Ultramarathon

May doesn’t feel like race season on Amelia Island. The humidity has been creeping up since mid-April, and last week I ran the Egans Creek Greenway at 7 AM in 80 percent humidity with the temperature already in the low 70s. By June it’ll be worse. By August you’re just surviving. But May is exactly when I start paying attention to the fall race calendar. If you want to line up in October or November in any kind of shape, summer training has to mean something — and it’s a lot easier to gut out a July long run at 6 AM when you know what you’re building toward. ...

April feels like borrowed time in Florida. The temps are still cooperating — 60s at sunrise, maybe low 70s by midday if you catch a good week — and the humidity hasn’t yet settled into that permanent residency it takes up from June through September. Once we’re past late April, the conditions start degrading quickly. If you’re going to race, this is the window. I’ve used these spring weeks to race more than run for fun for years now, for practical reasons: it’s the one stretch where I can push hard without managing heat risk, recover faster between efforts, and string together race weekends without ending up destroyed. Florida’s real racing season runs roughly from February through late April, and I try to make use of it. ...