This past weekend we retired to our estate in the Hamptons schlepped to our friend’s place in East Hampton to visit, let the kids swim, etc. We’ve been in New York for 8 years and it was our first adventure to the land of Great Gatsby. No particular prejudice against the tony spots on the Atlantic. Either work or work or work have tended to interfere with past opportunities to head 3+ hours east of NYC for a weekend of frolicking. Since I saw no reason to object, we made the trek. Considering all the crap I put my wife thru with this running business, it’s the least I could do. My one MAJOR reservation was how/where/when could I get a medium run accomplished. It’s well-established that I am in full-on selfish Marathon mode, so I really don’t care much about anyone else’s needs (for the most part) as long as I get in my workouts.
Our location, while stunningly beautiful (think Northern California/Muir Woods) and peaceful, I was uncertain about running possibilities as I was not comfortable enough to attempt a trail run. I’m directionally-challenged and traversing thru the woods with wildlife (remember, I’m not a fan of raccoons, so anything larger is a non-starter) with wild turkeys, deer, etc. could potentially pose a problem. City boy. Instead, I pulled out my map like Christopher Columbus and attempted to cobble together a route on the roads. As part of our visit, our guests took us to Main Beach:
I had hoped there might be an access road that I could follow, but only sandy beaches … for shorter stuff, it would have worked. Still, I figured I could run from their house thru town down to the beach and back (a couple of times) to get in the distance. The issues with this plan were the following: there was a 108% chance I would get lost and the hills were more than what I wanted to deal with on this Sunday. We are talking about miles of severe incline. I had no other choice, so I went to bed on Saturday a bit apprehensive about getting in the run … scheduled for 6:30 am on Sunday as we had plans later in the day to visit mutual friends on their estate (think Great Gatsby or better, the Place of Versailles).
On Sunday morning, I steeled myself to get lost and suffer the shame of having to call for a pick up. As I was about to leave the house, I noticed cyclists and motorcycles riding past on an adjacent road. The light bulb went off. That route could not be too awful if folks on 2 wheels used it. Most importantly, it was a straight shoot. Even I could manage not to get lost if you never turn. Therefore, off I went for a series of loops on Swamp Rd. (not making this up) in the midst of the Northeast Harbor Forest Preserve.
I saw no wildlife, but plenty of bikers and a couple of runners and one weird dude walking the entire route talking on a cell phone. I settled into a nice little rhythm and since I had my handheld I could drink on the go. Only after the first 8+ miles I needed to swing back by the house for a refill of Gatorade that I left in the driveway. I saw our host, who looked hopeful, but was crestfallen when I told him I was only about 50% done. Previously, I told them NOT to wait for me to eat breakfast. More of the same on the back half of the run. I felt pretty good. I didn’t toss in any speedier miles since this was a cut back week in miles and intensity. In total, 15 miles @ 8:32 pace.
My cool down was sweet. Since our guests had a pool, I literally jogged into their backyard, hit the outdoor shower to rinse off the sweat and grime and proceeded to soak and stretch in the pool. When I told my wife and our hosts how long I went, they all looked flabbergasted (I didn’t have the heart to tell my wife what’s coming next Sunday). Not a bad turn of events … from the run being in real jeopardy to a very solid effort to chilling in a pool sipping on some Endurox. While the land of Great Gatsby will not become anything resembling a regular occurrence (just not our thing), a periodic stop may not be so bad after all.