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Women’s supported fastest known time I’m on the Hi-line trail, an oasis high up in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by red rock.  I had just hiked through a wonderland, someplace you would find only in your imagination, a magical place.  I was on day 7 of my Arizona Trail and things were most definitely not going to plan (the night before I was running for my life through a prescribed burned area thinking I was going to die a fiery death! But let’s not focus on that ).  Still, I couldn’t help but smile.  The sun was shining

Butterflies in my stomach Zombie land. That’s where I am living right now. Peak training complete, now on the final straight. I can’t believe after months of thinking about it, that I actually pushed the button in the beginning of July, and now I have arrived. I am both terrified and excited at the same time. This is real. This is happening. I will be running North to South (so right to left) I am attempting to set the Fastest Known Time on the Arizona Trail. Me. Is this madness? stupidity? I hope not. 800 miles.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when my coach suggested I fast-hike a 12 hour running race. To say I was not enthused by the idea would be an understatement. I positively rebelled to begin with but then slowly appreciated his wisdom, given that a sizeable chunk of my Fastest Known Time Attempt (FKT) on the Arizona Trail (AZT) is likely to be fast-hiking.

Pushing the button So, I pushed the button and set the date. There’s no going back now. I am giddy with excitement and nervous with apprehension. I have often found myself in life changing situations, not quite knowing how I have got there. I have created opportunities, sometimes life events have happened to me and others, I have had the good fortune to be presented with an opportunity that I have then chosen to take. It’s these series of events that have led me to where I am and the person I am today.

Type 2 fun….. possibly type 2.5 …I was making progress, albeit slow when I suddenly find myself with a stretch ahead of me where the snow had fallen and completely obliterated the trail and was effectively an ice wall on the side of the mountain.  The trusted footsteps that I was using to keep myself safe were nowhere to be seen until about 10 feet ahead of me.  There was nothing but the sheer drop off and one lonely tree to the right of me.  I willed myself with all my might not to look down as I knew this would finish me

Type 2 fun….. possibly type 2.5 …… This would have been bad enough in the day time, searching for cairns in amongst the other rocks, sometimes upstream, sometimes ahead of you, sometimes obliterated by fallen trees, but it was downright scary at nighttime.  As you can imagine, these miles were SLOW.  With only a narrow stream of light from my headlamp, I was scanning up and down, left and right, looking for these piles of rocks on top of rocks!  I cursed myself for not bringing my super duper Petzl headlamp and only bringing my lightweight headlamp with me (Lesson no.6 – always

Type 2 fun….. possibly type 2.5 Background I only discovered my passion for running later in life.  I was working in the corporate world for 22 years, at the age of 38 I decided to quit in order to pursue a journey of self discovery, wherein I found running and haven’t looked back since.  In July 2017, I came to Flagstaff, Arizona for Rob Krar’s ‘Trail & Ultra Running Camp’, this was my first experience of running on trails. I fell in love with trail running, Flagstaff and the community and decided to move out here a month later.  About a year ago,