Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Wednesday Workout Update

I'm just going to admit this right now - I am extremely jealous of the residents of the area where our son lives in North Carolina.  The Greenways and trails are incredible.  You can run, walk, or bike for miles without having to deal with road traffic; plus, the lush vegetation makes for such a pretty view...that area really embraces the whole "quality of life" ideal and it's hard to not be dissatisfied at the thought of running our usual routes in Texas.  But, we live where we live (for now, anyway), so I'll focus on the enjoyment I get from running with my friends...and make plans to return to NC again soon.

We kept seeing marked entrances to Greenways all around Cary and Apex, so one morning Jeff and I drove out to one; there was a small dirt area about 500 feet from the entrance where a few cars could park - not sure if this would be an issue on a weekend when more people might be using the trail, but we were the only car there on the random Tuesday morning a couple of weeks ago.  This Greenway was nicely paved, plus there were several wooden boardwalks that went over a wetlands area - it's mostly flat, which of course you know I appreciated.  We ran for just over a mile and then turned around and ran a mile back.  We were still on the path so we were able to take some pictures:
These signs make it easy to find the entrances to the Greenways.
Jeff was trying to decipher the map...
 
The maps are pretty detailed and probably make more sense to residents who are familiar with the area, but we did OK with finding our bearings.
 One of the boardwalks that went over the marshy wetlands area.
So green!  Such trees!  Much happiness.
 Two-mile selfie with a nice background!
 
You can see a bit of the marsh here...
Cattails in the marsh - we also saw a giant blue heron but it flew away before I could get a picture.  Still, it was quite cool to be so close to one like that!
 Beautiful path, perfect for running!
 Another boardwalk - we crossed over three of them in the span of one mile.
 I asked him to pose for a picture - he responded with the "victory finish line" stance, LOL.

As you can probably tell, we really enjoyed running in North Carolina!  And if we lived there, I'd buy a better bike and ride the Greenways and trails on my non-running days.  They make it so conducive to lead a healthy outdoor life!

36 comments:

  1. I can totally see why you enjoyed running there so much, it's beautiful. It's not hot where I live but it's not so pretty where I run. This spot in NC is perfect for running!

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    1. Now see, I think it's very pretty where you run! :)

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  2. I've been enjoying your posts from NC! It's fun to see you on "my side" of the country!

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  3. It sure is beautiful! It's so nice to have ready access to natural areas with good trails. I lived in Boise, Idaho for 15 mths and when I moved there I made it a point to find an apt in short walking distance from their Greenbelt. It runs all along the river and was one of the smartest things I did in that move. Makes it easy to want to get out for a walk or bike ride and I will include that as a high want in any future moves.

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    1. That's what we are thinking - next time we make a move, we'll look for good outdoor access like this.

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  4. Wow! So beautiful - love your pictures. We have some good trails around here too :)

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    1. Ah, you're lucky to have trails! Love your blog name; thanks for commenting! :)

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  5. It is great when you find a community that caters to a healthy life. When I lived in Summerville, SC we did not have any safe running or walking paths. Now living in Park City, UT, you never have to deal with traffic if you don't want to because of all the wonderful trails.

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    1. After seeing SLC, I can only imagine how beautiful Park City is - you are lucky!

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  6. So you know what I'm thinking, right? You can't move there! That's too far away! If you move, you need to move THIS direction! We have green (sometimes.) We have boardwalks! Heck, I've even seen a great blue heron on my dirt road a half mile from my house.

    Seriously, its really beautiful. It makes me want to visit NC even more. When I visited Nashville(?) they had those greenways for walking. It was very very nice.

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    1. LOL - I know, it's going the opposite direction!!!

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  7. I'm lucky to live near the Silver Comet Trail in Atlanta because it's nice and flat for walking and biking, which my knees love. I feel kind of silly that I drive the two miles to the trail, but I would never make it over all the hills on the way. Atlanta and its surrounding neighborhoods are very hilly!

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    1. I noticed those hills as we drove through Atlanta - nice that you have some flat trails and can avoid them (which I'd totally do, too). :)

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  8. I'm of course intrigued by the "for now" of Texas living; hope the future brings great runs and bike rides somewhere that truly calls to you, whether it be NC or Maui or the Alps or who knows!

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    1. "for now" - well, you never know...and of course if I ever get a grandchild (looks to be waaaaay down the line) I'll be stuck to that kid like glue!

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  9. Little Helen has something very similar near her new place in Princeton. As I felt jealousy there I so understand yours. I also came home telling Mr. Helen that if we lived somewhere like that I'd start biking so GMTA!

    Personally, I feel NC is a GREAT place to think about retiring too ;)


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    1. Haha, NC could be THE blogger retirement destination!

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    1. I'd say be jealous, except that I know where you live now...so I'm jealous of you!!

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    2. LOL -- believe me, the allure of running across the Golden Gate Bridge once in a while is calling .... ;)

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  11. We vacation in Delaware (beach area) & their Greenways look a lot like this. So lovely! Our fam hits the trail with bikes. Just beautiful. Lots of birds, an occasional deer..
    Jeff's pose-haha.
    Chrissy

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  12. how wonderful... from the mom in me isnt it nice to know your boy is in such a nice area ??
    so glad you had fun and kept active.

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  13. Haven't checked in on the blogosphere for awhile... so glad to see you are still going strong! Your adventures look so fun :)

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    1. Thanks! Dogged determination in the first couple years of weight loss has made all of these adventures possible.

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  14. Yep, Rachel was the first to tell me about Cary, NC - because I live in Cary, IL! I follow several bloggers who live in NC and SC - it is definitely a great year round place to live!

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    1. Cary, Cary! And my friend is Cary. It's all good. :)

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  15. I would love to bike on those trails! We have a fair number of trails around here, but it would be nice if they were all connected somehow.

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    1. A lot of these trails do connect, or are in the works for connection. You would love it, for sure!

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  16. I'm fairly new to blogland and I've spent quite a few days reading yours from the very beginning. It's a great read and I love the fact that you take so many photos to document not only your weight loss / maintenance journey but just life itself. Too many years of being overweight have made me despise the camera. I'm about 20 pounds from my goal and it's good to read about the reality of maintenance. Thanks for your honesty and dedication!

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    1. Thanks for reading the archives, Tammi - and welcome! :)

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  17. We have a similar greenway trail where I live that I love to run on. It even weaves through a marsh and preserve area. Most of the time I run on a greenway through our local state park which is very flat and shady. Love the picture of your husband running a victory finish. This is something my husband would do too. He is my best running partner!

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