10 Things that Make Florida Running AMAZING

The temps are already soaring here in Central Florida making it one of my least favorite times of year to run outside.  Of course rather than complain about how much I hate it, I thought I would recount some of the super awesome things about being a Florida runner...

People come from all over to visit Central Florida’s theme parks and beaches, making this area one of the world’s top tourist destination.  If you’re visiting during the mid-March through early October, your first and most likely continuous thoughts are probably about the heat.  We’re known as the Sunshine State for a reason.  With temperatures averaging over 90 degrees in the summer months (and summer for us is pretty much those months listed above) and reaching triple digits with the heat index, not to mention the insane humidity, outdoor activities that do not involve the ocean or a lake almost can be a little rough!

But despite the heat, believe it or not, Central Florida really is one of the best places for runners to live or visit.   

Here my top 10 reasons that make running around here so great:

It’s FLAT

We’re certainly not known for our hills here in Central Florida.  In fact, if you wish to do any sort of hill training, you will have to find you a good overpass to run up and down several times.  Quite possibly one of the best trade offs for the extreme heat and humidity is our extremely flat terrain.  Runners visiting the area may find themselves hotter than ever, but they may also find themselves with a PR on our nice, flat roads and trails.

Must Run ALL the Races

One of the challenges to living here is the urge to sign up for a race every weekend, and trust me, there are races EVERY weekend.  In fact, it can even be difficult choosing just ONE race per weekend since there are typically several!  From 5k’s to full marathons and even ultras, Central Florida offers a variety of fun races year round.  But wait, isn’t it too hot to run in the summer?  Not according to Final Mile Race Management who puts on a two incredibly awesome mid-summer events each year with a Half Marathon in June and a 5/10k event in July!  Of course the absolute best time to race each year is from February to April, and that is when you will find some of the best races in the area.

Great Community

The running community in Central Florida is like no other.  Here you will find some of the most enthusiastic, supportive and friendly runners in the world.  Whether you’re receiving friendly smiles and waves from fellow runners out on the trail or joining one of the many group runs around town, you’re sure to enjoy the positive and encouraging energy that makes our running community so great!  Most all of our local running stores including Fleet Feet Orlando, Front Running Sports of Lake Mary and or course Track Shack put on weekly group runs with product samples and of course tons of fun.  A personal favorite of mine is the monthly Fleet Feet pub run.  Running + Beer = Good Times!

 

Why Not Tri?

With lakes galore, beautiful biking trails and of course an already embedded passion for running, it’s difficult to say NO to a at least giving a sprint triathlon a shot down here.  With distances short enough to be non-intimidating up to full Ironman races, options are unlimited when it comes to triathlons.  A late summer early Fall tri is the best.  The water is no longer at boiling temperatures, the slight crisp to the morning air and the sun warms everything up just enough by the end of your run.

Easy Access

Orlando has two international airports that can take you just about anywhere you would want to go and of course getting here just as simple.  Major interstates make driving down here pretty seamless if you’re not too far for a scenic drive.  Whether you’re traveling to Orlando for a visit or you leaving Orlando for a race, you won’t have a problem traveling to and fro.

 

The Happiest Place on Earth

We do have lives outside of running, don’t we?  When we’re not hitting the trail, or of course at our jobs funding our running habit, we like to unwind and spend some quality time with our family and friends.  Central Florida may be most known for Disneyworld and beaches, but that’s not all there is to do around here!  Other than the other well-known theme parks (Sea World, Bush Gardens, Universal, etc.), Central Florida is also home to several other family attractions.  A personal favorite of mine are the several state parks offering beautiful hiking trails and natural springs.  The warm year round temperature of the springs make them perfect for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding.

Will Run for Food (and Beer)

Being a large, diverse tourist town, it should go without saying we have some of the best restraunts in the country!  You can sample just about any cuisine from any country or culture you can imagine.  Your options for post run fuel are virtually endless.  And if you’re like me and like to carb load with some hops, we also have some amazing local breweries.  Orlando Brewing Company is a favorite of mine not just because of its high quality, delicious beer options, but also because it is Florida’s only USDA organic brewery! 

Ohhh, the “Winter” Months

For a few shorts months out of the year, Florida is quite possibly the most amazing place on this planet to run in!  With temperatures averaging in the upper 50’s to low 60’s and of course our incredible sunshine and brightest blue skies, it’s almost a surreal outer body experience running around here!  With the flat terrain and pristine weather, you are sure to have one of your best races ever if you’re running down here then!  Because the summers can be so brutally hot, this time of year is even more cherished and runners take advantage of the weather using it as the perfect time to train for longer distance events.

