Marathon Training Tips

One of the things I like best about living in Florida is that it’s a great place for a vacation, even if you live here. It seems no matter where you live, east coast, west coast, in the Panhandle or Southern Florida just a couple of hours drive in any direction and you can be somewhere that doesn’t look like home so you feel you’ve really gotten away from it all. The panhandle is fondly referred to as the Redneck Riviera with its emerald green water and white sand beaches. The west coast is a great place to go ‘island hopping’ with Sanibel, Lovers Key and all the other little places nestled there. The east coast is great for surfing, the small wave capital is here on our own Cocoa Beach and history, St. Augustine, also on the east coast of Florida, is the nation’s oldest city, but if you really want feel like you’ve gotten away head south. Southern Florida is truly a tropical place; the tropics actually start in south central Florida and it gets more lush and green the farther south you go. We have our own little tropical paradise known as the Florida Keys. The Keys are made up of many small islands and chains of island and are set at the tip of Florida so they lie in the Atlantic Ocean on one side and in the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Key Largo is the top and considered the first Key. Key Largo is the one made famous by the movie staring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and the song. The waters around the Keys are warm and crystal clear this attracts many divers and snorkelers which lends to Key Largo having the popular moniker of the “Diving Capital of the World”. Islamorada is the next most popular spot to stop on your way down the island chain. Islamorada is actually made up of six different islands and has a reputation as The Sport Fishing Capital of the World. They have a fleet of extremely skilled recreational fishing captains who’ll be more than happy to go out with you for a day to see what biting. Islamorada is also famous for a place called Robbie’s Marina this is the place where they sell buckets of bait for feeding swarms of tarpon that hang out around the docks. It’s so much fun to feed them, I’ve done it. Islamorada is also famous for the opportunities they provide to swim with dolphins. They also have a History of Diving Museum there which is pretty interesting. Another not to be missed place is John Pennekamp State Park. They are known as a great place for diving and snorkeling and have the only living coral reef in the continental United States. Over a million people come from around the world to enjoy the water, trails and camping facilities offered by the park. They also have the “Christ of the Waters”, a 19 foot bronze statue people dive all around, some even dive down to touch His outstretched hands. Marathon is considered by many to be the ‘middle’ of the Keys and the place of the world famous 7 mile bridge. Marathon, too, is a major sportsfishing destination; it is also a popular for spearfishing and they have an open lobster season during the year, Marathon is a great place to try and catch a few. Big Pine Key is just a short distance past the famous Seven Mile Bridge where the Keys take that gentle westerly turn and is considered the start of the ‘Lower Keys’. This is the place where you can come to relax its a little less crowded and more natural than some of the other Keys. Probably one of the biggest draws to Big Pine Key is the National Key Deer Refuge, home of the adorable Key Deer, the smallest of the Virginia white-tailed deer; they are in danger of extinction and are therefore federally protected. Bahia Honda State Park is another draw to the area. You can picnic, take a swim, dive the reef, snorkel the shallows or simply relax on Sandspur Beach voted #7 on the Travel Channels top 10 Florida beaches. Key West is considered by some to be the crown jewel of the Keys but I don’t think that’s really fair considering its ALL good. Key West, however, is THE place to party in the Keys. Duval Street is famous for their bars and history, Mallory Square is famous as a place to enjoy the sunset and ensuing party that happens every night. The street vendors and performers are a sight to see. Every year around Halloween, Key West hosts Fantasyfest a party where people dress up and dance in the streets, its wild. The Keys are a great place to get married, have a honeymoon or a family reunion. You can dive, snorkel, fish or just lie on a beach and relax anywhere and everywhere in the Keys. You can dance and party the night a way, shop at one of the unique, quaint shops, or have a fabulous meal at one of the outdoor cafes all while enjoying a fruity tropical drink. In this day of people vacationing closer to home we Floridians are truly blessed to have such a beautiful Caribbean-style place to come visit without ever leaving ‘home’.

