Making the runs count

Fort Tryon Park, late April 2010

As I mentioned in my 15K race recap, I have made the transition to running only twice a week and swimming 4x a week in order to train for the Great Bay 4.4mi Swim in June. I needed to find a way to get in a long swim on Sunday which meant my day off would now be Tuesday. I have been doing speedwork with the Inwood Hill Runners on Tuesday nights through the winter, so it's been a hard habit to break. This Tuesday I couldn't quite take a day off because I'd been sick the previous week and missed 3 days of training, so I did some P90X workouts and called it a night. I was sore from those plyometrics until Friday morning.

I did manage to make my two runs this past week really count as good training runs which makes me happy and confident that I can maintain my running while swim training. Thursday night our group run takes us on a hilly loop through Inwood, Washington Heights and Fort Tryon park and this week was no exception. We had a special guest this week though, Steve from NYCRUNS.COM joined us at the top of Manhattan for a run. The group was in good spirits as we caught up with a friend we hadn't seen in weeks and we introduced ourselves to a new member. It turns out the new girl has the exact same name as one of our current members, first and last! Bizarro. We ran a solid 4 mile loop on top of the 1.5 miles it takes for LW and I to get to the meeting spot. In honor of our guest, we had some post run food and drinks at an Inwood favorite cafe. That was a lot of fun.

The other run I'm keeping in my schedule is the Saturday morning long run with the Inwood crew. This Saturday I ran to meet the group (go to Inwoodhillrunners.org to find out where/when we meet!) and we decided on an adventure run to and over the George Washington Bridge.
It was a beautiful day yesterday with very little breeze and nice, warm sunshine. The air felt cool and crisp, but there was a haze around the city so white and thick that we could only make out the outline of the downtown skyline as we ran across the bridge. As we reached the bridge one of our members who also cycles gave everyone a little refresher course on bridge etiquitte because there were many more cyclists out than we anticipated. We lined up single file and started across the bridge, I was somewhere in the middle of the 7 person line until Charlie started moving away at the front. I felt like we were moving a little slowly for how flat the bridge is, so I looked to make sure there were no bikes coming and I charged up to catch Charlie. We kept a solid pace up and chatted briefly between flying bikes as we made our way over to NJ. After touching the rocks on the mainland and gathering all of our troops we ran back to NJ at the same quick pace, Charlie and I laughed at all of the cyclists waving their hands behind them to signal that we were oncoming, it sure looked a lot like they'd farted and were waving the smell away. Haha. I guess you had to be there. As we reached Manhattan again we headed back up towards Inwood via Fort Tryon Park and I turned around at the top of the big hill to head back home. The park is on the verge of lots of spring blossoms and there were bagpipers leading a small procession through the park for the annual Shearing of the Heather. (Fort Tryon park has one of the largest heather gardens on the East Coast.) It is a tradition I always sort of "bump into" every year, but never actually participate in. It's almost become the official start of Spring for me, so I smiled to myself as I ran past the folks with their giant garden shears. Bring on the blossoms!!! I finished up the run just shy of 10 miles and felt a bit tight in my left ITB, but satisfied with another perfect Saturday morning run. I can't believe that everyone doesn't start out their weekends this way.

The Sunshine cometh

When we returned to the city this afternoon after a super stressful weekend, the sun was shining bright and temps were in the 40's. I have never needed a run some much in my life! I had a hard time deciding what to wear because it was 43 degrees, but the wind was blowing and the ground is still snow covered. I couldn't go on temperature alone, so I got some advice from friends who'd run earlier and set out in light tights, a short sleeve top under my long sleeve marathon technical tee, my favorite EMS baseball cap and my light headband around my wrist. I don't like cold wind on my ears, it's the worst so I wanted to be prepared. I'm sick of wearing my heavy trail shoes so I threw on a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus and headed out!
I may have forgotten that just because the weather was nice, there was still snow on the ground and ice on the paths. Oops, duh. I had grand ideas of frolicking down under the GWB, turning around after a bit and charging back up those hills, cruising up the Greenway to Riverside Dr. And back through Fort Tryon park. Nowhere in my head did I remember the ice storm we had last week, the cold temps and rain that followed. The run went a little more like this (with many laughs at myself along the way) : I frolicked down to the overpass leading to the Greenway, slid down to the path, which was clear, and headed for the bridge. I smelled fire at the top of the first hill and slowly made my way down the no longer clear hill where I smelled more fire, but couldn't find the source. I looked ahead to the train bridge and the mess ahead and decided to turn back. No Riverside run for me, I carefully ran back up the hill and headed north on the Greenway which was deceivingly clear for the first 200yds. The path quickly changed from clear to "death trap". Some of the ice had melted, but the path hasn't been cleared since the ice storm and it was slushy, soft and most of all WET! I hit a patch along "the narrows" that was at least ankle deep and brrrr! I was missing my gore-Tex shoes then! Wow, brr. I laughed at myself as I ran through the slop past the cars inching along the Henry Hudson next to me, knowing that they were probably laughing at me too. I made it back through the park, not the route I'd imagined, but fun nonetheless. Some punk boys were slipping on the ice and as I approached they said "heh heh let's see if she busts her ass." Nice kids. For the record, I did not "bust my ass."
In the end, I finished with a smile on my face, soaking wet feet, and that great feeling that comes with a sunny run.
Be sure to check out the most recent New York Running Show, I talked about the ESB run up and we discussed some other local races coming up as well as today's Gridiron 4 miler. Http://newyorkrunningshow.com/2011/02/05/episode-16-they-go-up/
I hope you were able to get out and catch some rays today too!

