NYCRUNS FROZEN PENGUIN HALF-MARATHON 2014

When I ran the NYCRUNS Central Park Marathon last Sunday, I made the most of the time limit of 5 hours and 15 minutes.  I appreciated the staff and volunteers for being out so long for slower runners like me.  I thought of returning the favor by volunteering at an NYCRUNS race this weekend, but it didn't work out.  I thought the Frozen Penguin Half-Marathon was to take place on Sunday, but it was Saturday.  The timing just didn't work for me to volunteer, which usually involves being at the race 7 AM to 1 PM.  I live nearby and had an errand to attend to, which placed me even closer to the route.  I was able to be at the race to cheer and take photos.  Some photos, in no particular order, are below.

I like eye-rhyme as well as ear-rhyme, at the expense of correct spelling.

Penguin hat!

The rest of the photos can be found here:

https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5986413635125513793

NYCRUNS CENTRAL PARK MARATHON 2014

I know someone who has info from all her foot races in a neat little spreadsheet.  In this age, it may seems odd, what with Athlinks.com supposedly having every little bits of info about all runners, but it is good to have your own.  I did discover that untimed races like the NYRR Emerald Nuts Midnight Run or those supposedly unsanctioned races once organized by the Holiday Marathons folks are not listed anywhere.  You just have to make your own little list.  I am not done but the disturbing trend I found out is that my marathon finish time just got worse as time goes by.  For my most recent marathon race, the NYCRUNS Central Park Marathon, my finish time is 5:13:43.  I had two marathons completed in the 90s before chip time and those were about 6 hours.  My best marathon time was in 2011, at the Brooklyn Marathon, then each race after that just went down a few minutes, to this year's worst record. I do have a reason for the lousy performance but it is still upsetting.

It was a rough winter.  It snowed a lot and the weather was freezing cold.  I did not run as much as I'd like to.  As a matter of fact, I didn't have any 20-mile run as recommended by many training plans.  Many days I had to take time out to shovel or break the ice.  I didn't want to risk injury so I didn't run outdoor when it was slippery.  I suppose it would help if I have a gym membership and resorted to treadmills.  Even though I was unemployed, many things came up and I just couldn't find a block of 4 hours to carry out the long runs.  The most I ever did was a 15-mile run with a friend from PPTC.  Another time I was 10 miles into a supposed 20-mile run but I had to head back to pick up some medicines from the local pharmacy before it closed at 6.  Yeah, it is probably a first-world problem, but it's a problem nonetheless.

It was a beautiful day to be out running.  No rain, temperature just right for runners, and the roads in Central Park was mostly free of nasty ice.  I usually don't use bag check because of the delay in dropping off the bag and later retrieving it, but with NYCRUNS races there are not that many people so I brought a bag.  Just something to hold an outer layer of clothes.  The marathon was scheduled for 8:30, with the half-mary started at 8, so I had some time to get to the race.  It was nice to see daylight as I traveled to Central Park by subway.  As I entered the park, the half-mary people already started, which was a good thing because I didn't have to wait at all to use the john and to drop off my bag.  I worked with NYCRUNS before so it was nice to be greeted by many people.  The start of the marathon was about half a mile away but I got there in time for a short stretch, to bow for the national anthem, then off we went.  There was almost a thousand half-mary runners, but only about 350 in the marathon.  It took very little time to run past the start mat.

The marathon course consisted of five counter-clock loops of the park, the top portion being 102nd Transverse.  No Harlem Hill, just Cat Hill five times.  Much easier to remember compared to the course for the half-mary, which included a pass through 72nd Street and once up to the northern edge of the park.

Each loop had four water stations: in the 90s Street on the west side, at 68th Street on the west side, then around 72nd Street on the east side, and finally at 89th Street, near the Fred Lebow statue and NYRR office.  Years ago when I volunteered with Central Park Conservancy, I learned that the light poles in the park have street numbers assigned to them.  I don't know if that helped or hurt my run.  I should just plow ahead and not pay attention to where I was.  Five loops, it shouldn't matter what street I was at.  Besides, the course is not straight like the city streets, so for example one may be in the 70s and the next goal is in the 90s, it's not 20 blocks or 1 mile away, but rather whatever the curvy course is.  I tried to hug the curves but clockwise runners had the inner run lane so that strategy only worked sometimes.

