The Best Running Routes in NYC - Throwback Thursday

I realized as I was scheduling this post for today that my choices of old articles to share with you guys as part of Brittany’s Throwback Thursday link up are a pretty good indicator of where my head is at each week. First I shared running tips on starting from scratch – because I needed the reminder myself. Then, I revisited the concept of motivation and why you need an internal motivation to really achieve your goals. Turns out ‘ Pre-pregnancy jeans not fitting’ doesn’t cut it. Last week, I published my 50 Healthy Habits – small, healthy habits you can incorporate one-by-one until they become part of your lifestyle, habits I’m consciously beginning to focus on more since I still have some weight to lose.

And this week? Well, I’m looking to the future, of exploring my city again by foot. There is an awesome giveaway on my friend Eric’s blog for a training package for anyone doing a fall marathon. Go enter it – he’s giving away a ton of amazing prizes to one male and one female winner. I read about it and my first thought was, “Hmm…where can I find a fall marathon?” To be fair to myself, I only entertained the thought for about ten seconds, but I miss the long run. I miss Brooklyn Bridge views when I’m logging so many miles it makes sense to run there, over it and back again.

Eric was also one of the contributors for the post I’m (re)sharing today – The Best Running Routes in NYC (as chosen by NYC runners and bloggers).

Let’s dream about running the city:

New York City is a runner’s paradise, which befits a city that’s host to one of the six World Marathon Majors. Whether you’re on the trails of iconic Central Park, or enjoying views of the city along its shorelines, there are lots of opportunities for visitors and New Yorkers to run. So, where are the best running routes in NYC ? Well, I have a few favorites, but I thought I’d find out from some other local runners their favorite places to run first. Here’s what they had to share:

Eric, Dirty Old Sneakers:

One of my favorite places to run in NYC is also one of my favorite places to cycle. And interestingly, it’s not even in New York rather, about a mile over the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey.

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 atabout 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 Eric’s blog, and find him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Heidi, idlehide:

Running along the Hudson River via the Hudson River Park is my favourite place to run in the city. I love running alongside the water and having the city beside you at your fingertips.

Being a Canadian, it is a very special treat to get to run in NYC and it truly has stolen my heart – from living in Long Island almost a decade ago! One of these years I will run 26.2 miles all around NYC! 🙂

The Best Places to Run in NYC (as chosen by New York Running Bloggers). Whether you want to check out iconic Central Park, a skyline view, or running on the beach, NYC based running bloggers have you covered with these amazing places to run in New York City!If you’re looking for an NYC running route that not every tourist will be running, this is your guide! |travel| |running| |NYC|

Check out Heidi’s blog, and find her on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Christine Yu, Love Life Surf:

Coney Island – beach, boardwalk, the Cyclone, Nathan’s hot dogs. You can’t get more iconic than that. While slightly off the beaten path, running along the Coney Island boardwalk is a fun alternative to park running. The boardwalk is approximately 2.5 miles end-to-end or 5 miles for an out-and-back route taking you from Coney Island to Brighton Beach. Along the way, you’ll pass by the amusement park rides, the New York Aquarium and typical boardwalk shops. You’ll also have a nice view of the ocean and a great breeze. Just be careful as you run on the boardwalk since there are some uneven sections. It’s probably not the best place to do a hard workout (depending on the time of day, there can be a lot of people walking on the boardwalk) but a good option for an easy run. Afterwards, you can take a dip in the ocean or treat yourself to some funnel cakes or a hot dog. That’s refueling, right?

Check out Christine’s blog, and find her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Gabrielle, Marathons and Macarons:

These days I do most of my weekday runs in Brooklyn Bridge Park, but my real love is the Central Park Reservoir. The dirt surface is a nice change from concrete, and it connects up to the Bridle Path for when you want to do a longer run on a soft surface. It’s less than 2 miles in circumference so it’s perfect for doing speedwork. It tends to get crowded with tourists in the afternoons but in the mornings it’s only runners and walkers – no bikes allowed! On the East Side you can see the Guggenheim Museum, the West Side skyline includes the beautiful San Remo apartment building (with two peaked towers – you’d recognize it right away!) and to the south you can see a panorama of Manhattan’s skyline. Both the sunrise and the sunset over the lake are spectacular. It’s even gorgeous in the winter when it freezes!

