Okay, this post got a lot longer than I'd intended, so I'm going to break it up with big bold headers, so that anybody who reads it (yes, all both of you....) can skip the parts that don't interest them.
Every weekend I try to do a long run, usually between 8 and 11 miles depending on weather, mood, time constraints, etc.
On Saturday, Spring went streaking through NYC, which was both exciting and frustrating. ("Ha ha, you like this guys? The warm weather? The soft breeze? Well enjoy it, suckers, because a glimpse is all you get!") I celebrated the warm weather with one of my favorite runs.
The Run
Distance: 10.75 miles
End points: Prospect Heights (Brooklyn) to Coney Island (Twilight Zone)
Auditory accompaniment:
- NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!"
- PBS's Washington Week Podcast with Gwen Ifill (marry me, Gwen!)
- Leonard Lopate
- John Gorka's "Pure John Gorka" album
- Prospect Heights
- Prospect Park South
- Ditmas Park
- Midwood
- Homecrest
- Brighton Beach
If I'm running on my own, I prefer to run through neighborhoods so I can look at houses and gawk at people. Here's how I get from Prospect Park to Coney Island:
- Exit the park in the Southwest corner, at "Park Circle", across from the Parade Grounds. If you've been running the loop counter-clockwise (like everybody else in the park), this is the first exit you get to after you see the lake on your left.
- Cross Parkside Avenue, and run through that odd stretch of road with ballfields on your left and the backs of Parks Department buildings on your right. Basically, this is a block-long parking lot.
- After a block. you'll get to Caton Ave. Zig a little to the left, so you can cross it onto Stratford, the first of many England-themed streets you'll come across in this area.
- Run along Stratford until you get to Beverly Road. Or possibly Beverley Road. The road can't decide how to spell its own name, and it changes depending on where you are. Anyway, turn left on Beverl(e)y, and run 3 blocks to Rugby.
- Turn right on Rugby and run along this for a long way. At some point you will find that, without intending to, you are are on 14th street. Little did you know that the "Runner's High" also involves hallucinations.
- Run along 14th. Run more along 14th. Curse the name of the stupid blogger who sent you on this route.
- When you get to Avenue U, turn right. There, that wasn't so bad, was it?
- Run along Avenue U until you get to Ocean Parkway. Please note: Avenue U is commercial, which means there are shops and people to gawk at, but it can be crowded. If it is, try running along Avenue V instead.
- Turn left on Ocean Parkway. Follow it to the sea.
Why I Love This Run
I love running to Coney Island, because I get to do my post-run stretch on the boardwalk, watching the waves. And then I can take the subway home.
And Coney Island is a real trip. First of all, there's all the history and entertainments: the Cyclone roller coaster, Astroland amusement park (which everybody says is going to be destroyed soon), the parachute jump, the aquarium, etc. That, combined with the beach, brings out a great combination of families, people on dates, people strutting, and folks who are just plain bored and looking for distractions.
One guy with a strong Noo Yawk accent, who arrived at the boardwalk just as I was slowing down and walking a bit, looked around and said, "man, it's f___in' great here!"
Amen, brother, amen!
Also it's next to Brighton Beach, which is largely populated by Russian Jews from Odessa. So there are all these wonderful looking, stoic elderly people sitting around on the boardwalk at any time. I also like the sound of Russian, and you hear quite a bit of it.
I'm feeling ready for the 1/2 marathon in Columbus next weekend.
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