PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Florida Trail Running Blog
August 2, 2010:
Update: I am still running, in fact running a lot in preparation for the upcoming Stump Jump 50K on October 2. This past weekend I ran the Citrus Road Race 5K and managed to get 3rd in my age group with an average pace of 8.05. I have been having heel pain in my right foot and also experienced a bad side stitch during the middle portion of the 5K and was forced to slow wayyyy down! Following the race, I drove over to the Withlacoochee State Trail (about 1/4 mile from the race site) and jogged a slow 4 more miles.
Yesterday I went out to San Felasco and trail ran 8.6 miles with my friend Dan followed by 5.4 more miles to get my scheduled 14 miles of trail running completed. During the run I managed to run up powerline hill much easier than I expected so I must be getting a bit stronger. We saw an owl, lots of deer and a few mountain bikers out on the trail. This coming week I plan to incorporate some yoga into my training and hope to get one or two bike rides in as well. The heat has been really tough this summer, the last two weeks especially with heat indices up around 110-120 deg f. Not great weather for long distance trail running. My La Sportiva Crosslites are holding up quite well - when I am up in South Carolina later this month, I will be stopping by Rock Creek Outfitters to get another pair, a half size larger which will be best for running my ultra. I will also be running an xterra race on some REAL terrain which should be good fun! More later...
April 27, 2010:
I guess its been almost month since I last logged a blog entry... my running has been going quite well with about 20-25 miles per week over the past four weeks. These runs have included long runs on the weekends ranging from 7.5-13.5 miles in length primarily at a 9.30-10.20 min/mile pace on singletrack mountain bike trails.This weekend coming up I will be running in the Tails and Trails 10K trail running race in Tallahassee at Tom Brown Park. While I am not looking for top three age group finish, I am looking forward to a fun run on some new trails. In the past, I have visited this park for mountain biking events but have never run here. Following the race, I will be heading over to a couple of other local parks where trail running races are held during the year. I will be posting my experiences and trails reviews of all three locations on the "Trails" web portion of this web site in addition to any photos.
Two more items of note: First -I have OFFICIALLY registered for the Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K in October... more on that to come! Second - My new pair of La Sportiva Crosslites have arrived! I ran 7.5 miles in these totally awesome shoes this past Saturday, not one issue or complaint! They are lightweight, comfortable, great tread for the rooty and sandy singletrack trails too. I think these will be my 50K running shoes of choice!!
March 29, 2010:
The weather was absolutely beautiful on Saturday so I headed out to the trails of San Felasco after a quick stop by the farmers market. My friend Sean met me for a 3.8 mile loop run mostly on the yellow hillier trail, after which I ran another 5 miles on the blue trail. The run was good but slow which I attribute to my lack of sleep the night before. I spent a good portion of the night with my new pup Kip who was quite ill (something he ate maybe?). In the afternoon, I planted my summer vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cilantro, and beans.Sunday brought cloudy and rainy weather, however I managed to get out and run 5.25 miles on the roads around my neighborhood. I was a bit sore and fatigued from the previous day's run and yard work but managed to get through it with an ave pace of 9.19 min/mile. Not sure whats on for this next weekend - I may run a 5K race on Saturday and then visit my parent's on Easter Sunday.
March 24, 2010:
This past weekend was the Trail of Payne 10K put on by our local running/sports store, Lloyd Clarke Sports. It was held at the beautiful Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park just south of Gainesville. The weather was perfect although a bit on the cool side with the blue sunny skies overhead! The trail had been rerouted from the original planned course due to the flooding on a good portion of the trails throughout the park. Approximately 300-350 runners showed up for this first trail race in our area. The race started without incident and everyone appeared to be really enjoying the event, a nice change from the typical pavement that most of the local races are run on... yeah for trail running! Although I was feeling quite under the weather myself, I did end up pulling out a 4th place finish in my age group. The results have yet to be posted so more on that later.
The following day (Sunday), I rode my mtn bike with slicks out to Newberry and back for a total of 22 miles - a nice recovery from the run the day before.
