As a runner over 60, you have to learn how to adapt with everything that goes along with aging. You might not be as fast or as strong as you were… but experience counts for a lot…especially in ultrarunning.

I live in Westcliffe, Colorado. It is a small town about 100 miles south of Colorado Springs. I consider myself to be so lucky because I am able to train in so many different environments. I have the Sangre de Cristo Mountains 20 minutes away from my home. I can go climbing any day of the week. Westcliffe has an elevation of about 8 thousand feet which is fantastic for training. It helps increase your lung capacity which improves performance.

www.colorado.com/cities-and-towns/westcliffe

There are miles upon miles of backcountry roads that I can run on. I can plan a flat run and work on speed, or a hilly run to work on strength. I am kept entertained by plenty of deer, coyotes, squirrels, free-ranging cattle and horses.

I love desert running and I have about a 90 mile drive to train in the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

For heat training I am about an hours drive from the city of Pueblo. During the summer the average daily highs there are around 83 degrees fahrenheit In July it can get to 92 degrees and higher.