My Cruiser friend Beth volunteered to write a guest post about her two week vacation on Emerald Isle while keeping her training up for her fall marathon. You met Beth back in April when she was a guest writer and took you on her adventures running in the Paris Marathon with the following two posts: Beth’s Paris Marathon Recap, Part 1 and Vive Les Coureurs! Paris Marathon Recap, Part 2. Take it away, Beth…
My husband and I spent the first two weeks of September at the beach in beautiful Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Emerald Isle, or EI for short, is part of the Southern Outer Banks and is on a barrier island 30 miles long and ~½ mile wide.
This area is also fittingly called “the Crystal Coast”
EI is a wonderful, very family-oriented place. There is much to see and do, including Cape Lookout Lighthouse, the towns of Beaufort, Morehead City and Swansboro, and old Fort Macon. You can also just relax on the beach and watch the waves roll in – our favorite thing to do!
Wild horses live around Cape Lookout – this one looks stranded!
During our stay, I did several long runs as training for the Richmond Marathon.
Beginning my run on the path along Emerald Drive
The great thing about long runs is that it forces you to get up early (even on vacation) and not miss the beautiful sunrises!
EI has done a great job of building out a nice path for runners and bikers along the main road, Emerald Drive. However, unlike our beloved 45-mile W&OD trail, it is only ~6 miles long. So I had to be creative to get my 18-miler in without running on the main road too much!
Part of EI’s 6-mile trail
After running ~ 12 miles one day on the trail, I cut in to run close to the ocean along Ocean Drive.
I heard the ocean calling my name!
The best part of this run is I can take rest breaks along the way and view the ocean for as long as I like – you’re never in a hurry at the beach.
My favorite resting spot
I also passed the time on the long run by checking out beach house names – some are quite creative! My favorite is “At Ease” – EI is a favorite place for retired Marines.
At Ease
We also had the good fortune of seeing the Virginia Tech Hokies play the East Carolina University Pirates in Greenville, which is not too far from EI. The Pirates have quite a spirited fan base – we sat right in the middle of them! It was a close one, but our beloved Hokies pulled out a win! (Debbie’s note: I did not pay Beth extra to write about Hokie football. We’re just lucky to have that in common, too!)
Virginia Tech vs East Carolina University
If you ever get the chance to visit the Outer Banks, I highly encourage it. And bring your running shoes!
- Questions:
- If you have/or would like to have a beach house, what would you name it?
- Do you run on the beach or the roads/trails?
Thanks Debbie!
You did the hard work, I just provided a place for you to share it!
Oh that looks GORGEOUS!!
We had a beach house when I was younger in Duxbury, MA and I would spend the majority of my summer there. I looooved growing up there. We never named it though. Now that I think about it, I don’t think anyone in our “neighborhood” did that. We did have our family name on the fence though, as did some other folks.
I don’t run on the beach only because we’re not really close enough and I think I”d wreck myself if I tried. I tend to run the bike path near my house/the main roads.
@Courtney, thanks! Agree, the running on the sand is too tough for me.
Great guest post and gorgeous beach pics! And love that you mentioned the Hokies! What a close game!
@Nicole – it was! and the missed field goals were embarrassing, but at least they came out with a Win!
What a great beach post! I want to go to there! (30 Rock reference, if anyone is familiar with it 🙂
@Amy – Yes :), I love 30 Rock and will miss it!
I’m jealous! I love the North Carolina beaches!
@Julie – agree, they really are the best, so peaceful 🙂
That’s a FABULOUS sunrise photo…and I can practically hear the ocean!
I’m all for trail running, of any variety. But I draw the line at sand. Weird as it sounds…SAND is one of my biggest pet peeves…
@Holly – we were so lucky to have that view every morning! And it looks different every time. Agree, sand is not good for my legs/ankles!
I’m with you! We have a beach house on the Outer Banks and I’d rather it be on a lake in the mountains. 🙂
I am lucky to have a trail by me that goes for over 20+ miles. It has a bike lane and a dirt lane. The dirt lane is suppose to be more horses, yet I have never seen one single horse on it!
Can I choose a beach and mountain house?! I love both! We are also fortunate that we live about an hour from the beach, mountains, valley, and desert. We can choose from several different types of climates.
Sounds fabulous! 🙂
Emerald Isle running looks like fun! Way to stick to your training while on vacation. It’s not always easy to get up early to go running while on vacation, but the sunrises definitely make it worth it!
Glad y’all got to go watch the Hokies play the Purple Pirates, and thank goodness we pulled off a win!
Hmmmm if I had a beach house it’s name would definitely be Jimmy Buffet-themed.
Beautiful sunset photo!!
I love running on trails. I haven’t done much running on the beach, but we have a trip planned to Mexico in January that I’m really looking forward to trying it on =)
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