Saturday Sight-Seeing

Today I set out for a run and ran 13.5 miles. Why? Because I can. And it was a beautiful day. I cut through Vernon Middle School and headed north down 106. It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, and the smell of the evergreen trees for sale at Dodds and Eder made me smile.

I headed through the the town of Oyster Bay and ran over towards the beach. There was a dead sea gull in the parking lot (gross) and a few other runners taking advantage of the nice weather.

This is the view from the beach. While it was extremely windy, I didn't feel cold in a pair of sweat pants and my Under Armour performance top. I continued on over towards the Oyster Bay Marine Center. In the twenty-four years that I have lived in Oyster Bay, I have never been back there. I ran back up by Carvel and made a left onto East Main Street.


I really don't like having to pay attention to traffic patterns while I run, which is why I like the East River Esplanade and the Central Park Reservoir so much. You avoid other runners and do your own thing. My plan was to run to Teddy Roosevelt's house Sagamore Hill, and to do this I had to run along some well-trafficked roads. I found that there is ample space for a runner in Oyster Bay Cove, even with all the twists and curves. Cove Neck Road was a little bit more difficult to maneuver, but I managed.

 

This is the view of Oyster Bay Harbor from Cove Neck Road. It's the opportunity to get outside and see this while exercising that kept me out on Long Island for the weekend.

I had run close to 6 miles by the time I reached this grassy spot. My lungs felt clear, but my feet and knees were beginning to hurt. Today is the first time I took my new Nike Frees outside for a run. I tried to remember the running form I've been reading about - body erect, hips tucked under, balls of the feet striking the ground - and I think this made a difference. Overall, I felt pretty damn good.

I saw a lot of beautiful houses on Cove Neck, and even picked out one for my future residence. I headed up the hill to Sagamore Hill and ran past an older couple out for a walk. I said hello and continued on my way. I hadn't put much thought into what I would do once I reached the historical site, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a clean and warm bathroom. I freshened up and refilled my water bottle at the sink. Then I walked around the grounds for a little.

This is Sagamore Hill. Compared to some of the newer houses on Cove Neck, it looks tiny.

Now that I had reached my destination, I had to get myself back home. I saw a lot of friendly members of the Oyster Bay community out and about running and riding their bicycles. I am a showoff and my vanity kept me moving along. My fingers had gotten cold and I was glad that I had brought along a pair of gloves in my Spibelt.

I had come this far so I decided to prove that I could run a half-marathon. I've signed up for one in March and I need to start training for it. Even though I could have reached my house in 11 miles, I kept going until I reached 25A. Then I headed west to the Gulf Station before turning around. I cut back through Vernon and then ran around my cul-de-sac. I was shuffling my feet more than running, but I was able to pick up the pace once I knew the end was near. Including all the stops I made for taking photos, adjusting my gear, and using the facilities, it took me 2 hours and 29 minutes to complete my run. Not bad for a Saturday morning, eh?