Day One in Virginia Beach started early. Steve and I got a little crazy and decided to enter the 5K and the One Mile on the Sand. We’d get a medal for each run plus a pin for running “Land to Sand.” Why not do it? It was included in our Tourpass, and we were here to run!

When planning our trip to Virginia Beach, we selected the Hyatt House.  The location put us right on the boardwalk allowing us to walk to and from the start and finish lines for the weekend’s races. Plus, the Hyatt House is pet-friendly which allowed us to drive and take the pups on this adventure with us.Definitely worth paying a little more for the view and location. And, we could take the pups for a stroll along the boardwalk before we headed to the start line. We even had someone take our photo in the dark with the Neptune statue.

For two people who hadn’t been training, this was an adventure–two runs in one morning. The 5K goes along the streets near the beach and boardwalk finishing on the boardwalk. It’s basically a big loop. We ran with a little effort but took it easy on the 5K as we knew we had’t been training and needed to save some for the half the next day. Even though it wasn’t close to being my best, I felt good after it. Running the 5K actually relieved some of my nerves about the half marathon the next day. My body seemed to recall running!

However, the one mile run in the sand was harder than I’d imagined. I knew running in sand wasn’t easy, but gosh, my heart was pumping. And, living in Tennessee, there’s no chance to train on sand. The sand on the beach wasn’t packed; it shifted with every step. That meant you had to focus on your feet rather than enjoying the oceanside view. What seemed so simple was actually a challenge, an enjoyable challenge. It was a tough mile not only because it raised the heart rate but made me need to focus on each step. We finished, with not great times, but we did it and earned that ice cream cone medal and our Land to Sand pin.

After the runs we headed back to the hotel for their breakfast buffet and a rest.

Then we spent the rest of the day enjoying the oceanfront views with the pups and checking out Virginia Beach. Day One was a good day.