The pandemic changed my idea of what a marathon should be. No longer do I feel the need to schedule my training and budget my money around the event of a public race; instead, I am happy to do the race around my schedule and budget. If I want to do a marathon on Sept. 4 to coincide with the beginning of my Block Island vacation with my wife to celebrate our anniversary, then who cares if there is a nearby event on that day? I will find an official USATF-certified course at certifiedroadraces.com that suits my needs accordingly.
I had it narrowed down to two - the Newport Marathon in Rhode Island (officially held in October) and the Hamptons Marathon (officially held in mid-September) on Long Island. Both offered feasible routes to Block Island the next morning. Though Newport was closer to the ferry, we thought it would be more fun to go to Long Island to also wrap a visit with my parents into the trip.
Arriving at the start at Southampton Middle School for a 7:25 a.m. start to beat the coming heat, Gloria and Mom rode alongside me for the first half-mile or so to make sure I was on the right track with the course route (the official map had an error in the description) and then took a drive out to Montauk to see the lighthouse.
The course had no hills, no major traffic intersections, no potential obstacles and not a tremendous amount of turns. Maybe five years ago, that would have triggered a desire to try to run fast and shoot for a personal record; but now, at a time when I am doing this for the sheer fun of it, there was no reason to do anything but take my time and only keep the modest goal of finishing under four hours.
My intent from the start was to keep my splits as steady as possible - comfortable low 8s. The first four miles consisted of a loop to the east of the school - Wickapogue Road to Downs Path to Flying Point Road and back to Wickapogue. Good thing I checked out the course on Google Earth the week before, because some of the roads lacked street signs. With an 8:23, 7:58, 7:49 and 8:08, I was off to a good start. It was certainly interesting to look at all the residences in this ridiculously affluent town. And these mansions, merely huge, were nothing compared to the enormity of the grandeur I was about to witness.
The next mile (8:02) was a loop to the south - Old Town Road to Gin Lane to Wyandanch Road - before heading west (Toylsome Lane) and south (S. Main Street, Gin Lane and Meadow Lane) for miles 6 (8:11) and 7 (8:10).
Shifting gears in my headphones from Phish's 8/19/2012 show to the self-titled album by New Jersey power-pop band True Love, I headed north for another loop along a lot of streets with the word "neck" in their name (what is that all about?) - Coopers Neck Lane, Great Plains Road, First Neck Lane, Ox Pasture Road, Halsey Neck Lane, Hill Street, Captains Neck Lane and Meadowmere Lane - still keeping it super-steady with an 8:17, 8:21, 8:23 and 8:33.
Back on Meadow Lane, the southernmost road in town along the strip of beachfront mega-mansions, I could finally stuff my directions in my pocket for a while as I ran westward to the road's end. Gawking at the ostentatious opulence of the estates along the road was fun while I listened to Phish's 8/19/1992 show. I managed to continue to keep things steady on the four miles out (8:19, 8:15, 8:13, 8:19), but it was getting warmer and there was no cover from the relentless sun. Thus, miles 16 through 19 were a bit slower (8:23, 8:28, 8:39, 8:28).
The return trip bypassed that northern loop, but did steer me into the parking lot of Cooper's Beach, just far enough to see the beautiful beach and make me want to jump in the water. But alas, there was still some work ahead. Retracing my steps through the two other loops, it was getting harder to maintain that steady low-8 pace in miles 17 through 21 (8:28, 8:39, 8:28, 8:31, 8:29) but at least I was back in the neighborhood with the canopy of large trees shielding me from the sun, and I had the "Heaven & Earth" album by Yes to help me feel good.
In mile 22 (8:41), Gloria and Mom found me and rode alongside in the car for a bit to check in with me. I was surprised to see them so soon and it was a nice pick-me-up. But then in the doldrums of the 20s, alone, sweaty, and fading, with no more of the adventure of seeing new things (always the downside of an out-and-back course), and with one more time around that eastern loop after mile 23 (8:40), each successive mile would be slower than the last - 8:47 for mile 24 and 9:04 for mile 25.
Gloria and Mom drove up again in mile 26 for one final check-in. I talked to them for a while and they told me about their jaunt to Montauk. I figured I may as well unload any excess weight for the end, so I gave them my Gatorade bottle, headphones and phone and told them I would meet them at the school for finish, so I could concentrate on getting through that last full mile (9:16).
Either the course was long, my Garmin was way off, or I slowed to a crawl for the final two-tenths of a mile because that home stretch clocked in at 2:24, and I finished with a 3:41:32, exactly in the range of most of the marathons I have run in the past few years. So, no complaints here.
Another marathon down, a new route conquered, a great weekend with my parents, and a few days on Block Island to unwind, rest, and recover.