The nice thing about a race with loops in Central Park, as opposed to one that covers a whole city, is that for slow runners like me I was never alone.  There were many other people out there enjoying the nicer weather.  At some point, I started to overlap the half-marathon runners, but eventually they all finished.  Just to keep my spirit up, I started to look for other racers like me and got to know three, Tory from Ashville, North Carolina, John from Annapolis, and Jeannie from San Francisco, some time during Loop 3 and afterward.  It helped to have a little competition with runners of similar capability.  We took turns leapfrogging each other, with walk breaks or time-out for Gu and water.  I worried about getting cramps and should have brought some salt, luckily nothing happened.

I brought 6 gel packs, thinking of having one before the race then one for each loop as I finished the loop.  The plan was flawed since by the time I finish the 5 loop there would be no need to have gel.  I would need the gel for the boost to keep going.  I had breakfast on the subway and didn't feel that I needed a gel pack before the race.  One pack per loop I did have, so by the time I finished the fourth loop, I had two left.  I used one for the water station at 68th Street on the west side, then another at the station near 72nd Street, then it was a slow walk up Cat Hill, and finally I actually reached Mile 25.  I passed by it a few times before, but only on the last loop would it really mean one more mile to go.  I took one last drink at the 89th Street aid station, asking for "rocket fuel" and was handed a double-dose of Gatorade, briefly and shortly hummed the theme music from the first Rocky movie, and somehow found the energy to run the rest of the way.  The time limit for the race was 5:15:00 and I made it in at 5:13:43.  It was not that they would instantly collapse everything, as other people past 5:15 also had their time recorded.  Not a bad time given the fact that I under-trained.

Thank you NYCRUNS staff and volunteers!

Thanks go to Patty CT for this photo of me early in the race.

The tech cap helped keep my vision clear, but near the end I took it off for the camera.

Thanks go to Nicole I. for this photo shortly after the finish.

The hard-fought finisher medal.  There was supposed to be a finisher shirt, too, but when I finished there were only ladies sizes left.

TORTOISE AND HARE 10K, BATTLE OF BROOKLYN 10M, BUSY WEEKEND!

This past weekend was a busy one for me.  Saturday was NYCRuns' debut Tortoise & Hare 10K in Van Cortlandt Park, first time the race management company did a cross-country (read: trail run) event.  For some people in the NYC metro area it must be difficult to travel all the way to the northernmost region of New York City, almost to the border between Yonker and the Bronx.  It didn't help that the 1 train didn't run all the way to its terminal as usual and was replaced by a shuttle bus.  Still, some 130+ people made it to the race, ran on the track, then the trail, then back to the track for one more loop, only slightly different from the first loop though.  Last time I ran Van Cortlandt, with the Holiday Marathons folks, I got lost somewhere and ended up running a shorter course.  This time I stayed at the Start/Finish line and got some photos every now and then.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151810389251335.1073741838.679001334&type=1&l=068a0e520c

The next day I was in Prospect Park for the Battle of Brooklyn 10M/Relay, presented by Jack Rabbit Sports.  In addition to a T-shirt and, in some case, tricorn hats, the volunteers were offered store credits with Jack Rabbits Sports.  Good way for the runners to support their destructive addiction, I think.  Just kidding!  I was at Water Station 1 and found some time to squeeze in a couple of photos.  The highlight of the event was when I was picking up discarded paper cups during a lull, a woman passed by and asked if I am Qaptain Qwerty and that she liked my pictures.  Since I haven't drawn that many cartoons lately, I suppose she meant the photos.  Or maybe the GPS arts.  Whatever the case, it was nice that my cyberspace name got matched to the meat-space person.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151811358731335.1073741839.679001334&type=1&l=0212231396

It was a busy weekend!  After supporting the two races back-to-back, I had the pleasure of playing tourist in Red Hook.  I was afraid that Fairway's parking lot would be too crowded but luckily I happened to see the overflow lot and found a spot.  I only visited Fairway for the deli and outdoor grill. We enjoyed our food under an overcast sky that did turn into a drizzle, even a light rain, but luckily nothing more.  In my last visit to the area, I thought the waterfront ended with Fairway, but this time I chanced upon an entrance to the waterfront beyond Fairway's overflow parking lot.  It didn't go too much further, but the view was still nice.  I wanted to visit that famous key lime pie place but didn't know where it was.  Luckily, as I purposely avoided getting back to Van Brunt Street, the main artery of Red Hook, just to wander a bit, I saw signs that led me right the place.  I have a sweet tooth but also love cold desserts.  I found Steve's Key Lime Pie delicious!  After the treat, we walked a bit in nearby Valentino Park and Pier.  Another gorgeous view of Statue of Liberty, even if she comes out small in photos!

