A Trail In The Sand By The Sea

I didn't write a post yesterday, the first day of 2015. It was just Cliff and I....the kids have all gone home. I didn't feel well so I didn't do much of anything except cook our usual New Year's Day lunch....black eye peas and collard greens with cornbread. 

However, today, I wanted to run or ride the bike or something. So......after a late breakfast, Cliff and I decided to go on a trail run at Huntington Beach State Park. This particular run was threefold. The first was a trail through the woods, the second on the beach and the third on the jetties.

Part 1:

The wooded trail......



The trail was sandy, covered in spots with pine straw and had it's fair share of roots. I only twisted my ankle once and got stuck in the foot by a stick, once.

It even had some hills.

 

There were some pretty vistas. The path parallels a long pond. It's hard to see here, but ducks were plentiful. And if Cliff goes back there in the morning to duck hunt, I may need to start a fund for his bail money.

This is an oak, believe it or not.

Cliff thinks he may move in and build a house among it's branches.

I love running on boardwalks. We crossed two or three. Plus a major one that leads to the beach.

 

 

Part 2:

The beach trail.....

The major one.

The beach.

Do you see that thin black line in the middle of this picture? That's the jetties at Murrells Inlet and our destination.

 

Getting closer......

 

 

Part 3:

The jetty trail...

The destination.

 

The sea was so calm today.

Not much splashing on the rocks.

 

On the way back, Cliff caught crabs....

 

 

A crab, I mean, a crab. A horseshoe crab. LOL!!

 

 And, I thought I heard Cliff singing....

 

I got my toes in the water, toes in the sand
Not a worry in the world, a crab in my hand
Life is good today, life is good today

 

......under his breath.

Although, Zac Brown might want to slap him for monking with his song.

 

Just saying...

 

Well, this out and back run was nearly 6 miles. We had a great time and got some much needed exercise, as well. If I can keep Cliff out of the slammer and Zac off his back, we might take the bikes back tomorrow and ride them on the hard sand near the water's edge back to the jetties.

 

Til then,

Laurie

Hell Hole Swamp 10K

2014 Hell Hole Swamp 10K Gator Run

Jamestown is a very small town in SC. A crossroads, really. The last census reported a population of 72. But as small as Jamestown is, it is known for quite a few things. If you've ever traveled Hwy 41 or 17-A, there's a chance you were caught in it's infamous "speed trap". And for 43 years, the town has had the annual Hell Hole Swamp Festival that hosts beauty contests, barbeque cook-offs, a parade, a children's spitting contest using cocoa mix and an arm wrestling contest...just to name a few. Or, if you happen to be a runner, you may have run in the Hell Hole Swamp 10K Gator Run.

The real deal......

(photo courtesy of someone else)

The winners receive a real mounted alligator head.

Well, I am a runner and I ran the 10K Gator Run this morning. Of the 6.2 miles, the first and last miles were on pavement. The 4.2 miles in the middle were on a rock/dirt road that ran through part of the Francis Marion National Forest. Cliff and I drove the "run route" a few weeks ago, so I already knew the rock/dirt road was going to be a challenge. After riding the dirt road, I can't say I was overly excited about running this race. But I was already registered, so decided to do my best.

I read a race report from a previous year and it was described as sightings of alligators, snakes, boar and wild turkeys being possible. If you've been a reader of my blog for awhile, then you know how deathly afraid of snakes I am. So, this little bit of information did not help my excitement level. Cliff was unable to be with me today because he had a race of his own. (Bragging on him for a minute....he won his age group. Go Cliff!) Usually, he is with me and fighting off such animals is totally his gig. I might mention, he has never had to defend my life against such creatures, but it's his duty none-the-less. Or, to arm me with weapons....just in case I am charged by a wild hog or something.

So anyway, as I said before....I was not overly excited about this race. The thoughts of rock roads and snakes and such was enough to give me the shivers. I figured there was safety in numbers, though, unless I got left behind. OMG, there goes another fear!

The finish line, but also the area for packet pick-up.

Packet pick-up.

I arrived to the "middle of town" to pick up my race packet, which also happened to be the finish line. I overheard someone asking where the start line was and one of the Hell Hole Swamp staffers said, "You take a right and go down about a mile...there will be a white line in the road. Start there." HaHa, I was amused.

I guess this guy was making sure that there was indeed a gator along the way.

Oh well, to each his own. If I had to run with that thing on my back, I would chuck him into the first swamp I ran by.

At the start line, a pick-up truck came riding up beside us with a man standing in the back, wielding a shotgun. All of a sudden, we realized that he would be the one to give "when the gun goes off" a whole new meaning. He aimed his gun, shot....and nothing. The gun didn't go off. HaHa! He turned a little red. He opened the shotgun and replaced a shell and gave it another try. And BOOM......we were off.

The first mile was on paved road, which was not closed to traffic I might add. It was all good, though. The residents of Jamestown were happy to have us there and gave us plenty of room on the highway. After a mile, we turned right onto the rock/dirt road that ran through a portion of the Francis Marion National Forest. There was a well appointed water stop and although the temps were cool, I needed something to drink. I was already breathing hard after going out too fast, as usual. Let me tell ya, their water was ice cold....a nice surprise for sure.

Heading on down the rock/dirt road, I was acutely aware of my surroundings. I was looking out for snakes, wild hogs and alligators. I was concentrating on landing surefooted. The last thing I needed was to step on a rock and twist my ankle. I surely did not want to be left behind. And then, I started noticing the birds chirping and the smell of sweet honeysuckle. I was actually enjoying myself. Mile two came quickly, then another water stop, a right turn and then mile three. Ahead of me were three ladies and about this time I was able to pass two of them. The third was still a good distance ahead. I didn't make it a goal to pass her...I just wanted to stay near. Because, you know the thing where there's safety in numbers. Anyway, approaching mile four, I noticed that I was starting to gain on her. I began channeling my inner "Alice". Remember Alice....my very fast running friend? Well, I started chanting to myself....Run like Alice, Run like Alice, Run like Alice. And then, it wasn't long before I passed that lady, too.

