I Run These Streets, Episode 1: The Two Bridges

If you read the previous post you know that my camera died when I first ran the "two bridges" course last Saturday. I think many people would be highly disappointed and would put this course at the end of their list, just because it's no fun to run the same course twice in a row. Not me.

I did it today, labor day, and actually the course was nicer, with less people on the bridges and I really loved it.

This is the best course you can run in NYC, the views are extraordinary. Don't get me wrong, I love Central Park, but this is a different animal and you can't say you've run in NYC if you didn't run over the Brooklyn Bridge.

This is the course according to my Forerunner 405:

And this is the total so far, 3 runs, 17.7 miles (28.3km):

The song I used in the clip happened to be the last song I heard when I was on Brooklyn Bridge (shuffle mode in my iPhone's iPod) and I liked it.

Here are the lyrics, they are a bit sad, but while running I didn't notice it.

If a train crashed into our garden,
Would we notice the noise?
Would it make us sit up and turn off the TV?

Out of focus
And out of moments,
Remember, this is us.

All I want is someone to pull me out.
I'm stuck in a traffic jam
with nowhere to run for miles.
All I want is someone to pull me out.
I'm stuck in a traffic jam
with nowhere to run for miles.

I'm scared of what you might tell me.
I see your mouth move but I don't hear
a word that you say.

I'm so sorry I'm not better at love.
Just remember that this is us.

All I want is someone to pull me out.
I'm stuck in a traffic jam with
nowhere to run for miles.

All I want is someone to pull me out.
I'm stuck in a traffic jam with
nowhere to run for miles.

Come here and find me,
I'll be waiting.
Come here and find me,
And I'll be waiting.
Come here and find me,
I'll be waiting.
I'm stuck in a traffic jam
with nowhere to run for miles.

I'm stuck in a traffic jam
with nowhere to run for miles.
And all I want is someone to pull me out.
I'm stuck in a traffic jam
with nowhere to run for miles.

I Run These Streets - Episode 1 failed

It was a great run! I started from where I had finished last time at Battery Park and contoured the southeast of Manhattan to then cross Manhattan bridge, run a bit on the waterfront, and finally come back through Brooklyn bridge. In total it was 6.3 miles and I had the pleasure to talk to a fellow runner while we ran together on Brooklyn bridge. I gave him the address of my blog, let's see if he checks it out.

Unfortunately though, my camera died right at the beginning of the run and I was able to record just a bit of footage. Damn USB connection, I thought it was fully charged, next time I will make sure it is.

I plan to do this run soon again, it's a great - really great - view of NYC. GPS signal fails a lot because at some points there isn't a clear view of the sky.

Total so far: 11.7 miles / 2 runs:

And this is the short video of the beginning of the run:

I Run These Streets: Pilot

The project "I run these streets" is a declaration of love to NYC. Each episode is the length of a cool song to run to and the path of the run is shown in a stop motion-like style. For me this is motivation to cover as much ground as possible in this awesome city and to keep running!

This is the Pilot episode, I run from home on 42nd and 12th all the way down to Battery Park along the Hudson River. This has become one of my favorite places to run, sunsets are amazing, the "Westside Greenway Path" as it is known is usually packed with people practicing sports or chilling out in front of the river. The region around TriBeCa is my favorite.

My first 5.4 miles (8.6km) being tracked in the project! (I wish I had started it earlier)

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Keep Running

I'm back, I'm back!

It's amazing how capable we are to, from time to time, ignore what really makes us pulse. I've been writing about running, I've been talking to people about running, some people think of me as the running guy, the one who once ran the NYC marathon and never stopped running.

The truth is that the NYC Marathon's main contribution to my life was to make me fall in love with the city and to make me wish I could live here someday. Now this has become reality and another good thing happened: after 2 years of occasional - or lazy if you will - running, I'm back to serious training. The ones that may eventually get me back to half marathons and even marathons. I once had a dream of getting to know the world by running marathons, then I switched to half-marathons but it happened that work was helping me more on that. I've been to Tokyo and there I could see thousands of people running the Tokyo Marathon while I was running 5k in a local park.

The problem about getting back is huge. First you have to admit you are not that good anymore. You're older, you're less fitter, but your brain does remember everything you were capable of. So, when that overweight guy passes by you very quickly, you have to tell your brain that you must not speed up, you have to respect your pace, do your training. And when you see that athletic girl running at a very fast pace, just admire the view and keep on with your slow, yet steady pace.

It's been only two weeks and I'm already getting better. I feel like my body is re-learning something that it was very used to feel and it might take some time but I will get back there. The good thing about being older is that you become more resistant, I may eventually run further than ever. Well, at least I want to believe that, it's comforting.

I was thinking about some motivational ideas. I first decided I would pursue running the distance between the earth and the moon. I thought that would not be too hard, taking into account that I have run many thousands of kilometers already in my life. But if you do the math you'll find out that it would take you hundreds of years running more than 180km a week. Even half way to the moon, to "see the moon" closer, is unfeasible for a poor guy like me. I wish I had that idea when I was 18...

Happily enough I found out that I did not need that kind of motivation, I had already started and once you decide to start it, that kind of decision that mobilize all of your body elements, it will happen in an unavoidable way.

To make things funnier though, I decided that from time to time I will take a subway to some distant part of Manhattan and have the motivation to run back home. I intend to document this here.

And for you that are thinking about re-starting, here's something that may help you:

sample week:

day 1 - 2 to 4k at a steady pace, not too comfortable, because comfortable means you're not really running

day 2 - off or cycling

day 3 - 3 to 6k again at a steady pace

day 4 - off or cycling (not too much of cycling)

day 5 - run 2k at a slow pace to warm up, then run as fast as you can for 20s and rest for 40s. Repeat this fartlek (quick / slow) 6 times, then run 2 more kilometers in a very slow pace

day 6 - go to a hospital. Not really, but relax

day 7 - run 6 to 8k at the pace you want, go to somewhere you never been to and enjoy the view.

In the first weeks you may not do everything, but try to reach to this point, or even a more aggressive one in 3 or 4 weeks.

Never forget that your body talks to you, if something is hurting too much, take care of yourself and observe what happens when you run again.

Keep running, it will keep you healthy and happy.