The summer is going by quickly but then again it always does. There’s not much to report other than the ongoing marathon training. The mileage has been steadily increasing; 15-16 mile runs on Saturday mornings are the norm. My average speed has dropped due to a month old Achilles pain. Whatever the issue may be, it’s no excuse to stop, there’s always a way around things. Running a bit slower and being patient seems to be working for now, and it gets me through 2 hour+ run sessions. The most recent long runs were my 5 bridge / summer-steets 15-miler with the wolf pack and the NYC marathon long training run #2 16-miler, which are worthy of their own sections.
Crossing bridges to glory:

The 5 wolves together again. This is the same group that ran an unofficial NYC marathon with me last year. I designed a route that would take us through Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, cross 5 bridges, and finish off with a traffic-free Park Avenue. After meeting up at the usual Columbus circle meet spot at 7:15AM, we started off by crossing the Queensboro bridge (mile 16 of the NYC marathon). Once in Queens, we ran via Jackson Ave until we reached the Pulaski bridge, then crossed it.

We worked our way south (Manhattan Ave, Leonard street, Driggs Ave) until we arrived at the Williamsburg bridge, crossed it and entered Chinatown.

Then we criss-crossed boroughs by taking the Manhattan bridge followed by the Brooklyn bridge.

Thanks again to NK for running ahead to snap some photos.
Any runner would be feeling the bridge workout by this point. The remaining journey was a straight 4.5 mile run up Park Avenue from chambers to 59th street. Although we kept a 8:45-9:00 pace for the entire 5 bridge portion, I lost steam at the Park Avenue portion and started getting pains in my right heel. The massive groups of runners and bikers kept me going. You only get to do this 3 Saturdays within the year and the streets were full.

The best thing about long runs is the feast afterwards. This hungry wolf seeks his reward at a buffet or diner. I ordered the usual 2 eggs, toast, turkey bacon, and home fries with some tea. And 3 monster size pancakes as a side dish. Still a bit hungry but had to save my appetite for lunch. Man vs food, this round goes to man!
Confidence regained in Central Park:
Here we go with another ING NYC long training run in CP. Thousands of 2013 NYC marathoners embarked on a circular journey (3-4 CP loops) on a perfect 65F degree morning surrounded me trees and roads.

And of course, I was 10 minutes late because of subway route changes. It looks like I’ll be a lone wolf for more than 2 hours. The first loop was perfect. I ran at my proposed marathon pace of 8:30 for 6 miles. With no pain or fatigue thus far, I proceeded to run the second loop at 8:45 pace. Again, no pain or fatigue. Incredible. One more loop! Ok, you can’t feel good forever. I started feeling it around mile 13-14 with a 9:00 pace. Surprisingly, after 16 miles, I feel like I ran a 10k instead.
jc path to the marathon 
Wonderful last line. 🙂
Great site and detailed routes and adventures. Have you ever come out to ling Island to run in our parks and preserves? A different experience, lots of nature. See several of them on my blog
Thank you. Long Island is not too far and I’ve been looking for a spot to take a few days off. I’ll definately take a look at your adventures. I’m a nature fan.
The route and pics are AWESOME. Can’t wait to run NYC again…which will be the marathon but I hope to do a short run down and over the Brooklyn bridge when I get into town.
…and I hope that achilles gets better soon!
I can recommend good scenic routes whenever you’re in town. And thanks, it looks like we both are in recovery mode. Perhaps these injuries/pains are necessary to get to the next level.
The struggles now should prepare us for the path ahead! The 4 days of rest made my already strong feelings legs feel even stronger, blessing in disguise maybe?
Once training is over and the marathon has passed I will definitely head back to NYC for fun and take you up on all those routes!
Rest days are a part of the training. It’s the best feeling when you allow more than one rest day. It’s like you have a brand new pair of legs.
As the mileage increases, its harder to find a route thats scenic throughout. Often you have to pass through miles of industrial areas, heavy traffic, and endless blocks of housing to get the nice NYC scenery. It’s all worth it in my opinion.