Swim Bike Run near Brandon! Need advice (Tampa, Clearwater: 2015, how much)

[NorthernGator]

I've taken the plunge and moved to Brandon! Being new to both Florida and Brandon there's a learning curve.

I'm looking for paved trails, the longer the better in or around Brandon. I'm getting back into running and some light biking. If you have any tips on the safety of specific trails that would be very helpful. Or if you know the website for whomever controls the trails city, county or state that would be fantastic. I believe Tampa has a few and I'm considering going to Clearwater for my long runs on Sun, but really need some closer for shorter runs during the week and maybe for walking too.

In a few months I'll be looking for unpaved trails (gravel not totally off road) to run on.

Swimming-- my understanding is the only places with indoor pools are LA Fitness and Shapes (too small) and the only place with lifeguards is the Y system but they have only outdoor pools. I'm ideally looking for indoor, with the lap lanes, backstroke flags and black line on the bottom and lifeguards, but any place with the lap lanes, flags and black line will do because I'm desperate.

Thanks so much for any info. In my old state they had a robust city pool system and big trail system so I'm struggling trying to find places to swim and run outside here.

[BucFan]

Brandon Sports Aquatic Center - Brandon Fl

As far as running, not really sure what your option in Brandon are. I'd find a safe looking open (non-gated) community and run there - if there's minimal car traffic and good sidewalks. The community of Bloomingdale (google map) has ample running and is a safe neighborhood. Probably a good community for biking as well.

[bobisinthehouse]

Brandon doesn't have a city government like Tampa. Brandon uses Hillsborough County for services like police, fire and rescue. Here is the website for the County. I tried to find a lap pool in Brandon. no luck. You may find a lap pool in Tampa, but all the towns around you are all in County district. Even if you had a Recreation Center in Brandon, you would still have to pay a fee to use the facility.

looks like LA Fitness centers are all 25 meters long, but there is one Olympic size pool, 50 meters in Tampa. The pool is called, Bobby Hicks Pool in Tampa. I called and they said it cost 4 dollars for 2 hours of lap swimming.

Hillsborough County, FL - Official Website

Here is a video of what the pool looks like, but don't pay much attention to the news reporter. It has nothing to do with exercising and taking laps.

Swimmers want permanent shade at Tampa pool

I hope this helps you. Welcome to Tampa Bay.

[housingcrashsurvivor]

The only commercial indoor I'm aware of is LA Fit. I think it's a 70 footer. The only other indoor I know of is USF's. You need to be with the school (student/worker) or with the alumni association (they do have a friends category for reasonable cost). For outdoor pools check the Y's mentioned but also check the public schools, especially high schools. They might have pools and if so they might have hours available to the public.

Google also the county aquatics program. Just found this, no idea what it is... Brandon Sports Aquatic Center - Brandon Fl

For trails we have some of the best parks in the state. East of you is Alafia and N at Temple Terrace/Thonotosassa is the Wilderness Preserve. That's mostly off road though the Wilderness at Flatwoods also has a paved bike trail, wide enough to also accommodate runners, access via New Tampa.

The trails are mixed use, generally bikes but also runners/walkers. We'll try not to run you down but do keep alert.

For gravel, wow, I don't know of gravel off road off hand but there are off road road rock trails that might fit your purpose. they usually run along drainage canals and I know there's one at the wilderness but I don't know the extent of it. I've just crossed over it, not run the length. Lemme google map.....yeah, this might be just what you are looking for. I used to ride them out in the everglades, real fun.

here I'm not sure as to all their access points. You may have to get through fences here and there. But here's google of what I'm talking about...

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0882...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

so that trail going over the river, following that north and south and you'll see the extent. That's a double track hard packed road rock trail. You could run on that or use a hybrid bike if you don't have a mountain bike for the single track trails. Where I show on the map is public access but I don't know how much of that is publicly accessible. Even if some is not designated public access I doubt anyone would stop you.

PS. here's the trail at Fowler. On the south side I see a access point for non motorized access (people, bikes) and on the N side, not sure what I'm looking at but that kiosk might be like a trailhead though google shows the trail only from Fletcher north from cattycorner to TT up into New Tampa.

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0541138,-82.345968,3a,15y,190.09h,85.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNXvUcP3LyY8SWkJjO6NBEg!2e0!7i1 3312!8i6656?hl=en

But just looked some more at drainage in Brandon area and I do see some no trespassing signs on those canal banks, so I'm not sure if you can use them. Maybe some are designated and some aren't. Not sure.