It’s been exactly 10 months and twelve days since I last sat down to pen a running blog. When I signed off after the Mother’s Day run last May, I wasn’t sure when, or if, there would be any more half marathons in my future. But thanks to an incredibly supportive family, a sister who won’t let me say die, and an amazing surgeon who not only gave me a new knee but the confidence to use it, here I am again. It took some time to make friends with this new knee, but I’m ever grateful for the opportunity.

As 2022 dawned and travel was once again a possibility, we hit the drawing board to put together a running calendar for the last 8 states. A secondary goal has been to complete the journey while I’m still 70, and despite COVID and knee surgery, that seemed to be in our sights. You might think that picking great runs in 8 states and spreading them out over a year and a half would be easy, but it is not. It feels akin to putting together a jigsaw puzzle where the last few pieces just won’t fit. Suffice it to say, we needed a run in March, and the Savin Rock Half Marathon in West Haven, CT filled the bill. Chances were decent we wouldn’t freeze to death, and while the middle miles were hilly, the early and late miles ran along Long Island Sound and provided some pretty incredible views of the water. And between Yale University in New Haven and the West Haven Beach Parks, the area had some interesting history. So off we went.

Travel to the east coast was not simple. Airlines have been hit hard by the cost of fuel and the labor shortage, which translates into fewer choices and more expensive flights. After multiple iterations, we booked long SW flights that left at the crack of dawn and routed us through Dallas (Melodie) and Atlanta (Joanne), landing in LaGuardia, about 80 miles south of West Haven. My flight from Atlanta to LaGuardia was put on weather hold for an hour and a half, which made for an even longer day. I finally got there at 7:00 pm, found Melodie at an airport workstation making use of her time by working, and we headed off to pick up our rental car.

LaGuardia is notorious for being a difficult airport to get in and out of, and we certainly found it so. It was dark, and even with iPhone CarPlay giving us step-by-step driving directions, we ended up taking a few wrong turns. We did eventually get headed in the right direction on Long Island Freeway and arrived in West Haven around 9:00 p.m.

Those of you who read my blogs know the drill. We were hungry, it had been a long travel day and our first order of business was finding a place to eat. We had noticed a Chipotle down the hill from the hotel and that felt convenient and quick. Upon arriving, we found the staff cleaning up for the night, chairs on the tables, and obviously anxious to lock their doors and go home. They were gracious enough to take our salad order which we took back to the hotel where we could eat without the backdrop of mops and disinfectant. The hotel was old and not particularly luxurious, but we were happy to discover the beds were comfortable, which is always the most important thing.

We did not have a full sight-seeing agenda for the next day. It is still winter in Connecticut in March and the breeze was cold. We decided to drive to downtown New Haven, park the car, and just walk around a bit. New Haven is definitely a combination of a college town and an old, somewhat rundown urban area, but it has its charm. We decided to come back and tour Yale University on Sunday when we had a little more time.

We walked through a little cafe called “Pistachio” while waiting for a table at Bella’s cafe. The place was unique and charming, but the menu was somewhat limited which was why it did not make the cut.

The food at Bella’s was great, and the ambiance charming, which definitely created a win-win.

West Haven prides itself on being home to the longest stretch of publicly accessible shoreline in Connecticut. The city boasts 3 miles of beach on Long Island Sound that comprises 25% of the state’s public beaches. Savin Rock Beach Park, one of the parks along this stretch, was the spot at which our run would be staged. Formerly known as Savin Rock Amusement Park, the area was a regionally renowned seaside resort for many years. It evolved into a general amusement park in the 20th century and was dubbed Connecticut’s Coney Island. It eventually closed in 1966.

The name “Savin Rock” comes from the rocky outcropping at the shorefront in Bradley Point Park, a historically significant spot on this stretch of beach. West Haven was the frequent launch and arrival point for raiding parties on both sides of the Revolutionary War. On July 5, 1779, the British invaded New Haven Harbor and came ashore in West Haven and East Haven. Thomas Painter, a teenaged militiaman, stood atop this rock as he warned of invading ships entering the harbor.

Another marker of historical significance along this shoreline is the Veterans Walk of Honor. The walk honors veterans from World War II, The Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It is always sobering to look at all the names and remember how many have given all in service to this country.

There was a large rock by the shore in Savin Rock Beach Park that drew our attention. It had an inscription that was barely decipherable. I did some research and discovered the inscription is the Special Olympics motto. It seemed rather fitting for our weekend.

