Running in Rockland

Running for some is just fun, some do it for results, some do it to clear their head, real runners do it for a little bit of all. I started running in high school, nothing big, ran a little track and somewhere in college, maybe it was just one too many ”all nighter’s” that I just needed to get out and do something so I went running (I’m sure it had nothing to do with that “freshman 15″ I had been holding on to). But since then I fell in love with it.Once I joined the road runners and began doing races I was totally hooked. I spent most of my 20′s waking up and running on sunday mornings in central park at a race, and other than getting A LOT of t-shirts I grew to love running. Now let me set the record straight I don’t compete. I like to run and I love to do races but I never think of winning, I do it to just do it. I do it for the spirit of the sport. I do it for those who can’t and of course for those who won’t (all my friends who say “oh I do the next one with you”).

Years ago when I was training I ran at 5AM when it was still dark and I got my miles in early in the day. The weekends, when I did my long runs, were really the only time I got to appreciate my surroundings. I would often do a few miles on the treadmill because it was just too cold out. But when I did road running I would run everywhere from 9W in Haverstraw/Stony Point to Tweed Blouevard to Broadway in Nyack. But I just did it to get it done, I wasn’t inspired by my surroundings.

When I would travel to other cities I would run to “get to know the place” so why did it take me so long to do that at home? In recent years, my life and my children have changed that. I can’t really run on the shoulders of main roads as I trek with my double stroller and my dog by my side. Which brings me to my most recent realization….this great hudson valley in which I reside is beautiful!!!!

Over the past coulple of years I have run everywhere that is “stroller friendly” from my own local roads (with sidewalks) to Tallman State park to the hills of Bear Mountain and the mostly flat Rockland Lake. Once you have partners that can talk (my dog never compalined about our courses) you realize that same boring routine can be mixed up and everyone gets more out of it.

I of course always appreciate new routes to run, so if you know of any please let me know.