I ❤ NY

On November 5th, I’m running the NYC Marathon for Every Mother Counts to raise funds and awareness to ensure that more women have access to lifesaving maternal healthcare. You can visit my fundraising page here.

My ‘New York Years’ were exciting & chaotic. The over 8000 miles I ran around the city were often the same.

Racing around the Lower East Side, across the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, in the middle of the night with Orchard Street Runners; dodging cars and hurdling medians like steeples. These unsanctioned checkpoint races test both city-navigation skills and speed.

Quick jaunts across the Williamsburg Bridge before, during, or after a shift at Brooklyn Running Company.

Lunch break workouts on the East River Park track. Long run loops around Central Park.

Sprinting to make the train to the beach for a Jersey Shore Grand Prix race (and to visit family), optimistically talking with Pat about the grand ideas of what to spend the prize money on the way. (In reality, rent and groceries.)

The Washington Heights neighborhood (where I spent three-ish years) is lowkey a very solid place for running:

A mile and a half across the George Washington Bridge to the rolling trails of the Palisades.

A warm-up-cool-down-distance to the Riverside track via the West Side Highway.

The perfect staple eight miler through Inwood and The Bronx.

A block from The Armory, with frequent opportunities to run week night track races with elite & very humbling competition.

A couple miles from Yankee stadium — a nice double to catch a glimpse of the boys heading into the stadium for an evening spring game.

For cross training, a 20-mile round trip bike ride from work; for strength work, carrying said bike up and down from my 5th floor walk up.

These years were formative. My first full time job. My relationship with Pat evolving from college friend to roommate to boyfriend to fiance. Adopting Mowgli. Moving apartments (many times). Learning how to navigate the subway, lug home groceries, become a very fast walker.

My life looks different now: settled in Colorado, married with a home and two kids; things I hoped for as a 20-something in the city. I’m looking forward to bringing a new perspective as I run the streets and bridges that I’ve covered many times; through all of the old neighborhoods, by the places with the best dollar slices, favorite brunch spots, and the subway stops of my commutes.