Running in Greenville, NC - A Primer

When I moved to Greenville in September 2009 to enter graduate school at East Carolina University, I found it difficult to find information about places to run. So as I exit the town a year and a half later (for a new job in my second hometown of Raleigh, NC), I hope that this will be of future help to those that move to Greenville or to those that live here and are looking for new places to run. If you have any specific questions or think I am leaving something out, feel free to email me.

Tracks
JH Rose High School - 600 W. Arlington Blvd
A nice rubberized track that is (generally) open to the public (ie. they leave the gates open on nights and weekends). Like anywhere in Greenville, it can get a little windy, but this is a nice track. The ECU team has been practicing here while theirs is being built, so that should tell you something about the quality of it. Also, it is about 2 miles from campus, which provides a nice warmup.

DH Conley High School - 2006 Worthington Rd
Conley is a bit out of town (down Charles Blvd towards Winterville), but generally has a little less traffic than Rose. It is a newer (also rubberized) surface than Rose and has an adjacent park that is great for warmups on the trail and grass. This can get a little windy as well, but not as bad as Rose.

ECU – Corner of Charles Blvd and Greenville Blvd
In progress as of this post, the new ECU track is going to be awesome. The old one was on par with the high school tracks, but the new one promises to be a nice all-weather surface with a steeple pit and everything you could want in a local track. Hopefully they'll let the public use it (they are building a wall around it). Just be smart and respect the team if they are out there and you should be ok. From talking to some of the runners on the ECU team, they have said expect it to be finished around March 2011 (but don't hold your breath).

Trails
EC Velo Bicycle Post Trails - 3132 Short Bridge Rd
The best trails in the Greenville area (Grimesland). These were built by the EC Velo Club for the mountain bikers, but are just as good for a run. $10 a year gets you entrance to these 10+ miles of single track trails that are great for a change of pace as there are plenty of hills and the whole thing is soft trails; a nice break from the constant concrete of Greenville. You may want to carry some pepper spray on the back of your shorts though as wild animals and unleashed dogs will run with you every now and again. If it is your first time, you may want to go with a friend or someone that has been there before. It's hard to get lost, but just a suggestion.

ECU North Recreational Complex - Highway 264 East (10 minutes from campus)
These soccer fields and attached trails are a great place for easy days and for longer intervals. There is a field house with a bathroom, water fountain, drink and snack machine which is nice as well. A loop around the soccer fields is just under a mile and if you add the trails in, you can make a 2.25 or so mile loop that is easy on the legs. Beware the windy days, but this place is one of my favorites for the day after a workout or hard run. Also, they close the gates at dark, so get out there early.

River Park North - 1000 Mumford Rd
This is a fairly short trail (about 2 miles out with a few side trails), but can be added to a run from downtown to make a good 7-8 mile loop. Nice crushed rock trails, but beware the side trails can get a little slick and muddy as I have taken a few dives.

Boyd Lee Park - 5184 Cory Rd
Many local high school cross country races take place here, but it is not a whole lot of trails. It is essentials running around a flat field with a few ducks into the woods. Can get pretty windy. I don't really like Boyd Lee, but some people do, so take it for a spin and see what you think.

Race Directors

East Carolina Road Racing - Kip Sloan
The staple in Greenville road racing, ECRR puts on most of the races around here. Kip's a very nice guy and will get you a course map and/or any info you need about a race by email quick.

Run the East - James Orr
This is a new venture that split off of East Carolina Road Racing this year. I have not met Mr. Orr, but by all accounts he's a good guy and seems to be very tech savvy. Expect good things.

GRG featured in Runner's World

Running Groups
Greenville Running Group - a great email list to get on if you are in Greenville where people bounce around ideas for runs and other local info. They also have a Facebook group where runs are organized during the week as well. If you are moving here, the first thing you should do is sign up for GRG's email list.

