I am happy to say that my recent string of bad luck travelling about has come to an end. I went down to Florida last Thursday and came back yesterday and my flights were without incident (except for the screaming kid who 'had to go' when we were taxiing to the gate on our arrival in Philadelphia. I really felt bad for him and his parents. But, he made it!)
I had a two-part trip in Florida--first few days in New Smyrna Beach (see picture on right), where my parents live and the second part was three days at Disney World with my sisters and their families. Since this is a running blog, I won't go into any details about my stay at Disney other than it was fun to drive around to the different theme parks and re-visit the Disney marathon course I ran in January 2006 (Epcot Center, pictured to the right is the start and finish of the race).
I brought my running stuff down with me but didn't really know how much I would be running while I was down there. In Pennsylvania, if you get up early enough, for the most part you can beat the heat of the day and get a good run in. My experiences in Florida, it's a little different. Even though I started relatively early, it was still pretty hot and humid.
I had various options on where to run but the easiest was running on the boards at Smyrna Dunes Park http://volusia.org/parks/smyrnadunes.htm. This park is where the Indian River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. They have a 1.5 mile circular boardwalk overlooking the river and ocean. The park has various vegetation but is also home to large turtles. The turtles and the area are federally protected but it is fun running around the boards looking for them.
(see image to the right)
I started in the parking lot and headed east running parallel to the river. In truth, because of the dunes (hence the name Smyrna Dunes park), you don't get great views of the river but catch glimpses of it. There are other boards going down to the river and ocean if you want to explore. You run the boards for about 1/2 mile when it begins to circle and you head south parallel to the ocean. I sometimes find it hard to run here as you try to drink in the scenery at the same time focusing on trying not bumping into anyone. After the first mile, you begin to go west, back towards the parking lot. But, here you have a small hill to climb. It's not much of a hill (yes, I'm still running the boards at this point) and, in truth, you go down the hill after the climb. But, I find that last half-mile a bit rough. It's not pancake flat. The boards go a bit down and a bit up, just enough to throw off the rhythm of your running and your breathing.
I ran Friday and did 3 laps around the park for 4.5 miles. No matter what I try, I can't seem to run when the sun beats down on me. That day it did. I was following the shadows of the rails that fell on the boardwalk itself and realized that wasn't necessarily a good thing since the sun wasn't being blocked from creating those shadows. Breezes, on the course, are different from day-to-day. On Friday, there was no breeze that last half-mile and it hurt. I had some pented up energy to start and was gassed by 4.5.
I went back out on Saturday and thought, since my energy was zapped from the previous day, I would do an easy 3. But, it was a bit cloudy that day. I started with the intention of 3 until I passed someone walking their dog and she shouted, 'How many are you doing today?'. 'Four laps', I replied. Four laps? OK, now I've committed myself.
As I got more of a rhythm going, I knew I could do it without a problem. I started off slow enough and saved my energy 'in case' I wanted to do more than 2 laps. The sun was being hidden by the clouds and, though it was hot, it was a comfortable hot that didn't drain you. Plus, the winds had shifted from the previous day and that last half-mile that I feared, now had a gentle breeze I was running into. So, I did end up doing the 4 laps for a total of 6 miles. Plus, the 5 miles I did on my normal Wednesday run put my total at 15.5 miles for the week.
Granted, it's not a lot of miles for any type of marathon training. And, it would be a bit of stretch to say it was any type of training for a half-marathon. But, it was something and I felt great doing it.
Last year when I went to Florida, it was around this time of year as well. I happened upon a Cross-country 5k in Titusville which was different than anything I've run previously. But, I didn't see it this year and was a little disappointment they didn't have their second annual verison of the race. They offered cash prizes for their 5k series and that race was their kick-off of the series. The first 15 people in each age group were to get a cash prize. I thought it hilarious that I was actually in the top 15 for my age group after the first race. I think I calculated that I would have won $20 if I competed in the whole series and kept my standings.
