Travel in city Boston, county Marathon

This is part of a collection of stories celebrating the many shapes retirement travel can take. Read more here.

Bostonians often joke that the city's many winding, one-way streets were adapted from colonial-era cow paths—routes literally created by livestock—that long predate the automobile. Whether that’s true or not, most locals agree that the more modern iteration of this city was built for runners. Boston’s green spaces, diversity of neighborhoods, harbor- and river-front trails, and quiet side streets all make this city especially well-suited for a leisurely, scenic jog.

It was the combination of my least favorite conditions: drizzly weather mixed with uneven surfaces. But with less than two months to go in my Boston Marathon training, I set off on a run, despite not having my running shoes on me. On my feet: Lululemon’s first casual sneaker, the Cityverse.

When I first started running, I put on a decade-old sports bra and began pounding the pavement, figuring that the girls bouncing around was simply something I’d have to get used to. But as my mileage increased, I found myself chafing severely—once, after an 18-mile run, I had a blood-stained outline of my bra on my skin. Needless to say, it was time for a serious upgrade.

I’ve never been to London, but I’ve experienced it many times. From sitting in on royal meetings in Buckingham Palace to passing through the walls of King’s Cross Station at Platform 9 ¾, London has come alive in my imagination through some of my favorite books and movies.

America’s newest wicked-long flight is the Boston-to-Honolulu route from Hawaiian Airlines, which is now the longest flight in the country at 5,095 miles. And it’s not a fluke—the new Hawaiian flight is the longest nonstop route in the United States ever. The journey takes a whopping 11 hours 40 minutes when flying to the islands, but it will only take 10 hours and 15 minutes to get back to reality.