Please accept my aPOLLENgies

Posted on March 20, 2018 by flowerjovia

Yesterday I ran 5 miles on the Legacy Trail. I love that trail and it’s one of the reasons I love coming down to Nokomis. The trail is long too so you can pretty much train for anything without ever having to add another leg. You just get on the trail and go. It’s epic.

Not so much yesterday. For one thing it was a bit humid and humidity and me are mortal enemies. But the worst part was the pollen. Oh my God, I have never seen so much pollen in my life!

pollen crazy

After running I came home and took the dogs for a quick walk but then I shut myself in the house until lunch when MacGyver and I went to meet his parents at the Cracker Barrel. Has anyone else noticed that all Cracker Barrel restaurants are freezing inside. It could be a legit 100 degrees outside and a icy 32 inside the Cracker Barrel.

cracker barrel

After we left we came back to our house to install a few windows since MacGyver mysteriously got the permit to go through.

With the windows being out, even for only a short time and only in one room, the pollen saturated the air. Within a half hour I had a dry cough and it would not go away. By 10PM it was still there so I popped two benadryl because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

I was able to sleep.

overslept

I didn’t wake up until 7:30 and I needed coffee bad. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the cup under the Kuerig. Fortunately we have one of those drip pan things under it and it almost got all of it. The rest I had to soak up with a t shirt because I couldn’t find the paper towels.

benadryl haze

That’s why I’ve decided to take a day off today. I walked the dogs and I even went for a bit of an extra walk with Hank, not because we wanted to but because I forgot where I was going and we ended up at the park.

I may be taking a long nap at lunch today.

Do you have allergies?

Do you take anything for them?

Summer’s little secret – The Ream Wilson Trail

Posted on July 13, 2017 by flowerjovia

So yesterday I taught Woody Allen how to come into the house through the doggie door.

Woody and the door

Clearly, I’m winning at life! Of course, now he goes in and out all day long and it’s starting to work my last nerve so maybe I’m not really winning. The jury’s still out on that one.

Anyway, yesterday and today I detoured from my normal running route and visited an old favorite, the Ream Wilson Trail. I used to run there all the time but haven’t in quite a while. I’m not sure why I stopped because it’s shaded and in the summertime, it’s a godsend. Trust me.

Anyways, I thought I’d show it to you. So, without further delay, let me introduce you to one of my favorite trails.

Ream Wilson Trail

The Ream Wilson Clearwater Trail is an off-road trail connecting the Gulf of Mexico at Clearwater Beach to Tampa Bay at Safety Harbor.

I usually run down to Kapok Park which is close to my house, run around Kapok Park and then enter the Ream Wilson Trail from there.

REam Wilson Trail

I couldn’t wait to enter the shade.

It may not look like it but that’s a pretty steep hill.

It wasn’t dark, it’s just that shady!

I swear when you get to the bottom of this hill it’s 10 degrees cooler.

As the sun comes through the trees the next portion of the trail is beautiful.

Ream Wilson Trail

The bridge is good practice for hills.

Ream Wilson Trail

At the end of the bridge, I go to the left towards Safety Harbor. This is the area where I always see bunny rabbits.

Trail

Can you believe all this shade?

Ream Wilson Trail Running Trail

Ream Wilson Trail

Still Shady!

Can you see what’s at the end?

Just up ahead across the road is Tampa Bay.

Ream Wilson Trail

When I do my long runs I sometimes turn left here and head up towards the Safety Harbor Marina along Bayshore and I cannot even tell you how beautiful it is. Unfortunately that part of the run is not shady but you do have the pleasure of running along side Tampa Bay so I guess you just have to pick your battles.

Maybe I’ll share that trail with you next time. You might have t to wait til winter though or at least til it’s a little cooler out. Until then, I’m sticking with the Ream Wilson Trail.

Ream Wilson Trail

Tell me about your favorite place to run when it’s hot outside.

Yeah, we run in paradise around here.

Posted on June 26, 2017 by flowerjovia

Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery.

I haven’t much felt like running, as you probably already knew if you read my last post, but I still managed to somehow squeeze out around 24 miles last week although a lot of it was walking but the highlight of my week was Sunday.

On Sunday my sister and law and I went over to the Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail and while MacGyver fished, we walked. It looked like this:

It really makes you want to come run this trail doesn’t it? Because if it doesn’t then you’re not normal. Come on down. I’ll just wait for you, right here, under this palm tree.

We walked about four and a half miles of the trail although the entire length of the trail from Clearwater to the other side in Tampa is ten and a half miles long. It’s one of the most scenic trails you will ever run on and I highly recommend it. I’ve actually seen dolphins while running this trail and (what I believe was a devil ray) sailing out of the water. It’s truly epic.