I have lived in Florida over half my life and one place I’ll never get tired of visiting is the Keys. When I first moved down here and heard the word “Key” I had no Idea what that meant or what that was. I found out a “Key” is a derivative of the Spanish word Cayo, which means Small Island. The Florida Keys are a chain of small islands that begin about 15 miles south of Miami; the main chain swoops south-southwest for about another 120 miles or so over the highway. The Keys divide the Atlantic Ocean on their east from the Gulf of Mexico on their west, not a bad spot to be in. At the southern most tip, Key West, we are only about 90 miles from Cuba which has added its flavor and influence to the Keys. The Florida Keys are made up of a cluster of over 1700 islands in all, some of the main ones being Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and of course Key West. The Dry Tortugas are islands just off Key West but are uninhabited except for the tours and day trips over to them. Key Largo is considered the first key; it’s a great place to snorkel and camp and is known as the Diving Capital of the World” whether that is true or not the people who live, work and run the diving shops in the area would like to believe it and have us believe it too. Key Largo is also the home of John Pennekamp State Park which was the first underwater park in the U.S. and has the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S. Islamorada is next down the highway and is itself is made up of 6 different islands, it is known for great fishing both in the ocean and in the flats around the island. They have this great little place there called Robbies Marina that’s kind of famous as a place to feed the Keys favorite local fish the Tarpon. Many people from all over also come down to swim with the dolphins here, there are several places in Islamorada to do this. Next is Marathon, it’s known to be a great place for diving, snorkeling and spearfishing, they also have an open lobster season during the year. Marathon has several dolphin research centers that the public are welcome to tour, Islamormarda has one as well. Marathon holds a special place in my heart because it’s where I first fell in love with the Keys. The summer after high school a friends parents had a condo in Marathon and we went down to join them for the week. What a week it was, I’d never had so much fun. They had been going there for several years and had made friends so when we got there we already had a gang to hang out with. We played on the beach, got in the pool, hung out in the hot tub and of course, drank. The water was so blue, the breeze so warm and the palm tress all over made it look like a moving postcard. I’d just moved form Atlanta a few years before so I hadn’t seen anything like this – ever. I never wanted to leave but, alas, the week ended and we had to go, but I vowed I’d be back and I have been many times. Big Pine Key follows Marathon and is considered the start of the lower keys and near where you end up off the famous Seven Mile Bridge. The Seven Mile Bridge is something else; it’s been featured in several movies including ‘True Lies’ that starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Theres a certain feeling that washes over you as you’re driving over Seven Mile Bridge, it’s like the world melts away, if you’ve already been to the Keys then you know what I’m talking about. Big Pine Key is a great place to just relax; it’s quieter and more unspoiled than some of the other Keys. It’s a great place to get back to nature, take a trail by land or water, or just sit and be still. The National Key Deer Refuge is on Big Pine Key. The Key Deer are the smallest of the white-tailed deer and are federally protected because they are endanger of extinction, there are only about 700 in the herd. They are so tiny, cute and sweet you just want to cuddle one, but you can’t. Then there’s Key West, what can I say? I’ve been to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and I can honestly say that Duval Street in Key West rivals it for fun, fantasy and people watching. Home of the world famous “Duval Crawl”, the ORIGINAL pub crawl, Duval Street starts to party with the setting of the sun. Seriously, the city goes out to Mallory Square to watch the spectacular sun set, street performers and the fanstatic boats in the water. There are several great places to eat at Mallory Square, local vendors line the boarwalk selling their arts and crafts and in the air there’s just a general sense of fun. Key West is a great place to get married too. I got married in a garden there by a great little guy who called himself “Admiral” and in his younger days looked just like Sonny Bono. What a great place. If you asked me where in the world I’d like to go and know for certain I was going to have a good time, I’d have to ask to be dropped off in Key West or hey, anywhere in the Keys would be good, I’d make it to Key West, eventually.