March 15, 2010:
The Oleno Race The Tortoise 5K was this past Saturday morning, it was cool and sunny - nice conditions for running through this beautiful state park (on the paved park roads). There were 5 of us from the Museum where I am employed, nice to be running an event with so many coworkers. In addition there were plenty of runners from our local running club, the Florida Track Club, too! My finish time was a 24.39, resulting in a 2nd place age group finish. My coworkers also got tortoise awards too for placing in their respective age groups. Later in the day, I headed out to our rails- to-trails to inline skate 8 miles.
The following day (Sunday), I headed out to Paynes Prairie to prerun the race course for next weekend's Trail of Payne 10K Trail Run. The trails were quite flooded from the recent rains, with standing water up to 6" deep and muddy areas with up to 4" of deep oozing black swamp mud! Next weekend should be quite an adventure!
March 8, 2010:
This weekend was great fun! I ran in the Shamrock Scamper 5K in Inverness with a finish goal of 26.30 min with the expectation that this course would be completely flat. The school was packed full of people including lots of school kids there to run their final mile of their school marathon. I believe they all had run 25 miles during the school year and were there to run their final mile of the marathon together following the 5k race.
Temperatures were unseasonably cool, approximately 30 degrees at the start. Dressing for this race was questionable however in the end (or rather at the beginning) I decided on tri shorts, leg warmers, and a short sleeve dri fit shirt. This turned out to be a wise decision as I stayed quite comfortable during the run. The course was mostly flat with some slight long uphills and a few downhill sections (at least for Florida!). I felt great even with getting up at 5am to pack up the dogs and drive from Gainesville. I was quite pleased that my finish time ended up a 24.49 min which is BARELY a sub-eight min mile pace throughout the race. The race was well-organized, timed with timing chips from DRC Sports, and to top that off, the t-shirt was beautifully designed. All of this for only $15?? One of the best bargains in this area for running a 5K! BIG thanks to the Citrus Road Runners for yet another great race! Afterwards I walked Kip around to socialize him a bit while awaiting the awards ceremony. I ended up with 3rd for my age group - then I packed up and headed over to visit my parents for the day.
The following day (Sunday), I headed out for a group road bike ride and ended up with 30 miles. Later in the afternoon, I took Toss out for a 5 mile trail run at San Felasco. What a wonderful weekend... and finally the temps are warming up! I am optimistic that our long cold winter may finally be coming to a close.
March 5, 2010:
This weekend I am heading over to Inverness to run the Shamrock Scamper 5K - I have run 5Ks in the past put on by the Citrus County Road Runners and they always do a fantastic job!My running workouts continue to improve - I am following the 5K training program from the Runners World book: Run Less Run Faster with a goal 5K time of around 26 min since my last 5K took a very slow 28 min (last year at the Great Gainesville Road Race). I am confident I will be able to get my 5K times down around 24-25 min with some good solid workouts both on the road and at the track. I hope to have great news on Monday about my weekend of running and biking!
March 2, 2010:
Back in action - yes, I am once again up and running and feeling great! This past weekend I ran a 5 miler on the Greenway Trail in Trenton Florida - ended up 2nd in my age group and I believe 3rd female overall with a time of 42.21 minutes (8.28 min/mile pace). I was happy with this, my return to "competitive events". This coming weekend I am going to run the Shamrock Scamper 5K in Inverness Florida and I have signed up for the Race The Tortoise 5K at Oleno State Park in High Springs Florida on March 13. This year I will be focused on running and perhaps a few duathlon events and taking a break from mountain biking more or less (although I did complete the Tour de Felasco 52 mile mountain bike ecotour and the 50 mile Ididaride mountain bike ride earlier in 2010).My running workouts are getting faster with a 400m track repeat done at a 6.00 min/mile pace this past sunday. It is my hope to build a solid base along with some speed workouts prior to building up to longer distances. My first event longer than 5 miles will be the Trail of Payne 10K trail running race on March 20.
