Racing around the world: Flagstaff

We have been in Flagstaff now for almost two days. After an eight hour drive (that is nothing these days) east from Walnut we arrived in Flagstaff around 3pm. Flagstaff is really nice and is one of the prettiest places we have been to so far in the US. It is like living in a forest, there are tall trees and parks wherever you look and the town is serviced by hundreds of miles of trails - a reminder of the towns logging history - which weave in and out of the forest into parks and joining up with the residential parts of town. Oh yeah and it’s at 7000 feet altitude, making it the highest elevation place we have ever been to!!

That is the main reason why we are here. Flagstaff has become a haven for distance runners. Not only because of the altitude (which elite distance runners have been using for years to attain higher fitness levels) but because of the amazing network of trails around the town. We are only here for 8 days, not long enough to benefit from the stimulus of altitude, but long enough to work out the trails and best places to train for future trips. Plus we are staying in a house of runners so hopefully we’ll get some good advice!!

Yesterday we went to Sedona, which is a couple of thousand feet lower than Flagstaff and descends into the red rock canyons. We were blown away by some of the views and amazing rock formations, which line the drive. Sedona itself is a tourist haven and has many gift shops, which actually have some really cool stuff; lots of native American artefacts and artwork. Damn us having no luggage allowance left for our flights!!

Today we are going to check out downtown Flagstaff itself and maybe catch a movie (it’s a hard life), before checking out some of the other natural wonders in the area. A trip to Grand Canyon awaits!!