32 Down, 20 to go!

A while back I made it my goal to run a marathon when I travel - and especially if and when I made it to New York. Having missed my planned marathon last weekend, running a marathon today was the only option. While I had conferences all afternoon, the morning was wide open. Why not hit the New York sidewalks for a marathon?

I woke about 4:45, ready to hit the treadmill by 5:15. The plan was to run somewhere between 10-13 miles on the treadmill before it was safely light. At about mile 12, and 7 a.m., that time arrived.

I headed out without a plan. I set out of the hotel and around Times Square. Oddly, even at 7:00 a.m., there are hundreds of people already out and about.

I then headed to Rockefeller Center and around 5th avenue. I don't know really what I had pictured, but it was certainly smaller than I expected. The Rockefeller building was big and magnificent, but the surrounding area was smaller than I thought. But beautiful.

Then I headed towards Central Park. On the way I ran past the Ed Sullivan Theater where the Tonight Show with David Letterman is filmed. Of course, I also ran by the Hello Deli.

Soon I was at Central Park. This place is amazing. I would say that it is worth the trip to New York just to see central park. On this morning, there were thousands of people running, walking and cycling. Truly an amazing sight.

But what makes it truly amazing was that a place like this exists. Green grass, treas and ponds surrounded by skyscrapers. Beautiful.

I headed all the way north towards the Harlem end of the park. I had to stop often to figure out where I was, but it was worth it. I really just took my time and took in all the sights. The ponds and lakes were beautiful.

Soon I was back out of the park, with about 6 miles or so to go. I again was without a plan. So I picked out a landmark - the Empire State Building. I headed that way.

After taking a few pictures, I headed back out. From there, my story gets boring, because I have no idea where I was! So I just ran. Very enjoyable. Slow, but enjoyable.

All in all, a great day. Saw some beautiful areas of Manhattan.

32 marathons down, 20 to go!