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Snurricane 2010

Hello George.

We finally got the Snopocalypse we were promised a few weeks ago. The snow started Thursday morning with snowball-sized flakes and continued all day in a slushy fashion before turning into heavy, real snow. It went on through Thursday night into Friday and just kept coming down!! In fact, its STILL snowing as I type this. Nuts. Anyhow, its beautiful and since I don't have any run to report (its knee deep out there people) I will share my favorite photos from my trek around the hood. Its sooo beautiful out there, they wouldn't let me in the park though because a tree fell and killed someone in Central Park because the snow is so heavy. I took a few shots from the entrance and around the perimeter of Fort Tryon Park, but most of these are just around the hood. Enjoy.

Pinehurst Ave apts

De Plane! De Plane!

Pinehurst looking south from 185th

Woah heavy snow

Snowy trees and Hudson View Gardens

Fort Tryon from the "outside looking in"

I was soo hoping to get down to the Arches to get some pics..

Looking across the river to the Palisades park

Cutest little snowman ever!

And his friends :)

Sticky snow and some stubborn leaves

Can't get in! (the man walking is the owner of the New Leaf Cafe in the pk)

And goodnight George.

In the white.

Today started out with a sore throat and a groggy feeling that was tough to shake. I got out of bed feeling blah (but well rested) and sipped some tea and applesauce because they felt good on my throat. I spent the next few hours on the couch in my robe and covered in fleecy blankets (yes, the one with the swimmers on it). I finished my book "The Good Thief's Guide to Paris" which ended pretty well, although things got very complicated just like "The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam", but I was satisfied in the end. I digress... so I checked my temp (no fever!) and finally decided it was time to try out the new CW-X tights that my hubby got me for V-day.

The first few blocks of the run were icky and sloppy and I stayed on the sidewalk because it seemed too dangerous to be on the road and i figured I'd get splashed with slop if a car went by. Once I hit the northern end of Cabrini Boulevard though, the slate sidewalk (my fave) was covered in a few inches of crunchy, thick snow and I was smiling. I enjoy running on the snow when its deep enough to sink in a tiny bit and not slippery. Once I hit Fort Tryon Park, my breath was taken away by the sights. Wow, it was so quiet and the snow was so fluffy. I stopped and took a few pictures and just took in the beauty of it all. I enjoyed the rest of the run while seeking out paths that had not been cleared today or even those not cleared after the last storm, making for deep, fluffy paths. I had a blast. I only got in about 3 miles because I needed to get home, eat and get out the door to meet the kids for practice, but that was enough because I was getting wet from the heavy snow.

I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story..

There's usually a beautiful view of the Hudson and Palisades from here...

Man I LOVE this park. :)

Snowy Day Fun in Fort Tryon Park

Our snowmen from behind, waving at the world

Yesterday was my day to be a kid again- it was a snow day!! The schools were closed, they were predicting "Blizzard conditions" and I had most of the day to do whatever I desired. On snow days in my mom's house there was always lots of sledding and always broccoli soup. I didn't manage the sledding this time (no sled, very sad.) but I rocked that soup! I was so proud of myself for making it just the way mom does, yum. After a little soup teaser (tiny bowls) and each of us working a bit from home, my obliging husband and I wandered out into the snow just before dark. Normally at that time of day there's a beautiful sunset over the Hudson, but we couldn't even SEE the Hudson so we ventured up to Fort Tryon Park, a gorgeous, hilly and serene little chunk of land just north of 190th St at the northern end of Fort Washington Avenue. Even though it was nearly dark, there were TONS of people walking in the park, it was like a summer evening! We threw lots of snowballs at each other (oooh thats why my shoulder hurts today, damn finally figured it out!) and wandered around in awe of nature's amazing canvas. It was just stunning, the branches of all of the leaves heavy with the fluffy snow, draping down over the walkways, the snowdrifts in the garden that blooms so pretty in the springtime, covering the flowerbeds and bushes in a blanket of white. Its hard to describe the vibe that was in that park last night, snowballs flying and people laughing and chasing each other around, a snow day really does make those stuffy adults into kids again, even if just for a day. Here are a few shots from last night, including the snowpeople we made. I packed baby carrots in my pockets for the occasion (or in case we ran into Santa and his reindeer). The snow angel I made was still there tonight when I went by on my run. :)

