North Carolina - Day 2 (Long Run)

I thought it might be a little chilly when I got up because it was still dark and it was cold in our condo, but as soon as I opened the door, I knew that would not be the case. It was very warm already at 6am.

My plan was to run nice and slow so I could enjoy the sights and still feel good by the end, and it worked! I did NOT run on the beach. Whenever I told people I went running, they assumed I ran on the beach, but that would have been very unwise to do my long run on terrain I'm not used to at all. Running in that loose sand would have killed my calves! Anyway, I ran on the sidewalk, and the road when there wasn't a sidewalk, down to Fort Macon which was about 5 miles. It was so fun to watch the sun rise while I ran, and here's where it was when I got to my destination:

It was really pretty and I was just so happy to be out there!

One of the reasons I was excited to run to Fort Macon is that it's a state park and it said there were bathrooms there on the map. Yay, bathrooms on a long run are a must! But, I had to go under a gate to get in, and the sign on the gate said it opened at 8. It was about 7 when I got there, but I was still hopeful there would be an open public bathroom. No such luck, though. They were all locked up. I felt ok though, so I ate my margarita shot blocks (which were really good!) and refilled my hand-held water bottle at the little foot showers (hoping the water was good to drink) because I was about out, then headed back.

It's weird because I'm not used to drinking that much when I run at all. Even on my long runs, I usually just take a few sips when I need to take my gel, but with the humidity there, I was so glad I decided to bring water since I was so thirsty the whole time!

On the way home, I kept an eye out for a bathroom. It took a while, but I finally got to a public beach with a bathroom. This was such a welcome site because I was to the point of having to walk a little on and off. When I got up to it, the sign said, "bathhouse hours: 8am to dusk" and I wanted to cry! Luckily it was open, though! Whew!

I felt much better after that, but decided I'd just be done when I got back to the condo even though it would be closer to 10 than 12 miles because it was taking me forever. I ran on a little boardwalk on the beach, then just stayed on a little road that was different than the one I came out on, thinking it would take me back to the main road before I got to my condo. It did put me back onto the main road, but after I'd been running for a lot longer than I thought I'd have to run, I noticed I was getting closer to the Sheraton then I remembered being. I took out my phone, looked at the map, and sure enough, I'd got 1.3 miles past our condo! Oops! I texted Katie and told her that since I knew she'd be waiting for me, then turned around and just kept plugging along. I was soaking wet, and had just finished my water by the time I got to our parking lot, but I was so happy to be feeling really good! It had taken me 2.5 hours instead of the 2 I had planned, and I ended up going 12.5 miles! This run was a really good confidence booster for my upcoming race. It may have been slow, but I can do the distance! :)

George was still asleep when I got home too! Katie was so sweet and made me some eggs, and I made a smoothy to go with them. Then we went right down to the beach so I could soak in the ocean for a little while. Of course, you can't just float in the ocean (at least I can't) so I ended up playing around and riding waves for about 20 minutes while Katie sat with George.

Then I just sat and relaxed on the beach.

And George got his first taste of sand. Literally.

He liked the water too, but only if it was just his feet in it. Otherwise, it was a little too scary.

LOVE this picture!

The rest of the day was very relaxed. We went to lunch at The Rudy Duck with my Grandma, and I wore my compression socks as we walked around and looked at some souvenir shops. Katie said, "I can't believe you're wearing that." But it made my legs feel better! Then we went back to our condo and watched the first half of the 6-hour Pride and Prejudice and had french toast and sausage for dinner there. What a great day!