A Photo Story of My Morning Run

I love my morning runs. It's not just about the run, but the people I meet and the beautiful scenery. Tampa definitely makes running easy, except on those extremely hot days, then you just have to make the decision to get up before the sun rises and that's fine with me. 

But today the weather is absolutely beautiful and I decided to go with the Kelly running plan today. If you remember the Kelly running plan is where you essentially take your time and enjoy the experience while keeping a smile on your face. I also named it after my niece Kelly after a conversation we had had about running. So I grabbed my phone and began taking pictures along my route so you could see what I see when I'm out there. 

At this moment I don't look like I'm going to die, because I haven't started yet.  

Now I'm just waiting for my GPS watch to find its location. Sometimes this takes a bit.

Waiting....

Still waiting....

And now I begin.

There are certain days where going through this little tunnel doesn't make me happy. Sometimes it smells. I think sometimes  people that were out drinking the night before just decided to use the tunnel as a restroom.

Sometimes the view as I'm coming out of the tunnel is awesome. Somedays I have a beautiful view of a cruise ship. Unfortunately there were no ships today.

There's always a nice view of the aquarium. 

This sculpture was seen a couple of pictures up, but here's a better view. For some reason I always have visions of a stegosaurus when I run past this.

Living in the city means that sometimes you have to cross a busy road. Today there was hardly any cars out.  Usually if there are cars coming I'll just go down to the next cross walk and hopefully be able to catch a break without having to stop. There are around four before I run into the stoplight and then I have no choice but to wait. 

I love this road. There are a few little shops and a pretty good pizza place. I saw a Doctor Who shirt through the window of one of the shops the other day and really wanted to get it, but I was busy at the time and the store wasn't open. I have a better picture of this street when I'm coming back from my run.

The only stop light I encounter on my run. Most of the time my timing is impeccable, but on occasion I have to wait, but so do other people. It's during this time I occasionally get to meet and talk with some people. Last week I got to finally talk to Jaime, who I run past on a daily basis. I had a nice little conversation with him as I waited to cross the street.

This is where the Riverwalk begins and it is at this point where I can usually just keep running without having to stop for lights and cars. At this point I'm a half a mile from home, and even on my 10 mile runs this is usually the only place I have to stop, with the exception of the crosswalk I previously encountered.

Heading in to Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park (Wisconsin is not the only place that has unusual names). The Amalie Arena is just out of view, but it's there. 

The sun is still rising. 

Standing on the end of the little harbor. This is where I saw the boat that said 'Almost Home' .

I love this guy. Every morning he gives me the thumbs up. 

At this point I'm a mile away from home. If it were later in the day I could just stop and get a beer. 

Loop-di-loop!

The Tampa Convention Center

Nope, not going to go up the stairs. 

I have a decision to make here. If I do a run that's longer than four miles I go right up the ramp. If I do a shorter run I go left by the trees. Today I go to the right.

Always a nice place to stop if it rains. 

That's where I'm headed. Notice the boat in the distance. You'll get a better view in future pictures. 

Awe, I missed Jaime. That's him in the distance. I tried yelling out his name, but the cars were too loud.

Beautiful view of the water. 

God bless the USA!

Big boat and lady and her husband ahead of her (He's out of the picture, but he's there). They always give me encouragement when I run. 

Fishes (Not real, of course)

It's just a drinking fountain, but on those hot days it's a welcome sight. I have water with me on my long runs, but sometimes on my way back I run out of water and have to refill here or at the other drinking fountain, which you'll see in a bit.

Bayshore Boulevard.

Sometimes I have to go under a few bridges.

Looking back from the bridge. This is what I call "The Danger Zone". There used to be water issues here. There was always a small leak and the slime would  build up and cause people to fall. Both my husband and I have fallen here before. Thankfully they are fixing this issue and we haven't had problems in awhile. 

It's hard to see, but right in the middle of this picture you can see  a set of buildings in the distance. That's where I usually run to on my long runs, but not today.

Bayshore Boulevard is always a pretty run.

Another couple I see often while running.

Lots of palm trees. 

Look another drinking fountain and look there's a drinking fountain for cats next to it.  Ok maybe it's for dogs.

Another view of the group of high-rises I usually have to run to. I usually run to the group of buildings that are the furthest to the left. 

I suppose if I got really tired I could just rent a bike and ride the rest of the way home. 

Poor pelican :( He's all by himself.

Horses 

Such a long road. I turned around before the slinky. 

I'm 3 miles out; it's time to turn around. I'm only doing a 6 mile run today, so back to the city I go.

I love this view of the Convention Center, because it always reminds me of Acropolis with the pillars.

Just a pretty picture of the bridge I'm about to cross. 

After a long run this is usually the worst part of my run. I  hate the incline of this bridge.

Such cute dogs. I see them out here quite a bit. 

Going back through the park. You can see the sun shining off the windows on the arena. Also it's covered by trees, but my home is in the distance. 

Another small hill I have to go up. 

Cute sign. 

This is a view of the street I like from the other direction. 

Once I get to this sign, I know I'm home. 

I really am pretty sweaty at this point, but I am still smiling.