers are beginning to
make their appearance.

All in all, about 7.5 miles round trip, with overachievers Janie and Tony doing about 13.

Weather was ok, got a few spots of sunshine, but overall a little chilly. We had coffee at our table in Sedona and made fun of Tony's pastry, which looked like a cinnamon role topped with hamburger. It also had a very disappointing taste, but Tony said it looked good in the display case.

(Thanks to David Blanchard and Sabrina Blackledge for the posts!)

Fort Valley Trail System

22 runners, Gray, Anika, Josie, and Wyatt waded in and out of water filled drainages running the multitude of trails of Fort Valley. It was a great turnout for an early spring run. We then paid Tim a visit and packed the Kickstand for coffee and some pretty odd tasting electrolyte replacement drinks.

The video above was taken in May, 2010, but pretty resembles the stream crossings we made today.

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!