Who Doesn’t Love a Good Beach Run?

Whether you are staying at one of the hundred beach resorts or a short drive at one of the theme park resorts, getting in a run on the beach is an absolute must.  Crystal clear waters, beautiful skies, warm ocean breezes and nice hard packed sand make beach running an experience you wouldn’t want to miss.  If you’re in the area in early May or November, Beach Running Champions puts on an event that includes distances from 5k to half marathon, and even a barefoot division along the shore.  It’s a fun, beach themed event with a nautical finisher’s medal

Trails, Trails and More Trails

Wherever you are in Central Florida, you’re near a trail.  There are several beautiful trails all throughout Central Florida and many of them even connect, so running and biking can go on for as long as you wish!  And it seems like new trails are sprouting up all over the area, giving runners even more options to get their miles in.  If you’re more into rugged terrain, one of the manystate parks offer great off road trails with all the dirt, sand, roots and trees you could ask for.  I myself, gave trail running a shot a few years back with a Masters of All Terrain series race and was instantly hooked.  Though we may not have mountains or even great hills, our countless beautiful trial running options (paved or off road) in Central Florida more than make up for it!

Bidding Farewell to High Mileage...For Now

I cannot believe I will be running another marathon two weeks from Sunday!  It feels like I just ran my last marathon, oh wait, that's because I did just run a marathon and genius [sarcasm] over here decided to just jump right into another one.  Of course people do it all the time and I do love the distance, so no complaining from me.  But I do have to admit, that I am kinda ready to get it over with and start focusing on some shorter distances as well as other goals.  My body and mind have had enough 20+ mile runs over the last few months.  Like I have said in my past posts, I chose this one because of how badly I wanted to BQ, but I quickly realized that it probably just won't happen again.  And I am ok with that.  This is a great race, with great supporter for a great cause.  So I am just looking to get out there, run my heart out and have fun.
So without any further ado, here is a recap of the week:

Monday: Spinning, of course.  This week, I had a big class.  The energy was through the rough and we even had some fun tracks on the house playlist, including the "Macarena!"  Of course we had to spend the last several seconds of the track sitting upright on our bikes doing the arm movements to the dance.  Everyone got a big laugh out of it and had fun doing so.  That's what it's all about after all, working hard but having fun in the process.  I knew I needed to work legs that day to so I did some barbell dead lifts and front squats.  Added in some upper body as super sets and felt pretty good about my brief, but effective workout.

Luckily I never have a shortage of hand towels thanks to all the football games we go to!

Got to start my morning off with my little early bird.  Lincoln has never been a big fan of sleep, so I embrace our morning cuddles with the big fella.

Tuesday: Our forecast for the rest of the week wasn't looking too good with Tuesday being the last day of sunshine and warm temperatures.  I figured I needed to take advantage of running outside before the showers got here.  I have several route options in my area; I can run from my gym or home, or just a few minute drive I'm at the trail head of where I usually run.  But honestly, I have been getting a little bored with those routes since I do them so much and wanted to try something different.  On our Fleet Feet group runs, we typically run over an interstate overpass near the store.  From the time it starts inclining to the top, it's about a quarter of a mile, then the same thing going down to the end of the decline.  Since we do not have much hills here in Central Florida, this seemed like it would be a great place to do "hill training."  The weather was absolutely beautiful and all the cars rushing by even created a nice breeze.  I warmed up with a mile then attacked that over pass several times.  3/4 mile cool down for a total of 5 challenging miles.  What a great workout, I will definitely be doing that again.  It did, however, not help my already sore legs so I was somewhat regretting all that Wednesday morning, lol!  I also took a few moments to participate in the FitApproach flex and flow challenge with one of my favorite poses.  The upward facing dog always feels so great!

Wednesday: I didn't have much time to train on Wednesday, Hunter and I had a lot to do at work, so I got a quick, but potent lift in at our gym.  For lower body, I only did kettle bell swings and hurdle squat jumps, then focused mostly on upper body.  Later that evening, I was the hostess for our Moms Run This Town meet up at the Fleet Feet pub run.  I was so excited for the opportunity to run with some gals I don't get to see very often as well as make new friends!  Unfortunately, it was raining and dark, so my group only did 2 miles then headed back to the pub.  A lot of us gals are racing over the next couple of weeks so we didn't want to risk getting hurt, plus we were really just there for the beer anyway, hehe.  It's always such a great time hanging out the gals, enjoying a drink or two, discussing everything from our races to our jobs and families.  I am not able to make much events so I take full advantage of our time together when I can.

