13 Mile Jungle Trail Run - Vero Beach

We went to Vero Beach last weekend to visit Erin and Doug...It was my first time up there and it was awesome! What a quiet beach town. I still had to get a long run in and since Erin and Doug are both runners they were very excited to help me map it out. They even called the local convenience store to make sure they would be open early enough for me to get water. Since no one answered....we drove up the road just to double check their hours of operation. They open at 6am 7 days a week, which was great because there are a very limited places to stop to get water on the island.

Doug's neighborhood backs up the the Jungle Trail. Which is a 7.5 mile sand trail along the Indian River. I googled it after my run for more info and it was created to speed the delivery of citrus products to the main land.

I was a little worried about the run, being in a place I was unfamiliar with...but I survived. I was mostly concerned about the trail itself. Running in sand is brutal...but the sand was packed down for most of the trail although there were s few soft spots. About 50% of the trail was shaded, which was awesome. The trail goes by some really cool communities and has great views of the river. The few snakes I saw on the trail freaked me out, but I enjoyed seeing a lot of bunny rabbits.

I got started at 6:30am in an effort to beat the heat. After this run I have officially come to the realization that my days of sleeping in are over. My long runs need to start much much earlier. Last summer I started my really long runs as early as 4:30am and those days are on the horizon. I don't mind getting up early, well yes I do...but the main reason I don't want to run that early is because all of the critters are still out. I have nightmares about encountering a raccoon, cat or opossum.

The first 7 miles were pretty smooth..but then the sun started beating down and I began to struggle. I made my second stop at the convenience store on my way home and I am sure left a trail of sweat behind me in the aisle as I grabbed a bottle of water. The cashier said "back again?" as I handed him my sweaty dollars, which were so wet he could not even put them in the register. A little embarrassing.  When I returned to Doug's house all I could say was "help"...."get me my PowerAde."

If you are ever in Vero Beach...I highly recommend running this trail. I bet it is wonderful in the winter months in the cool air. Thanks to Erin and Doug for introducing me to the Jungle Trail and being my Vero Beach running tour guides!