Newport News & The Nolan Trail

Time: 81:53
Distance: 12.01 miles
Pace: 6:49
Map

I was wide awake at 5:55 am so I got up and went in search of coffee. I was out of luck until 6:30 am because the Econo Lodge (really cheap) that I opted to stay in didn't start breakfast service until that hour. Instead I checked the intertubes for interesting material and made a few quick updates to the blog. Last night while I was eating myself into a coma at Sonic, I asked a man who was wearing a pair of worn running shoes where the good spots are to put in some miles. He directed me to the Nolan Trail right by the Mariners Museum Park. I found a route by foot and decided that's where I needed to be.

It was about 2.5 miles to the trail and the trail was 5 miles long. I knew that a double run was unlikely with the busy schedule I had planned for myself. The target was 12 miles this morning and I found them easily. The Nolan Trail was a pretty cool spot that I'd come back to on future trips. A sandy, crushed gravel course that crossed a least a dozen wooden bridges. It forced me to run easy around a lake and under tree cover. The run didn't fly by, but I enjoyed being out there with several other morning joggers.

I did one full loop of the trail and then I wandered around Christopher Newport University. I had never heard of CNU before and found the campus to be incredibly nice. The buildings all had a consistent theme and looked to be new. There was a lot of new construction taking place and the athletic facilities were quality. I ran a lap of the track before heading back to the Econo Lodge.

I enjoyed the miles this morning in large part to the cool temps and lower humidity. I don't think I'd like to live in Newport News or Virginia Beach, but I can see why it's a popular vacation spot.