ECU Club Running - If you are in college and are not running varsity, ECU Club Running is a great place to keep the competitive juices flowing. The team meets daily and has a wide range of commitment and ability. Lots of nice people and they compete in NIRCA races, as well as local road and trail races. One of their favorites is the Medoc Trail Marathon (and 10 Miler).

GoRun - an all ages (8+) and abilities local group that does weekly track workouts at DH Conley, hill workouts at Town Common, Sunday long runs from Elm Street Park and competes as a team at local and out of town races (this spring they are all running the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach).


Running Stores

Omega Sports - 3160 Evans St (252) 317-8956
Not really a true running store, but as close as you get to one in Greenville. Omega has a great selection, a knowledgable staff and always has information on all the races coming up as well as the current issue of Endurance Magazine, which is a nice free pickup if you haven't read it before.

Popular Races
Reindeer Dash for Cash - in my mind, the best race in Greenville. Held every December and directed by Dawn Cash-Salau. The event features a 5k and a 10 mile race. The 10 miler has prize money and both events have a team component. Pretty typical Greenville 5k course, but great post-race food and nice awards and door prizes. The only true "must" race here.

Fiesta Biathlon - not just for runners, Fiesta is a 5k run followed by a 15 mile bike, but Fiesta is likely the longest running race in Greenville (25 years) that starts and ends at Chico's with a big post race party.

Thinking of buying near Greenville? I can help!

Other Places to Run
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium - 100 Ficklen St
One of the best places to get your hill repeats in. The ramps at Dowdy are a nice gradual incline and the gates are generally open to knock these "stadiums" out mid run without catching any flack from university security.

Town Common - 100 E. 1st St

This is where 90% of the local races start. It is also a good place to do some hill repeats or meet a friend for a workout or run.

Greenville Greenways - All over Greenville
The greenways are currently expanding and the new section will run from around the dog park down the New River to behind the cemetery at the end of 5th Street near Green Springs Park. This will be a nice new option.

Post-run Fueling
B's Barbecue - 751 B’s Barbecue Rd (No Phone)
One of the oldest and most famous barbecue joints in North Carolina, B's is always busy. Get there early as I believe they only cook 4 hogs a day and when they are gone, B's closes up. They are closed Sunday and Monday and are cash only. They won't break the bank though as a barbecue plate with a side and a sweet tea is around $5. A great place to hit when coming home from the EC Velo Bike Post Trails.

Chico's - 521 Cotanche St (252) 757-1666
Possibly the best reference point in Greenville. Chico's is always busy and has a happening bar area with happy hour appetizer specials daily. Decent mexican food and nasty bathrooms, but a good place to meet up for a run (as you can stash water bottles, gels, etc behind the wall right across the street on the campus side for long runs).

Sup Dogs - 213 E. 5th St (252) 752-7682
A great post race stop and the only outdoor deck in downtown Greenville you can sweat on! Great hot dogs and burgers and cheap daily deals. On Saturday they have $1 hot dogs and $1 PBR draft in a mason jar. Always a good celebratory lunch after a good 5k on a spring day.

Other things of Note
ECU Student Recreation Center (on Campus)
This is the best gym I have ever been in. If you have access to this, use it! It has tons of nice treadmills, a rubberized 235 meter flat track, plenty of weights, basketball courts, a smoothie bar, a pool (with hot tub) and stationary bikes, ellipticals, etc. I haven't checked out the local health clubs like Golds and Snap, but can fully endorse the SRC. Just make sure if you come as a guest that your sponsor doesn't leave as I was recently jerked off a treadmill mid-run and asked to leave because my friend went to class. Lame!

Massage Works of Greenville - 104 East Victoria Ct (252) 355-1000
I am getting older and need work! Spencer at Massage Works does a great job and will keep you loose and limber. Only $50 for an hour massage and well worth it!

