I just felt like running

Vacactioning at St. George Island, FL.  Got in a run a right before lunch.   Sunny 83F with slight breeze.

Felt a little weak.  Got better as run progressed.  Averaged 8:15/mile pace.

Scouted out some trails to run later this week from a book I found "Hiking Trails of Florida's National Forests, Parks, and Preserves".   We are very near the Apalachicola National Forest so I'll focus there.

Drove east to the St. George Island State Park.   There was a 2.5 mile trail I wanted to checkout.

Got an earlier start which was nice.  Temp was 65F at start and only got to 75F by the end.  Path started at the back end of a campground.  It is best described as a sandy jeep trail.  Some shady as it went through a sparse pine forest.  End was a nice beach on the bay side.   Sand made for slow going in spots.  Pine needles and undergrowth on other spots made the footing better.

Took a new boardwalk on the way back which was nice.

Park is $3/day for one person and $5/day for 2-8 people.

The road ends about 5 miles from the "East End" of the island.    Untouched , quiet, beautiful beaches.

Got another early start so the weather was nice (under 70).  Did warmup with brother-in-law (John).  9min/mile.  He turned around at 1.5 miles.  Got out to Pine St (dirt/sand road).  Did a two mile marathon pace run (6:54/mile pace).  I felt a little fatigued from yesterday's sand run.   After the two miles, I drank some water and 1/2 clif bar and walked for a minute and then started jogging.  Did  1 mile hard (6:17) on the paved bike path.  This got me almost to the entrance of the plantation.  Cooldown back home.  Took a dive into the pool before having breakfast.  (Cereal, fruit, bacon, coffee)

Needed an easier run after yesterday. Legs tired. Spent quite a bit of time digging a tidal pool for the girls yesterday. It started with a hole but I tied in a trench to catch the waves.

Run started as a repeat of Monday's. Heading west on the bike path through the plantation. Made it to Sike's cut (manmade channel that now divides St. George from Little St. George) It is used by shrimping/fishing boats. Pace was 8:10/mile on they way there. Watched the fishing at the cut for 30 seconds and then headed back. Ran the beach the way back. Decent beach running- not a absolute high tide so there was some good hard pack to run on. It had a slope at times. Pace (at same effort) slowed to around 8:45-9:00. Nice breeze and clouds made it comfortable.

Not many people here. Passed no more than 15 people in 3 miles of beach running.

Father-in-law and my wife got an early start cooking bacon and pancakes. I couldn't resist an chose that breakfast over an early morning run.

I got my run in around noon (85F and sunny, pretty humid 72F dewpoint).

Got an early start.  Plan was to head east and get picked up at the far end of the state park at 9:30am.  Good running weather other than it was very humid.  Stayed on bike path past downtown.  Took in a Chocolate Almond Clif Bar at the lighthouse and refilled my water bottle.

I was getting hot so took off my shirt hoping that the westerly wind at my back would cool me more.  Run got really nice once I entered the park.   Ocean and beach on the right and the bay on my left.  Nice breeze.  Good cloud cover.    Lots of fisherman heading to the boat launch or the boardwalks.  At 9:10am, Hit 13.1 miles at the Sugar Hill Beach Area (end of pavement).  There was water there and shade so I called it a day.  I had a Powerbar Protein Bar in my waist pack.  I took two bites and couldn't eat any more.  Gross.    I'm done with any powerbar product -  the bars, gels, now this.  yuck.     I'm a loyal Gu person for gels.  I like the clif bars and their newer shots.   For races, I've stuck with Gu so far.

Today is our last day at the beach.  Long drive home tomorrow.