Running on Tybee

Before the summer got away from us, my family and I recently spent a few days on Tybee Island.  We've stayed on Tybee before, but this is the first time I was in training and felt compelled to rise early and get in some quality miles.  Here is my plug for the Island, which is just about a 30 minute drive from Savannah, GA.: Tybee is a charming, quaint, little beach community that is relatively affordable for a family vacation.  We did go in late August, so it wasn't high season, and have found that we can rent a nice, 3 bedroom beach cottage for about the price to stay in a beachfront hotel elsewhere.

"Blues Away" cottage.  My girls loved the decor and having their own bedrooms. 

While on Tybee, I rose early for two training runs for the upcoming Richmond Marathon and Tuna Run 200.  Each of my runs was finished by 9AM.  It was hot, and I was slow. Tybee is small, and I didn't research running routes before setting off for an 8 miler the first morning.  I ran on the sidewalk up and down Butler Ave., the main road near the beach, and ran through a residential area to the lighthouse.  There wasn't much traffic, so running on the sidewalk and crossing streets wasn't a problem.

Tree house in the residential section past the boardwalk area and headed to the inlet.

My second run was a 10 miler.  This time I ran along Butler Ave., but I also ran to the beach on the inlet side and ran through more residential sections and along Chatham Ave. On the first day I had avoided running directly on the beach because at some beaches I find the beach slopes too much, the full sun is intense, and that running near the shore is disorienting.  Because I felt that I wasn't getting enough beach time on Tybee, I ventured onto the beach and found it flat and pleasant.  I ran to the lighthouse on this run, too, but I did it from the beach side and was glad I did.

I would highly recommend a visit to Tybee and a run or two during your visit.

I thought my run was tough, but this man was running in the heavy sand in boots with a full backpack.