Destination New York

“My dad is an enthusiastic soccer player and he wanted me to follow suit and to coach me. That was enough to make me look for another sport! I didn’t want to be coached by my dad so I chose running and now he is the biggest running fan of all! I had some early success in high school. I ran 5:04 for the mile. When it was time for me to go to college I chose Columbia University in New York City. It is a good running school. It is ranked in the top 25 for track and field. It is also an Ivy League School, [which means it is seen as one of the most prestigious universities for athletic and academic excellence in the USA.]"

During her first year at University it is fair to say that she was challenged to cope with some distraction. A friend of a friend wrote a song that went on to become a big hit. “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s was the result of a crush that Tom Higgenson, a singer with the band, had on her. “It was very odd and very unexpected but my coach helped me to handle it and protected me by keeping a lot of the media away from me."

She often trains in Central Park and describes why it is a great place to run. "The road loop around the park is a 10k and the New York Road Runners (NYRR) host around 50 a year of varying distances. On any given Sunday, you can see thousands of runners with their bibs running in the park. There is are also a soft track of around 5 miles. It is called the bridle path and from time to time people ride horses on this path. There is a third loop just short of 2 miles called the Reservoir or Res that encircles the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir. It is nice to do workouts on this because each 1/4 mile is marked out. However it is a narrow path and it is usually always crowded. There are lamp posts lining the Res making it a perfect place to jog at night. In fact, no matter what time of day or night, there are tons of people in the park jogging, walking, doing exercises, playing with kids making it a exciting and safe environment to work out. It is also fun because you are sure to run into someone you know in the park. You can start off running alone, but find a partner half way in. In general, runners in Central don't say hi to one another and with good reason. There are far to many people to say hi to; you would end up wasting all your breath and energy on being friendly you wouldn't have any left for your run!"

The park is closed to traffic between 1000hrs - 1500hrs and 1900hrs - 2200hrs as well as all weekend, making it the perfect time to run and check out the final 3.2 miles of the New York Marathon.