Central Park Running

I’m in New York City over the weekend for the American Sociological Association(ASA) conference. I haven’t been to New York City in six years. The last time I was here I was not a runner. This time, I am a runner. It only makes sense that a runner runs in Central Park. I never thought I would do this, but it happened today. I started the run from my hotel which was in Hell’s Kitchen. I ran from my hotel, through Times Square and on 5th Avenue to get to Central Park.

The city was quiet( at least where I ran), there was hardly any traffic on the streets or people. I did stop on 5th Avenue to take a picture with Tiffany. That’s Tiffany and Co. on 5th avenue. Unfortunately it was next to 45’s building but I ignored that. Then I made it to Central Park.

I was running in the Urban Oasis. I wouldn’t know I was in the city until I looked up at all the skyscrapers. The park was so big with twist and turns of greenery, paths, lakes, trees, a zoo, and more. I wasn’t sure which direction to go or where my path might take me but I just went. Eventually I saw runners. I saw a couple of runners of color. I wondered if they were with Harlem Runs or some other group. They all were wearing the same shirt.

I know the park gets crowded but at 5:45a.m. on a Saturday morning it wasn’t. I was so excited and in awe, I wanted to run all of Central Park. It was a thought but reality checked in because I know that would not happen. To be honest I could have kept running longer. I could have run 13.1 miles instead of 6.1 miles. I wanted to get a taste and a feel of running in Central Park and I did.

Fuel For Thought: What would it be like running the New York Marathon? This was my New York running experience. Would I want more? The weather was so perfect for a mid August summer run. I had my New York running moment.