The “Maine” Event
We have been living on the East Coast for nearly 10 months, and we’ve been in New England since November. One state has held out this whole time: Maine. We were happy to finally end that streak and head up to Maine for a weekend to remember. I wouldn’t say it was “relaxing” in any way, because the “Maine” goal was for me to head to Bangor for the Great Bangor Marathon—my second marathon. Along the way, we managed to fit in quite a bit! From Portland to the L.L. Bean headquarters in Freeport, up to Bangor, out to Bar Harbor, and back down again—Maine was explored and conquered!
Mile: 65,426
Quote of the Blog: “The miracle is not that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start.” - John Bingham
Song of the Blog: “One Foot” - Walk the Moon
The last time we were on a trip for a race, we were in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and drove across the bridge into Kittery, Maine. So technically, we had already been to Maine before, but this time we crossed that same bridge and didn’t turn around. Instead, we headed north toward Portland. We took our time and followed the coastal route. We’d heard rumors about some beautiful drives around Kennebunkport, Maine. President George W. Bush has a compound on the coastline there. The drive was stunning, with so many incredible homes along the jagged, rocky shoreline. That scenic route set the tone for the rest of our time in Maine.
Once we got into Portland, the focus turned to food. Amity found a lunch spot downtown called Duckfat. It was very popular and busy, so we had a bit of a wait before eating, which gave us time to walk around a bit. Portland is a pretty city, and the area we explored was full of cool murals and street art. Lunch was fantastic. We learned that one of the big culinary things in Maine is cooking French fries in duck fat—hence the restaurant’s name. After lunch, we went down to the harbor, but fog had rolled in and light rain had picked up, so we made it a quick stop before continuing our adventure north to Bangor.
Along the way, we realized we were close to Freeport, Maine. Amity had heard about it because it’s home to the original L.L. Bean store, which, even better, is open 24 hours a day. Not only did we find the L.L. Bean “compound” with five different stores, but the town also has a ton of outlets like North Face, Patagonia, and everything in between. We spent a good amount of time checking it all out. We had a comical moment walking into the Patagonia Outlet—it was completely dark inside. We had no idea why at first and could only speculate what Patagonia was up to. We eventually learned there was a power outage, but it was still funny shopping for a rain jacket in the dark!
We still had another two hours of driving to reach Bangor. Once we arrived, we checked into our hotel and headed over to the race venue so I could pick up my packet. Bangor surprised us a bit. I knew there was a horse racing venue and a concert hall, but the whole area had a serious vibe. There was a country concert that night right next to the packet pickup, which made for some great people-watching—it was a chilly, wet evening, and people were either bundled up in Maine flannel or wearing daisy dukes and not nearly enough clothing. After I got everything sorted out for the race, we headed downtown to explore the city a little and find some pizza.
Bangor had a lot of public art throughout the city. One of the more humorous attractions was a 30-foot-tall statue of Paul Bunyan. Another installation really struck a chord with us: dozens of umbrellas suspended in the air over a street. Given how wet it’s been here the last six months, it felt right. We also had another funny interaction while downtown. As we parked, someone saw our license plate and said, “Missouri! I’ve never seen a Missouri car before!” We really were far from home. After a few good laughs, we made our way into Portland Pie Company, which turned out to be a fantastic pizza joint. A friend had suggested I try breakfast pizza if we came across it, and they were right—this place nailed it. I did some solid carb-loading for the next day’s run. I was nervous but also knew what to expect, so that made me slightly more confident. We ended the night by checking out some of the creepier things in Bangor. Amity had learned that author, Stephen King, lived in Bangor. She had found a couple places that inspired books like IT, The Birds and other terrifying stories. Solid way to wrap up the night and set yourself up a great night of sleep!
The weather was far from ideal. Any forecast of dry skies had shifted to heavy rain. I made the best of the wet conditions and kept my spirits high. The race began right across the street from the Paul Bunyan statue. The course was an out-and-back loop that weaved through the city, onto a highway, and eventually through rural forest roads north of Bangor.
Throughout the run, Amity was amazing. She showed up at different points along the course to cheer me on, bring snacks, and lend an ear when I needed to vent about being soaked. I can’t express enough gratitude—she’s a great teammate. Her support helped me push through those dark moments between miles 20 and 26 that every runner knows too well. When I reached the finish area, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I didn’t have to walk at any point during the run, I pushed through being completely soaked, my body ached in every possible way—but all the training had paid off. I even finished almost 10 minutes faster than my first marathon. Clocking in at just over 4 hours and 11 minutes, I’m proud of myself and this accomplishment.
After the race, we weren’t done with Maine just yet. Bangor is only about 45 miles from Acadia National Park, and the rain was finally starting to clear. We had to make the trip! Once we arrived in Bar Harbor, our first priority was food and beer. My body was holding up okay, though getting in and out of the car looked more like someone well into their senior years than someone middle-aged. We strolled around town looking for a bite to eat. Bar Harbor is a really cool place—definitely touristy, but we’re used to that, and we both loved it. Amity found a colonial-style hotel covered in ivy that she’s already planning to stay at next time. We ended up eating at Bar Harbor Lobster Company. Surprisingly, the place was empty, so we were seated right away and enjoyed some incredible lobster rolls and cold beer. I couldn’t have been happier—my body hurt, but I was proud and content. Lobster was the perfect way to celebrate.
After lunch, we drove into Acadia National Park. First, we stopped at the Visitor Center to get a new park pass. Unfortunately for me, the center was located at the top of five separate staircases. My legs weren’t thrilled, but I couldn’t pass up a good Visitor Center. Amity kept laughing at me climbing the stairs, and on the way down she just kept saying, “Don’t fall!”
Once we had our pass, we headed into the park and started with the drive up Cadillac Mountain. It was a beautiful, winding road with great elevated views of the surrounding landscape. Acadia is a patchwork of islands, bays, and forested mountains, all lined with rugged, rocky shorelines. The views from the top were breathtaking. I wish I could’ve done more hiking, but we were happy to drive around and soak it all in. After Cadillac Mountain, we followed the coastal drive around the park. One of the highlights was “Thunder Hole,” where waves crash into the rocks and create huge sprays. The tide was too high to go down all the way, but we walked along the top of the cliffs. Normally I’d have been perched right at the edge watching the waves roll in, but with my legs feeling like Jell-O, I kept a healthy distance. It was a powerful, beautiful spot to spend some time. We continued the scenic drive, stopping here and there to take pictures and admire the views. Acadia is a stunning place, and we’d love to spend more time there—but it was time to head back to Massachusetts and return to real-life obligations. We know we’ll be back to Acadia and Bar Harbor.
The final stretch was a six-hour drive back home. After my first marathon, we only had a three-hour drive, so I knew what kind of stiffness lay ahead. The drive ended up going faster than expected. Amity was a rockstar and drove the entire way back. Normally, she’s the “Passenger Princess,” but today she was the “Queen of the Road.” Between dozing off and watching the miles pass, we randomly pulled into a roadside crab shack Amity spotted. They advertised ice cream, which was all I needed to hear. We both got maple milkshakes, and being this far north in New England, if you see maple-flavored ice cream—get it. It was absolutely incredible and made the next four hours of driving fly by. Before we knew it, we were getting food in Boston and then pulling into our house in Wareham. Getting my stiff legs out of the car was harder than it should’ve been, but overall, I felt pretty good knowing I had just run 26.2 miles in a new state. This is what Living Rad is all about—even if it hurts!