Washington DC training run

The best part of being a runner is the ability of going to any city anywhere and putting your shoes on and just exploring. What a beautiful city Washington DC is!!! We ran the monuments and got up close experiences with all the wonderful areas of the city that you just can't get from a car!!

First you get to run in environments that you may or may not have at your home town!!! Snow!!! First time these shoes have ever seen snow!! So much fun---in small amounts!

                     

The view of our Nations Capital in the background! What a sight!! I was lucky to be there and witness and capture pictures with and without snow on the ground! Just amazing!

   

The Washington Monument has been worked on for about the past 2 years from an earthquake damage. Cant wait to come back and see it without the fence around it and work being done!

This statue is about Women in the war!! It is really cool to see how important the changes that our country has made. Some that seem so normal were not in the past!

World War II Memorial---so breathtaking!!

Last but not least!! The White House!! Very impressive in person! Again very fortunate to have been able to enjoy this trip and see many different views of this city!!! We also toured the inside the day of the State of the Union Address!! Impressive all the uniformed personnel protecting this city!! 

Being fit brings about so many other opportunities in life!! You can actually explore the world in a whole new manner!!! Oh the joys of an endurance athlete!! 

triattic my wonderful team and coach

San Felasco MTB tour 2014

Tour de Felasco 2014 as a member of "Team Pump" of Don Pumphrey Attorney. Nice being on a sponsored team!!!

















Started out a great day. Trying to beat the rain....heading out enjoying the trails and their level of difficulty.....and then descending a hill my back tire hit a root and my handle bars were grabbed by a tree.....face plant into a downed log....

This occurred about 8 miles into the ride. I went on to finish and have a great time. But my face continued to swell and I had to quit at 35 miles (the bailout option) finishing would have been 10 more miles...but a nasty storm was coming in and I needed to get back to home so I could get my 10 stitches! 

My buddy Scott Gross came from Open Road Bikes in Jacksonville, Florida!

My other good friend Kim Ortloff of @stretchingyourlife.com

and another great friend Heidi Baker that flew in straight from Pasadena California from attending the National Championship game where the Seminoles brought it home!!!

A picture to show I did finish this ride.....I am an Ironman...I am not a quitter. I am very lucky, blessed, crazy whatever you would like to call it but I have an Ironman tattoo on my leg....I got stares and my face was so swollen...I didn't break my neck, only chipped my jawbone and got 10 stitches in my lip.....I am now a mountain biker!!! YEAH!!! 

Thank you Dr Paredes!!! He cleaned my wounds and fixed me up.....

Swamp Trail half marathon

Start of the race!!!        

                                                    

The Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park Trail is comprised of three main loops: the Swamp Forest Loop, the Coon Bottom Loop, and the Oak Hammock Loop, along with several connecting trails and miles of shared use and horse trails.

– The Swamp Forest Loop runs next to a seepage basin swamp and a profusion of ferns, passes ephemeral ponds, and a Beech Magnolia forest.

– The Coon Bottom Loop runs beside a clear sand bottom seepage stream in many places, and passes through Beech Magnolia and Spruce Pine forests. The trail crosses a black water stream that drains a seepage basin swamp. Along the north side of the loop, the trail passes through an upland forest.

- The Oak Hammock Loop runs near the shore of Lake Jackson. Deer can often be seen along the edges of open fields. The adjacent fields contain many fenced gopher tortoise holes.

– The Creek Forest Trail runs around the head of a seepage stream, curves around an ephemeral pond, then encounters a series of meander loops of the main stream. There are large patches of Giant Cane and Arundinaria gigantea along the trail.

Race Results:

http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2014/Swamp%20Forest%20Trail%202014.asp

      

Things seen on the race!!! Such a beautiful trail system!!

                              

Finished my second trail half marathon!! Had a blast!! Most definitely the hardest half marathon I have ever ran!!!

My friend Heidi decided to run with my on a whim and another one of my triattic teammates joined us for the fun!!! Thanks Laura!! It was a blast!!!

Day #2 was supposed to be a long swim pyramid! That was done as well as a *bonus* workout. Short group run to get everyone out and about together to make use of the trails! It has again rained all day and stopped right when it was time to run. Making for a chilly perfect run.

Day #1 of the year/training for IMCDA. Today was rather chilly. On the plan was a long z2 ride. Roads were wet as it had been raining all day. Waited for a nice window and headed out on back country roads! Beats a trainer every time!!