Kayakers in Red Hook, Valentino Park's cove, with Statue of Liberty in the background.

I love public art! 

Corn on the Internet!

Key lime pie the authentic stuff from Steve's, yummy!

Lovely buildings, quaint beach...

The great day didn't end with the trip to Red Hook, as my son and I had our first bike trip together in Prospect Park.  We made only one loop of the park because it was getting dark, but it was great to spend some quality time together.

GOOGLE AUTO AWESOME IS... AWESOME

Pleasant surprises are, well, surprisingly pleasant.  On my run this morning, I decided to head over to what I call the Belt Parkway waterfront, a pedestrian/cyclist path that runs along the Belt Parkway from Caesar's Bay (Bay Parkway) to Owl's Head Pier (Bay Ridge Avenue).  I usually run from my home to Caesar's Bay then along the water, pass the brief split of the bike and walker paths, to the first bench, then back.  I usually take the footbridge that goes into Bath Beach Park and also the steps that go to Dyker Beach Park, for a little elevation.  Tracing my way back and I would have my daily 8 km.  Today, just a little past the slope was the turnaround point of the NYCRuns Shore Road 10K.  I stopped to watch the race with the race volunteer stationed there.  Runners can be so focused on the race and would keep following the road even if there are a bunch of cones on the ground.  It's safest to have someone out there to tell them turn around.

I hoped to catch, if any, runners with PPTC gear but there was none.  After a while I decided to just photograph people randomly.  I pretty much stood in one place, against the railing.  When I sync'd the photos to Google+ later, Google automatically detected the same background in the set of photos and made a short animation out of it.  Very interesting.  I learned that the technology is called Auto Awesome.  Animating is just one of its few capabilities.  Pano (panorama) and Mix are two other techniques I will explore.

https://plus.google.com/109153989599275468311/posts/cF6t72rD4Mj

While it's easy to share the above animation to my Google+ audience, it took me a while before I found the way to share it elsewhere.  When I clicked on the animation itself, there was no indication that a link could be obtained.  The More option only allows downloading the picture or adding it to album.  In the end, I discovered that I had to use the actual post in G+ itself, on the upper right corner, to find the pasteable link.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, U.S.A.!

Independence Day 2013 in the U.S. found me getting up at 4 A.M. to get to work, part-time, to support the NYCRuns Firecracker 5K/10K races on Roosevelt Island.  One problem, a First-World Problem really, is that that early in the morning my local Dunkin Donuts did not have donuts or bagels to offer.  I settled for a muffin, which I ended up not eating, and a croissant.  As I got back to my U-Haul in the parking lot, the new donuts and bagels arrived.  Oh well.  I suppose it's more efficient to have some big factory dole out the donuts etc and have the goods trucked to the various locations.  It sure doesn't jive with the old commercial about "time to make the donuts".

It was nice to have the road mostly to myself early in the morning.  I picked up a colleague near Grand Army Plaza and we made it to Roosevelt Island early.  Eventually the other vehicles in the NYCRuns caravan arrived and it was time to set things up - registration table, water tables, bag check area, etc.  I couldn't help wonder how people work in big places like the Barclay Center, constantly setting things up then break them apart for the various, different events.

Between the setup and doling out FrozFruit ice cream sticks, I managed to snap a few photos of the calm before the rush, of volunteers and the setup.  Plus one photo of some PPTC participants.

Volunteers of Water Station #1.

More volunteers at Water Station 1.

Bag check volunteers.

Packet pickup, race day registration etc.

Want the dirt on the race?  There's a big pile there.

Let's get the music going!

5K race was about to start soon!

PPTC reps Ed and Meghan.

