Florida Challenge Trail Run - Run5k

yi. This was NUTHIN' like the X-country race I did at the same location in November '05. WE went the other way on the other side of the park and most of the "trail running" was actually in meadows. This one used the actual off road bike trails- the Black Diamond Trails.
Out over to Moonscape, Rollercoaster, and then some of Sand Pine and back on a sand bailout. Yi... It had rained the previous night and so it was all wet and slippery and well, scary. I hit the half way point at bout 20 minutes and was all like, WTF?? I should of wore gloves too. Lots of grabbing. I almost face planted myself right at the end where I wasn't looking and stubbed a palmetto root. This trail runnin' is hard stuff, I never get to train on them. oh...my... It was fun, definitely a challenge, and I"ll probably do it again.

train better and wear better shoes. The road running shoes, yes, it is very different, like fat tires and road tires. My footing was very slippery.

breathe. Waited for Adam to finish, and then searched for an ice bag for him, played nursemaid, got him nasty HEED and a nanner.


lack of trail running experience.


Good things: courses clearly marked and just a slight bottleneck due to a slow runner who we all passed at the next available opening. Course was clearly marked.
Bad things: should of had folks out on the course with radios to assist the numerous folks who were falling, we saw someone get taken back on a ranger cart, and there were no med personnel around, save for a group of Sheriff's Dept guys who raced the 5K, so they got him out and on the massage table and watied for medics to come. I was wondering why they had his feet crossed before after about three minutes one of them finally noticed and elevated them and straightened them out. He was trying to get up but they wouldn't let him... The trails are hard to get to/get out of so they should have monitored the course more throughly, as wet as it was that day.
The food was bad- no water that I saw- Just HEED and Coffee- poor Adam didn't like the HEED I took him, it was warm.
Get a new caterer! The pasta salad is nasty- too heavy and rich. They use the same caterer at all events.
well, other than that nitpickin', it was good times.