Looks like instead of the orders to Hawaii that I was hoping for, I’ll be getting orders to Little Creek, Virginia instead. The job will be very cool, but just not the location I was hoping for. I’m coming to terms with it, and actually I’m starting to look forward to moving to that part of the country. I have spent virtually no time there, so lots to explore and discover.
I will be stationed at the amphib base at Little creek and I would like to be able to ride to work or even occasionally run. So I’d like to be with 10 miles of the base. Any recommendations for good neighborhoods around the Little Creek area? Also consider that accessibility to training is important, so if right around Little Creek isn’t great for that, what is the best area to live in for training?
I know we aren’t the perfect lefts and lava fields of Hawaii but, It ain’t so bad here. We have an awesome local tri-shop Final Kick Sports, and have large training groups that swim bike and run out of the shop. It is just a couple of blocks from the Chesapeake Bay for OW swimming and has a running path that starts just feet from the parking lot and leads into a state park just 2 miles away. Inside the park are about 20 miles of running trails (single track-no biking allowed) which makes for great running. The cyclic is by no means epic but there are some good country roads in the southern part of the city that we ride on. There are enough of us freaks around that there are always numerous trips to the blue ridge mountians during the season and the rolling hills of Williamsburg are a mere hour away. Plenty to keep your multi-sport bug alive year round.
Final Kick is only about 7 miles from little creek amphib base, along the Chesapeake Bay. PM me and I can give you some more details on good spots to live. Also check out finalkick.com they have a forum on the website that will dial you in to the training groups.
As a New Yorker who visits VA Beach twice a year, I look forward to area and the Final Kick workouts. Buz and the staff are great atheletes with no ego’s. You will enjoy the trails, and laps around Fort Story. There are various group bike rides and I am sure other group runs. Va Beach is a great community with Final Kick being the Cherry on Top!!
Virginia Beach area is very nice to train, though no hills. I found the group rides out of Final Kick to be fun and there are some very capable riders. They welcomed me immediately.
There is a great park to run in nearby, can’t remember the name, but there is an entrance on the road near Final Kick and one along the beach about 64th street…just look for the runners and cyclists hanging around the road in the morning. Once ran there on the trails and did not see another person for an hour! Lots of eagles and wildlife too.
I also hooked up with some other vacationers on a run and had a blast.
The flat terrain will be a stark contrast to what we have in the Pacific Northwest, where it’s all hills, all the time. I’m starting to get more and more excited about this move.
I’ve been away from the area for a while, but when I was stationed at NAS Norfolk I lived in Chesapeake which was nice, but probably not a great commute for you at Little Creek. That was also before I got into runnning and tri.
If I had to go back now, and was stationed in Little Creek, I’d probably look east of the base in the VA Beach area if you cna afford it. The trails at First Landing State Park make for good running. There are some nice areas in Great Neck, Lynnhaven Inlet areas, but truthfully I’m not too in touch with the real estate market there these days.
The Striders are primarily a running club but they have a tri component and are involved with some of the local tris. Check out the forums on the Final Kick web site to hook up with the specific tri community.