Running Assessment Clinic At East Carolina University (RACE)
Dr. Blaise Williams is doing some cool things and has monthly lectures on different topics (which I hear are great). They also do studies from time to time that they will post on the Greenville Running Group email list.

Future Additions
This was orginally posted in February 2011. My hope is that when people google "running in greenville, nc," that they will find this post, so if there are any additions I am missing, or things change in the future, please email me and I will revise accordingly!

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Hobby Jogging: 11/13/10 - Greenville, NC - Boys and Girls Clubs 5K

Last week was a short course and this week was a long one. Now it wasn't terribly long, but after driving the course a few times and racing it and then running it in reverse on my cooldown, it was a good 100 meters long (~20 seconds) if you cut the tangents as close as possible. Oh well, at the end of the day it's a race and that's truly all that matters unless you're on a track and you are told to run an extra lap (been there).

The Boys and Girls Clubs 5k was just another step in getting some speed back in my system after a summer and early fall of marathon training, with the goal to run some fast races in the Spring. I knew my legs would be a little heavy today after a race last weekend and a good 4 mile tempo on Wednesday with my friend Tyler Pake. All this in mind, I went in with a goal of 17:45-18:00, similar to last weekend. The race got out to a wild start as a high school kid sprinted off the line like nothing I had ever seen before. He had 100 yards on us within a quarter mile. Without racing the kid before, I had no idea what he was capable of, but kept it steady and watched him turn his head every 200 meters or so and look back (rookie mistake, but the kid was 15, so I'll give him a break!). Another guy was right on my shoulder and started to pull away from me a little before the mile mark. I went through in 5:39 or so and wanted to run a good sub 6 second mile. This course was out at Metrics Inc, which is some kind of industrial park in the middle of an old cotton field. It would be a good place for a tempo run, but not a great place for a race.

We had to run through a few parking lots and had to do a 180 degree turn right after the 2 mile mark. This being said, after running through a parking lot and by a cotton field I hit the 2 mile pretty strong in 11:32 (5:53 mile 2). The guy running with me earlier had just passed the high school kid and was pulling away with a very strong 2nd mile (about 100 yards up). Seeing this I made my goal to go get the kid. After the hairpin turn, the wind was right in our faces for the last mile or so but I was working it and caught the kid with about 600 left. I was really starting to dig in and the last mile kept going and going and going. I think the sponsor wanted to have it end at a certain place in their parking lot so that the finish would be right in front of the DJ and the moonwalk. This is Greenville, NC people!

No worries though, I finished strong in 2nd in what I though was 18:08, about 9 seconds back from the winner.  Another quarter mile or so and I would have gotten him as he was fading and probably didn't know I was coming after he passed the kid earlier and he was blasting his headphones. About the 18:08, or 18:10 officially: every East Carolina Road Racing race I have ever run has been 2 seconds off of what they tell you at the finish line (and what my watch says) and what comes out on the results sheets. Again, not a huge deal, but a little bit of a pet peeve. I am guessing it is a software glitch as everyone else that frequents these races acknowledges it as well! My old high school friend who lives in Greenville now, Brandy Gamboa (pictured below), who won the womens race joked about it before what she thought was a 19:48 PR quickly turned into a 19:51.

All nit-picking aside, this was a well put together race. Kip Sloan does a great job and was nice enough to email me the map this week (as he does with about every race I run down here so I can study the courses I am not familiar with). The post race spread was awesome with Jimmy Johns subs, Gatorade bottles, Powerade Bottles, Goldfish and Bruegger's Bagels. They also had great looking shirts (a rarity) and excellent awards, as I got a nice plaque to hang on the wall. They did have an interesting DJ at the finish, but that's a whole 'nother story I'll have to tell you about in person!

