Blaine's Running Journal

Distance: 7.87km Time: 1:06 Pace: 8’29 kCal: 654 Heart: 123/145 RPE: 5 Type: 1x25min
The along waited vacation is here. After an overnight stopover in Atlanta, a short hop south to Turks and Caicos and a short taxi ride, we (my wife and I) finally arrived to the famous Grace Bay Beach. The water is Caribbean green and the sand is soft; a welcome sight after travelling from the not-so-sunny Southern California.

We were shown the hotel’s amenities and introduced to the exercise room. It was air conditioned and had some decent weights, ellipticals, and a few modern treadmills with HBO. But my mind was on one thing… an early morning beach run as the sun is coming up. So after a little more orientation, it was off to sleep to start my first day in paradise.

It’s 5:00 am.
I wake up and hear the surf as I get ready for my run.

Ring – Ring 5:00 am. I wake up and hear the surf. I jump out of bed with nay a sleepy eye because I’m so excited about getting on to the beach. It’s the crack of dawn and you can see the red glow off on the waters horizon.

It’s going to be a great day, so I put on my running shoes and already see a few runners out and about (oh – a word of caution, do not run for a long time barefoot in the water unless you want lots of blisters).

So off I went. I light jog, but it really felt difficult. The sand was a little too soft and the beach’s shoreline was steep. It was quite a challenge to keep my feet landing properly and then to pick them up again! Wow, how do all those people make it look so easy! But I struggled on, determined to do this and get the bragging rights once I returned back state-side.

Three miles later I was done, and you know what, it took a little getting used to, but I figured it out and the last part of my run was very enjoyable. I then took a few minutes to enjoy the waves and to watch the sunrise. From there I turned around and walked back to the hotel with a sense of great accomplishment. Upon entering the room, my wife was just getting up.

Coffee was on and we were ready to plan our first day in paradise!

Here’s what I learned about running on the beach…

• Find a flat shoreline – the flatter the better
• Run when the tide’s going out – it’s better to run on sand that was just covered with water
• Run with your running shoes on
• Don’t wear your earphones, just enjoy the sound of the waves
• Don’t forget the sun block – even if the sun is just coming up!
• Wear running shorts that you can get instantly wet so you can kick off your shoes at the end of the run. Why you ask? Because the water is sooooo inviting!