So to recap my August: I have run in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Huron, Ohio and New Smyrna Beach, Florida in the past three weekends. That's a lot of travelling. And, as much fun as it was to visit and have the chance to run in these areas, I'm looking forward to just being at home next weekend. So, back to my routine. Back to Lake Galena.
I had a two-part trip in Florida--first few days in New Smyrna Beach (see picture on right), where my parents live and the second part was three days at Disney World with my sisters and their families. Since this is a running blog, I won't go into any details about my stay at Disney other than it was fun to drive around to the different theme parks and re-visit the Disney marathon course I ran in January 2006 (Epcot Center, pictured to the right is the start and finish of the race).
I brought my running stuff down with me but didn't really know how much I would be running while I was down there. In Pennsylvania, if you get up early enough, for the most part you can beat the heat of the day and get a good run in. My experiences in Florida, it's a little different. Even though I started relatively early, it was still pretty hot and humid.
I had various options on where to run but the easiest was running on the boards at Smyrna Dunes Park http://volusia.org/parks/smyrnadunes.htm. This park is where the Indian River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. They have a 1.5 mile circular boardwalk overlooking the river and ocean. The park has various vegetation but is also home to large turtles. The turtles and the area are federally protected but it is fun running around the boards looking for them.
(see image to the right)I started in the parking lot and headed east running parallel to the river. In truth, because of the dunes (hence the name Smyrna Dunes park), you don't get great views of the river but catch glimpses of it. There are other boards going down to the river and ocean if you want to explore. You run the boards for about 1/2 mile when it begins to circle and you head south parallel to the ocean. I sometimes find it hard to run here as you try to drink in the scenery at the same time focusing on trying not bumping into anyone. After the first mile, you begin to go west, back towards the parking lot. But, here you have a small hill to climb. It's not much of a hill (yes, I'm still running the boards at this point) and, in truth, you go down the hill after the climb. But, I find that last half-mile a bit rough. It's not pancake flat. The boards go a bit down and a bit up, just enough to throw off the rhythm of your running and your breathing.
I ran Friday and did 3 laps around the park for 4.5 miles. No matter what I try, I can't seem to run when the sun beats down on me. That day it did. I was following the shadows of the rails that fell on the boardwalk itself and realized that wasn't necessarily a good thing since the sun wasn't being blocked from creating those shadows. Breezes, on the course, are different from day-to-day. On Friday, there was no breeze that last half-mile and it hurt. I had some pented up energy to start and was gassed by 4.5.
I went back out on Saturday and thought, since my energy was zapped from the previous day, I would do an easy 3. But, it was a bit cloudy that day. I started with the intention of 3 until I passed someone walking their dog and she shouted, 'How many are you doing today?'. 'Four laps', I replied. Four laps? OK, now I've committed myself.
As I got more of a rhythm going, I knew I could do it without a problem. I started off slow enough and saved my energy 'in case' I wanted to do more than 2 laps. The sun was being hidden by the clouds and, though it was hot, it was a comfortable hot that didn't drain you. Plus, the winds had shifted from the previous day and that last half-mile that I feared, now had a gentle breeze I was running into. So, I did end up doing the 4 laps for a total of 6 miles. Plus, the 5 miles I did on my normal Wednesday run put my total at 15.5 miles for the week.
Granted, it's not a lot of miles for any type of marathon training. And, it would be a bit of stretch to say it was any type of training for a half-marathon. But, it was something and I felt great doing it.
Last year when I went to Florida, it was around this time of year as well. I happened upon a Cross-country 5k in Titusville which was different than anything I've run previously. But, I didn't see it this year and was a little disappointment they didn't have their second annual verison of the race. They offered cash prizes for their 5k series and that race was their kick-off of the series. The first 15 people in each age group were to get a cash prize. I thought it hilarious that I was actually in the top 15 for my age group after the first race. I think I calculated that I would have won $20 if I competed in the whole series and kept my standings.
So to recap my August: I have run in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Huron, Ohio and New Smyrna Beach, Florida in the past three weekends. That's a lot of travelling. And, as much fun as it was to visit and have the chance to run in these areas, I'm looking forward to just being at home next weekend. So, back to my routine. Back to Lake Galena.
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