The rock/dirt road and the lady I passed around mile four.

Just over four miles and the sight of the railroad crossing made me exclaim out loud, "Thank goodness, we are almost back to the highway."

Back on the highway, we had roughly a mile to go. Again, the roads were not closed to traffic and we had cars passing us every few minutes. I did not feel alarmed or worried. The drivers were being respectful. With about a half mile left to go, the parade participants had started lining the road. I don't even know what all those trucks and corvettes were doing in the parade, but there was a passel of them. We had to dodge a horse being removed from a horse trailer, a few men in red shirts and I'm guessing part of the "Shriners". I kind of laughed to myself because they watched us like we couldn't see them. I waved to them as I passed and they just glared. Can only imagine what they were thinking....probably something like "Look at that one there, she's done tuckered out." Ha!

And just like that.....the race was over. I was clearly surprised at how awesome this race turned out to be. I didn't see the first snake or wild hog....holla! The temperature was just right. The smells were just right. The water stops with ice cold water was just right.

And the enthusiasm of the Hell Hole Swampers was just right.

 I had a great race and will definitely be back next year.  

In case you were wondering:

Ran: 10K (6.29 miles on my Garmin)

Finish Time: 1:18 hr

Avg. Pace: 12:29

Place: 92 out of 105

Talk soon,

Laurie



9-Mile Trail Run

 Last Saturday, Cliff and I ran an almost 9-mile trail run from Buck Hall near Awendaw, SC. I had a couple of weeks before starting to train for my next half marathon and thought I would like to try something different.

 

I liked the description I read about the trail from the event organizer. He said, "The portion of the Palmetto Trail that we will be running on is The Awendaw Passage. This is the coastal terminus of the Palmetto Trail, ending at the intracoastal waterway, the "sea" part of the Mountain-to-the Sea Trail. This is also where you'll see palmetto trees along the trail. The trail follows Awendaw Creek through a maritime forest and offers sweeping vistas of the salt marsh."

 

Cliff and our friend, Tom, ran a portion of it last November. I guess that's what started me thinking about trail running. You can read about that adventure here.

 

It was raining Saturday morning and I thought we might have to cancel, but as a long-time follower of the Weather Channel, I determined that the rain was quickly moving away from the area and that we would, indeed, run the trail. AND then......wouldn't you know it. My cockamamie nerves decided to throw me a curve ball. I had not been feeling nervous at all and was actually looking forward to running. But the nerves decided otherwise. I dealt with them all morning. I guess they sensed that I had never run on trails before and got a little out of sorts. So it goes.

 

The crowd had gathered and the line up was according to age. Wasn't that nice to give us older runners a head start. It wouldn't matter. I still got passed...a lot. I only passed one person. I need to work on that. My goals for this run were: 

1) Finish in 2 hours

2) Not to break a foot or ankle

3) Not finish last

And, I am happy to say, I met all my goals.

 

The trail run was an out and back. For at least the first 1/2 mile or so, this is what the trail looked like. The path was clear of roots and was quite enjoyable to run on.

 

 

 

We ran on several bridges, which I loved. They had just the right amount of give.

 Then there were the Palmetto fronds. You can see a few roots in this picture.

 

 

And even more roots, in this one. To the right of the trail is the Awendaw Creek.

 

And this is the Awendaw Creek vista showing the salt marsh.

 

 

Being a novice trail runner, I would have to describe this run as very tough. We had to run over roots and dodge holes, there were up hills and down hills and slick mud built up over one area like a dike. I walked that, maybe 8 foot, section. I was not about to come out those woods looking like I belonged in a Rambo movie. My feet hurt so bad and my ankles were very sore. Obviously, I did not have the right shoes. When I finished, I told Cliff, "never again!"

 

And now, one week later, I am scouring the Internet for more trails. I am going to buy trail shoes this weekend. The pain? I described it to someone as birthing a baby. You hurt for a while, but when it's over you forget the pain. You are left with a beautiful experience and can't wait for the next one. Yes, I have to say that after the initial learning curve and pain, I think I fell in love with trail running.

 

On to the next adventure,

Laurie

 

Crocus Confusion

Is it me or my Crocuses? Someone is confused.

The last time I checked, Crocuses are supposed to bloom in March.

Or maybe it's the variety I have....maybe this is the fall blooming kind that blooms into February.

Do they need a colder climate to bloom that long? Maybe that explains why they are showing themselves just now.

 

Who knows?

But get this, not only are the Crocuses in bloom, but the Grape Hyacinths, too.

 

I've decided not to question Mother Nature.

She has her reasons and I sure don't want to get on her bad side.

She can wreak havoc of epic proportions anytime she wants.

And I don't want her slinging an almighty hurricane in my path this summer.

 

And even though, I really want more winter weather....like snow and 20 degree days.......

 

(No....I am not crazy)

 

I'll accept her fabulous gifts of these lovely flowers. She is saying something, people.

 

It's a promise of spring.  

 

*******

 

In case you were wondering.......

 

I'm still huffing and puffing at the gym. It seems to be getting a little easier.

I don't heave and holler, "Oh Lord!" anymore.

I hope that means I'm getting stronger. I can't wait to see what it does for my running.

Speaking of which, I'm running 5 miles tomorrow and then a couple of 3-mile days, this week.....before my 9-mile trail run next Saturday.

 

More on that later,

Laurie