Yup, Bubble Soccer: get the scoop in Wilmington on Saturday. Or get the low-down on the newest park in the N.C. State Park system (Carvers Creek, near Spring Lake), or discover a 5K that sums up why we run 5Ks.
Coast
Everyone, we’re convinced, has at least one thing that will motivate them to move — it’s just a matter of discovering it. Some get hooked on the endorphin rush of running. Others prefer the slower, more scenic rewards of a hike. While still others like more … esoteric pursuits.
Hike the coast, hike one of the most rugged areas along the East Coast. Or go for a run — for as long or as short as you want.
Options? You got ‘em this weekend.
Coast
Sunday, it’s one of our favorite guided hikes at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. At less than a mile in length, the Basin Trail offers about as much bang for the hiking boot as any trail around. The park’s website says it best: “Fort Fisher provides a glimpse of the dynamic ecosystem known as a barrier spit where the only constant is change. Sixteen threatened and endangered species can be found at Fort Fisher depending on the time of year.”
Curling is one option this weekend. So are running and hiking.
Coast
If you need a reason to run, you won’t find a much better one than Saturday’s Run, Roll & Stroll 5K, 10K and 1-mile fun run in downtown Wilmington. The reason? The race benefits Purple Heart Homes, whose goal is to “help reintegrate veterans into the community, and to proudly acknowledge the sacrifice they have made on our country’s behalf. Whether it is adapting an already owned home, building a home from the ground up, or adapting and modifying a foreclosed home, Purple Heart Homes is committed to guiding the veteran through the entire process.”
Hey, not to put any pressure on you but it’s August and summer won’t be around forever. Our way of saying you should look hard at this weekend’s tempting options: a hike at the coast, a view that informs in the Piedmont and one exhausting three-day weekend in the mountains.
So much of running — of becoming a runner in the first place — is psychological. Saturday, you’ll find three races statewide that offer the types of incentives that will advance you from aspiring runner to actual — and who knows, possibly avid — runner.