As new residents of East Hampton, we decided to participate in the 5th annual Hamptons Marathon and Half Marathon. This would be a group effort, of course. One of us would be doing the running, and the other would be doing the post marathon oyster shucking. Being that only one of us knows how to properly shuck an oyster, I was left doing the running. And with the starting line a mere two miles from our house, it was well worth the few weeks of training prior to race day.

Several 10 miles practice races under my belt, I was ready to take on the three extra miles and the hilly roads of East Hampton. The weather forecast was not exactly in my favor the day before, predicting a 70% chance of rain at the exact time the race was to begin. So with that in mind, I figured, why not have that glass of wine with my carbohydrates pasta dinner. If anything, it would make the rainy marathon that much more interesting.

Waking up Saturday morning, it wasn’t quite the sunshine I was hoping to run my first half marathon in, but the weather did take at turn for the better, with a chance of showers down to a minute 10%. It was game time. A few bites of a banana, and I was out the door. Taking spot between the 8 and 9 minute mile markers, I conversed with and befriended some fellow runners, realizing I was one of the few newbies to this game. And with the sound of the horn, we were off. It was humid and misty, but I had one thing on my mind…to finish, and of course the reward of oysters and cocktails to follow. Although around mile 11 I swore I would never do this again, for no amount of oysters, crossing that finish line felt amazing. And after a few minutes, the memory of the pain faded, leaving with me the desire to run another race, perhaps a full next year.

A Michigan Football victory followed giving us yet another reason to celebrate, and so we were off to Steven’s Talkhouse for some cocktails and mingling with the friends we made earlier at the race. After a few hours, it was time for my reward. Stopping by our favorite, Stuarts Seafood, we picked up lobsters to grill and a whole bunch of oysters to shuck. I was ready to kick up my heels and enjoy the reward of my earlier endurance, freshly shucked oysters.

It was quite an endorphins filled Saturday in East Hamptons. My runner’s high only worked to enhance the flavors of my favorite bivalve, making it taste that much better!

http://www.hamptonsmarathon.com/