Best Foot Forward: The medium and the message

By ELLEN S. BEST

Let there be light! I’m thrilled that the amount of daylight has been increasing since the winter solstice, even with just two minutes more per day. While our holiday decorations are (mostly) packed away, and routines are back to normal, the holiday spirit  — the warmth of human connection and personal fulfillment — continues to show up in unexpected moments.

This spirit showed up in our pre-Christmas tour at the Old Croton Aqueduct (as suggested in the “Letters” section in the Dec. 20, 2024 issue). Our volunteer tour guide, a civil engineer, introduced himself with simple but infectious enthusiasm: “I love what I do, and I learn something every day.” His authentic passion and sense of self-worth warmed me amidst the bone-chilling air swirling around on the snow-dusted path. 

Days later at BreadsNBakes in Scotts Corners, it was all about community magic. We ran into a couple from Hastings we’d met briefly over 20 years ago. “We drove into Pound Ridge,” the woman told me, her eyes bright, “and just felt ... ahhh ... we’d love to live here, so we’re driving around looking at houses for sale.” On a whim, a few days later I invited them over and we made some new friends.

For me, that “ahhh” feeling  — when something just feels right  — can come from exercising or just being outside, even if winter means shorter walks and bundling up. But for my neighbor Sean Hester, winter doesn’t change a thing; he laces up his running shoes in almost any temperature. 

The running bug caught on with Sean after his wife, Amy, ran the New York City Marathon in 2015. It started as a health choice  — Sean’s parents had died young  — but soon grew into something more. 

Since his first NYC Marathon in 2018, he’s set his sights on the Six Star Medal, which is awarded for completing the world’s six major marathons. He competed in London and Berlin last year and Chicago, Boston and New York the year before. Next up is Tokyo in March for him to earn the medal. He said that Berlin and Chicago are the easiest — very flat — and New York’s the hardest with its hills and bridges. “It’s a great way to visit cool places and meet people." 

“I hate working out inside a gym,” he told me, “And splitting wood just wasn’t enough.” He runs five days weekly, usually 45 minutes each day, covering 35 to 40 miles. “The training prepares you to push yourself on race day,” he says, “and the crowds really urge you on. In New York, a million spectators line the course."

My son-in-law Connor offers a different perspective on racing. Visiting here over the holidays, I watched him manage a run on a cold, rainy day. I asked him if it was to prepare for his next race. “The training is the whole point for me,” he explained, “the race doesn’t really matter.” He meant it. During a recent California marathon, he FaceTimed with my daughter and just enjoyed participating in the event. 

Sean spreads his enthusiasm for running. During the pandemic, he encouraged his Barclays Bank remote-working team to start running. Over 80 colleagues posted their runs online. “It got their spirits up,” he explained, “and some still continue.” He feels that running creates social connection “in the right way.” And this year, 15-year-old Ryan watched his dad run his second NYC Marathon and now wants to try it himself. “It’s not always easy to convince a teenager to take that on,” Sean remarked. Amy added, “It’s good for the kids — it’s a goal they can work towards.”

The active and outdoor mantra shapes the Hester family’s lifestyle. I’ve seen their three kids — Reilly, Ryan and Kyle — working outside pushing wheelbarrows, stacking wood, or walking the dog. They all participate in school sports and over the years I’d see them playing outside, just like most kids used to. As grade schoolers, they were familiar with the dense, surrounding woodlands, and took our family on a hike. Amy has always told her kids, “Go outside, take a walk — it makes anything better.” She said that over time, their eating habits have become more focused on protein over quick carbs. “Sean does all the cooking!” she added with a laugh.

While I’ll never be a marathon runner, I have my own kind of active discipline, taking daily walks in the neighborhood or to my now snow-and-leaf-covered garden. Crossing my backyard recently, a red-tailed hawk suddenly swooped down in front of me as the wind roared through the swaying trees. Approaching the garden gate, a mouse darted from the compost pile into leaf cover. Inside the garden, the Swiss chard was a colorful site to behold as I kneeled and peeked beneath the covered hoops. Ahhh … what a contrast to the gray, winter’s day. It’s a routine with benefits.

These days, as I sort through seed catalogs, look forward to a local seed swap and plan for spring’s awakening, I realize that whether we’re running marathons, immersed in nature or tending gardens, the medium might differ, but the message remains the same: stay active, stay connected, keep growing. In Pound Ridge, we’re all putting our best foot forward, two minutes of extra daylight at a time. 

Ellen Best is a longtime Pound Ridge resident and cheerleader. In her monthly column, “Best Foot Forward,” she explores the many aspects of life and living in Pound Ridge. If you have questions or suggestions for future topics, email her at esbest8@gmail.com.