Covering the Streets of Manhattan at a Respectable 7.5 mph

Date: Saturday August 21, 2010
Distance: 12.7 miles
Time: 1:12:05
Temperature: 81

Total Distance: 196.4 miles
Total Time: 28:37:24

Walking around Manhattan you are often aware of the subway trains traveling beneath your feet. You can feel the ground rumble as the subway speeds past or see the masses of people exiting from the subway stations. But in many Manhattan neighborhoods, for better or worse, you never actually see the subway above ground. That being said, if you’re a fan of watching trains in motion, 97th and Park is the place for you. At 97th Street the MTA Subway and Metro North trains exit the tunnel system and begin traveling above ground on a beautiful suspend stone pathway. There is something strange about Park Avenue essentially turning into a street divided by a stone wall, but if your goal is taking in free train related entertainment, you could not ask for anything more. On the 97th Street overpass you can hear the trains approaching from within the tunnel, building the excitment as they come barreling into sight. I can not help but think of my little nephew, who could watch trains all day long. If he came to NYC we could show him the Statue of Liberty, Time Square, Brooklyn Bridge, a Yankees’ Game but I have a feeling the intersection of 97th and Park would be the highlight of his visit.

On a different note, this run finishes up the Upper East Side. Chipping away…

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View 8/21/2010 95th-109 east (12.7) in a larger map

Date: Saturday August 14, 2010
Distance: 10.0 miles
Time: 1:28:14
Temperature: 77

Total Distance: 183.7 miles
Total Time: 26:45:19

Medieval architecture is in no way synonymous with New York City. Despite this fact, there are a few medieval type structures located throughout the city. Everyone knows about the Cloisters, probably the most famous, located up in Inwood overlooking the Hudson River. To my surprise there is also an amazing castle, or at least a castle facade, on Madison Avenue between 94th and 95th Streets. Approaching the structure from the west it was like running through a time warp. One minute the street is lined with large residential buildings, the next I’m standing in front of a castle. Upon closer inspection I found out that the building only consists of a castle facade with a park located behind the giant archway. Turns out this is the Squadron A Armory, and up until 1965 consisted of a massive structure occupying the entire block between 94th/95th and Madison/Park. In 1965 the majority of the building came down leaving only the facade on Madison. Despite losing a significant portion of the original armory, the current towers and archways lining Madison Avenue still provides amazing contrast to their Upper East Side neighborhood.

View 8/14/2010 87th-94th East (10.2) in a larger map

View 8/14/2010 87th-94th East (10.2) in a larger map

Total Distance: 173.7 miles
Total Time: 25:17:05
Total Runs: 33

View Progress Report 8/9/2010 (33) in a larger map

Date: Wednesday August 4, 2010
Distance: 6.4 miles
Time: 59:13
Temperature: 83

Total Distance: 173.7 miles
Total Time: 25:17:05

Until my late twenties living in New York was completely off my radar. In my mind, New York was packed shoulder to shoulder with people surrounded by block after block of high-rise buildings. This notion of the city came from my seperatic visits to New York which usually revolved around going to see the band Phish at Madison Square Garden.

In a past life I spent way too much time listening to and following Phish around the country. Every year they would play a few shows at MSG and my friends and I would dutifully head to New York for a few days. Given our destination was MSG everynight we ended up spending most of our time in the midtown neighborhood surrounding the venue. As a result, much of my initial understanding of the city was shaped by this experience. So to me, NYC was just one big island where everything looked and felt like midtown.

This is obviously not the case but given that tonight’s run began on 32nd street in front of MSG I could not help but think back on those trips to New York. We were young and in a big city with no rules or responsibility. Despite that fact that our experience of the city may have been limited to a tiny portion of only one borough, to us we experience everything. Often much of the excitement of New York is linking to a feeling of unending possibilities. Whether its new people, food, or art, the energy of the city taps into this collective anticipation. Looking back on my earlier trips to New York, we may not have made it to any art galleries, or to Brooklyn to hear the next up-and-coming band, but we did explore a world foreign to us, with the expectation that around each corner may bring a new and exciting experience.

That being said, its somewhat ironic that I’m headed back to MSG tonight for a concert, to see Arcade Fire for the first time. Even though the allure of heading to midtown may have lost some of its luster, nothing can beat the excitement of a big rock show at the famed Madison Square Garden.

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Date: Saturday July 30, 2010
Distance: 8.9 miles
Time: 1:19:24
Temperature: 76

Total Distance: 167.3 miles
Total Time: 24:17:52

With today’s run between West 98th Street and 110th Street I have now completed all of the east/west streets on the Upper West Side. I know its not much considering the number of streets I still need to cover but this does give me a small sense of completion. Divide and conquer is the only way to keep me focused.

I really enjoyed my runs on the Upper West Side. This neighborhood provided dramatic views of New Jersey and was dotted with many old amazing buildings. As for the terrain, I was often unpleasantly surprised with the number of hills hidden throughout this area. The last of these hidden hills came today on the stretch of streets between Central Park West and Amsterdam Ave. Great for training but a heads up would have been nice. All and all I would recommend anyone to skip yet another run around the loop in Central Park for a few miles on the streets of the Upper West Side.

