Sunday adventure run

My running buddy and I were meant to meet at our favorite park today to go for a ten mile training run.  Ten minutes before our meeting time, my buddy called to let me know the park was closed for a mud race. My first reaction was disappointment that I hadn't known about the race, as I love a good obstacle race!  The second reaction was concern - I had limited time and didn't want to miss out on my last chance for a long run before we head to New Zealand on Wednesday. Luckily, my buddy had a plan. We tried another park nearby, but it hadn't opened yet. So, we drove to a nearby residential area, parked our cars, stuck money in our pockets and took off.  We dodged cars for about half a mile, then veered off onto a trail he had found on a previous run in that area. We ran for about two miles on a mix of trail and sugar sand, running under shady trees. The day was already hot and humid but there was a nice breeze blowing and we were having fun exploring new trails. The path we were on ended, but we found a horse trail that ran behind some houses. I prayed no-one was up too early to wonder what we were doing, but other than a few dog walkers, we had the trail to ourselves. It must be strange to wander around your house in your Sunday pj's and see random people running by!
The heat was wearing us down a little but we realized the trail joined up to the second park we had tried to get into - Tree Tops Park in Davie. And by now, the gates were open, so we ran right in.  Water fountains in the distance - delicious cold water inside! Yahoo!
We ran our old loops, reminiscing, then it was time to turn around and find our way back.  Out in the open, the heat would have been debilitating, and we would never have made eight miles on our original planned trails. But in the end we ran just under nine (depending on whose GPS you trust!) and had an awesome time.  We kept saying "this is so much fun!"  Always a good way to start a Sunday.  Half an hour drive home and a nice cold glass of freshly made carrot, apple, ginger and beet juice.
Really, does a Sunday morning get any better than that?? :-)