Dauphin Island, 10 Miles, and 200 on the Month

To hit my 200 miles in the quest of 2,015 in 2015, I wanted to hit the mark in a different spot.  I figured at the beach in the middle of winter was far too appropriate.

Dauphin Island is the barrier between the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay.  A very small island at 166 square miles and a population of just under 1,500 it is hard to believe that this place plays a huge role in determining the climate of the entire southern part of the state.

The smaller picture under the map of Mobile is the GPS of my run on the beach.  5  miles out west, 5 miles back.  After the first two miles, the beach becomes uninhabited with jetties on one side and sand on the other.  As you can tell, there is a ton more beach to go and as it can only be reached on foot, I'm sure that even in the summertime it is a desolate area to get a run in and hang on the beach.

There are a ton of shells on the sand, but it is perfectly compact to run on where the high tide sits and if you hit the beach at low tide, I can't imagine a better place in the area to run, both for comfort and for beauty.

The weather on this run was cold as all get out. The wind was insane and made it even worse.  I had on some long pants, long shirts, a buff, gloves, the whole nine.  Still wasn't enough and my nose was running as much as I was.

Either way, crossing 200 miles is a big deal.  I was hoping to hit 20 by the end of the month.  To hit it with a few days to spare is very encouraging.  Every day is a day closer.

I definitely recommend adding Dauphin Island to any running list, no matter where you are in the Mobile area.  At least once a month I'll be out here to log in a long run.

Bellingrath Gardens 5k

I will cross over the 200 mile mark this weekend and I have the pleasure of adding 2 more Mobile area running locales to the list. The first is the legendary Bellingrath Gardens and Home and Dauphin Island, the barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay.

We joined a 5k to run at Bellingrath, put on by The Man About Town to benefit the Women's Business Center.  The run takes place near the entrance of the gardens and moves down the road leading to the gardens.  The land is flat and the run is pretty nice.  All trees and nature out here.  The level of fitness is varied.  There were some very serious runners scattered here along with a lot of folks just out to enjoy a nice run.  There were also tons of kids running, which was pretty cool.

In addition to the fun running activities involved, on a personal note, I got to pet a pig named Kevin Bacon.  Never done that before, so another check off the lost.

Outside if the run itself, entering into the event allowed free entrance into the gardens afterward, which alone made the event worth the cost.  Bellingrath Gardens is one beautiful place, and this is the winter when the flowers are not in bloom.  I can't wait to make it back when the flowers start doing their thing.

The race went as most do. You start, you finish.  I did my 5k in 27:53, whcih put me somewhere in the middle of the pack.  Just under 9 minute miles, so I'm still a hike from my 8 minute miles of this time last year, but I'll get there to be sure.

Check out the pictures we took at the gardens below.  Very nice place.