1424438_10104485453746632_268733230381540372_n

Angela & Stephen on the AZ Trail in Oracle

Thanks for visiting our running blog! Angela & Stephen are avid trail runners that are beginning to dabble in the world of ultrarunning. We’re also excited about non-race adventures as we explore the outdoors in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. The joy of running has grabbed us both fairly recently and we’ve migrated over to the trails where the majority of our running now occurs. Running is a great release from the daily stresses of life! Angela is busy as a teacher & administrator at a private school on the east side of Tucson, plus works part-time with Stephen as a Realtor at Long Realty. As mentioned, Stephen is a Realtor with Long Realty which does allow him some flexibility with his running schedule and also provides a good reason for running to relieve the stress of a commission only based job.

Angela CSP 2

Angela at Catalina State Park

Angela began running in early 2013 and took off with a bang, signing up for many shorter road races initially. She gradually progressed to run her first half marathon in San Diego, which was her initial goal distance. However, she always had the long term goal of running a marathon at some point. Ultrarunning was also a thought in the back of her mind then, when, like many others, she read “Born to Run.” Reading Scott Jurek’s book “Eat and Run” furthered this curiosity with races extending beyond the marathon distance. While still not yet officially completing a marathon race, Angela’s officially hooked on trail running and completing ultramarathons. Angela also tries to practice a clean eating way of life and is currently a vegetarian, having also eaten vegan for a while too.

21783663561_d35080246f_o

Stephen & Angela at the 2015 Split Endz 10.3 Mile Trail Race at Catalina State Park

Stephen’s passion for running began in the Summer of 2014, in part spurred by Angela’s enthusiasm for the sport. Shortly after beginning running Stephen took part in his first 5K, which was a stepping stone to his initial goal races of the A Mountain Half Marathon & the Ragnar Trail race at McDowell Mountain that Fall. Just as quickly as he started a knee injury at the half marathon and Ragnar set him back, keeping him from running for many months after those events. These knee issues would reoccur almost exactly a year later, just before & during the Colossal Vail 50/50. However, the Ragnar Trail experience of 2014 really ignited his passion for running on trails. Building up mileage for these longer races also showed him how much more he enjoyed the longer distances. Ultrarunning soon became the goal as he immersed himself in the sport, listening to podcasts like URP or Ginger Runner whenever possible. While his initial foray into an ultra race didn’t provide the result he knew he was capable of, the experience itself confirmed how much he enjoys it. Completing his first ultra in the face of an adversity like injury motivates him to tackle even more challenging races. Stephen intends to soon run a 100 mile race.