Check out Gabrielle’s blog, and find her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

The Best Running Routes in NYC (by NYC runners). #runchat #werunNYC

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Michele Gonzalez, NYC Running Mama:

Hands down one of my favorite places in NYC to run is in my hometown of Staten Island. The route begins with a 2.5 mile stretch of running along the boardwalk (on the eastern-most part of the island) which allows for some beautiful views of the ocean and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. If you run early enough in the morning, you get some pretty spectacular sunrises. I trained for a couple of marathons and my first ultra here and the views never got old.

If you continue running north, there is a paved road that takes you into Fort Wadsworth – one of the oldest military sites in the U.S. From various points on the installation, you have some breathtaking views of the Verrazano, NYC and the harbor. But for runners, Fort Wadsworth is known for one thing – the start of the NYC Marathon. It’s where the tens of thousands of runners wait in hours leading up to the race before beginning the 26.2 mile journey through the other boroughs of NYC.

Check out Michele’s blog, and find her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Coach Travis Stanford, Team All American:

There are a few spots I like to run in NYC. I frequent Riverside Park in the Upper West Side because I only live one block away and it has some beautiful views of the Hudson River, as well as some soft surface trails that run alongside the paths. Also, the Hudson River bike path is great for long runs because you can take it all the way south to Lower Manhattan and all the way north to the Bronx, with greats views of the city, New Jersey and the George Washington Bridge.

Lastly, there is a short stretch in Central Park that I love, it runs for about a quarter mile along the west side of the reservoir. It’s a red bark chip trail with trees that canopy above and can be very beautiful with various colors and vegetation as the seasons change. I love this spot so much because it reminds me of my college days running in Eugene where I attended the University of Oregon. A majority of the running trails there are lush and scenic and resemble this trail in Central Park. It brings back good memories from my track and field team workouts and runs through the trails of Eugene.

Check out Team All American’s website, and find them on Instagram, and Facebook.

Melissa Burton, The Valentine RD:

There are so many fantastic running spots in NYC but my favorite of all of them is the Brooklyn Bridge. There’s something majestic about that beautiful span where you can see the entire East Side of Manhattan and the amazing NYC skyline. It took me ages to realize the freedom of being able to run outside (I did most of my training for my one and only 26.2 on a treadmill – ugh!) and whenever I run the Brooklyn Bridge, I feel like a rockstar. I run with music so I have memories of running the bridge approach to Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Second Hand News” that I can almost visualize running there whenever I hear those songs.

However, I ran my very own special Duran Duran music filled Duran Duran Appreciation Day 10K via NYC Summer Streets (~7 miles of traffic free Manhattan is glorious) and took this amazing shot to commemorate my love for all things New York, running and Duran Duran. This photo is my phone wallpaper and likely will be for a long time to come.

Check out Melissa’s blog, and find her on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

A big thank you to all my NYC runner/blogger friends who contributed their thoughts and photos of the best places to run in NYC – as for me, I have so many fond memories of different places in the city. My favorite is probably a toss-up between the Hudson River Park and Prospect Park. I spent many hours out by the Hudson when I worked as a trainer at Equinox in the West Village. It was just a couple of minutes from the gym and I loved my solo runs and runs with friends out there.

#NYCRunners share their favorite spots to run! #runchat #running #fitfluential

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Having lived close to Prospect Park in Brooklyn for nearly ten years now, it holds a special place in my heart. From stair repeats on Center Drive, to attempting to get lost on the paths in Brooklyn Forest, to running around and around…and around that well-trodden loop (seriously, marathon training on a 3.35 mile loop gets old quickly!), it’s definitely one of my running happy places.

What about you? Do you run in NYC, or have you run here before?

What’s your favorite place anywhere to run, walk, hike, bike, whatever takes your fancy?

If you’re an NYC runner, or New York holds a special place in your heart for running, I’d love to hear from you! There may well be a round two, three or more of the best places to run in NYC. Contact me at finefitday@gmail.com if you’d like to be included on a future round up.

3 thoughts on “The Best Running Routes in NYC – Throwback Thursday”

Britt@MyOwnBalance
July 9, 2015 at 5:02 pm

That first shot is beautiful!!! Love love love! I’m not a big runner but if I were to choose a place, I would choose East River near Gracie Mansion, Central Park and Hudson River park. Also the palisades for biking!
Britt@MyOwnBalance recently posted…Throwback Thursday: Gettin My Pilates on with Blogilates
1. Carly Pizzani
  July 9, 2015 at 9:47 pm
  
  I’m surprised nobody mentioned the East River! Posting this as a TBT made me realize I should do a round two of NYC running places. This was a lot of fun to put together last year!
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