One other change is the recent addition of Kip to the family, he is going to be a great trail running dog during the warm summer months with this shorter coat (although it may grow out?). I found him in a shelter in Georgia, he is a lilac and white border collie and approximately 7 months old. I am looking forward to running with him in the future. In the meantime, Toss is a great running partner (my other border collie), running is his "job" and he excels at it. I should do a 5K with him some day, he can really pull for the first 1.5-2 miles! Afterwards he settles down to business and really takes it seriously. The other day we were running and a yellow lab mix jumped a fence and came after us - he protected us and eventually I got the other dog taken care of with someone stopping by to assist to get him off the road before getting hit by a car. Of course the owners were no where to be found but the dog was returned to its yard at least.
December 7, 2009:
Today was a good day, I rode my mountain bike to work and home for a total of 14.2 miles followed by a 4 mile road run with my border collie Toss. Toss is such a great running partner, we both miss Milo.
Run Stats:
10.07 min/mile ave pace, 8.46 min/mile fastest pace, 40:46 total time, 149 ave heart rate, 180 feet elevation change, 497 calories.Equipment:
Asics Gel Nimbus / Garmin Forerunner 305Thoughts and Ramblings:
I have a long way to go to get back into shape to run trail races... at least this is a start. On the other hand, my mountain biking has been improving recently. I have two mountain bike events in January 2010, the Tour de Felasco (62 miles) in Alachua Florida and the Ididaride (50 miles) in White Springs Florida, that I am training for.December 2, 2009:
Update - Unfortunately I lost my best friend and trail running partner Milo to health issues, he was only 11 years of age. I will always miss him so much as will everyone whose lives he touched. He was very loved by all who knew him.
I have taken a few months with very little running, mostly mountain biking and trying to get my nutrition back on course. In particular I have been eating a much higher percentage of raw foods (70% or so) and am feeling better. I also started taking RAW Vitamins (multi and iron) which seems to be working out much better than the large dose of iron my doctor prescribed. I will be logging my runs again soon - especially now that the cooler weather has set in!
September 1, 2009:
Update - I have been doing yoga and some slower jogging/walking until I received my official results of my ultrasound and bloodwork from the doc. I have been cleared in regards to my heart so that is good to go, however I did find out that I am anemic even though I have made a real effort to eat foods containing iron in the past. I guess this isn't too surprising since I am female, vegetarian, and run (or at least try to) a lot. Its good to know that there is a reason why I am having a difficult time progressing with my running and general fitness. I have been quite fatigued but one never knows if its due to the weather, lack of sleep, nutrition, etc. I am supposed to go back for more bloodwork in about 3 weeks, however in the meantime after visiting my local health food store, have decided to start taking hema-plex iron tablets. Hopefully I will be able to absorb this form of iron (there is also folate and vitamin C in the tablets to assist with absorption) and at least a small difference will be seen in my future bloodwork results.I have also started commuting to work via my mountain bike 7 miles each way which should help with my fitness. Tonight I am heading back out to San Felasco to attempt running 6-7 miles. Hope to have a good report tomorrow for you!
August 26, 2009:
I have just returned from my trip to western North Carolina and southern Tennessee. It was absolutely beautiful up there, nice and cool in the mornings (in the 50s!) and beautiful sunny days. On August 23, I hiked/jogged on the Nolands Divide Trail from Deep Creek just outside of Bryson City up to Clingmans Dome Road where the clouds were touching the earth. It was an amazing site, and it was really cold and damp! I turned around to make it back to Deep Creek before darkness set in. The total distance of the hike was 23.5 miles and consisted of over 7,500 feet of ascending - needless to say, my legs are quite sore mostly from jogging downhill. I was lucky enough to see 5 black bears, one mother with 3 cubs and 2 other bears. I could also hear bears in the woods snorting and grumbling which was a new experience for me. See photo below taken from Nolands Divide Trail:
On August 24, my dog Milo and I visited Raccoon Mountain just outside of Chattanooga after stopping by Rock Creek Outfitters in town. They highly recommended Raccoon Mountain for trail running so off we went. Its quite a distance off the main road (about 7-10 miles perhaps?) on on well-maintained park roads. Its a great destination for road biking, mountain biking, and trail running. We walked/jogged Grindstone Ridge trail from the visitor's center to the pumphouse and back. Milo had a good time, even found a swimming hole for him! He was completely exhausted afterwards, he is 11 years old with some hip and spine issues so I has happy he made it the entire 4+ miles. See photo below to see the trail terrain at Raccoon Mountain. Please keep in mind, all trails are open to mountain bikers.
