The Super Bowl

My travels have taken me to Shreveport La. I'm spending tonight with Zema Smith. Maren Bates' grandmother. Maren is one of the wait staff at my local watering hole in Brattleboro. So, the afternoon was spent with her brother Warren. We toured the city and I met some of his local friends. A pretty good day. But the real fun began later on in the evening. I was treated to a fantastic dinner. Stove top corn bread, hamburger soup and a cup of red wine. Now Zee was a real treat. She told more stories then I can remember. It was nice to listen for a change instead of talking all the time. The Super Bowl played in the background but I hardly paid it any mind. It was my pleasure to spend an evening with a wonderful woman who has literally seen this country grow into what it is today.

The Big Easy

Sorry y'all for the delay...my travels have left me without the internet. Thanks for being patient.
The Mardi Gras Half Marathon went without a hitch. Or almost did. The race started out nicely. An even pace up Bourbon Street. Now, a new feature to NO, they wash the streets each morning. This made the road slick and did not do anything to ease the smell from the previous nights party. Leaving the downtown area, I ran at ease until mile seven. A three minute port-a-let visit cost me some time but no worries. I finished the race at what felt a comfortable pace. Never really pushing. I placed 65th in 1:29:14. Had I not stopped, I would have finished around 45th place. The post race party was fantastic. On to North Louisiana.

The Best of the Best

What a day...I have decided to spend two nights in New Orleans. You could say that I am resting for my half here on Sunday, but that would be a lie. I am living my dream. I left Pensacola after a good night sleep and followed I-10 West for 2 hours. Suddenly I had an idea. My Garmen showed that the Gulf Coast was a hop to my south. I got off 10 and found 90. What a drive. Shimmering ocean, a constant 50mph and the radio blasting. This went on for about 45 minutes until I needed to eat. Let me tell you, southern sea food is where it's at. I have eaten more food in the last couple days then I ate all fall in Vermont. But that is not the point. I made it to New Orleans and walked Bourbon Street. It was as wild and crazy as you have seen on Tv. After a shrimp dinner at Deanie's Seafood, I found some shiny reflective coats. Marathoners for sure. I strode up and introduced myself. Had a brief conversation. Decided I wasn't that impressed with these folk. The halfer in the crew was shooting for 1:08 and a win. "Good for you I said." He hardly even looked at me. I wanted to tell him that my dad ran 1:06, twice in one race. Oh well, no harm. When people tell me what they want to run, like 1:08, I snicker to myself. Because I know, that JD could have trumped them on one leg. It's almost inconceivable to me how good he really was. I mean, he is my dad. I have never asked, never complimented and never really cared. Well hopefully, my dream here....hopefully he will push me to my ultimate limit when I get home.....The miles are rolling and I'm in paradise...

The Florida Challenge

Last Sunday I competed in my favorite race since leaving Vermont. The Florida Challenge Trail Half Marathon was mainly a single track technical course. Going into this race, comparing times with previous years, I was confident. Alas, I made several rookie mistakes. My major mistake, two minutes before the race began, I opted out of wearing socks. On a road half, where the path is long and straight. My feet can handle the pounding with no problem. This was a different beast. Six or seven miles into the race. The loose beach like sand had worked its way into my shoes and the quick turns and acceleration were turning the balls of my feet into hamburger. I spent the remainder of the race thinking about my feet rather then racing. Number two, I started way to slow. I went into the woods placed in the 30's or 40's. Single track prevents easy passing. I know I am getting stronger because I had no problem running down groups of 3's and 4's. But I ran out of trail. I finished 7th, 3.5 minutes off the leader. Had I run smarter I could have won. Live and learn. I met an interesting triathlete on the trails. Heather Gollnick is a five time Ironman winner. She is a full time professional athlete. I caught her shortly after my feet started to go and we ran together for several miles. We had a conversation midrace. Its not often I do that on the roads. But for some reason, trails invite that sort of thing. I think I may have found my calling. XC. It was always my favorite.

Settling

It's been awhile. I've left the comfort of Florida and settled at my Uncle's house for several nights. I feel like the first leg of my journey has just ended and I'm building the energy for the second leg. I've had a lot of time so far. Driving, running, relaxing and meeting people. I've noticed one constant. When I ask a young adult whats fun to do in their town, I get the response, "Nothing". I wonder why that is. My advice, if you are not happy or feel stuck. Do the leg work and find fun and adventurous things. They are out there.

Thus far, my two weeks in the North were cold, often times wet but everything was new. The road offered endless opportunities. Other then my races. I went where the road lead. Chicago was a whim, and it turned out to offer one of my favorite stories. My two weeks in Florida went well. The sun and heat tried to hide. I was blamed for bringing the weather with me. It took about 9 days before I finally found the sun. As for Florida, not that impressive. It's a concrete paradise. Oh, don't get me wrong. Florida has some gems. In general, not for me.

So, here I am. Marietta Ga. My atlas shows me a lot of ground westward. Not a lot of couches. I'm excited. I've got this itch that is willing me to go. I've spent three nights here but now is the time. North route or South route. New Orleans by Sunday.

South Florida

I've spent the last few days in south Florida. I had a really fun night with Charlie Bergh in Delray Beach. His girlfriend, Julie, was a really cool girl who had some great ideas for my marketing campaign. I left Delray Beach and headed to the Keys. The drive down was beautiful. The Gulf of Mexico shimmered green and the Atlantic Ocean was sky blue. The only downside was a slight rain storm but I loved that too. Now, the keys were more then I could handle. Duval Street was a tourist haven. Lots of visitors made me feel at home. I couldn't believe the amount of scooters cruising along with no real care for pedestrians. I spent my evening at the Hard Rock with a cool bartender and a couple from Boston. My challenge for the night was to visit a bar. I went to the 801 and watched a "Drag Show", probably my first and only time in my life. It was interesting, yet fun. Needless to say, I left the Keys and drove back to the main land. Arriving in Florida City around 3am. I spent the following day relaxing at Miami Beach and drove through the Miami rush hour. I no longer worry about Brattleboro's rush hour. I spent the night with Leigh and Craig in Tamarac. Car trouble. The check engine light begged me for some time and money. My car is currently at Firestone and I'm spending another night here.

Fort Myers

I had a great weekend in Fort Myers. The sun was out and this cold front I heard so much about, didn't seem to happen. Sunny and 70. I spent the weekend hanging out with my friend Laurie and her two wonderful girls Kaitlyn and Taylor. I had a blast, we ate out, went to Mall Cop, watched a lot of tv and cruised around Ft. Myers. The highlight of my time was watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. I must admit, the girls beat me badly at the Wheel but I think that I did okay with Jeopardy. As for race number 3. I ran my smartest race thus far. An even manageable pace off the gun and 1:27:03 later, I cruised in for 67th place out of 1500. I felt solid. If this is anything to look forward to then things are looking up.

To this point: (18 days)
I have raise 2900 dollars.
I have driven 5088 miles.
I have run 110 miles.