The NYC marathon was held today covering 26.2 miles through all 5 boroughs of New York City, ending in Central Park.  The race goes through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx and back in Manhattan.   I’m not sure if it’s a race in the middle of a 26.2 mile party or a party with a race in the background.  Everywhere along the route there are food booths, bands, and millions of spectators screaming at the top of their lungs for their favorite runner or runners.  I walked down to 59th and 6th near the end of the race to watch the spectacle.  One of my colleagues at work is in a band called “Cool Shoes” that was playing there, so I wanted to be there to support him.  The first thing that struck me was how well-organized everything was and how much security was present.  The police presence on foot, horseback and above (spotters on cranes and in helicopters) was impressive, and comforting.  The police force here are the best in the world and when they want to secure something…it will be secured.

The race really made me appreciate how great this city is for runners.  I’ve been a runner for two and a half years now.  I started the day I turned 50.  It was probably a mid-life crisis but I guess it’s cheaper than buying a corvette.  I started running because I was fat and out of shape.  Since that time, I’ve lost 30 lbs and my resting heart rate has dropped 22 beats per minute.  My goal is to run 15 – 20 miles per week.  Some weeks I don’t hit my goal but I’ve never stopped running.  When I moved to NYC, I was pleasantly surprised to find amazing running routes.  This was good because my motivation for running changed.  Instead of losing weight, I started running to not gain weight because of the amazing food here in New York.  So I run to eat….One of my favorite running areas is Riverside park near where I live on the Upper West Side.  Riverside park is a 4 mile stretch of beautiful land running alongside the Hudson River from 72nd to 158th street.  There are big beautiful trees, benches, flowers and art work all along the park.  I like it because it’s asphalt, which is a very runner friendly surface.  It’s also flat but has great areas of hill work all along the path.  I usually do short runs during the week in Riverside.  Anywhere from 2 – 4 miles.

For longer runs like 5 – 8 miles, I love Central Park.  Central Park is a runners paradise.  It has a perfect 6.1 mile oval route around the inside of the entire park.  An excellent time to run is when the park is closed to traffic, Monday through Friday from 10AM – 3PM and 7PM – 10PM and also on the weekends starting at 7PM on Friday through 6AM on Monday.   I love running the 1.5 miles around the Jacqueline Kennedy reservoir because it has a hard dirt path and the scenery is breathtaking.   Cat Hill (medium difficulty), named because you pass a statue of a wildcat on the side of the hill and Harlem Hill (hard difficulty) keep the course challenging.  You can run in Central Park and feel like you’re miles away from the City.  Plus, every time I run, I’m amazed at the eclectic nature of other people I see along the way.  Painters, yoga masters, and just plain strangely dressed people fill the park.  It’s never dull, trust me.  

If you’re ever in the City and want to run, look me up.  I love running with others and would enjoy showing you some of the routes.  Plus, these are just two of the many running routes Manhattan has to offer, not to mention the other boroughs.  Too much to explore, so little time.

Before I close, I did want to mention some excitement I had the last week.  I came back to the apartment from a run one evening after work and there were 6 fire trucks in front of my apartment.  Apparently, the temporary awning that workers were using next to my building caught fire.  FDNY was there within 2 minutes and it was an impressive site.  No one was ever in danger but I was impressed with the efficiency and professionalism of the Fire Department.

Well, Laura comes this Friday for two weeks.  Then I go back to TN with her for a week over Thanksgiving to see the family.  After that, there are only a couple of weeks before she moves here with me for good.  We move into our new apartment 11/18.  It’s been a long 10 months without her here by my side every day.  I can’t wait to have her here.  She’s not only my best friend but the love of my life.  I’m sure you get tired of me writing that but I’m so excited I feel like a kid at Christmas.  We will be attending a black tie gala on 11/14 at the Waldorf Astoria for my work.  I can’t wait for her to meet everyone I work with.  Oh well, until next time, be blessed!