Marblehead to Nahant Long Run

Time: 139:21
Distance: 32.01k
Pace: 4:21
Map

Since Meagan and I drove into Boston for a run along the Charles and Emily and Teresa get/have to run along the river everyday, we invited them to come join us in Marblehead for a run around Nahant. They actually seemed excited to run somewhere other than the Charles and drove out of the city to visit our small New England town.

We departed as a group running through Old Town and downtown Marblehead before turning onto Atlantic Ave. which would take us all the way out through Swampscott to Lynn and eventually Nahant. The pace was gentle and it was fun to learn more about Emily and Teresa who are both in graduate programs at Harvard. They are both wicked smaht! I had actually met Teresa many years ago in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco the summer before she started at Stanford when I was doing a workout with my buddy Sean Drake. She clearly didn't remember my creepy story about that day.

The wind was in our faces for the first hour of the run which brought us to the peninsula that is Nahant. I was feeling fairly good despite running in a pair of shoes that is a full size too small. I've been wear testing a pair of the new Karhu Forward and Stable Rides that debut this spring. Both are size 9, but don't seem to cause me too much discomfort. They are a little tight initially, but feel good when I'm running. I can't wait to have a pair that fit properly as I really like the transition.

The loop around Nahant has some great views and gorgeous homes that overlook the water and can see Boston off in the distance. It's rumored that one home is owned by a guy with connections to the mob. We soon were leaving the small town and approaching the causeway when Emily and I started to pick up the pace. We had the wind at our backs and about an hour to run back to Marblehead. The pace remained solid as we shared stories about why she went to Princeton and I went to Brown.

We had gapped Teresa and Meagan by some distance but earlier talk of ending at a coffee shop materialized. Teresa stopped at Java Sun while the rest of us made it closer to the fort with a quick stop at The Muffin Shop and Crosby's Marketplace. Since I'm currently not enjoying gluten, I haven't actually tasted anything from The Muffin Shop, but it's always busy and I'm sure it's delicious. Instead, I bought a quart of chocolate milk at the grocery store and soon enjoyed it after walking back home.

Fun run with good company on another long run to get Meagan ready for the trials.