16 miles

I am heavy into training for the inline marathon now. 9 weeks out to the event. At least once a week I will skate 20 miles and three other times I will range from 4 to 10 miles. Really the next four weeks are peak mileage territory. Speaking of mileage, after my long skate on Saturday I estimated I have close to 400 miles on my current pair of boots (The wheels are changed two to three times a season, I'll get brand new ones right before the race.)

This last Saturday I skated 16 miles in 1 hour 10 minutes. It had rained overnight so the path was pretty slick and I had to stay low key most of the way, which I believe added an additional 10 minutes to my time. My overall goal is to skate the marathon in under two hours, I am on pace and feeling good about it.

One last tidbit. I came with in two arm lengths of a deer along the path during the Saturday skate. The Gateway Trail from Oakdale to Stillwater is amazing for wildlife, especially in the early morning, around 6:00 am. I was cruising along and a deer crossed the path right in front of me, I came close, real close to running into it. Cool!