The Ultra Bug...

Oh my. Do I ever have the ultra bug. Lately all I can think about while at work is doing the Wheres Waldo 100K!!! I've been googling different trail shoes along with different navigation type watches that have compasses, barometers, etc. Of course for the "worst case scenario"... aka, I end up in the middle of nowhere in the Oregon mountains. After the Little Rock Marathon last weekend my love for running has come back like it was a few years ago. I'm just so excited to try something totally different and WAY outside my comfort box! The watch I've been checking out is the Suunto Core. I've also been checking out the Suunto Vector. So far I really like the looks and functions of the core. I'm just afraid that either one of those watches are going to be way too technical for me. I guess I'll have to go check them out in person at REI soon. Like I said earlier, I've also been checking out some trail running shoes. So far I've focused a lot on the Brooks Cascadia 4, and the older Asics Gel Trail Attack 3. I like the fact that the Asics shoe is fairly light weighing in at something like 11.4 oz. The Brooks is just a bit heavier (I think) but has more cushioning. I really like the looks of the Cascadia, but when I'm running 100K I doubt I'll be too worried about the looks of the shoes I'm wearing.

Its such a great feeling to be adventuring into something thats totally different from anything I've done before. (other than the Pikes Peak Ascent that is...) It's fun getting to do all this research and gear hunting. I've discovered things like "Gaiters" that people where around their ankles to keep rocks and dirt out of their shoes. I'm starting to look into different head lights I can wear since I'll be doing the 3AM early start.

It's also exciting because I have an uncle up in Eugene, Oregon that Courtney and I will be able to visit and stay with while we're up there. I think it will be a great chance for Courtney to meet him and his wife. Hopefully we'll be able to stay for a few days before or after. Hopefully my student teaching doesn't intefere too much.

So, enough with my trail running antics... Last weekend Scott and I ran the Little Rock Marathon!!! Oh man, what a great event and course! We nailed Scotts goal of sub 3:30 with a 3:29:09!! Talk about perfect pacing. You can check out our splits and run down of the actual race on my training log by clicking HERE. With that time Scott qualified for the Boston Marathon! That was our goal going into the race and it happened. Now we'll both be able to travel to Boston next year to run the marathon. As for the marathon in Little Rock I LOVED the course. The first few miles were relatively flat, but then around 13-16 it gets fairly hilly! After 16 its ALL downhill for ONE mile. Literally. Then from 18 till the end its all flat except for a nice little hill at 25. Man what a course. I loved it, and look forward to running that one again. Downtown Little Rock was much more than I expected and even had a Flying Saucer that we hit up after the race. Once again, congrats to Scott for training smart and racing hard. I'm proud to say I was there when he crossed the line.

The rest of this week has been pretty good. The weather in the DFW area is GREAT right now. Mid to upper 70/low 80s all week and blue skies! I cycled almost everyday, and went out for my first run since Little Rock today after a 1.5 hr ride. I did an easy four miles and felt great. Had a few tight spots but that was it. Now its time to throw in a little speed work so that I can at least break 2:10 at collegiate nationals in a month or so.

Alright, back to work for me! I hope everyone is doing well and training hard!!

Included are a few pics of me and Scott in Little Rock.

_Jacob_