Balancing Interests

We are on the adventure of a lifetime, cruising aboard our Alberg 35, S/V Mystic! We left Lake Superior in September of 2016, making our way across the Great Lakes and down through the Inland Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico, crossing the Gulf in April. Along the way, we've had a few long layovers and a few "detours" but mostly, we've been living life on the boat, visiting new places, meeting new people and enjoying new experiences.

Each time we stop and stay in one place for a while there is an adjustment. The cruising life is very different from our life on land. There are so many things that we enjoy off the boat that are not available to us while cruising. One of these things is running!

Since 2009, we have run 13 marathons, and many, many half marathons and 5k races. Training for a marathon is grueling work and takes a ton of time! When we are cruising, we are obviously not able to run very much. This makes it nearly impossible to train for a marathon!

Beth, Dave and Yolanda Moody at Wineglass marathon
Corning, NY. October 2015

We spent most of winter 2016-17 in Mobile, Alabama where we were able to run consistently. When we set off to cross the Gulf of Mexico, we were forced to stop running. Our journey kept us on the water with short layovers (overnight) and no time or energy to devote to running. It's discouraging how quickly we lose our base training and how long it takes to get that base back when we begin again. That base is what allows us to run with ease, increase our speed and build stamina.

Dave and Beth at Dog Watch Cafe
Tuesday Night Fun Run

We are currently on a detour that includes Minnesota and New York City with a side trip to my hometown, Mystic, Connecticut. When we arrived in Minnesota it had been a month since our last run. I signed up for the Mystic 10k race in Connecticut and desperately needed to work on base. I was able to get a few five milers in along one of my favorite courses, McKusick Lake in Stillwater, Minnesota.

McKusick Lake ~ No alligators here!

The Mystic Half Marathon and 10K Road Race has a gorgeous course that starts at Mystic Village, passes Mystic Seaport on the way to downtown, then follows along the popular River Road. There is a half marathon course as well. By the time I turned the corner at Coogan Boulevard at mile six, I was really thankful that I was not running the longer half marathon distance!

Mystic Train Station

Mystic River Bridge

Dave Kayaking along River Road

Mystic Seaport View from River Road

Mystic Seaport Day Sailors

The Eddie Maxwell at Mystic Seaport

Many of my friends are also running the Mystic 10k and Half Marathon. I found Bill Jones who has run several Ragnar Florida Keys Relays with us on Team Boner! Bill ran the Mystic Half Marathon, completing it with a PB (Personal Best) time. Congratulations to Bill!!!

Beth and Bill Jones at Mystic Half Marathon & 10K Finish

Team Boner at the finish line Key West, FL
Dave, Beth & Bill Jones on Right

We enjoy long bike rides too. We have road bikes at home and have ridden most of the trails in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We brought folding bikes aboard Mystic and we ride when we are in port. Often, biking is our only transportation for provisioning. We have found some really cool bike trails along the way!

The adjustment we go through each time we leave the boat and then return is not a bad thing. It is, however, a balancing act; a transition from slow to hectic, or hectic to slow. It's a passage from one extreme to another. Everything in life, just like running, moves slower and takes more effort until we make the adjustment. It's a balance that keeps us on our toes.