Runner's Guide to Staying Fit in NYC

The first Sunday in November is approaching. That day marks the one time in the year when runners are the toast of the town during the New York City Marathon. While it is too late to register or train to be of the 37,000 people who cover the five boroughs on Nov. 5, there is still time to start running, whether to rekindle the glory of your high school track days, shed those extra pounds, find mental reprieve, or improve your training regimen. The temperate fall weather will soon turn into a blustery winter, only to leave you wishing you had risen from your nook in Butler or your bar stool sooner.

But even with all the motivation in the world, if you don't know how to begin or where to go, running can be far more intimidating than simply putting one foot in front of the other. Even if you have been running regularly this semester, perhaps your routine has become stale, you want to run farther or faster, and could use some extra knowledge about New York City running. Here are some insights garnered from years of running in the city that never sleeps.

Three Important Stretches

The benefits and particulars of stretching are frequently debated, in great part because a different routine will work best for different runners, depending on conditioning, injury history, rigor of training, and­-probably more than anything else-mind-set. As a rule of thumb, stretching-if done properly-can help avoid injury and should always be done if you plan on running at a quicker-than-normal pace. It is recommended to stretch both before and after you run, although if you are running early the morning it is best to only stretch lightly before since your muscles are still rigid. If your running route and schedule allow, it might be best to jog a few miles slowly before stopping to stretch and then completing your run before stretching again at the completion. Stretches should be held for at least 10 seconds and no more than 30.

The piriformis is a muscle on the outside of your hip that is not well known. Piriformis syndrome, however, is a common injury among runners when a tight piriformis muscle pushes down on a nearby nerve. It results in knee or hip distress or a shooting pain along the side or back of the legs when sitting down for a prolonged period of time. Simple stretching can prevent this muscle from tightening. To stretch the right piriformis muscle, lie on the ground and place your left foot on the ground with the knee bent. Then bend your right leg, placing the outside of the right foot on your left quadriceps. Slowly lift your left leg off the ground and use your arm to pull it toward your chest. This should also push your right leg back, and you should feel a deep stretch in your right piriformis. To stretch your left piriformis, swap the position of each leg.

To stretch your hamstring, bend the waist from a standing position while keeping your legs straight as you reach the palms toward the ground. Hold the position for several seconds. The hamstring is arguably the most important leg muscle for fast, efficient running. Stretching your hamstrings will help prevent injury and lead to increased flexibility-and thus faster running-in the long term. While avoiding all injuries is ideal, protecting your hamstrings is particularly important because they take a long time to heal and every stride you take while running depends heavily on them.

Calf stretch: Put both hands against a wall or a tree, stand straight up, and then extend one leg straight back so that you can feel a stretch in the calf. After 10 or more seconds, switch legs. Stretching calf muscles is critical for avoiding shin splints and problems with your ankles or Achilles tendon.

Top Three Runners' Parks

If you plan on running at least five miles you would be crazy to go anywhere else. While some students are shocked that I go all the way there to run almost every day, Central Park is not only the best place to run in the city but is also quite nearby. The closest entrance is at 110th Street and Central Park West, just a little more than half of a mile from the center of campus. To get there, jog down Amsterdam Avenue or Morningside Drive to 110th Street and turn east, or left. After crossing several avenues, you will reach the entry road at the northwest corner of the park, which you can follow into the park for about 100 to 200 yards before it turns into the Central Park Loop. (Be wary of cars, particularly when crossing 110th Street since construction projects have created irregular traffic patterns.) While Central Park may be slightly farther away than Riverside Park-though not necessarily if you live in East Campus-it is definitely worth it. The park is incredibly scenic, safe, full of other runners and bikers (or quieter and less densely populated in parts if you prefer) and most importantly, offers over 10 miles of road and trails before you would have to think about retracing your steps.

