Fort Desoto is one my favorite places in the world. It’s minutes away from the city and as soon as I get there, I feel like I’m on vacation. It’s peaceful. Once you get out on the beach, you can’t hear the cars anymore. It’s beautiful. It’s (almost) untouched natural Florida. It’s “being outside” at its best.
Many memories of mine are associated with Fort Desoto. I came here when I was a kid, a teenager, and I come here now as an adult. I feel comfortable here, like some small part of it belongs to me. (Possibly because I’ve paid the $5 entry fee so many times. It used to be free!) If I ever go away from Florida again, Fort Desoto will be one of the first places I visit when I come back.
What’s even better, there is a recreation trail that spans the entire park. I’m not sure how long it is, but there’s a 15k held there every year, so it has to be pretty long. It is most definitely pretty. What it lacks in shade, it makes up for in views. On the right day, like today, there’s a big, blue sky and thousands of palm trees surrounding you. The colors are incredibly vibrant. There were only a few wispy clouds in the sky, and none hinted of rain.
I parked my car approximately 3 miles from the gate, ran back to the gate, then back to my car to complete 6 miles. The pace was 8:43 and I ran each mile progressively faster. First mile was 9:22 and last mile was 7:43. I felt great the entire way, but I noticed that it took a concerted effort to dip below 8 minute pace. It was hot. A real positive sign though, I never felt thirsty. Even when I was done running, I wasn’t hurrying to get a drink of water like I usually do. It was a comparatively short run, but I think I can assume from my lack of thirst that I am hydrating much better than I have been. And that has as much to do with what I don’t drink as it does with what I do drink. I’ve been drinking water constantly while I’m at home and laying off the coffee quite a bit. I still need my morning coffee, but I haven’t been going back for more in the afternoon. Errrr, except for right now, I’m having coffee at 3:39.
Nutrition-wise, I’m eating rather healthy lately. I did have a burger last night, and I would have had fries too, except the bottom of the bag broke when I was carrying it into the house. The grease compromised the structural integrity of the bag. A $2.99 USD and salty potato sacrifice. There are worse things that could have happened, but at the time I couldn’t think of any.
The photo is from today, after the run. I sat on the beach for a while and then swam for a while. The water is not yet bathtub temperature status, so it is still refreshing. It seems like in the dead of summer, the water gets to near the same temperature as the air. At that point, jumping in the water is not nearly as refreshing.
Gear today was simple as it gets: Lunartempo 2, Apple watch, Goodr Sunglasses
runjournal 