Gridiron Classic 4 Miler 2010

My long runs sometimes make me think about the disconnected memories you have when remembering a dream.  You can remember fragments of the dream, but sometimes it is hard to put all together.  This is especially true when I embark on a long run by myself.  I am alone in the big city passing through neighborhood after neighborhood, past throngs of people but the only interaction you have is with yourself.  You tend to daydream a lot.  I guess it is no wonder why a solitary long run feels more like a dream when looking back upon it.  I remember fragments of the run; a street scene, the sound of my breath and the changing landscape.  All of it blends together as time passes and the run and dream eventually come to a close.  I should use a voice recorder to remember things about the run that I want to point out later on.

I got a late start for this run – a 9 mile sprint to Central Park for the Gridiron Classic 4 Miler, followed by a 10 mile run home along the West Side.  I had intended to leave around 7am, but somehow overslept.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before and when I finally fell asleep deeply it was already 5am.  My alarm clock woke me up around 5:30, but I turned it off and didn’t wake up again until 6:30.  I move slowly in the morning and I didn’t get outdoors to start the run until 7:25.  I had to make 9 miles to Central Park from my home in Brooklyn for the start of the 9am race.  This was doable, but I had to hustle and didn’t have time to take any pictures while I ran.  I made it to the start of the race in 1 hour, 40 minutes with 1 minute to spare.  Fortunately, they were running a little late to start the race.

The race itself was completely uneventful.  Actually for me to say that I was racing is a malapropism.  I am by no stretch of the imagination racing.  I am merely trotting along, getting another qualifier to enter the 2011 NYC Marathon.  I haven’t “raced” in years now.  It’s all about training to complete the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run.  Eventually, I would like to race an event again, but for now, it’s all about how far I can go.  I crossed the finish line with a lot of out of breath and tired back of the packers.  Runners looked around and congratulated each other on finishing the race and a job well done.  Their day was done after a brief 4 miles, but mine was merely half way over and I needed to get moving again before I cooled off too much.  Everyone around me was heading for the warmth of their warm-up clothes and the comfort of their homes.  I had cold pavement to pound on my run back into Brooklyn.

I left Central Park at Columbus Circle and ran down 8^th Avenue for a while.  I wanted to find a Starbucks so I could go inside for a bathroom break.  Starbucks’ are conveniently located over the entire city and I never have any trouble darting into one to use the bathroom.  Perhaps one day, I’ll actually buy something when I go in.  I hate coffee though and as long as the water from the bathroom faucet is free the chances of this happening are slim.

After my pit stop, I meandered over to the West Side Highway and the greenway along the water.  This was the 3^rd Sunday in a row in which I ran on it.  When I got there, I saw that the Hudson River along this point was frozen towards the shore.  I stopped to get a picture since it is not an everyday occurrence.  I methodically made my way south, feeling satisfied as the building of the World Financial Center and Battery Park City loomed closer.  I was please with my progress.  Since I had left CP, I had a slight fear that I would want to bail out of the run and grab a taxi.  It was why I stayed on 8^th Avenue for while – the subway was nearby.  However once on the Wild West it would be a cold walk back to the subway or a warm taxi to bail me out should my body have forced me to come to a stop.

No matter though, I made it down the West Side to Battery Park City and then cross town to the Brooklyn Bridge.  There were plenty of tourists out, despite the cold weather on the bridge.  And why shouldn’t there have been?  It was a beautiful crisp and clear winter day.  I snapped a picture of myself mid-span and then took a couple of photo’s for tourists who were trying to do the old arm’s length camera shot.  Occasionally, I like being that classic friendly New Yorker.  

To exit the bridge I took the pedestrian steps that lead towards Whitman Park.  It’s much more pleasant than running the entire length of the Brooklyn Bridge entrance and offers a bit of solitude; especially when you make your way through a deserted Cadman Plaza.  I quietly ran through past the court houses and then back onto the streets for the final two legs home up to Prospect Park.  The climb up park slope rolled off quickly and felt good.  I decided to go into PP to finish off my run.  As I mentioned previously I like running in both parks on the same day.  I somehow timed my exit from PP to give me exactly 25 running miles on the day.  I contemplated going marathon distance, but I had enough and another 1.2 miles wasn’t going to buy me much more fitness.

I showered, ate and napped for the rest of the afternoon.  Later in the day I walked about 1.5 miles to a friend’s house to watch Super Bowl 44.  So I guess I did move my body marathon distance for the day.  This 25 mile run has made for 3 big weekends in a row.  I’ll probably back off this coming weekend and start picking it up again the following.  So far I am feeling good.