Photos taken from the Greenville Reflector: http://www.reflector.com/slideshow/scene-around-boys-girls-clubs-fun-run-nov-13-174217

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101113Boys&GirlsClub5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 10/23/10 - Washington, NC - Lifestyles 5k

So believe it or not, my legs have been feeling very good after the marathon. Hamstring still hurts a bit, but everything else has been feeling A-OK just a few weeks out. I have been doing some swimming and have been following Hal Higdon's Post Marathon Training Guide to get back to where I need to be. I'll also be having my first A.R.T. session Friday to do some work on the hamstring. Thanks to Leo Manzano and my friend Scott Williams for the advice on that.

I had a tempo on the schedule today and saw there was a 5k in Little Washington that would suffice. I had run one race here before and it is a beautiful town on the inland coast about 30 minutes from Greenville. Figured it would be easier to try and throw 3-6 minute miles together in competition than by myself in Greenville during Homecoming. Last year I did my last 20 miler before NYC during the Homecoming Parade and accidentally ran over a drunk guy who was swaying on a bike at 18.5 miles (I couldn't sway at this point due to muscle memory). It was an excellent decision to head east.

It was a little chilly this morning, clocking in somewhere around 40 degrees at the start. I wore some gloves until about a mile to go (that I luckily was able to recover on my cooldown). The race started (and finished) in the grass field beside the NC Estuarium on a gravel trail (similar to McAlpine Park in Charlotte) before heading off onto the slightly sloped roads of Washington. Went out pretty relaxed and hung behind a few younger guys for a half mile or so before they began to fade. After that it was just me, the lead biker and the volunteers with the pointing signs (and 2 unchained dogs that needed to get some strides in). Hit the mile in about 5:53 going over the bridge before heading onto a greenway path. Wasn't hearing as many footsteps at this point and the kind locals were cheering me along back to the bridge and 2 mile mark around 11:53. I crossed the bridge and was getting cheers from the people heading into the loop the first time while continuing to follow the lead biker down Main St. With about a half a mile left to go I threw off my gloves and picked it up a little before hitting the 3 mile in 17:48 and then finishing up in 18:22.

All in all, it was a nice run. Didn't kill myself, but ran strong only 13 days after the marathon and it was definitely exciting to win a race. Initially, I put on twitter that this was my first road race win since 1990. Well, it was actually 1991! The good ole Eastover Elementary Mile Fun Run. I also wore my new pair of Brooks Green Silence today. I have trained in the first edition of these for some track work, tempos and even a 22 miler at Umstead. I got the second edition via UPS yesterday from Running Warehouse and they felt great. A few minor modifications have been made that have made it a better shoe. Will look forward to doing more in them. Great day!

More info is available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101023Lifestyles5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 8/28/10 - Greenville, NC - Greenville-Pitt County 8k

Being a little unsure of my fitness, I chose this race as a "competitive tempo run" of sorts as I had one (tempo run) on my schedule and the event started about 100 yards from my apartment. I have been going by a planned scheduled in training for Chicago and it is very different than the training I have done in the past where I have just coached myself. It is all leading up to one big peak, where in the past I have tended to get in good shape fast and then hold it. All this being said, this was the inaugural Greenville-Pitt County 8k Road Race and the course was interesting. It had a lot of slow inclines and declines and finished with about 2 miles straight up and down 10th Street in the sun. After my longest mileage week of the season, I was excited to see what my legs had in them.

The race got off a few minutes late and I may have charged down Cotanche a little hard as I was in the lead at the left turn onto Reade St in front of Chico's. Soon up the half mile long hill, Phillip Rowan passed me on his way to a 55 year old age group state record. With more speed, I feel like I could have run with him. My stamina has been lacking a bit lately. Maybe it's because I've been hitting it hard for 18 months or so after not really competing for 12 years and maybe I am still developing this season. I hope the latter! Ran up 5th St and was passed by one more guy before the mile mark (5:45) before almost being hit by a sorority girl driving home. This happens a lot in Greenville, so it doesn't shock me. After this I cruised down Elm St and got into a pretty good groove before the 2 mile (11:43). Miles 3 and 4 were slow. I was in no man's land after turning it on during mile 2 and hit 3 up the hit on 5th St in 17:53 and 4 up and down 10th St in 24:07. Tried to focus on staying in 3rd in the final mile and staying straight up although I was pretty tired and my feet hurt. I was trying out a new pair of flats as my trusty Victory's are running out of racing miles and I am hoping to squeeze Virginia Beach and Chicago out of them before retiring them. Can't believe Nike discontinued those. I have raced 2 marathons and countless road races in them in the past year+ and they still feel pretty good.

