A mini-discovery...

I never really listened to anyone who told me about running in Forest Park before. In fact, I ran through part of it last year, and didn't think much of it. Well, my head must have been up my culo.

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Reminiscent to that of Central Park, Forest Park is located in Queens. It is just south of Kew Gardens & Forest Hills. I went running today figuring I was going to do about 5 miles. So I went through Forest Park, and I must say it was a beautiful run.

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There were lots of runners, bikers, walkers, even skateboarders out there as I made my way to the far end of the course. I even saw a jogger push her dog along in a, get this, a wheelchair for the dog! The two hindlegs were straddled back on this seat, while the dog used his front legs to move along. Very ingenuitive!

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Well, when I got to the end of the park, I had a big surprise! A beautiful new oval track made up of that specialized rubber material (don't know what it's called), was just calling my name. I ran to it, and did 10 laps with several joggers there. In the middle of the track were hundreds of people playing with soccer balls in their own little groups. I had to be somewhat mindful of the runaway balls that occasionally crossed my path.

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My iPod was already telling me that I had about 400 meters to go, so I knew to get back home would require more like 7 miles. When I got back home, it was 7.2 miles. Not only more than I had hoped, but this was the most mileage I did since the first week of September last year!

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Anyway, the morale to this story is that some of the best times I've spent running is when I do a new course. It's fun, adventuresome, and sometimes a bit dangerous, but always memorable.

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Some additional statistics: This is my first 30+ mile week this year, plus this month is my 2nd highest mileage month (so far) since I re-started in 2004. I'm also ahead by 3 miles ahead of March of 2006. With 6 days to go, all I can hope is for good weather, and good legs.

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I think that the winning formula for me this month has been abstinence.....no not that kind.....abstinence by way of abstaining from trying to run too hard, too fast. I ease into my run now. I don't just blast away the moment I start my Polar or iPod. Even now, as I write this, my legs feel good!