Running in Manteo

Despite having to take an unplanned rest day for sudden shin splints, I had a great Tempo Run this morning putting 3 miles behind me in 20:54 after a mile run at 8:30 pace then followed those miles with almost 3 and a half more at below 8:30 pace.  That part of my training, speed with some distance, is going well.  However, after my 10 x 200 workout on Sunday, I know that my lactate turn stuff needs improvement.  Especially since I have the 800 to run in Maryland on the 24th.

I have those workouts on the schedule so I'm confident it will come together.

But for today's blog I wanted to give y'all a look at my long run on my "original" training route in Manteo, NC.

I start and finish at my house (duh) right at the rose arbor I built a few years back.

 

Crepe Myrtles are pruned and ready for spring.

 

 

I head up the street, right to left in the picture above, and around the corner to head up to the North end of the island.

 

After rounding the corner, I run along the sidewalk where I blew up my ankle by stepping on a pine cone in the dark, and then past the high school and my church then come up to the next corner where I turn right to head towards the sound.  Right at the half mile point and at that corner is a house where I've done a bunch of work.  I transformed an unfinished garage with a dirt floor into a two room efficiency with a kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom with one of the coolest decorative ceilings I think I've ever designed.  I also created the paint scheme and selected the colors for the house which was nothing but peeling white paint before I got ahold of it.  We actually used 3/8 paint brushes to do the railings.  But even now almost 6 years later it looks fantastic.

 

 

There are 8 different colors on the front door alone.

 

 

From there I chug down Scuppernong (a street name), past mile marker one and turn left to run along Mother Vineyard that parallels the Sound.  Along there is a couple of my favorite spots.  A tunnel cut out of cedar trees,

 

 

and the 1.5 mile mark where I can look out across the Sound to Nags Head.  Many mornings I've seen the sunrise from this corner, and the view is always something that makes me smile.

 





 

 

The road bends back around to the left here and I have almost a half mile exactly before turning right and heading North on the bike path.  This is a long stretch, about 3 miles, but full of niceties along the way.  Mainly there are always people out here and more than half of them I'll know.  Along with their dogs.  It's always fun to hear, "Hey Ed!  In town this weekend?"  Of course sometimes I'll yell back, "Nope," and watch their faces crinkle up then laugh.

 

One of the neat places I pass is Island Farm.  It's a place set up to show what things were like on the island back in the 1800's.  Complete with cows and native horses.

 

 

They ignored me when I called them today.

 

 

Further up the path, at about the 4 mile mark is Fort Raleigh Park.  That's where the first English colony was established on this continent back in 1587.  And, yes, it's the famous "Lost Colony" which vanished without a trace before supply ships returned to them after being away during the war with Spain.  When I want to go 11 or 12 miles I'll duck down into the park here and run through the trails in the woods around the Fort.

 

 

 

After that it's just a mile to the end of the island and the Mann's Harbor Bridge.  That's where over 300,000 purple martins roost every summer.  Watching them come in at night is something everyone should see.  It'll take your breath away.







 

 

 

 

What's totally cool is that I took that video after running 5 miles in under 40 minutes and I'm barely breathing.  Love it.

 

From here it's back down the path passing all the same stuff, but from the other direction.  (Captain Obvious strikes again.)  Including "the Hill."  Every time we come to this point we yell, "Hill!!" and charge up it.  All three strides....

 

 

Hey, It's a flat island.

 

 

And here's a shot of the bike path I took on the run.  It's sort of the same view a dozen other times along this route...

 

 

A little farther down the path is one of the several horses people own.  This one decided to at least look at me.  I guess it knew I hadn't brought any baby carrots with me because he didn't come over to the fence to see me.

 

 

 

Just before I make that last turn onto my street there are three little houses called the Toy Boat Houses and they're a great place for folks to stay when you come here for Relay for Life in May! 

 

 

Note the totally cool tree house!

 

Just google "Roanoke Island Accomodations" and the first link is to a friend of mine's website.  It's an amazing site that will give you all you need to find in the Outer Banks.  I'd put the link up but telling you to just google that proves that this guy owns Search Engine Optimization.

 

 

 

And when you come visit I'll be right on this front porch to welcome you.  I probably won't be sweaty and have the red eyes from running in the freezing cold...unless of course we go for a run!