Escape to the city

This weekend I fled the punishing heat of Austin to have a vacation in New York. As well as the obvious pleasures of being in the heart of one of the worlds great cities-the fall temperatures of the east coast were ideal for some quality workouts. Central Park has long been seen as a Mecca of American running, indeed the trend setting inhabitants of NY were amongst the first to adopt the 'jogging' boom of the 70s and 80s. Central Parks own website even calls it a running paradise and having run it twice now, I can see how it has got such a reputation.

Central Park offers a sensory tonic to the perpetually busy and sometimes manic streets of New York-offering the benefits of an uninterrupted, winding and undulating running course that tests runners of all abilities. The main loop of the park itself ends up at about 7 miles so a straightforward run can end up as a solid workout for even seasoned athletes. There are also endless distractions to keep your mind busy as you run, you can spot pensioners practicing Tai Chi,  couples enjoying a romantic stroll through the woodlands and teams playing all manner of pick up sports in the inner fields of the park.

I enjoyed a good workout on Friday-completing a half marathon at quicker than race place-around 1:40 which was pleasing given that there are some sturdy hills on the route (Something that you don't appreciate from the classic aerial shots of the park like in the image above). I also don't think the alcoholic intake from the night before represented ideal preparation for a pb either! Nevertheless it's funny to consider that a distance that kicked my ass this spring is now just another workout-definitely a great sign of the progress I have made!

I plan to enjoy the weekend and maybe fit another run around the park before I catch a flight home to Texas. Good luck to all those preparing for Chicago-not long to go now!