Monday: 7
Mid-day Columbus Day Burlingame trail run with Matthew.
Tuesday: 5
Local roads.
Wednesday: 7
Tommy was looking for a morning run, and was amenable to trails, so we went to Burlingame. I both underestimated how late sunrise is now, plus didn't realize Tommy had never run trails in the dark, so it made for an interesting experience. All went well, and finally it did get light.
Thursday: 9
Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin, FL. Arrived mid-day on a direct flight from Providence to Tampa for just $39!! New no-frills airline Frontier made it an easy decision to go down for Mark's Friends & Family Weekend at University of South Florida.
I actually wouldn't visit Mark until Friday, and I had the afternoon free before visiting a high school friend, so I researched someplace different and found this island park to run in. I avoided direct sun by running wooded trails, but the downside was that any time I stopped for just a second to gauge direction, tiny insects would eat me alive and draw blood. Ended up running more on the beach where it was hot and sunny, but insect free.
Friday: 5
Lettuce Lake State Park, Tampa. Interesting mix of paved trails, dirt trails, and wooden boardwalk, the latter despite signs indicating "NO jogging". I played dumb and was glad I got out there, as I saw a gator just off the boardwalk. Rain kept the run from getting too hot on yet another day in the upper 80s.
Saturday: 15
AM: 6 miles. A mix of trails and roads near USF, but I underestimated the amount of road section and it left me too little time to explore on the trails. Interesting flora.
After running, met up with Mark for a morning at the ropes course. This was part of the Family & Friends Weekend. Had a fun time on the course, and despite my trepidation on the zipline, for me it was just stepping off the platform and after that I was fine. I had thought we were going to lunch after that, but he said he had plans with his friends. I had actually thought to lash out with something like "I paid good money to come down here to visit you", but that would leave the thus-far very good weekend on a sour note, and I totally get that a gregarious 19-year old would rather hang with his friends than his old man, so it's all good. He did spend the better part of 24 hours with me, and he'll be coming home next month for Thanksgiving.
PM: 9 miles. I had one final afternoon to myself in Florida, and I intended to make the most of it. Drove to Fort Desoto Park, in Tierra Verde just south of St Petersburg, and totally enjoyed myself exploring the island. Was concerned about the 91 degree temperature, but two rain showers and an ensuing island breeze cooled things down at least a little bit.
Sunday: 8
Rock Cut State Park, largest park in northern Illinois. From Florida to Illinois. Go figure. It was actually a handoff from one son who loves the heat (Mark) to the other who is more cold-blooded (Matthew). After flying in the night before in scary thunderstorms, I picked up Matthew at O'Hare en route to visiting the University of Wisconsin, where the head XC coach would be waiting for him Monday morning.
A good half-way point seemed to be the Rock Cut State Park, and it worked out great. A little bit of park roads, but mostly dirt trails and grass comprised our run today. Running around the lake was rather scenic.
Weekly mileage: 57
Weekly synopsis: Fun, but tiring week. Had fun running in Florida despite the heat, and still got in a good mileage week as well.
Weekly highlight: Exploring Fort Desoto Park.
Mid-day Columbus Day Burlingame trail run with Matthew.
Tuesday: 5
Local roads.
Wednesday: 7
Tommy was looking for a morning run, and was amenable to trails, so we went to Burlingame. I both underestimated how late sunrise is now, plus didn't realize Tommy had never run trails in the dark, so it made for an interesting experience. All went well, and finally it did get light.
Thursday: 9
Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin, FL. Arrived mid-day on a direct flight from Providence to Tampa for just $39!! New no-frills airline Frontier made it an easy decision to go down for Mark's Friends & Family Weekend at University of South Florida.
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| Yikes! |
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| Osprey! |
I actually wouldn't visit Mark until Friday, and I had the afternoon free before visiting a high school friend, so I researched someplace different and found this island park to run in. I avoided direct sun by running wooded trails, but the downside was that any time I stopped for just a second to gauge direction, tiny insects would eat me alive and draw blood. Ended up running more on the beach where it was hot and sunny, but insect free.