Riverside Park: Located along the Hudson River, this park has the closest running path from the center of campus-excluding Morningside Park, which should be avoided because of safety concerns-and is the best place to head for a short run. The park can be accessed by running directly west from College Walk. When you hit the park's entrance at 116th Street, head down a series of steps before reaching the main path beneath. The park goes up to 125th Street but unless you want extra hills, wind, and a visit to Grant's Tomb, you are probably best off heading south. The path alternates between asphalt, concrete, and dirt and is incredibly easy to follow as it is a straight shot as far as you wish to go. The running path breaks at 72nd Street but you can cross one street, hop right back into the park, and follow the Hudson River all the way down to Battery Park. Keep in mind, though, that you will be covering the exact same route and distance on the way back. While the views along the river can be scenic, the stretch closest to Columbia is not directly along the river and the nicest parts of the route are from 79th Street and below. But keep an eye out for bikers and while for the most part it is pretty safe, it can also get isolated down by the river.

Van Cortlandt Park: This is more for a weekend adventure with fellow runners or to watch Columbia's cross country teams since it is located in the Bronx and requires a 40 minute subway ride on the 1 train from 116th Street and Broadway to 242nd Street in the Bronx. It is known as the Mecca of cross country running in the northeast, is the home course of Columbia's cross country teams, and hosts the Heptagonal Ivy Championships each year. The hills and dirt trails can be brutal on the quads depending on what path you follow, but there really is no equivalent experience in the city for a serious runner.

Top Three Central Park Routes:

The Central Park Loop: This is by far the easiest route to follow in the park and will be the first path you see upon entering Central Park at 110th Street. The loop goes from 110th Street on the west side down to 59th Street at the bottom of the park, across to the east side, back up the east side to 110th Street, and then back across the west side to where it began. The entire loop is just over six miles-if you start from and finish at Columbia you will run a bit over seven miles in total-but can be shortened to five miles by cutting across the transverse at 72nd Street. If you really want a short run it can be shortened at 102nd Street to under two miles. It should be noted that while there is a dedicated running lane on the loop, during the week runners must share this for part of the day with cyclists when cars are allowed in the park. On weekends, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, and before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. on weekdays, the loop is closed to all cars, making for a much more pleasant experience. On weeknights, the loop is quite crowded at this time of year despite the dark conditions as numerous running clubs and marathon training groups meet at night.

The bridle path is a series of dirt trails that runs through the park. It is usually less densely populated than the road loop since fewer runners know about the bridle or how to follow it. It can be joined in the middle of the 102nd Street road transverse from which you can head either left or right, following the bridle to where it meets the reservoir. At this point, you can head up to the cinder oval around the reservoir or stay on the dirt path beneath-the bridle path circles the whole reservoir. To head further south, you can follow the bridle path past the bottom of the reservoir on the west side at 86th Street to about 62nd Street, where you must either turn around and retrace your steps or hop on the nearby road loop to complete your run, back up the east side to 110th Street, and across to the west side. North of the reservoir it a about a mile long. The portion around the reservoir is about 1.66 miles and the southern part to 62nd Street is around 1.5 miles in each direction. This trail can be difficult to follow so you should go with people who know their way around at first. An easy way to follow part of it is to join it around the reservoir by taking the Central Park Loop from the 110th Street entrance down the west side to about 90th Street where you will see the reservoir. You can then head for a loop around the bridle before returning north to Columbia along the road loop or completing the entire road loop by heading south and taking the bottom of the park back up the east side. Running to and from the park from Columbia, the entire road loop-plus a lap of the bridle around the reservoir-nets about 8.5 miles in total.

The reservoir is the most famous running oval in New York and offers scenic views of the New York City skyline. It can become crowded at times, but it is a good place to go if you want to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or wish to time run intervals since it has yellow yardage markers every 100 yards and black ones every 20 yards. The oval has a cinder surface which is softer than the road but slightly firmer than the bridle path. The entire oval is 1.58 miles-one lap around the reservoir, with a trip to and from Columbia along 110th Street in addition to the road loop to 90th Street, is about five miles.