NYCRUNS VERRAZANO FESTIVAL OF RACES

"Pay it forward" is the idea of doing someone a favor after someone else did one for you.  I like that concept a lot.  Some years ago at the NYCRuns Inaugural Brooklyn Marathon, I overdressed and after either the first or the second of the two small loops had my outer layer, a yellowish hoodie, removed.  A staff person saw that the piece of clothes was too big for me to carry for the rest of the race and offered to take it from me and I gladly accepted.  It helped a lot not to have the hoodie with me, else my bad finish time would be even worse.  Yesterday, I worked at NYCRuns' Verrazano Festival of Races and got the chance to pay it forward.  I served as a bike marshal and traveled up and down the waterfront beneath the Verrazano Bridge many times.  On a trip back to Owl's Head Pier, where the start and finish lines were, I saw that a runner was carrying a balled-up jacket in her right hand.  Earlier in the morning it was probably cold, especially with the wind blowing and runners just milling about waiting for the start.  But once they run, they heat up very quickly.  I offered to take the jacket back for the runner and she accepted.  I dropped it off with Bag Check and later on I saw that it was not there any more.  I hope it helped the runner not to have the extra item to carry for the rest of her 5K or 10K race.

As usually, I took a few photos of the race, mostly of the volunteers but there are some of runners.

Volunteers of the Food and Drink Table.

Volunteers at Bag Check.

Two of the Bike Marshals.

Volunteers at Water Station #1.

Volunteer and staff of Water Station #2.

For the entire, small album, visit

https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5871630378743787345

What I really like about the Verrazano race is that it is in my neighborhood.  I did not have to take the subway and be at the mercy of the MTA weekend road repair schedule.  Instead, I got to the race on bike and brought along the $200 bike trailer that I used to ferry my son around for fun.  It was used to put out the mile markers later.  I should have used it, too, when collecting the markers from the 5K and 10K races once the Half-Marathon was underway.  By themselves the signs are light, but with 10 or 20 of them they became heavy and unwieldy.

When the race was over and everything taken down, there were four tall paper bags of  bagels leftover. I took them home in the bike trailer in hope of passing by some food pantry or soup kitchen in my neighborhood.  A quick Google search revealed none.  At home after a late lunch I did find a pantry not too far away, but I had to make sure they would accept the bagels.  I left a voicemail with the place and no one called me back.  So late in the day, there was little chance I would be able to donate the food for human consumption so I made a little piece of art out of them. 

Bagel Art

The good news is I recalled someone asking in Freecycling Network for bread and such for some chickens in her neighborhood.  I contacted her and it turned out she works not too far from where I live.  We met today and I was able to give her one bag of bagels, transferred into double plastic bags for safer carrying, as the paper bag that the bagels come in break easily if not carried properly.  I look forward to giving her the rest of the bagels over the next few days.  Hooray for freecycling!

PURPLE STRIDE 5K AND MINI MIGHTY MAN TRI

It has been a busy weekend.  It all started on Saturday with working for NYCRuns in support of the Purple Stride NYC 2013 To Fight Pancreatic Cancer, in Riverside Park.  There was a 5K run then a 2K walk.  The event was the first NYCRuns gig after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, so security was tighter.  Bag checks actually involved checking the bags for anything suspicious.  In addition to two NYCRuns staff doing the checks, the Purple Stride people also had two private security guards standing nearby.  Then there were a few NYPD scooters in the area.  The runners and walkers were cooperative.  The only complaint I heard, not addressed to me but to a policeman nearby, came from a dog-walker who had to carry his pet's output in a bag in search of a trash-holder to dispose of.  New Parks regulation forbid garbage containers for the event.  Something else, which I would not label as a complaint, was that some walkers were surprised that the walking course was shorter than last year.  I don't know what the course was last year, but this year it was just north to 116th Street, up the hill to the highest path below street level, then back down to the tree mall level at around 103rd Street or thereabout, for about 2 km.

It was my second visit to Riverside Park and I got to explore the park a little more.  I actually traveled the entire 5K race course, not in one shot but at different times.  Some day I need to go north from 96th Street to see where the path no longer runs along the water.  For Saturday, after a long wait to make sure the trash got taken out, I went south on my bike along the Hudson waterfront.  Weather was perfect for riding, a bit cool but not too cold.  At around 72nd Street, cyclists were required to dismount and walk the bike.  I was going to keep walking the bike along the waterfront until wherever it's okay to ride again, but then I discovered that just not too far inland was a bike path.  It went below the elevated Henry Hudson Parkway all the way to 59th Street.  Not waterfront, but you still get glimpses of the water.  Lovely!  Cyclists, we don't ask for much, just enough room for two bikes in each direction, at worse one in each direction, enough room for passing.

The next day I found myself at the Nassau County Aquatic Center to volunteer for the Mini Mighty Man Triathlon.  A few months ago I discovered that NYRR will not hold the sprint triathlon in Flushing Meadows this year, perhaps never again, for whatever reason.  There went my hope for a sprint tri!  Luckily, through the power of social media, I discovered that the Mini Mighty Man just outside of NYC in Nassau County is similar to the NYRR event.  Pool swim followed by actual bike race and foot race.  There are sprint tris that involve stationary bikes and treadmills but I am not interested in those at all.