MRTT at Fleet Feet Pub Run

Thursday: The rain continued into Thursday so I figured it would be a good treadmill day.  Thursday was just one of those blah running days for me.  Not sure if it's been the rain or the tapering, but I was just not totally with it.  I definitely need to snap out of it and get my mojo going for game time in two weeks!  Despite being somewhat cumbersome, I had a descent treadmill run with 3 miles at an average pace of 7:45 then 2 miles of speed work (4x400 @ 6:15 pace w/ 400 RI).  I followed it up with 1000m swim, which actually felt great.  Swimming is becoming more and more effortless for me and I am super excited to get my triathlon training in full swing here soon!

Friday: The only time I have to workout on Fridays is right after I coach the 9am MetCon class.  Hunter heads over to Yoga and I am have the gym to myself to get in another quick but potent lift.  Typically focusing on all upper body, I did a lot of shoulders, biceps and triceps as well as core.  Didn't want to be too sore for my last double digit run the following day.  After our workouts, Hunter and I got some work done at the gym and headed to our favorite lunch spot, Jimmy Hula's, for a delicious post workout lunch!  Then of course we and picked up our precious munchkins and enjoyed a fun afternoon at the park with them.

Nothing better than getting some work done early morning then coming upstairs to these two!

Saturday: I have been loosely following a couple of different training programs in preparation for my next race in two weeks.  For my first couple of marathons, I followed Jeff Galloway's program, but without the walk intervals.  I used it mostly for the suggested mileage.  This last marathon, I followed the Run Less Run Faster method.  I was drawn to it because I have always been a three times a week runner and I felt the structure and speed training would help me get my BQ.  The RLRF program also known as the "First Method" was almost too stringent for me.  In fact, I believe it is what lead to me over training and ultimately my injury.  (Side note, the program didn't cause me to bruise my heel on a coffee table, but I strongly believe I wold have healed much quicker with less issues if I had not been over training.)  Despite the overzealous speedy tempo runs and high mileage runs ever single weekend, I did find that I rather enjoyed and always crushed the speed work from the program.  So I decided to plug the speed work in to the Jeff Galloway program and have been doing that for the past two months.  Between a much simpler approach and of course my much more relaxed attitude about it, I'm feel pretty good heading into race day.  So with all that being said, my plans for Saturday called for 8-10 miles and I of course, had to do it on the treadmill.  It was one of those runs where everything just kinda worked in my favor.  My favorite treadmills was available for me.  The temperature was perfect inside (I know that sounds silly but it is usually super humid inside LA Fitness).  My iPod did not mess up on me and it kept playing some of my favorites from my playlist.  and I just felt good, confident strong and fast.  I knocked up the full 10 miles in about an hour and fourteen minutes with an average pace of 7:25.  That was my best 10 miler since before my injury so I was pretty fired up about that!  As excited as I was about a super awesome 10 treadmill miles though, I am still being very realistic about my full.  Man I would nothing more than to finally catch that Unicorn and know that I have it in me, I just don't know if this will be the one, we shall see!

This was actually my first ever gym mirror selfie, so I was pretty embarrassed getting this shot, lol

Sunday: Family, laundry and meal prep day!  The boys were just too excited for the day that they woke up super early to get it started.  Hunter went for his run while the boys and I ran some errands, then we all headed off to soccer.  I was hoping to get a quick little afternoon run in myself like I did last week, but meal prepping took a little longer than anticipated.  It was probably a good thing though because with the race coming up, I definitely need to take my designated rest days.  Don't want to over train or get hurt, yet again.  Later in the evening we went over to a neighbor's house and they had a super delicious and healthy meal.  It was such a fun evening and the boys, as well as Hunter and I, were super worn out from the exciting events of the weekend!

Final Thoughts: I switch back and forth between excitement and dread for this next marathon, and it all just depends on the day and the my most recent training run.  The week started off a little rocky but I finished strong with a great run on Saturday.  It's time to focus on tapering and resting up for the big day.  Just trying to stay positive and focused.  Most important thing is that I just give it my all, finish strong and leave it all out on the course!