View 7/30/10 97th-110th West (8.9) in a larger map

I officially started training for the NYC Marathon. The race is about 15 weeks away but given its my first marathon I opted for a good long training program. Millage wise the first few weeks shouldn’t be much different than my regular routine. Three runs a week with one of them being a longer run. It’s a bit strange printing out the training schedule and realizing this list of seemingly insignificant boxes will dictate my workouts for the next four months. Part of me feels a bit constrained by the list, understanding that I likely won’t deviate much from these defined distances and times until November. I often use running as a way of relaxing, running just to run. Running to relax also means doing what feels good in the moment. If that means 8 miles on a Monday night or a short 3 miles over the weekend, so be it. As restricting as my goal of running all the street in Manhattan can be, I have taken a laid back approach with this project, getting in my Manhattan runs when I have the time, rarely forcing them just to check off some streets.

At the same time, printing out my training schedule is exciting. It provides a road map for achieving the goal of finishing my first marathon. Many endeavors in life don’t come with a well defined checklist of items to complete. There is no road map for finding a partner, landing a good job or building a happy family. But for the marathon, the training schedule almost makes it seem easy. Just read the next box, run the miles and repeat.

How hard could that be?

Date: Saturday July 3, 2010
Distance: 6.5 miles
Time: 1:11:41
Temperature: 82

Total Distance: 158.4 miles
Total Time: 22:58:28

When most people think of parks in Manhattan they start and end with Central Park. For good reason, Central Park is an amazing place where both New Yorkers and tourist come to relax, exercise, people watch, just take in the city. If I had to recommend one park to visit in Manhattan it would probably be Central Park. That being said, there are many other impressive parks, all special in their own unique way. One of these parks is Carl Schurz Park. Located on the Upper East Side starting at 84th Street running along the East River up to 90t Street, this park provides amazing views over the East River of Queens, Randall’s Island and Roosevelt Island. Given its somewhat out of the way location, Carl Schurz Park has a quiet neighborhood feel making it extremely welcoming. In addition, although I have not made it up to 88th Street yet, the norther part of the park hosts Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York. Next time you’re looking for a nice stroll in the park think about heading over Carl Schurz Park.

View 7/3/2010 81th-86th East (6.5) in a larger map

Date: Wednesday June 30, 2010
Distance: 7.3 miles
Time: 1:11:41
Temperature: 75

Total Distance: 151.9 miles
Total Time: 21:59:09

Great run on the Upper West Side. After a few days of opressive heat tonight was prefect, mid-seventies with a light breeze. I also manage to time my run with the setting sun which provided amazing light reflecting off the buildings lining Riverside Park. My big surprise moment of the night was coming upon the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Riverside Park at West 89th Street. Nestled in a somewhat out of the way location, this monument has a Washington DC like feel. Build in 1902 the monument is constructed of beautiful white marble with giant pillars supporting a modest dome. Not only is the structure impressive, the monument overlooks the river, looking down from within Riverside Park. Next time you find yourself in the west 90s its well worth the walk over.

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View 6/30/2010 88th-97th West (7.3) in a larger map

Date: Thursday June 24, 2010
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 26:20
Temperature: 92

Total Distance: 144.6 miles
Total Time: 20:47:28

My Manhattan running project runs are usually solo events or on occasion my wife will join.  This allows me to view the everyday activities going on around me without disrupting the natural flow of things.  One or two people running down the street in not going to throw off the rhythm of life within any given neighborhood.  With that said, tonight’s run was a completely different story.  As part of the Wall Street 3 Miler, Maura and I joined a few thousand other runners and countless walkers to take over a few blocks of lower Manhattan.  It was hot, it was crowded, but this is New York so what more could you ask for.  On this run, instead of observing the everyday goings of the neighborhood, we were the show.  Professional looking folks cheered us on as we weaved our way thought the cavernous streets of the financial district.  I view my Manhattan running project runs as a way of observing different parts of the city but I guess for one night there’s nothing wrong with being part of the show.

View 6/24/2010 Wall St Run (3 Mile) in a larger map

Date: Saturday June 19, 2010
Distance: 7.3 miles
Time: 67:48
Temperature: 81

Total Distance: 141.6 miles
Total Time: 20:21:08

I am starting to appreciate the Upper East Side. After having a negative experience on my first run in this area I was left feeling annoyed and somewhat dreaded my next run on streets east of Central Park. But the last two times I have run on the Upper East Side I got my miles in Saturday morning. At this time of day neighborhood in extremely quite and for the most part the only people up are making their way to Central Park. And those pesky avenues that had me stopping every two minutes on my first run, not so packed in the morning, only requiring for me to stop a few times over my seven mile run. Add in a little incline from the river up to the park and you have yourself a great morning run.
View 6/19/2010 74th-80th East (7.3) in a larger map