2015 Year in Review

Despite ending the year with a DNF, I actually feel pretty accomplished when I look back over my 2015 running.

Gear Highlights

  1. I found a hydration pack that I love.
  2. I found a backpack that I love for run commuting.
  3. I figured out how to love my Altras again.
  4. I added Skora to my shoe line up.
  5. I said goodbye to Garmin and hello to Suunto.

Run Highlights

  1. I ran in four different states.
  2. I finally marked running the perimeter of Manhattan off my to do list.
  3. I managed to finish a very difficult, hilly 50k.
  4. I successfully trained for and completed my first-ever 100k.

I could make a list just as long of things I wish I’d done differently, but I’ll file those away as I look at training this year and use this post to be positive. All together, 2015 wasn’t too shabby.

Running Rochester

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A short trip for work gave me the chance to do a short run in Rochester, NY.

I took off down the Genesee Riverway Trail, which runs alongside the Genesee River, through Genesee Gateway Park. The path goes under the Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge, then runs south further than I had time to go. I was interested to see that there were ladders down to the river at regular intervals all the way down the east side of the river. I am curious whether people swim in the river all the summer or if they serve another purpose. Read More

A Long Run Tale

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…in which I remember there are summer routes and winter routes.

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My training plan called for a 20-mile run this past weekend. I wanted a change, so I began mapping out different route options in parts of the city I don’t run often. There’s a particular route I’ve wanted to run for a long time and I decided this was the perfect weekend to do it.

I was wrong. It was not perfect.

The route is basically a loop divided by the East River: run across a bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan, up 1st Avenue to the 59th Street Bridge, cross into Queens, then run south back into Brooklyn and back to roughly where I started. It wasn’t too difficult to fit that into 20 miles, so I decided to do it. I checked the weather and figured leaving by 6:30 am would be perfectly fine, so that’s what I did.

I was wrong. It was not fine to leave by 6:30 am. Read More