August 20, 2009:
Update - I haven't been posting any blogs in 11 days now... however be assured I have been walking, jogging, and road biking a bit. About a week ago, I found out I have a heart murmur and scheduled an ultrasound of my heart for this morning. I decided to take it easy in the heat and humidity for the time being until I found out something from the doc. I am happy to report that it appears the murmur isn't anything that I need to worry about and nothing that will limit my workouts, thank goodness! I have been trying to relax a bit more and have even gone back to doing some yoga which is quite enjoyable. I will be back in action on Saturday afternoon and Sunday up in the mountains of western North Carolina and then on to Raccoon Mountain near Chattanooga Tennessee on Monday and then maybe somewhere in George on Tuesday. I will have full reports along with photos of my trail running adventures during this short trip up north. You know I am looking forward to getting out of Florida and into some real terrain with cooler temps and lower humidity!
August 9, 2009:
My goal for today's run was 11-13 miles on the mountain bike trails of San Felasco. It was a nice day although it is August and a nice day in Florida during the middle of summer, well, you know, it is always quite hot and humid. I took the handheld bottle full of GU Brew along with a GU chocolate gel pack and took off down the trails around 830am. I ran out Cellon Creek, through the Fields of Tungnut, down the jeeptrail to the picnic tables and then headed toward the back trails on Hammock Hub and Sweet Gum. I stopped a couple of times to assist mountain bikers who were new to the trail system, giving them directions. Then I jogged down Bramble Ramble, back to the parking lot via Cellon Creek. That gave me 9 miles and I was out of fluids so after a quick refill at the car, I ran out the dirt entrance road and out to the office park in front of San Felasco. I ran around the office park loop on the paved roads and then back into San Felasco, completing the 11 mile run.Run Stats:
To be added this eveningEquipment:
Asics Gel Nimbus / Garmin Forerunner 305 / Nathan Thermal QuickdrawThoughts and Ramblings:
Today's run was faster, in fact I am getting a bit faster with every run which is encouraging. I feel that it is taking a long time to get my mileage up and my pace up however someone did remind me that the heat and humidity makes everything more difficult. I am definitely making progress with walking less during my runs, increasing the pace, and today I felt much better afterwards as well. I will continue with my training for the Croom 50K on October 10 and if that goes well, I would like to train for the Iron Horse 50 miler early in 2010.August 4, 2009:
Shortly after arriving at the mountain bike trail side of San Felasco, a storm rolled through dropping an inch or more of rain. This resulted in the flooding of the Cellon Creek Trail making running a bit difficult. Plus to top things off, I had planned on running a bit faster today and brought my Asics Gel Nimbus shoes. Although I was a bit hesitant to take my road shoes out into the muddy trails, I did so anyways. It was quite humid and my heart rate was a bit higher than usual but then again I was trying to run a bit faster than usual. I ran the Cellon Creek Trail out to Tungnut, did the fields of Tungnut then the jeep trail to the picnic tables at the top of powerline hill. Then I ran down powerline hill onto Cellon Creek and back to the parking area. Still needing another mile to make today's goal of 7 miles, I jogged down the dirt road and out to the office park in front of San Felasco and back to the parking area. (This is the same loop that I ran on July 30 with no Garmin.)
