​Oh how I love running in Manhattan!
I could run along the Hudson
Or the East River (trickier with all the construction)
But today I stick to the center(ish) line
The middle way where
There is a green corridor of parks
From Harlem to midtown
Start outside my front door
Trace the perimeter of Jackie Robinson Park
Run up the hill on 145th
And mercifully down the hill to
St Nicholas Park
With its steep sets of stairs winding through the trees
One of the trees has fallen across the path
Carefully step around
Marvel at its size
And the storm that took it down
(You watched the lightening last night
Through the window from your bed
It was an extraordinary show
You think Abuela and Abuelo and the other angels are having a particularly good night of bowling)
Keep running across 125th
Morningside Park
With its pond and wide open field and
Views to the cathedral
(And more stairs)
And then to the grand dame herself
Central Park
Entering through the upper most reach
The North Woods
Then turning around
And running it all in reverse
Down the stairs into Morningside
Past the ducks
Past 125th
Along St Nicholas
Stay on the outside to avoid the stairs
Enter at the tennis court to run around the playgrounds
Past the fallen tree
A few steps ahead of you
A squirrel crash lands on the pavement with a shocking
THWACK!
Ohmygod, did that squirrel just drop dead?!
You pause to look at it
“Are you ok little one?”
The squirrel doesn’t move.
Should you do something?
The squirrel still doesn’t move
Oh god. It’s dead.
Suddenly, it raises its little head
You realize you are probably frightening it.
You take a step back
The squirrel regains its breath
Darts into the undergrowth
You breathe a sigh of relief
No squirrel death today
You keep running
Out of the park and
Past the church that looks like a castle
Up the hill to 145th
Back down the hill to Jackie Robinson
We’re in the home stretch now
Keep pushing until the app tells you you’ve made it
And then cool down by walking to 153rd where there is a water fountain
It feels damn good.