Reservoir, Schmeservoir

Yesterday, I ran 5k in Central Park. I felt like a movie star!  After a day of traipsing around New York in sweatpants and running shoes, eating only food prepared on the street, we hit the park at around 330 and entered the park right near the zoo. Bryan told me to bring my phone, and spent 10 minutes pointing out landmarks to help me get my bearings.  These both made me roll my eyes, I'm a grown up for Pete's sake, I don't get lost!  Harumph!  Finally, I was off!  I was running through Central Park!

I'd say it was one of the best runs I've ever had.  The weather was perfect, overcast and sort of cool, but not cold.  The ground was covered with leaves and the pavement that didn't have leaves had those dark imprints where leaves had been, so it was really pretty.  I admit, a few times I gleefully stomped through piles of leaves, this felt like movie set fall!  My plan was to run around the pond a couple of times to make sure I didn't get lost, but then I saw some cool looking stuff I wanted to run to.  No problem, I think, I still know where I am.  I run a few loops of a field, and run by The Met and around a few roads with horse drawn carriages, traffic cops and stand after stand of roasted nuts.  Oh, and where I was running was NOT at all flat. I don't think I ever ran on flat pavement, it was all rolling hills.  Great for training!  I also ran up and down around 8 flights of stairs.  These were neat too, it was like they were cut right into the rock, so they blended in and looked pretty.

As the iPod counted down from 400 meters, I was coming around the last loop and was all proud of myself.  Not only did I feel like an authentic New Yorker, but I showed Bryan that I don't get lost!  Hahaha!  I round the last corner just as the iPod announces I'm finished to find----I haven't been running around a pond, but a skating rink full of people. Ummm...maybe the pond froze, I think hopefully to myself and kept jogging until I realized not a thing looked familiar.  Also, I didn't remember where I had started, so the map I found didn't help me at all.  After 10 minutes of jogging and panicking, I finally call Bryan.  Good thing I brought the phone after all.  Realizing we have no way of meeting up in the park, he tells me to jog straight west out of the park and then text him the address of the street I'm on.  Apparently I ran 10 blocks past our meeting point, so I stand on the sidewalk feeling shame until Bryan comes along.  He opts not to mock my lack of direction and instead gives me a hug. 

If I was smart, I would have commemorated this event with a photo or two, but I totally forgot.  By the time we met up, we were running late for our hockey game so we had to boot it back to New Jersey.  Then I got to ride the Subway all sweaty and gross, but still totally proud of myself.  I loved everything about that run, and wish I could do it again sometime soon, but today we're off to Philly.  At least I'll get to run up the steps of the library in Philly Rocky-style!

Running on the Road...sort of

We arrived in New Jersey last night for the Rangers game (taking the train into NYC takes 20 minutes and saves us $300 a night) and this morning, I was ready for my first road trip run.  Yesterday, I drank nothing but lattes and beer (not a single sip of water), and ate nothing but pizza and White Castle burgers.  The complimentary breakfast at our hotel offers the Mecca of free breakfasts...breakfast sandwiches on a biscuit!  (Fueled with this 2 day nutritional powerhouse means that it's not just my running that's slow, heh) I power through a sandwich, 3 glazed donuts,  2 cafe mochas before hitting the...gym.

That's right, my first chance to run in New Jersey and I sort of chicken out.  I didn't know where to run, plus I was afraid of getting lost (and I think Bryan is secretly afraid of me getting shot) so I opted to run inside in what was a pretty fancy gym right next to the breakfast room. The upside was that I got in a 3 mile run (USA likes their imperial measurement) in 30 minutes flat in a room that smelled deliciously of bacon and eggs.  The downside was that I was a sweaty disgusting mess and wasted a great day outside where the temperature is a lovely 15C...making it 45C warmer than back home. Plus, I can't help but feel like a wimp. Tomorrow is a run in Central Park for sure!