Run Stats:
11.47 min/mile ave pace, 6.35 min/mile fastest pace, 1.22.12 total time, 145 ave heart rate, 600 feet elevation change, 801 calories.Equipment:
Asics Gel Nimbus / Garmin Forerunner 305 / Nathan Intensity Hydration PackThoughts and Ramblings:
It was a good run although I was a bit tired. In the end, even with the mud and wet shoes, I still managed to run a faster time. I am really liking the Nathan hydration pack although for runs of 7 miles or less I should use the Nathan handheld bottle in the future.August 2, 2009:
Today's goal was to run 10-12 miles, I made 10 miles and called it quits due to the high humidity. I ran the Cellon Creek and Fields of Tungnut, down the powerlines to the picnic table then Hammock Hub and Sweet Gum to Bramble Ramble, followed by Cellon Creek to the parking area. Still being just shy of 10 miles, I jogged down the dirt road to the washroom facilites and back. All of this was followed by a cool shower at the bike wash! Today was my first run with the Nathan Intensity hydration pack and Gu Brew electrolyte mix - the hydration pack felt soooo light, I will never run with the camelbak again, save that for mountain biking.
Run Stats:
12.59 min/mile ave pace, 8.15 min/mile fastest pace, 2.09.22 total time, 142 ave heart rate, 790 feet elevation change, 1,078 calories.Equipment:
Salomon XT Wings / Garmin Forerunner 305 / Nathan Intensity Hydration PackThoughts and Ramblings:
My electrolyte drink mixes (Gu Brew: Pomegranate/Blueberry and Hammer Perpetueum: Orange/Vanilla) and Nathan Intensity women's specific hydration pack arrived! I am very pleased with my new hydration pack and the Gu Brew, have yet to try the Hammer Perpetuem.July 30, 2009:
I ran the Cellon Creek and Fields of Tungnut loop, then down the powerlines to the picnic table, down Powerline Hill and back to the parking area at then end of Cellon Creek (approx 6-7 miles). This loop is great fun to run with minimal roots! I felt really good this evening. Unfortunately my Garmin was not charged so there is no data for today's run. My running is improving and I am feeling quite positive about my progress.Run Stats:
- No Garmin stats today - guessing my average pace was just under 12 min/mile with minimal walking today.Equipment:
Salomon XT Wings / Nathan Thermal Quickdraw (Handheld Bottle)Thoughts and Ramblings:
My electrolyte drink mixes (Gu Brew: Pomegranate/Blueberry and Hammer Perpetueum: Orange/Vanilla) and Nathan Intensity women's specific hydration pack arrived!July 26, 2009:
I mostly jogged and walked the Cottontail Trail and Cellon Creek Trail (San Felasco - north side) for a 4.7 mile loop followed by a jog/walk on the Cellon Creek Trail for 4.1 mile loop, total = 8.8 miles. This past week I mountain biked on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (around 70 miles total) to give my achey knee and blistered feet a break from running. I did slip and take a tumble on a deep pile of leaves, no damage. Today felt great on the trails, so back to running fulltime again this week.
Run Stats:
2 workouts: 13.00/13.39 min/mile ave pace, 10.10/8.15 min/mile fastest pace, 1.00.53/55.50 total time, 131/128 ave heart rate, 500/600 feet elevation change, 600/415 calories.Equipment:
Salomon XT Wings / Garmin Forerunner 305 / Nathan Thermal Quickdraw (Handheld Bottle)Thoughts and Ramblings:
This week I will be back out on the road in the neighborhood for some faster workouts hopefully! My order place for the Nathan Intensity Hydration Pack along with some electrolyte drink mix was perhaps lost by the online store, contacted the company and these items should be here tomorrow.July 19, 2009:
I jogged/walked the Tung Nut and Cellon Creek Loops at the north side of San Felasco this morning. The weather was good although humid as is typical for this area during the summer months. I saw lots of deer out and about even with all the mountain bikers on the trails. My total mileage ended up being 10 miles exactly.Run Stats:
14.16 min/mile ave pace, 9.27 min/mile fastest pace, 2.24.45 total time, 134 ave heart rate, 1,100 feet elevation change, 1,058 calories.Equipment:
Salomon XT Wings / Garmin Forerunner 305 / Camelbak Rogue Hydration PackThoughts and Ramblings:
My blistered feet hurt quite a bit which slowed me down a lot... plus my legs were tired from yesterday's run. I will be taking Monday off from working out completely and on Tuesday rather than running 6 miles, I will mountain bike for a couple of hours to take the pressure off my feet. My next run will be on Wednesday.July 18, 2009:
I jogged/walked 6.8 miles from the house over to Split Rock Conservation Area (Gainesville Nature Operations Park) and ran the short trail loop and then back to the house. (My training program called for 4 miles.)I only recently found out about this park - its only 2.5 miles from the house but quite hidden from view. There is no driveway or parking area, only accessible by foot or bike. I will be adding this park to my list of trails to be reviewed as its a great little park within jogging distance from the house. In the future more of my runs will be there, the trails are well-groomed and not as rooty as those at San Felasco.