The ride to Nassau in 5 AM was wonderful.  There was plenty of parking when I got there.  After getting out of Meadowbrooks Parkway, I almost missed the left turn on Merrick Boulevard because the street sign was so small.  Luckily, a car ahead of me had a bike sticking out the trunk so I correctly assumed that it was a tri participant.  I followed that car and got to the place without any lost time.

I was assigned to Body Marking, Swim In, and Run In.  Armed with a marker, I wrote the triathletes' number on the left upper arm and on the left calf, then the age on the right calf.  It was a cold April morning so many people had many layers to remove to get the upper arm part done, but everyone was cooperative and nice.  The athletes came in all shapes and ages.  One little girl was only seven, then at the other end I think there was a 62-year-old woman.  Many people were fit and trim, but some people were a round at the middle, so it makes me feel more confident to give the tri a shot some day.

Eventually there were few people left to have body marking done so I went inside to help with the Swim In.  I came in just in time to pause for the national anthem, followed by a moment of silence, which I am sure was for Boston even though I didn't quite catch what the announcer said.  There were about 400 people total but because there is only so much room in a pool lane, the line moved very slowly.  We had to make sure people get registered as they walked across the timing mat, then that they only jump in with enough distance between swimmers.  Many people appeared to be veteran triathletes but there were some first-timers who were nervous.  Everyone got to start somewhere someday.  I ended up getting drafted for Swim Out as well, to make sure the pool was empty of event participants.  As someone who is out of breath after a 50-meter swim, these slow swimmers are still better than me.  Slowly they covered the entire 400 meters, even if they have to stop once or more times at the end of the lanes to rest.

By the time I got outside many runners were already finishing.  The bike transition area looked crowded with bikes so I suppose the bike race was over.  I came mainly to see the swim portion, as I saw one too many foot races already, so I decided to skip out.  I stayed out for a long time yesterday so it would be better to be home earlier today.

One day, perhaps before I turn 50, I will participate in a sprint triathlon.  I just need to improve a lot with swimming and get a better bike.  In the mean time, some time this year when NYC's bike-share program, CitiBike, finally gets implemented, I will definitely have my own little triathlon.  Hop on a subway to some pool, do 400 meters then jump on a CitiBike for some miles, return the bike then go for a run, finally take the subway home.  Anyone thought of that already?  A small benefit of living in a big city.

Greetings from Nassau County.

Step right up and get your body marks, triathletes!

Random finishers.

SOLIDARITY RUNS

The sports of running is often associated with fundraising or solidarity, to support some noble causes.  With the bombing at the Boston Marathon this past Monday, this weekend is packed with various such organized runs.  Due to temporary work and prior commitments, I cannot make to most of the events but hope that you can.  I've been running in support of the 4/15/13 Runners United To Remember the past few days, even got around to printing out the bib for the "event" and wearing it during yesterday's morning run.  The Facebook event can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/318199378309189/319623684833425/

Greetings from Coney Island - Wonder Wheel, Astrotower, and Cyclone.

I was going to run to the eastern end of Coney Island's Boardwalk, but it was closed.  The sweater is from a NYRR 25K and 4-Miler race and the cap is from a NYRR NYC Marathon, both from the 1990s.

If you'd like to join others in a run, check out this event on the 21st:

NYC Runs for Boston

10 AM Sunday 21 April, Columbus Circle

https://www.facebook.com/events/296310170501791/

Likewise, the NY Flyers running group is holding a run for the same purpose, on Saturday.  The event is open to all runners, not just members of NY Flyers.

NY Flyers
8 AM Saturday 20 April, Columbus Circle
http://nyflyers.org/social/eventsdb.php?eventtoviewid=2294#CUR


Last but not least, NYCRuns, which I work for on many weekends, is hosting a virtual 5K fundraising run for The One Fund Boston.  By participating in the virtual 5K, you'll get a chance to win free entry into every races that NYCRuns sponsor, for the rest of 2013.

NYCRuns Virtual 5K
Ongoing until 2:50 PM Monday 22 April 
https://nycruns.com/races/?race=runners-for-relief-a-virtual-5k-supporting-boston-marathon-bombing-victims


But wait, there are more!

