Outdoors & Nature Insider

Want to come along on a trail run?

I'm lucky to have quick access to the 157,479-acre Withlacoochee State Forest, which affords me the opportunity to hike, bike and paddle at pretty much a moment's notice. Sometimes I'll bring along my bike or kayak and make a multi-activity outing! 

I thought I'd share a little video of a short trail run from last week. I'm not that great of a runner. I go more for distance rather than speed. I usually run for about an hour, depending on the season. My goal with trail running? Since I'm kind of a trail fanatic, it's just a good way to cover more ground and get that heart rate up. Sometimes there's a particular stretch of trail that's just a little too far to reach with a hike, but by packing light and picking up the pace, I'm able to get to that spot that I'm after.

On this particular occasion, Amanda and I headed out to a hilly section of the Florida Trail in Citrus County. It had just finished raining, and the trail had water flowing down it! You'll see in the video a clip of that. Neat stuff.

If you plan on getting in some trail runs during the summer months in Florida, remember to acclimate yourself first and bring along plenty of water. It gets hot out there!