Run Tampa

Why Do You Run?

I asked that question a couple of weeks ago and received about a dozen passionate responses. I've posted them in the Mojo for Running Community Blog along with photos. Think about how you would answer that question, and I will do this again in a few weeks.

Here is the link to the post.

Starkey Park Trail Run and Splash

I've known about Starkey Park in New Port Richey for some time, and I've even ridden my bike through there, but until today I had never explored running on the off road trails.

Today, Sean Kendrick led a group of us on an awesome trail run. I am so appreciative because I guarantee that, despite having a map in hand, I would have gotten lost for sure. Sean knows the park well, though, so he kept us on the trail and out of trouble.

Turns out most people who visit that park have no idea of the off road running opportunities. The park includes 27 miles of marked hiking trails, but the eight of us ran from 10 to 14 miles this morning. It will take many visits to explore that many trails.

Trail map.

Two rivers meander through the huge park, and there were quite a few areas of standing water, so don't run there at this time of year if you want to keep your shoes dry.

As for our group, no one was the least bit concerned about a little water; we slogged right on through. No worries. Actually, it did a good job of cooling us down. At one place the water was a foot deep, but there were dry miles, too. The trail surface was dirt and grass. With the recent rains, the dirt was packed and made for comfortable, relatively easy running; however, Sean said it does turn to soft sand in dry weather. That would provide quite a workout, I guess. And there were many areas where the grass on the trail was quite high, providing a very vigorous workout. 

The miles of paved trails of the park are hugely popular with cyclists, and some park there and head out on the Suncoast Parkway for a long ride.

From my home in the Citrus Park area, we took the Veteran's to Hwy. 54; we took 54 to Starkey to the park. It took us 25 minutes to get there, and I have a feeling we will return again and again because it's a wonderful location for many miles of trail running.

Running Long in Croom

Wow! What an amazing morning of trail running, laughing, talking and fun. A large group of us met at Croom in Withlacoochee State Forest for a long run this morning. Some people I had known for a while but most of the group was new to me. You can never have too many friends, especially running friends. They are just the best.

If you haven't been to Croom, it's a great place for a long, very vigorous trail run. I've been there many times, and every time it's well worth the trip. There are plenty of trails there; you could easily run 40 miles, but they won't be easy miles. It's kind of hilly, and the terrain varies a lot from soft sand to pine needles to leaves. There are rooty areas, but no more rooty than Flatwoods; there are more logs/trees to jump over, though. I think the shortest loop is about 5 miles; another is 8, and on up from there.  This is Beaver Gulch in the photo, the most unique area out there, I think. Looks more like a rainforest. This is not typical of the area, though. The area is an hour north of Tampa, so people don't usually go up there unless it's for a long run. And this area is closed some parts of the year due to hunting. This is not the place to run alone because it would be too easy to get lost. Make sure you go with someone who knows the trails, and take plenty of water because these are wilderness trails. No water stations.

The John Holmes 50k Trail Race and 16 mi. Fun Run will be held there on October 9th and on April 9, 2011 is the Croom 50 mi, 50k, 16 mi. Fools Run.

Most people leave from the Tucker Hill parking lot which is about a 15 minute drive from I-75. You'll find a bathroom and shower there, too.

Driving into the trail head, traffic was stopped while a group of about 30 wild turkeys crossed the road. Later we saw a deer and a snake. My friend, Linda, was recently surprised by a wild boar, resting, right in the middle of the path. Oh, and there are some pretty big spiders, too. If you're the first one on the path in the morning, you'll want to wave a stick ahead of you to knock them down rather than impale yourself.

It's quite a large chunk of wilderness just 60 minutes north of Tampa, an excellent location for lovers of trail running. Check it out here.

Join Us for the Run Tampa Group Run Saturday, July 17, at 7 a.m., Lake Rogers Park

Join us to run this lovely wooded loop. All speeds, all distances. Not sure what I like best about Lake Rogers Park, the shade, the easy terrain (bark chips, grass, dirt) the undulation. Just love it. See for yourself. More about the park here and here.

Why Do You Run?

Answer that question in 150 words or less, and I will post the answers next week.

If you have a photo, send it along, and I'll post that along with your comments.

I'll post your answers on MojoforRunning.com as well.

Send to deb@runtampa.com.

Can't wait to read your responses!

Join Us for Our Group Run Tomorrow, July 10th, on the Bayshore

Join us tomorrow morning for a run on the Bayshore. We'll depart from Patriot's Park at 7 a.m. and run to Ballast Point Park, which is about 2.5 miles. We'll run out to the end of the pier, then circle around on the jogging path in the park before returning to Patriot's Park. That's around 5 miles; however, don't feel like you have to go that far. Turn around at any point. No minimum distance, and walk if you want. That's fine, too.

Patriot's Park is at the intersection of Bay to Bay and Bayshore Blvd.

Those in pursuit of more mileage will continue in the other direction towards downtown Tampa. Or, people wanting to do more miles might want to meet at 5:30 or 6 a.m. and return to the park at 7 to join everyone else for the last segment of their long run, a good option for people training for a marathon.

As always, this is a fun run, organized for the purpose of uniting people who enjoy each other's company. We have some regulars, who make it almost every week, but we get new people every week, too, so come on out.

All speeds, no rules, no fee; everyone is welcome.

Check the Blog on Mojo for Running for a 4th of July Running Recap

Wow! What a running weekend.

Most people cook out, picnic, barbecue, watch fireworks and wear red, white, and blue. Runners do all those things plus a race or two, too.

Check out this post on the MojoforRunning.com blog about the Lutz Independence Day Run, the Kiwanis Morton Plant Mease Midnight Run, and yesterday's Run Tampa Group Run. Many pics, too.

See the post here.

Group Run Change for Sunday

It's quite wet at Lake Park, and more rain is expected tomorrow; so, we'll have our group run on the Upper Tampa Bay Trail.

We'll still meet at 8 a.m. because we've got some people who'll be up very late due to the Midnight Run on the 3rd.

We'll meet at the picnic table next to the trail where it goes by Circuit City and McDonald's on Gunn.