Run Stats:
12.08 min/mile ave pace, 8.31 min/mile fastest pace, 1.22.201 total time, 133 ave heart rate, 600 feet elevation change, 745 calories.Equipment:
Nike Air Moto/ Garmin Forerunner 305Thoughts and Ramblings:
It was raining and unfortunately the wet trails caused some blistering on my right foot. I wore my old Nikes which ended up being a terrible choice, they are going to the Goodwill soon! They fit a bit too snugly, causing issues with my toes/toenails. Other than that, I really enjoyed exploring my newly discovered neighborhood park!July 16, 2009:
I jogged 5.75 miles this evening in my neighborhood. Its 90 degrees with the heat index at 6:37pm (I just finished running about 15 min ago) with only 74% humidity. I am tired from my mountain bike ride last night which ended up including a somewhat nasty walk through about 3-4 miles of thick swamp with no trails and standing water. The vegetation in the swamp was higher than I am tall, and I am not all that short mind you! As a result, my legs are quite scratched up and sore today. My 50K training schedule called for a 6 mile run so I came up a wee bit short. I need to attend a work function this evening so I need to keep this short. Tomorrow is a day off however I do hope to get in a 1-2 mile jog in my Vibram Five Fingers. One more quick note, I ordered some Hammer Perpetuem, Gu Electrolyte Drink Mix and a Nathan Intensity hydration pack today. I will keep everyone updated on how these products work out, pros and cons.Run Stats:
9.41 min/mile ave pace, 8.17 min/mile fastest pace, 55.41 total time, 143 ave heart rate, 150 feet elevation change, 684 calories.Equipment:
Asics Nimbus/ Garmin Forerunner 305Thoughts and Ramblings:
I am just plain tired today!July 14, 2009:
I jogged the blue trail and then on the way back I took a cut through trail that connects to the yellow trail for a total of 6.58 miles. Today I used the Camelbak FlashFlo hydration pack that fits around your waist - this just is not comfortable for me: too much sloshing and just a bad weight distribution for me. Also, it is not handy to remove or place items into the pocket as it is on the backside. It is much better suited for nordic pole walking and just plain walking in the woods.
Run Stats:
12.08 min/mile ave pace (included walk breaks), 9.33 min/mile fastest pace, 1.19.48 total time, 138 ave heart rate, 1,000 feet elevation change, 771 calories. My pace was slow due to the uncomfortable hydration pack plus I walked a bit to shoot some photos for this web site.Equipment:
Salomon XT Wings/ Garmin Forerunner 305/ Camelback FlashFlo Hydration PackThoughts and Ramblings:
I took photos of San Felasco and my running partner Sean today and added those to the Trails page on San Felasco Hammock Nature Preserve State Park. I will be adding more photos during lunchtime tomorrow so check back!July 13, 2009:
Its Monday, officially my day off from working out. Instead, I decided to take my new Vibram Five Finger KSOs out for their first real run (well, sort of).Equipment:
VFF KSOs/ Garmin Forerunner 305Thoughts and Ramblings:
After doing loads of research online, I thought it would be best to keep my run down to around one mile since many runners experience very sore calf muscles after their first few runs in their VFFs. I did run 1.1 miles total including a couple of stretching breaks. They feel super light on my feet and very comfortable even though I ran on smooth asphalt roads rather than grass. My pace was 8.34 min/mile which is my 5K race pace, best of all I didn't feel like I was working too hard! I definitely concentrated on a midfoot strike (as opposed to the typical heel strike that is all to common with runners wearing super cushiony high tec shoes, myself included!). I think these shoes have a lot of potential for running speedy little 5K races but as for long distance trails runs... probably not for me. I am a bit too accident prone as it is and it would be oh so painful to stub a toe on one of the bzillions of roots on our trails! I will at least give them a try on the Santos trails which are flat and smooth.July 12, 2009:
This morning I mountain biked about 13.5 miles at San Felasco, no running today although my 50K training program called for 4 miles.July 11, 2009:
This morning I drove down to Ocala to run on the Santos singletrack mountain bike trails. Starting at the Santos Trailhead, I jogged (along with a few walk breaks) almost to the Landbridge Trailhead and back. Total mileage was 12.7 miles.Equipment:
Salomon XT Wings/ Garmin Forerunner 305 / Camelbak Rogue (old style)Run Stats:
13.40 min/mile ave pace (included walk breaks), 9.45 min/mile fastest pace, 2.53.00 total time, 133 ave heart rate, 2,000 feet elevation change, 1,332 calories.
