Fall Fitness: Lululemon East Hampton Run Club

I turn 25 this Sunday, and it’s hitting me that I’ve spent the majority of my post-collegiate years on the East End. Year-round Hamptons is an interesting place for a 20-something. Just like everyone else, we ride the ups and downs of living in a seasonal community.

Luckily, the outdoor fitness scene doesn’t go the way of the high season. With less humidity and sunny skies, fall is the perfect time to sweat. Stores and restaurants may close and scale back hours, but as the Nike advertisement goes, “The roads are always open.”

Most runners will tell you—fall is prime time to take to the streets. Shorts and T’s are perfect for late September, and layers of spandex and cute long-sleeved tops make heading outside more comfortable as the days get cooler.

I’ve been going to Lululemon East Hampton for their weekly run club on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. What’s better than logging miles with like-minded fitness aficionados and trading workout secrets, as you motivate each other to run past East Hampton’s bucolic estate section? There’s been a solid group of people that consistently come out. Lululemon’s goal is to get bigger each week, as they strive to become every East End runner’s go-to group.

Open to runners of all fitness levels, the group meets at the store (35 Main Street, East Hampton) and does running loops of between three and six miles, mostly based on the overall feeling of the attendees. It’s fun, it’s good camaraderie, and it’s a nice way to motivate yourself to keep in shape as the days get shorter. The light traffic on Montauk Highway makes heading out east very feasible. With summer barely in the rearview mirror, it still blows my mind that I can easily make it to East Hampton from the Dan’s Papers Southampton offices in under a half hour.

When I first moved back here, almost exactly two years ago, I filled my weekend schedules with activities that would take me away from the East End. I used to joke that my favorite thing about living here was how easy it was to leave. New York City is a day trip; you can get to Boston in a few hours… But two years into my 20-something East End life, I find reasons to stick around, even in the off-season.

Check out some of the upcoming fall highlights:

The first annual Montauk Seafood Festival will be held this weekend. Fresh seafood at The End? Count me in.

Lululemon will set up a cheer station (complete with a DJ) at the 7th annual Hamptons Marathon and Half Marathon, held on Saturday, September 28. Runner’s World named the marathon one of the Top 10 Races to Run in 2008, lauded for its beach views and small-town atmosphere. All are welcome: meet fellow Lululemon cheer station participants at the intersection of Town Lane and Stony Hill Road in Amagansett at 8 a.m.

In addition, there are a number of fall road races in the area. Check out Andy’s Run 5K Run/Walk on October 5 in Sag Harbor; Southampton Youth Services 10th Anniversary 5K on October 12 in Southampton; the 2nd Annual Run for Ross 5K Run/Walk on October 13 in East Hampton; the 16th Annual 5K Run for the Ridley on October 26 in Riverhead; and the Run for Fun Turkey Day 3 & 6 Mile Run/Walk in Montauk.

And, of course, there’s indulging in the local pumpkin beers—a nice reward after a hard day’s run. Southampton Publick House and Greenport Harbor Brewing both carry the seasonal variety. I recently made the trek out to Montauk on a weekday specifically for a growler of their signature Driftwood Ale. A worthy venture when you can make it out there in under an hour.

Thankfully, I’ll be too busy to indulge my quarter-life crisis…