Beyond the Blog Day 24 (May 21) - TO THE SEA!
Reflecting back on this day, I completely underestimated the significance of actually making it to the coast. I was so focused on the mile-by-mile, day-by-day routine...and we had been making some great progress in the last few days, actually finishing the day early. So getting to Surf City was seemingly just a point on the map, marking the beginning of my trek down the coast to Surfside Beach just five days away. But I’ll get to that explosion of emotions in a few paragraphs. First, about the day….
Michael steps in and takes charge!
This was the first full day of Michael providing support, and he did an awesome job of preparing some goodie bags for me full of my favorite stuff...vanilla oreos, peanut butter crackers, and more. These were the staples of the Ruck, along with coke, potato chips, and tuna subs..which explains why I gained eight pounds by the time the event was done. But whatever, I just needed high calories and nutrition actually never turned out to be a challenge.
We set off from Hampstead first thing, leaving from a conveniently-located gas station and trying to avoid Rt 17 as much as possible. While the highway certainly provides the most direct route parallel to the beach, it is also the most treacherous, with both locals and tourists careening down the 4-lane highway at all sorts of speeds and in all sorts of conditions. Our plan was to cross 17 and ruck on the mainland closest to Topsail Beach. I’d then head north to cross the bridge to Surf City, my actual first beach destination! I chose Surf City specifically because I liked going from one “surf” to another...finishing at Surfside Beach, SC.
These guys aren't so funny when they are trying to run you over
It was actually very pretty in the area around Hampstead, with lots of large estates, winding roads, and golf courses. This is where I almost got taken out by these guys. I was going about my business, just rucking on down the road in front of Olde Pointe Golf Course. I see these two old guys in a golf cart, puffing on their stogies in a cloud of disgusting smoke. Right when I am almost in front of them, they put the hammer down and peel out in front of me. It was so deliberate and I was so shocked, it almost didn’t register. I guess if I was spending my last days waiting to die on a golf course, I’d find my amusement where I could. And the fact that they actually looked like Statler and Waldorf made the whole incident rather amusing. Mostly because I did not get hit.
The rest of the run, to Sloop Point and then back to 17, was lovely. It was warm but not baking, plenty of shade trees and generally enough room for me on the side of the road. We found a local park, the Hampstead Kiwanis Park, and I was able to ruck around the park grounds and up and down a boardwalk with Matt.
Our lovely spot in the shade of a truck, at Kiwanis Park, just chilling
I was probably at 15 miles at this point, and the day was just going smoothly, with the exception of my uncooperative toes. One toe in particular felt somewhat broken, and I believed I complained about it throughout the entire Ruck, simply because a toe is a very stupid thing. I am anti-toe.
I eventually made it to the bridge into Surf City, spanning the intercoastal waterway. It was really a stunning day, with lots of happy beachgoers headed into the weekend. Surf City is a busy, fun beach with lots of public parking (unlike Oak Island….boo...hiss…). I was full of joy as I began running towards the beach itself...and full of some other powerful emotion that began to well up inside of me. And then, when I actually stepped onto the beach, it came pouring out. I lost it, completely, all by myself as I gazed out at the sea. I was here! From the mountains to the coast! I still had a hundred miles to go, but dammit, it was here! I called Cheryl, the person who knows me best in the universe, and just blubbered on the phone. But she got it. She knew this was kind of a big deal, the end before the end. So many challenges behind us (and yeah, one or two still yet to come!). I said a prayer of thanks for being kept safe, and for all of our teammates also being safe, and then walked away from the beach, shuffling on to complete my mileage.
A perfect ending to the day. Matt and Michael ran the rest of the bridge to the finish
Matt and Michael parked on the other side of the bridge and met me halfway upon my return. We ran together over the rest of the bridge and it was an awesome moment, so perfect in so many ways. Accomplishment, teamwork, natural beauty, and a gift of a day. We were at the sea!!
As a post-script, Michael has reminded me of two things. First, that he thinks Subway sucks and so my tuna sub came from Jersey Mike's, not Subway. Was it delicious? Yes! But I think both Subway and Jersey Mike's deserve accolades, as Subway wins in the "Maybe it's Tuna, Maybe Not, But Do You Really Care?" category, and Jersey Mike wins the "Nobody Has Looked Too Closely at Our Tuna, Yet" category.
Secondly, we had dinner at Poe's Tavern in Wrightsville Beach with Becky and Stephanie, who were there for the big run the next day. Apparently I was in one of my "I have to run 25 miles tomorrow and need to go to bed" moods and he only got to drink one beer. So I owe him that. Poe's was awesome, though.
Tomorrow: Best Day Ever!
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