My friend Carly over at FineFitDay.com emailed to ask me to participate in a post she was putting together about favorite place to run in NYC. I was thrilled to be included and it made me think long and hard about my favorite place to run.
Central Park would be the obvious choice. I’ve logged thousands of miles on that 10K loop. But when I really put some thought into it, I came up with the following.
Colloquially called “River Road” because it snakes under the GWB and follows the Hudson River, Henry Hudson Drive (the road’s proper name) is eight miles of ups and downs with very little flat terrain. I’ve run this road a bunch when I’m at the peak of marathon training and to tell you I’ve ridden it on my bike thousands of times wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
There are two, what I consider steep sections on the course. Heading north, the first starts at the Englewood picnic area, it lasts about a half mile and peaks at 4.5% grade. The second is better known as Alpine (because it starts at the Alpine Boat Basin and is also in the town of Alpine, NJ). It’s the last mile of the course, lasts a full mile and peaks at about 10% grade. Are these hills the most daunting you’ll ever run? Probably not but they are tremendous opportunities for hill work, learning how to run with “the hurt” and figuring out the best way to stay out of your head – all very important things when you’re in the throes of race training.
What I like about running River Road is the simple beauty of the scenery. I’ve had a friend call it a little slice of Northern California outside of NYC and I think that’s pretty accurate. From the rolling to downright steep hills to the boat basins (where you can find a little snack shop during the summer months – great for water stops) to the myriad of cyclists and runners along the course, this is a virtual athlete’s paradise.
Check out Carly’s post for some other great spots to run in and around NYC.