Thoughts and Ramblings:
Beautiful morning although humid of course... lots of spider webs, a few mountain bikers, and not much else. I jogged 9.25 miles and walked the rest, trying to get used to being on my legs so long. I feel good about my run today, really enjoyed it! Tomorrow I will be at San Felasco early in the morning, putting in a few miles on the mountain bike. I will take my camera so I can get some photos for my web page on this park and its fun trails. I also need to run 4 miles at some point, probably during the evening.July 09, 2009:
Ran 6 miles on pavement this evening.Equipment:
Asics Gel Nimbus/ Garmin Forerunner 305Run Stats:
9.46 min/mile ave pace, 6.56 min/mile fastest pace, 58.46 total time, 150 ave heart rate, 400 ft elevation change, 729 calories.
Thoughts and Ramblings:
Today's run was a hillier course (by Florida standards mind you), and my time was a bit faster than earlier in the week - this leads me to feel quite positive about the progress I am making with my running. I only really started back to running about a week or so ago, running/walking 33 miles last week. I am on a training program so I will be able to run the John Holmes 50K trail running race on October 10. I ran it a number of years ago and had a fantastic experience! I would also like to run the X-Country trail races in November and perhaps the Jack's 50K in December depending on how training goes and any running injuries.
News:
I received my new Vibram Five Finger KSO barefoot running shoes today - they feel great although I have yet to jog in them. I did a trip to the grocery store and they are super comfy to walk in! I spend a lot of time barefoot so hopefully the break-in period won't take too long. I will write more tomorrow after my first test run (I promise to keep the run short to avoid calf muscle pain that so many people experience when first learning to run in these shoes). If for any reason these shoes don't work out for me, they will be awesome kayaking shoes at the very least! However, I am quite optimistic!This purchase was inspired by the book "Born To Run" by Chris McDougall! This is a great read from a runner's viewpoint as well as a scientist's. My favorite running-related book used to be "Why We Run", however this new book may actually surpass this older favorite which is held in high regards by many runner/scientists.
July 08, 2009:
Ran 2 miles on pavement during lunch today, working from home. Run felt great today!Equipment:
Asics Gel Nimbus/ Garmin Forerunner 305Run Stats:
9.00 min/mile ave pace, 6.36 min/mile fastest pace, 18.00 total time, 142 ave heart rate, 237 calories.July 07, 2009:
My first blog entry...Ran 6 miles on pavement this evening, temperature was 79 degrees and quite humid, in fact it even started to rain a bit on my way back home on this out and back course down to Publix at the corner of Tower and Archer Roads. My legs are still a bit tired from ruunning/walking 11.2 miles on the trails at San Felasco two days ago.
Equipment:
Asics Gel Nimbus/ Garmin Forerunner 305Run Stats:
10:11 min/mile ave pace, 8:11 min/mile fastest pace, 1.01.03 total time, 152 ave heart rate, 275 ft elevation change, 735 calories.Thoughts and Ramblings:
Still a bit slow but just getting back into running after taking a year off to compete in endurance mountain bike races.