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This is what I would consider the most well-balanced method of doing 10 miles. This is also what I would consider the pinnacle of loops at the parks in terms of diversity trails, scenery, and personally overall appeal. 

What appeals to me the most about this route is just how simple it is. There are absolutely zero extraneous loops that need to be hit. It is as simple as following the clearly marked and mapped trails that are publicly known and documented, and well maintained by both the city of Tallahassee and State of Florida. Which makes this route really cool to me. It seems like it is best not only what the park has to offer, but what the city has when it comes to places to run. 

Now, with all of that sentimental rubbish out of the way, I can explain to you how and why to run a 5 and 5. Doing the 5 and 5 loops is quite simple, you just start with a Lake Loop to do 5 miles on the  Phipps Park Side. Then, you go to the Maclay Gardens side and do a Lake Overstreet Loop. That is completely it. This is a very, very simple route. I warned you. 

But its simplicity is what makes this route so appealing. For on this route, there are close to 8.5 miles of unique trails. For a run located on multiple loops this is completely absurd. Nearly every mile of this trail, with the exception of the return trip on the main trail and the trek back up the connector between the Top Loop and Lake Overstreet Loop, are only traveled 

one time. Let me state that again for you: 8 and a half miles of just unique trails. You will not tire of this loop. You cannot tire of this loop. This is not just a regular loop; this is an actual tour of the entire park system’s main trails. 

Now the main “downside,” and I use the word downside in quotations because I do not consider it such, is that you are just in essence doing a very commonly run route with the addition of an extra, similar route. But to me, that makes the 5 and 5 so brilliant. You are taking a bland yet reliable and strong route, the Lake Loop, and turning it into a staple of a well-balanced run. 

I struggled with finding the correct words to describe this route more than any other loop, and that is because what makes this route great is just what makes running on trails great fundamentally. It is just the simple act of exploration, of covering distance, that makes the 5 and 5 work so well. If there is any route that I urge you to try, if you feel confident enough to run 10 miles, then the 5 and 5 is the one.