New Leaf Cafe

The Heather Garden under a blanket of white

Everyone out for a stroll on the promenade

A beautiful snowy tree

Hubby made a scruffy snowman who needs a shave

My snowman was the cutest, obv.

My snow angel, so much fun!

A winter version of my usual blog title photo, I love this old Subway sign

and I hope they never get rid of it. I'll track it down if they do! It's my new header

for the winter, I'll go back to the usual one in the spring..maybe I'll catch a bird on it!

Skunks in the Heights

An article in yesterday's NY Times mentions a growing skunk problem in the Heights and Inwood, specifically in Fort Tryon and Inwood Hill Parks. I must say I definitely have noticed the skunk smell a few times recently during runs in the park. There's a bit in the article about some neighborhood dogs getting skunked and possible reasons for the recent migration of the skunks into Manhattan where we were previously skunk-free.

Check it out here.

*image courtesy of fanpop.com

Bennett Park Water Main Break UPDATE!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago the water fountains and bathrooms in Bennett Park on Fort Washington Ave between W183rd and 185th streets have been out of commission for months and the neighborhood families were getting fed up. The port-o-potties were smelly and kids were peeing in the park (so gross.) and so I wrote a letter to the parks commissioner who gave me this response which I thought was reasonable. Well it looks like things are finally underway!! Woo hoo.

Some other shots of the work being done:

ugh i have a few more but blogger is having some issues and I need to head out for a run so I'll try them again later.

Inwood Hill Park gets rave reviews!

It looks like the word is out about our beloved Inwood Hill Park! I got an email from YELP! today with reviews of parks around the city. I was happy to see IHP mentioned in the first few paragraphs of the email... of course I'm torn because I'm afraid the word will get around and EVERYONE will be up visiting our sanctuary :)

Also receiving rave reviews, Fort Tryon Park and Riverside Park, though no one really mentions areas in Riverside this far north...they're probably scared of the hills.

Super busy start to the week after being away all weekend soakin up the NJ sun. I'm in the midst of becoming a certified SCUBA open water diver, and the late night classes are taking a toll. I'm not a late night kind of girl and class doesn't end until 11:30pm down at 43rd St. Needless to say with the shuttle bus crap I'm taking cabs home... there goes the discount on the class I got for being a member at the pool where we practice!

Fitness in Fort Tryon Park

As the weather finally turns Spring-like, everyone is looking for a reason to get outside and get moving!! I know I love to spend as much time as possible in the nearby parks when it gets warm, so why not try one of the Fort Tryon Park fitness programs? They're a fun, healthy way to meet new people in your 'hood and best of all they're FREE!

Check out the FTP website for more info, Fort Tryon Park Trust

Here are a few of the upcoming classes:

Sunset Yoga
Wednesdays from June 10–August 12, 2009
6:45 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Location: Abby's Lawn
Description: With certified Yoga Instructors. These yoga classes are suitable for all skill levels.Please arrive early, wear comfortable clothing, bring a towel or yoga mat, and water.
Directions: Enter the park at Fort Washington Avenue and continue north along the promenade, veer right at Linden Terrace, then left walk around, under the arch and down the path to Abby's Lawn.

Sunset Qi Gong Classes
Mondays from June 1–September 14, 2009
6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Location: Linden Terrace
Description: With experienced instructor. Wear comfortable clothing.
Directions: Enter the park at Fort Washington Avenue and continue north along the promenade, up the steps to Linden Terrace.

For more information, email Healthwriter2@aol.com or call Linda Huntington at (212) 795-1388

Fort Tryon Photos, Welcome Spring!

Sometime in early March I was certain that spring would never come. It was an endless winter full of chills and bitter winds along the river. I've never worn my fleece-lined spandex on runs so much since I lived in NH. Brr. But finally, I can't pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, but spring sprung. It tried to sneak up on us, but we were ready. I was ready with running shorts and non-wool socks and even some sunglasses, and of course my camera. I took a million shots that day, but here are a smattering of the best.