Anyways, I weaved through the mini-maze at the end where we turned around Joyner Library and the parking lot behind Wendy's to finish up in 30:02 or so. I was 45 seconds or so ahead of the next competitor, but not 100% pleased. At minimum, it was a great tempo run! Got in a long cool down to finish up a 60 mile week, which was my longest since February. Hoping that'll wake my legs up enough to race a half at not too much slower of a pace next weekend!

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/
reports/20100828PittCounty8k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 2/20/10 - Greenville, NC - Kappa Delta 5k for Kids

Decided to do this race last minute as I needed a tempo run this week and it was only $15. Was a chilly day, but sunny. Wore my toboggan, gloves, and shades, but no compression shorts today. Got out behind my buddy Nic Boerio again and he was killing the first mile (4:56). Had to go into my own pace early, which was still a shade too fast. Hit the mile in 5:28 before the all uphill second mile. I was once again in no mans land as I had opened up a gap on the 3rd runner. Running up the hill on 5th street was tough and once I hit the 2 mile in about 11:27-8, I started to pick it up. Got faster and faster on the last mile before hitting the last hill with 400 to go at 16:30. Sprinted the last hill then cruised through the last 250 meters or so to hit 17:53. First time under 18 since 1997!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20100220KD5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 2/7/10 - Washington, NC - Polio Plus "10K" Road Race

This was my first race of 2010 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training had been going great and I was excited to see what I had in me after some good workouts and tempo runs. Drove down to little Washington the day of and the race started right by the NC Estuarium on the water. It was 30-ish degrees and a little windy so I wore my compression shorts with Nike Running Warehouse compression shirt, shades and my Remington toboggan (which was fitting as there was a Duck Call competition at the other end of the water). Ran into my buddy Nic Boerio at the start and knew he'd get out to a good start, so decided to follow him.

The gun went off and I hung with Nic for the first half mile or so at a good clip before easing into a good pace. Hit the mile at 5:32, maybe a little fast, but I felt good. This is where I encountered my first problem. At about 1.5 miles there was a road crossing. I see Nic go across chaperoned then I see the 2 volunteers just talking to each other as I approached. I said "little help" to get their attention 3 times and they awe shucks'd me and said I'd have to wait on the traffic. Screw that. I screamed at them "come on MF-ers, it's a road race. Do it right" before darting into traffic and entering the cemetery portion of the race (on a Sunday mind you). Classy, I know, but I was pissed. Shook it off and cruised by the 2 mile mark at 11:23. Gathered myself on a tough mile 3 before I started rolling again. Hit the 3 mile mark at 17:29 before rolling through a neighborhood and putting down a nice 5:46 4th mile (23:15) and then a 5:40 5th mile (28:55). Nic was way up and there was no one in sight behind me, so I just followed where the volunteers told me to go.

As I approached the waterfront, I realized I was getting closer to the finish than I thought. Damn, short course I thought. Sure enough, cruised through the finish in 33:44 and was very happy with my "36:27 10k effort" (as someone's GPS watch said 5.76 miles) but had a lot left because I didn't kick because the race ended before I thought to pick it up. I guess a race is a race, and I got 2nd overall and got some nice hardware to put on my fridge. Strong start to the year. If they tie the loose ends up, this will be a nice race as it is a beautiful course and had a great post race party on the water at Pirate's Pub.

More information available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20100207Washingon10k.htm

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