Cape Cod, New York, and 89.98km of Doom

After Boston, the plan was simple: rest, walk a bit, and pretend running didn’t exist for a few days. Cape Cod brought quiet (mostly), New York brought chaos (of course), and both served as a short pause before the next big thing: an ultramarathon with nearly 90km of downhill “fun.”

But first: beaches and lighthouses!

We spent a few days in Cape Cod, which turned out to be a great place to decompress after the race. While it wasn’t as rural as I had imagined, it was still calm and relatively quiet. The off-season also spared us things like $25 parking fees and congested roads, so that was a win.

We went on plenty of easy walks and visited a few of the iconic lighthouses, including the one featured on the Cape Cod potato chip bags.

From there, we made our way to Long Island, which turned out to be a decent base for two days in Manhattan. The Airbnb had looked fine online, and reality matched the photos. However, there were some basic issues: patchy Wi-Fi, no top sheets or duvet covers, and a general lack of cleanliness. In hindsight, I should have taken the other reviews more seriously. It was the first time I’ve ever left a negative comment and rating after a stay – but to the host’s credit, he agreed with my feedback, and we avoided the dreaded “public comment war”.

I managed a short run around the neighbourhood, just enough to keep the legs moving.

The two days in Manhattan were a whirlwind: fascinating, a bit much, and everything in between.

Burberry’s scaffolding caught my eye (ingenious), and the flower show at Macy’s was a pleasant moment of calm amidst the noise.

And best of all: I got to meet up with fellow bloggers Darlene and Cari!

We landed back in Cape Town on Sunday. The routine is settling in again – but there’s one thing looming large in my head now: Comrades!

Comrades is South Africa’s iconic ultramarathon, clocking in at 89.98km this year (yes, I’m also wondering why they couldn’t find another 20 metres somewhere). It’s over a hundred years old and attracts around 24,000 runners, making it the oldest and largest ultramarathon in the world.

The direction alternates each year – “up” from Durban or “down” from Pietermaritzburg. This year is a down run, which sounds deceptively easy… until seasoned runners tell you what all that descent does to your quads.

Well. I’ll find out on 8 June!

For now, I’m bracing myself for a 60km group run on Saturday. Because clearly, 60km isn’t hard enough – the forecast says pouring rain. At least my mental toughness will get a solid workout!

Oh – and before I forget: here’s the Boston medal I somehow left out of my last post. It still feels a bit surreal that it’s mine. I brought the shirt along to Cape Town – I’ll be wearing it on Saturday’s long run for some good vibes!

• Have you ever had issues with an Airbnb?
• What’s the longest run you’ve ever done?

I’m joining Runs with Pugs and The Running Teacher’s link-up, Tuesday Topics. I’m also joining Runner’s Roundup with Mile By Mile, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner and Runs with Pugs.