Inaugural Run: Forest Figure-8 of 8

Course: Forest Figure-8 of 8 Date: July 6, 2008 Time: 10:30am Temp: 76F Hum: 72%
Distance: 8.22 miles Time: 1:10:43.07 Pace: 8:37 min/mile
Neighborhoods: Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Parkside, Woodhaven, Brooklyn Manor, Richmond Hill
Although inaugural, most of the legs in this run have been run before in one way or another.
Photos below courtesy of Google Maps Street View. Note these pictures are not all of the correct season, but I wanted to share everyone the neighborhood that I live in. It's not the hustle and bustle of New York city, and not urban living either.

Mile 1: 8:47.96

Very humid (as usual). Garmin 305 behaved. Started off slowly, and picked up pace.
I made sure not to fall prey to Austin Street's deceptive upgrade after the LIRR station.

Mile 2: 8:43.78

There are many things to love about Forest Hills Gardens. Right up there with it's wide roads and beautiful foliage, is the peace and tranquility. Many have paid millions to achieve this state of luxury. And I just crash right through this neighborhood to enjoy its fruits. All for the price of some hard earned sweat.

Mile 3: 8:45.59

It was extremely humid upon entering into Forest Park today. It felt like being in a
basement that had just been flooded and drained. Eeeoooowww!

Mile 4: 8:53.51

Coming out of the park, I made my one and only pitstop. A deli near Woodhaven and Myrtle. The Gatorade was a welcomed treat.

Mile 5: 8:57.54

This part of the run was fairly unexplored by me. I had even gotten a little bit lost, running past the left turn to go on West Drive. I realized this when I started seeing cemetery plots.
"Wait a second! That's no park!!" I doubled back in and found on a trail that Bonnie had shown us that had a dotted green line. Moments later I found myself near the Oak Ridge House.

Mile 6: 8:50.8

Exiting out of Forest Park, I found myself back on Woodhaven Boulevard. I ran past the Forest Park Road Runners meeting spot and made my way right on Myrtle Avenue.

Mile 7: 8:06.66

I always knew how annoying it was to run west on Myrtle Avenue towards Woodhaven Boulevard. It is this long, never-ending incline. Well, I could only but further appreciate that fact today....by going in the opposite direction! What a joy!!!
Of course there's payback to everything, and thus the nice downhill I used to experience on Forest Park Drive, was now a somewhat, mind-numbing, uphill experience.

Mile 8: 8:00.39

In the homestretch. Familiar territory. Ahhh, Kew Gardens.



Mile 8.22: 1:36.84 (for a pace of 7:21)

Part of this was turning the corner on Austin to Talbot and booking for the final feet...