Run Tampa

Run with Pride 5K

Pride Elementary PTA's Run with Pride 5K was an awesome race on a very cold morning! The temp - 37 degrees at my house - didn't seem to hold anyone back. The race seemed very well supported, and it did my heart good to see so many fit young people. The running community had better brace for an onslaught of new talent because I saw some f - a - s - t  kids.

Challenging Race, Beautiful Place

As the Florida Trail Challenge Half Marathon approached, being the weather wimp that I am, I mostly worried about the temperature on race morning. Since we’d had temps in the upper twenties only a couple of days before, I was relieved when Steve Jerve predicted a low of 53 and a high in the seventies.

I carefully planned my race attire Saturday night, then cast the planned outfit aside on race morning, deciding on shorts and a short sleeved running tee with a long sleeve ‘throwaway’ outer layer and, on my head, my lucky Boston cap, a black Under Armor cap I found on the ground during the 2008 Boston Marathon.

Florida Trail Challenge Half Here I Come

I'll be running the Florida Trail Challenge Half Marathon in Alafia this weekend. I know it'll be cold, but everything is relative. At least the ground won't be frozen, and I can be certain there will be no snow. Not so bad, really. And since I've run there before, I know it will be beautiful, challenging, but beautiful, at least if I ever feel like it is safe to take my eyes off the trail to look around.

The Deep Freeze Half

I just read an article about The Deep Freeze Half Marathon outside of Chicago this weekend. A group of stay-at-home-moms and business women decided that in order to stay in shape during their cold winter, they would run in the Naples Half Marathon, the one in Florida last weekend, but it just became too complicated to arrange, so they decided to put on their own race. They have been running together two mornings a week at 5:30 a.m. all winter. I like this part: they designed the race course so that it passes by all of their houses. Nice idea.

I don't know about you, but when I woke up this morning and saw it was only 39 degrees outside, I didn't want to get out of bed. I  guess we really have it pretty good, though, compared with people up north.

Click here to read the article about the Deep Freeze Half Marathon.

Safety Tips, Part 2

Deputy Mark Mitchelson of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office provided the following tips for keep safe and avoid becoming a victim.

Lately, there have been many smash and grab crimes in this area. The thief watches for women leaving their car without a purse. Often these incidents occur at gyms. They smash the window, grab the purse, and it’s over in seconds. Locking your purse in the trunk might be a little safer, but remember, most trunks can be accessed through the backseat.

What to Wear to be Safe on a Run

On Thursday, members of  Take the First Step Club met for their monthly meeting at J. Christopher's Restaurant, and Deputy Mark Mitchelson of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department was our guest speaker. He remind us of the things we should be doing to be safe and to avoid becoming victims. It was a brief but information packed presentation that will keep us all safer.

How Great is That?

If I have a bad day, the sense of it, the feeling of being upset, hurt, frustrated, discouraged, or even angry, is gone after I run a few miles. It’s amazing how after running even two miles it starts to ebb, and depending on the severity of the distress, eventually, all the anguish is gone, and I am renewed. Running is the ultimate stress reliever.

What a powerful elixir. It’s free, it’s available to me every day, and unlike a vacation, I have the satisfaction, the sheer appreciation that – barring a debilitating injury – it will be available to me for the rest of my life. How great is that?

I Dare You!

The Urban Dare Adventure Race is coming to Tampa on March 7th. Will you be there? I would not miss it.

I have done four urban adventure races, two in Tampa and one in New Orleans teamed with my daughter Wendy. Then, I did one in San Francisco with my son Ben as my teammate. What fun! If you've ever watched The Amazing Race on TV, it's like that except that it only lasts a few hours.

Two-person teams leave from a location downtown. Each team must go to the same ten checkpoints, but they must solve clues to determine where to go. If they solve the clue incorrectly and go to the wrong place, they're disqualified, but don't worry, that  hasn't happened to us yet, so it's not that hard to get the right answer.