I just got back from a run, my third since getting to the Bronx. Damn it’s hot out. It’s late June, 92 degrees, and humidity’s high, not to mention all the concrete and pavement soaking up the sun. After ten minutes outside my t-shirt was soaked. In the last half-mile my form had gone to shit: my feet were scuffling, my knees bent inward. Like any good long run during the summer, I had a punishing stomach cramp. Unfortunately for me, this wasn’t a long run per se. Based on my appearance this afternoon, nobody would believe that I was a decorated track and cross-country athlete.
While the Bronx isn’t host to the expansive variety of running terrain that Ithaca offered, I still find that there are plenty of places to get miles in. Van Cortland Park, famous for it’s cross-country trails is thirty blocks away. I haven’t made my way up there yet, but I’ve come across some awesome places to run within minutes of my apartment.
The entrance to the New York Botanical Gardens is less than a half-mile from my doorstep. Admission to the Gardens is $12, but luckily (for me at least), Fordham students and runners gain free admission. The place is beautiful – there are tons of running trails, wide paths free of cars (but plenty of golf carts), and water fountains galore.
not-a-mirage
Pedestrians and paying visitors can check out the greenhouse, conservatory, arboretums and rhododendron gardens. I, on the other hand, strictly stay on the trails – I don’t want to abuse the privilege of my free entry. The Gardens are truly an oasis considering the urbanity and chaos in the surrounding neighborhoods. This is on the short list of places in New York City where you can spot wildlife (pigeons and rats not included).
The Botanical Gardens as well as the Bronx Zoo, are a part of a large set of land called Bronx Park. The name is cliché, but the paths there are enjoyable. It came into existence in the 1880s when there was a movement to create public parks. (The angst due to lack of backyards had finally boiled over!) Bronx Park is a huge area of preserved land along the Bronx River. The paths are windy, and pass under bridges: The Bronx Parkway runs more-or-less parallel to the Bronx River.
troll haven
Here, runners don’t have to stop for traffic and we can escape the streets for a few miles, and the canopy above provides welcome shade in the summer – and probably a shield from the rain. The downside is that it’s littered and there are no clean-up efforts in sight: On my run I saw cigarette butts, food wrappers, some dumped trash, even a pay-phone in the river below one of the bridges. Bronx Park is also a venue for lecherous activity: Bottle caps, condom wrappers, questionable individuals sitting on benches. The pungent smell of vinegar is pervasive here and I don’t know why. Regardless, the escape from honking taxis, curiously loud Civics and exhaust fumes is worth the perils of running in the park.
I wiped sweat from my brow along a path. Looking ahead I saw piles of clothing, sneakers and gold chains on the ground. Down a slope I saw a handful of Bronx youth swimming in the River. It was a hot day, and any respite from the humidity would have been welcome. I just couldn’t bear to watch these kids swim in such murky water. Not after seeing that rusted pay-phone upstream. Besides, this is where the ducks, flamingos and turtles at the Zoo swim.
lock jaw
I saw a sprinkler at Fordham University’s main traffic entrance. I slowed down and let it splash my face. I nearly made a wrong turn due to heat delirium, but finally made it home, to take off my shoes and slouch in front of my air-conditioner, ice-water in hand.
But I don’t come here to babble about personal endeavors or whine about the heat. I come here to provoke thought, respond to culture and to bring phone pics to life. If you really want to read about personal fitness, please check out Tim Shea’s Dairyland Memoirs on NotDrugs.com. His tribulations regarding re-fitness are something to laugh at, even if he doesn’t want you to. Enjoy.
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