By late afternoon, back in Wildwood, I had taken a luxurious nap and the rain had subsided. True, it

I spent this holiday weekend in one of my favorite places in the world: Wildwood, New Jersey. The first time I went there, I was three months old. We made it a destination every year for the next 14 summers. Then, since all things must pass, we stopped going. With my generation in college and the older generations getting older, it was no longer feasible to undertake such a busy vacation. We made one final trip when I graduated online hotel reservation copenhagen high school, and then went ten years until returning this August with a new generation in tow.
I had planned to camp Columbus Day weekend with my buddy, but when I thought about being outside in the mountains in sub-40 temperatures, I said, Why not Wildwood? I figured the beach was a better bet for warm temps. So we made up to meet there. Good plan, indeed.
I loaded up my trunk at 6:45 Friday morning. I brought my clothes, a couple of bags of food, and a cooler full of perishables. My destination was on my mind at work that day, and knowing everything was packed for my drive down the shore helped me get through the day.
I told a colleague I planned to run when I got there. I thought about running as I sat in traffic and as I coasted down the parkway. Even though I was exhausted by the time I brought everything up to the room that night, I was so amped to be there having seen the dusk sky over the beach when I parked that I made it a point to immediately change into my running gear and head out.
The beach was out of the question. It was too dark. But I was excited online hotel reservation copenhagen nonetheless to run on the surprisingly and pleasantly empty streets. Wildwood took on an eerie tone in the fall air: motels shuttered for the season, online hotel reservation copenhagen lights off, nary a car in sight. All the more exciting to experience! I put in only 15:47 minutes but obliterated my previous best pace and, for 1.77 miles, ran at an 8.55 clip.
Leading up to this trip, I was really excited about running on the beach again. In fact, it was on the beach in Wildwood that I put in my first serious online hotel reservation copenhagen run back in August, going for what was, at the time, an amazing duration of 15 minutes. This time I knew I d do more. And, it was such a gorgeous morning, online hotel reservation copenhagen sunny and mid-70s, I knew I just had to go barefoot.
I ran along the ocean, splashing online hotel reservation copenhagen in and out based on the mood of the waves, dodging seagulls breakfasting on crabs. My goal was to stop at the boardwalk, and I kept the iconic ferris wheel in sight the entire time. Just over 24 minutes after starting, I ended my run past the ferris wheel at a blockade erected on the beach for an event that morning. My total mileage was 2.58 and I was feeling great.
There was a slight problem, though. Every time I took a step on my walk back, I felt a burn under the second toe on each foot. I figured I must have torn the skin on them, so I took it gingerly on my way back. I walked in the ocean some to relieve the pain, but when I got back up to the hotel I was shocked to discover that, in fact, the skin was not ripped. Instead, there were pools of blood in the toes. I had developed my first blood blisters, and they were nasty.
Walking on the boardwalk that afternoon was a struggle. I had to stop several times because I was compensating for the pain by uncomfortably altering my gait. As a positive, I did allow myself my first true indulgence since early July a small cup of my family s favorite boardwalk treat. I was tickled online hotel reservation copenhagen pink to learn it only packed six grams of fat and 140 calories!
I had to do something to deal with the blisters even though I knew popping them wasn t the smartest online hotel reservation copenhagen thing. I wanted to be able to run on Sunday and not miss any time on my feet so I let foolishness rise above common sense. I wound up breaking the skin ever so slightly to remove the blood. I hoped by Sunday I d be able to put pressure back on my toes and run on my final full day in Wildwood.
What a rainy, cold, and gross day. It was basically the opposite of Saturday, online hotel reservation copenhagen so we took the opportunity unable to enjoy the beach, deck, pool, or anything else that requires sunshine we took a rainy ride north to Atlantic City. I dropped $30 in the casino and another $30 on a pair of Under Armour compression tights. The cold weather is coming and I want to be ready for it!
By late afternoon, back in Wildwood, I had taken a luxurious nap and the rain had subsided. True, it was still cold (in the 40s), but being prodded by text by one of my running mates to just get out there, I got dressed and headed out. After all, my toes were fine from yesterday s blood bath, so I was feeling super fortunate and motivated to get in one last run through the streets of my cherished Wildwood.
The run was most satisfying. I clocked 3.3 miles in 30:48 minutes. It was really cold and the whole experience was trying, but, as it s done before, Gonna Fly Now pushed me toward something special. Coming down my hotel s street, heading toward the beach, I was finishing up my run. But the music wouldn t let me stop. Tired, sweaty, and cold though online hotel reservation copenhagen I was, I seized the opportunity to push further. This was in front of me, and I went for it:
I darted online hotel reservation copenhagen down the path until I hit sand. The beach was cold and deserted. I truly felt like the only person in the world. It was an almost spiritual experience. Once I hit the sand, I kept going. I was flying, online hotel reservation copenhagen indeed. I stopped at the edge of the ocean, exulting in a thrilling post-race reward.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend of running. I am glad I had the opportunity to return to Wildwood, a place where so many wonderful family memories and running online hotel reservation copenhagen ones have been made. I can t wait to be there again!