The race director had sent out a mail earlier in the day with instructions for the race. He made it very clear that while the route would be marked with arrows, we were responsible to know the route well enough that we wouldn’t get lost if perchance signs were blown over. Armed only with a MapMyRun, we decided we’d better do our best to drive the route and get familiar with all the turns.

It took over an hour, complete with multiple wrong turns and a navigator with a queasy stomach, but we managed to successfully drive the route. It turns out this time was not wasted, as it helped immeasurably on race day where the focus needs to be on running, not worrying about where the next turn might be.

The rest of the day included a pre-race dinner at a local pizza spot and a shopping spree at the local Walmart. Somehow, we both missed that the hotel had a swimming pool so did not come prepared. The pickins’ were slim, but we managed to find something that was not too appalling and would hopefully hold up in water.

One of the appealing things about the Savin Half Marathon was the start time. In an effort to coordinate with the local train schedule, the race did not start until 9:00 a.m. We got up at 6:30 the next morning and ate a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before driving to the park to pick up race bibs and prepare for the race.

The weather showed up in perfect dress for us. As we arrived at the park, the sun was just rising over the water. The temperature was 48 with neither rain nor wind, pretty much perfect for running.

The race was relatively small, about 300 people for both the half and the marathon, and everything was well organized. We picked up our race bibs and spent the rest of the time snapping pictures and making sure we were prepared for the race.

And finally, it was time to run. I had some anxiety initially as I had not tested my new knee on a hilly, 13.1 mile course, but years of running took over, and my focus moved to enjoyment and getting through the miles. Melodie snapped a few pictures along the course, as usual. It was a quintessential Connecticut morning.

Two and a half hours later, it was over. We were a bit tired and road weary, but grateful to be at the finish line, standing tall and celebrating the moment.

We headed back to the hotel, did our customary rolling and stretching, and added in a little pool time to ease our tired muscles. The Walmart specials did their job, and we did not end up embarrassing ourselves. We indulged ourselves with a delicious steak at the Texas Roadhouse nearby, and spent the rest of the day relaxing and you guessed it; planning running trips.

Our return flights were not until late Sunday afternoon, so we had the luxury of another few hours for sight-seeing. We headed back to New Haven with a plan to walk the streets of Yale University and immerse ourselves in an environment rich with history. Founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School, Yale University is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. Acceptance rate to these hallowed halls is 7% with a glowing graduation rate of 97%. Very few students attend here without significant financial aid as the cost of tuition is staggering, close to $100K a year. The buildings are hundreds of years old, with towers and turrets speaking of an earlier time in our nation’s history. It was awe-inspiring to be there. The only thing that brought us back to the 21st century were the college students walking the sidewalks, glued to their iPhones or chatting in the cafes.

We left New Haven around 1:00 and started the trek back to LaGuardia. Because Darien was right on the way, we made a quick stop to visit the home on 21 Hoyt Street where our family lived from 1956 – 1958 and where Melodie was born. We were both young enough that we only have scattered memories from that time, but it was fun to be there and take a few pictures. Our older siblings tell us the home is bigger than it looks from the outside, but we were amazed that a family of 10 lived there. The home is much smaller and older than most in the area. My one memory that is relatively strong is walking across the street to Holmes School for kindergarten. I remember being so proud that finally I could attend school with my big brothers.

Traffic was insane as we neared LaGuardia. The drive took much longer than we anticipated and by the time we dropped off our rental car, rode the multiple shuttles required to get to this massive airport, we were grateful we had allowed ourselves so much time. We navigated security without incident and made the long walk to our terminal with only 30 minutes to spare. We were on the same 4 1/2 hr flight to Houston, then would go our separate ways from there to Oakland and Phoenix. Melodie’s total air time was 8.5 hours, and mine was 7. Definitely not the shortest way home, but the most affordable. We both arrived home, safe and sound, but very late that night.

Although we’ve made many of these trips, our gratitude for the opportunity to travel and run has not dimmed. It remains strong enough to drown out the inconveniences and discomforts that inevitably come with air travel and sleeping and eating in strange places. Each trip is so unique and increases our appreciation of this wonderful world we live in. We enjoy the trips when more of our sisters, daughters, nieces and the occasional brother can join us, but we also cherish the time the two of us have spent together. These trips have filled our memory banks with cherished moments.

The older I get, the more I realize how closely life and running parallel each other. Nothing says it better than this quote from LR Knost.

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

Next up, State #44, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.