Day 296, 69 To Go

October 23, 2013

There is no hiding it...I am very behind on my blog.  Normally, I try to make it seem as if I wrote the blog on the day and that, perhaps, you'll just think I was lazy about posting it.  No.  That is a lie.  The truth is that I am lazy about writing the damn thing in the first place.  The posting part is easy.  Saying I'm lazy may be a bit of an exaggeration (at least as far as the blog is concerned) since the reasons I am not able to write it usually are outside of my control.  By the time it is late in the evening, if I have not had a chance to write, I am usually too tired and I want to make sure (at least most of the time) that I give you quality stuff.

I am aware that I fail often, but I keep trying, so I hope you will keep reading!

I want to get back to the 10 Runs Every American Must Do list!  Before I do that, let's do my numbers:

Time: 30:00

Distance: 3.20 miles

Pace: 9:22/m

Max Pace: 8:08/m

Calories: 327

Avg HR: 126

Max HR: 136

It was a slightly below average day for me.  If I'm being honest, I have no idea how I felt or what my plan was on this date.  If I'm not being honest, I'd say this: Today, I was a bit tired and I worked pretty late.  By the time I got out there, it was dark and the mosquitoes were having their way with me.  I was repeatedly violated in the name of food chain.  Instead of being at the top, I was the victim.  I don't think the loss of blood caused me to be slow.  That had more to do with me being slow.

See, wasn't that much more entertaining?  I think so.  It is also very probable and could have happened.  In fact, I'm sure it happened at some point between 10/23 and whatever today is.

So, today's run that every American should do is Central Park!  I am happy to say this is one of the runs that I have done. 

You won't be alone, but it hardly matters. No runner can visit New York City without taking the loop around Central Park. It totals a little more than 6 miles and gives you a peaceful escape from the big city. Once you come across Tavern on the Green on the park's west side, know that you're at the New York City Marathon finish line.

I did not run in Central Park as part of a leisurely run because I didn't live in NYC and I never considered driving down there for a run.  I lived in Fairfield County, CT, and there were plenty of pretty places to run.  No, I ran there in the first ING NYC 1/2 Marathon many years ago.  You may think that it is a flat course, but it isn't.  It is actually pretty tough.  I also ran it, I guess, in the ING NYC Marathon, but by the time I got there, I was in bad shape and don't remember anything.  For the 1/2, we started in Central Park and I was aware of my surroundings.  I ran it pretty well too.  Back then, I was faster.  I did the 1/2 in 1:45 which is a 8 min mile.  I'm sure it could have been faster if I had paced myself better.  By mile 8, I was fried.  I ran the first 5k under a 7:30 pace which was too fast.  If I had started off a little slower, I bet I could have broken 1:40.

Anyway, the amazing thing about Central Park is how big it is.  You have probably seen aerial pics of the park, and it looks big, but it is actually big enough that you can actually forget you are in NYC for a while.  I highly recommend it!

Ok, "tomorrow" I'll have another one for you.  I hope you enjoyed this one.  Until then...

Run for Life!