Keuka Lake

date: 5/21/2023

total mileage: 56.5

Stage 8: Complete

The moment you realize pain is your ally instead of your enemy, doors begin to open and that threshold, once a barrier, now becomes a canvas for growth.

I didn’t know how Keuka was going to pan out, given most of my training since Boston last month had zero structure. The workouts mostly consisted of me and Miles getting lost on the trails: no watch, no goals, just me and the boy frolicking in the woods bargaining for a few last minutes of daylight.

The start/finish was in downtown Penn Yan, about an hour from home. The area looked familiar and I recall visiting a few years ago, remembering something about them making the world’s largest pancake?

The scenery quickly changed as I descended West Lake Road into the bluffs and back up towards Branchport. Without question, West Bluff Drive is the best kept secret of the Finger Lakes, and its people know that. From there, the directions were simple…Left on 54A to Hammondsport, Left on 54 back to Penn Yan, passing some of my favorite hangouts along the way (@drfrankwine, @ravineswine, @roosterhillvineyards). The haul was long and the hills were nothing new from previous lakes. At one point around mile 45 Alannah asked what hurts and I just remember smiling, but things wouldn’t have even got that far if it weren’t for her and the endless amounts of ice towels, baby food, and sunscreen. Going to take a minute to recover from this one, but proud of the accomplishment and super grateful for all the support leading up to it. Until next time, Q-ka