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| Miles of deserted beach |
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| Home to plenty of birds we don't have in RI |
Friday: 5
Lettuce Lake State Park, Tampa. Interesting mix of paved trails, dirt trails, and wooden boardwalk, the latter despite signs indicating "NO jogging". I played dumb and was glad I got out there, as I saw a gator just off the boardwalk. Rain kept the run from getting too hot on yet another day in the upper 80s.
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| Friday afternoon run site |
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| Fun running on the boardwalk |
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| Check out this guy! |
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| Post-run, went to visit with Mark and embarrass him (I'm pretty sure he's thinking "I wish my dorky Dad stayed home") |
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| Late afternoon kayak with Mark. Saw many alligators. |
AM: 6 miles. A mix of trails and roads near USF, but I underestimated the amount of road section and it left me too little time to explore on the trails. Interesting flora.
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| Saturday's trail run. We don't have this kind of vegetation back home. |
After running, met up with Mark for a morning at the ropes course. This was part of the Family & Friends Weekend. Had a fun time on the course, and despite my trepidation on the zipline, for me it was just stepping off the platform and after that I was fine. I had thought we were going to lunch after that, but he said he had plans with his friends. I had actually thought to lash out with something like "I paid good money to come down here to visit you", but that would leave the thus-far very good weekend on a sour note, and I totally get that a gregarious 19-year old would rather hang with his friends than his old man, so it's all good. He did spend the better part of 24 hours with me, and he'll be coming home next month for Thanksgiving.
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| Isn't this guy a beauty?! So happy to see him right near the base of the ropes course. (I'd say this was for Mikey, but don't think he reads blogs anymore.) |
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| Ropes course fun! |
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| Here's Mark, still half-asleep, or looking kind of glum ... |
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... and a picture he posted on social media,
later that day with his friends. The mood looks a little different.
(I think he's missing his old man in this pic.)
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PM: 9 miles. I had one final afternoon to myself in Florida, and I intended to make the most of it. Drove to Fort Desoto Park, in Tierra Verde just south of St Petersburg, and totally enjoyed myself exploring the island. Was concerned about the 91 degree temperature, but two rain showers and an ensuing island breeze cooled things down at least a little bit.
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| Pelicans! |
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| This pic and the next remind me of the one trip I made decades ago to Saipan. |
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| Fort Desoto. Built to defend in the Spanish American War, but never saw action. Unlike some of the forts in RI, this one you can actually walk into the underground bunkers. |
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| More miles of deserted beaches. The amorous couple that I interrupted did not seem happy to see me. |
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| Cactus! Didn't even know they existed in Florida. A local man told me these are Prickly Pear Cactuses (or do you prefer "cacti"?) |
Sunday: 8
Rock Cut State Park, largest park in northern Illinois. From Florida to Illinois. Go figure. It was actually a handoff from one son who loves the heat (Mark) to the other who is more cold-blooded (Matthew). After flying in the night before in scary thunderstorms, I picked up Matthew at O'Hare en route to visiting the University of Wisconsin, where the head XC coach would be waiting for him Monday morning.
A good half-way point seemed to be the Rock Cut State Park, and it worked out great. A little bit of park roads, but mostly dirt trails and grass comprised our run today. Running around the lake was rather scenic.
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| CCW trail run around Pierce Lake |
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| Herons and pelicans have been replaced with Canadian geese |
Weekly mileage: 57
Weekly synopsis: Fun, but tiring week. Had fun running in Florida despite the heat, and still got in a good mileage week as well.
Weekly highlight: Exploring Fort Desoto Park.
Very diverse week! A friend of mine runs in Rock Cut State Park, daily in the summer, and weekends once school starts. It was surprising to see that in Matthew's feed, and then not so much surprise later in the day when your run posted. Hope you had a good visit in WI, even as far South as Madison is it still gets pretty snowy and cold, more so than RI for sure! I'm babbling... sorry.
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