Well, I spent the weekend training in Clermont, Florida. It is about 20 miles west of Orlando. This area has the highest "Mountain" in peninsular Florida. It is 312 feet (95 meters) above sea level! It is really a ridge with rolling dome-like peaks which rises abruptly from the surrounding flat terrain. It is thought to be about 245 feet. It is about a 1/2 mile long from the base to over the crest and at one point has a grade of about 17 percent. It is really the only hill I have to train on and it is about a 4 hour drive from North Miami.
SATURDAY
On Saturday morning I was up at 4am. I got my gear ready, along with a cooler full of food and drinks to get me through a 6 hour hike up and down that hill! For food I packed cut up apples, grapes, and bananas. I had sandwiches with salami and provolone cheese. I added some fig cookies and rice pudding. I also had some low-fat chocolate milk for when I was done. For drinks I had gatorade, crystal light and fresca.
I started hiking up the hill in the dark at 6am. Up and down, up and down, up and down. The sun began to rise at 7am. It was going to be a great day because the sky was partly to mostly cloudy, which meant I would be shielded from the sun. It was going to get to 84 degrees today.
Pretty soon I got into a rhythm. I would run up to the first mailbox. Then I would stop and walk briefly to the second mailbox. I would run again to the third mailbox, stop and walk briefly then run up and over the crest to the road sign. I would then turn around and run downhill. I did this over and over again.
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| This is where the Horrible Hundred bike race takes place. |
Clermont is a really popular area for cyclists and runners from all over the state to train. The National Training Center is here which is a 300 acre facility unique to Florida and throughout the world. www.usantc.com . It features a Fitness Centre, a Human Performance Lab, a Rehabilitation clinic along with athlete and team training.
This weekend featured a massive cycling event. On Saturday there was the Sugarloaf Road Race and on Sunday The Race of the West was held. It featured Cat 5, Cat 4, Cat 3 and Pro 1-2 athletes. Races varied from 100 miles down to 42 miles. Cyclists were racing by me all weekend which helped alleviate any boredom I might have. I spent time admiring all the beautiful bikes flying by me. What an expensive sport!
I finished the 6 hour hike and headed back to my room. I had booked a hotel room for this weekend. Usually I stay at a friends cabin, but it was being used by the people who owned it. I spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool and stretching. Life is rough! I went to bed early because on Sunday I had a 3 hour ride in the hills.
SUNDAY
On Sunday morning I was able to sleep in and got up at 5am! I was at the hill at 7am and watched the sun come up. I then hopped on my bike and began my loop of the area that included Sugarloaf and 5 other hills.
This is a really beautiful region that you don't hear much about. Even in North Miami, when I tell friends I am going up to Clermont, they don't know where that is! I mentioned earlier that it is 20 miles West of Orlando. In the 1940's citrus plantations flourished here but freezes in the 1980's devastated local groves. But you can still see orange trees growing out in the wild.
Now this area has been rezoned and there are some beautiful residential properties out here. People have horses, cows, alpacas and the like that graze on the acereages. There are also big, beautiful oak trees. I love the oak trees! I would like to have a hammock in one and just swing in the breeze all day long, looking up at the canopy of leaves.
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| My handsome puppy Dune. He loves to workout too! |
I put in a 3 hour ride and was just finishing up when the Race of the West was starting. I was able to watch the first wave of riders go swarming by me and speed down Sugarloaf. I don't know what speeds they were travelling at, but they were really moving. I am scared to death to go to fast downhill on my bike. I have heard too many stories of people being killed in these events, and I have seen some really bad wipeouts. I never allow myself to go faster than 35 mph going downhill. I want to live to do a few more trail races!
I talked to my coach Cal on the way home, and told him that I was feeling the tiredness from the workouts and he assured me that next week would be tougher. Great, bring it on!
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