19 more days

Took a look at the calendar today and realized I only have 19 more days until the Disney Marathon. I'm really looking forward to the race and the whole weekend in general. I'll be racing with Daniel but we'll know a few other people that are racing as well. Shelby's best friend Laura will be racing in her first marathon as well that day. She did her 20 mile run yesterday and did awesome. It'll be fun hanging out with everyone that weekend.

This past weekend was a solid weekend for training. Saturday, I got in about 18 miles on my mountain bike- nothing huge, but a good workout. Sunday I ran about 13 miles at an easy pace- just trying to get miles in. I was a little frustrated at the end. With about a mile to go, I started feeling lightheaded- like I needed something to eat. However, I had eaten plenty that morning and had just had a gel 30 mins. before. I went from feeling great to really struggling really fast. Not sure why that happened. I've felt like that before but it's usually hot outside when it happens. I hoping that was just a fluke thing.

Later this week I'll be riding some great single track at Tom Brown park in Tallahassee. Shelby has family there so I always try and bring my bike when we visit. Tom Brown is a great place to ride- I used to ride there in college almost weekly when I was at FSU. It's been a while since I've ridden single track so I hope my skills aren't too rusty. No matter what, trail riding beats road riding any day.

Here's a cool video I found of some guys riding the Cadillac and Piney Z trails at Tom Brown.

Howl Video

Check out this video from Howl at the Moon this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQP8gQTlXH8

The Weekend

I met my buddie Steve at Julington/Durbin Preserve at 7:00am on Saturday for some biking. It was about 37 degrees when we started and it took a while for me to warm up. We rode for 2 hours and found a couple new trails that I had not been on. The new trails are pretty overgrown but were still ridable for the most part. We ended up carrying our bikes through some water that was about a foot deep that covered the road. It took a while for my feet to warm back up after that. We also saw a group of four deer take off into the woods which is always neat to see.

Yesterday, I did a 6 mile run and felt pretty good. I started out with mild shinsplints as usual but after a couple miles of very slow running they loosened up and I finished the last couple miles at a good pace. After the run a did a few sets of lunges so my legs feel nice and worked today. I hoping to get in some good miles this week and do a long run this weekend of 12 miles or so. I'm also itching to get out a paddle some so hopefully that will work out as well.

the week in review...

This weekend I'll be heading out to Julington/Durbin Preserve for some biking. I haven't been riding off road much lately, (probably since Howl) so this will be a nice change. While I'm out there I'll try and explore some of the many random unkept trails that seem to lead to nowhere, which means I'll be pushing my bike a lot. I always see them and I always wonder where they go. It's time to find out...

This week was a good week for training. I ran two morning, biked one morning, and did the elliptical another morning. Throw in some weights and push-ups and that makes for a pretty solid week. Next week, I'll be adding back some mileage to the running as my legs are feeling recovered from the 20.

One last thought- This week I've been thinking about what races I'll be trying to do next year. Hopefully I'll have a tentative schedule of races I want to hit soon so then all that is left is finding teammates. The plan next year is to focus on quality rather than quantity. I know one race I really want to go back and do is the CheckpointZero 30hr AR. I'm just hoping for warmer weather this year....

20 miles...

Well, we set out this morning from the Jacksonville Ballgrounds downtown on what was supposed to be a 19 mile journey back to Daniel's house. Daniel had figured the course out the night before. After hiding some water bottles along the route, Shelby dropped us off at 9:00am and we began. It was about 55 degrees and overcast...perfect. We started out running around Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (saw a Jaguar player walking in) and then headed over to Riverside. After about 9 miles of running downtown we crossed the Mainstreet Bridge and headed through San Marco and eventually to Daniel's house. At about mile 15 we decided that stopping at 19 just didn't feel right so we came up with a impromptu route change that would add an extra mile.  It feels great to finally have 20 miles under my belt. It also feels good to know that it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. I'm a little sore today but otherwise feeling great. Only 35 more days until the marathon and I'm starting to feel ready for it. I'll probably take it easy with the running this week and try and bike some and use the elliptical. I haven't been on the bike as much as I'd like to lately. Next Saturday, I may try and get out to Bayard or Julington/Durbin for some off road training. 

Marathon Training

A few months ago I finally signed up for my first Marathon. The Disney Marathon on Jan. 11. I've been wanting to do one for a long time so it's good to finally be committed to one. I've been training with a good friend, Daniel Gammage, who will also be racing at Disney. This weekend were doing 19 miles. I've done plenty of adventure races where we cover over 20 miles on foot but it's way different when you are running it all at one time. However, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's run. We're going to have our wives drop us off 19 miles from home and run back so there will be no way to cut it short! I'm hoping tomorrow's run will give me a better perspective on how long the marathon will take me.

Outback Distance Classic

It's a Thanksgiving tradition for my wife and I to run the Outback Distance Classic. This year I ran the half-marathon and she ran the 6k with her brother. The great thing about running on Thanksgiving morning is that you feel much less guilty about stuffing yourself later that day. The other great thing about this race is that the start/finish is only a mile from our house so we don't have to drive. That makes for a much less stressful pre-race. I had made a goal of trying to beat 1:50:00. My previous best half-marathon was 1:55:00. I was able to run it is 1:48:00/ 8:15 miles so I was very pleased. Shelby ran the 6k in 39:42 which is awesome after having Audrey just 5 moths ago! The highlight of the race was seeing Shelby and Audrey at mile 12. I found another gear after seeing them and was able to pick it up and finish strong.

Here's a great picture of Shelby and Alex:
http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=41345&PWD=&BIB=3553

Bayard Conservation Area

One of my favorite places to go and train locally is Bayard Conservation Area. I just found out about this place earlier this year and I wish I had known about it sooner. This place is really neat. Tons of mapped trails to explore and right on the St. Johns River so you can do some paddling from the Shands Pier as well. We've also seen a lot of deer and other wildlife out there while running and biking.

Here are some maps.

Topo Map

Park Map