Running in Ocean City, NJ

Ocean City Boardwalk

I pity those that don't live near the ocean.  Then again, there are those who might pity me for living in New Jersey, so we'll just call it even.

But seriously, I love running on the boardwalk and along the ocean and look forward to it every summer in spite of the accompanying heat and humidity.

My family has been coming to Ocean City in particular since the forties when my great grandfather owned a place by 13th and Wesley.  The house and lot were eventually divided up upon his death in the seventies, and the lot was sold off before I was born, but the family tradition of going to Ocean City continued.  I'm now passing that tradition onto my own son this summer.

Stevie's dad came up from Florida for the weekend, and we all spent Friday and Saturday night at a hotel a block from the beach.  Yesterday morning I ran eight miles on the beach and boardwalk.  Now, if you're able to get up and run at sunrise, I imagine the boardwalk to be a desolate and quiet place.  Calming, even.  But leave at 7:30, like I did, and you'll encounter nothing short of controlled chaos.  The boardwalk is divided in the morning amongst runners, ambling pedestrians, bikes and entire families packed into bell-ringing surreys, each with its own designated lane.  The dizzying movement in both directions makes running anything but boring, thankfully.

This morning I decided to tackle the 9th Street Bridge, the two mile bridge connecting Ocean City (technically a barrier island) to the mainland.  About 10 years ago they completely reconstructed the bridge to make room for passing boats underneath, resulting in the only "hill" available in the area.  This makes it popular with runners and cyclists alike trying to get in some hill training.  I only had time for five miles, but five miles in no shade next to the constant whoosh of traffic was more than enough.  Next time I'll stick with the beach and boardwalk.

And absolutely nothing beats jumping in the ocean after a long, hot run.