Compatriots 5K, 10:30 Saturday the 20th, Reebok CrossFit, 37th St. and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan
http://notworknetwork.org/league/4503/details

Run in Solidarity with Boston, 3 PM Sunday the 21st, Tavern on the Green
Runners in this event are encouraged to register with the NYCRuns Virtual 5K
https://www.facebook.com/events/561719700535655/?ref=3


I am sure there are other events, free/donation suggested/fundraising in nature, please add them as Comments.

NYCRUNS SPRING FLING 5K AND 10K 2013

Some spring we are having these days in New York City!  It's cold and windy, I actually put on a wool cap and wear gloves when outside.  Just a few days ago, on Saturday, it was really spring-like for the NYC Runs Spring Fling 5K and 10K on Roosevelt Island.

My duties for the event included shopping for fruits and creamy peanut butter the day before and picking up bagels and such at the crack of dawn on the day.  I once lived in Long Island City, Queens for over ten years and one time actually walked over that bridge connecting Queens to Roosevelt Island.  Back then there was no subway, you could only take the tram, paid for with the tram system's own unique coins, or drive/walk over said bridge.  Well, swim is probably possible if you are that good, though the toxins in the water may kill you years later.  I don't recall actually driving to Roosevelt Island but checked that off my bucket list this past weekend.  I always think of Roosevelt Island as Manhattan shrunken ten times.  Maybe more.  There is just one long Main Street running the length of the island, with some traffic circles here and there for the cars to turn around.  It sure is nice to have the footpath that goes around the island.

When I first started working for NYC Runs, it was winter and water consumption was not a major issue.  Runners did not drink as much.  Maybe it was because I didn't work with the water stations, or maybe because we also had hot chocolate all ready to be poured.  For the NYRR NYC Half, very few people took the ice-frozen water at Mile 11 water station, where I volunteered.  The race was almost done and it was too cold anyway.  With the Spring Fling it was very different.  Gatorade and water constantly ran low and I found myself helping with mixing more Gatorade then fetch more 6-bottle cases of water, then more Gatorade, more water, on and on.  It was a beautiful day to run, but it sure got hotter after 5K or 10K.  Just wait until summer rolls around!



There were a few PPTC runners in the race, like Tom and Kai here.

New PPTC member Glen and me, with the Queensborough Bridge in the backdrop.

That's one big apple, Randy.

Lots of bags in the bag check area.  The bags were sorted by the last digit of the bib number, the columns went from 1 through 9 then 0.

The Gatorade and water crew kept the runners hydrated.

The finish chute by the side of the Queens-side of the island.

Things got a little quiet as the 5K runners got to the start corral while 10K runners just arrived or waited for their turn.

For all 16 photos, see

https://plus.google.com/photos/109153989599275468311/albums/5862261789361079425

LUKE GROUNDWALKER

For the longest time, my runs are out and back and always a different route from day to day.  I have five or so different routes to choose from and it's nice to have the change of scenery, from waterfront to boardwalk then residential etc.  However, lately, I've made exceptions to my routine.  I pretty much run in my neighborhood, about 3.2 km out and back as if I am a bird, but the actual distance usually comes out to more than 10 km.  How?  I've been experimenting with GPS writing, or gwriting for short.

As a runner wears a GPS watch go about with his running, his path is recorded and can be viewed on a map.  Usually it's just a straight line out and back, or maybe a loop.  But a lot can be done beyond the line and the loop.  I originally found out about gwriting from seeing some route traced out in the shape of a heart, around the time of Valentine's Day.  As an Apple fan boy, my first thought was the Apple logo, but I never tried to do it.  Instead, one day on the futbol fields of Calvert Vaux Park I tried to spell "NYCRUNS", that little race management company that puts out small foot races with a community feel.  I used the Charity Miles app and was able to pause and resume as I went from letter to letter.  Not bad for a first time, but I got the letters for "RUNS" so close together.  The trouble with trying to gwriting on an open field is you have less reliable points of reference.  I thought I used so and so marker on the field but by the time I got back I didn't walk straight and wrote some letters too closely.

The very first time I gave gwriting a try.  It was not too shabby considering I did not use any exact reference points.

The next time I try gwriting the letters were "PPTC", short for Prospect Park Track Club, which I am an active member of.  Appropriately enough, I wrote the letters on Long Meadow of the park itself.  Again, without a good point of reference the letters did not come out perfect.

Appropriately, I tried to spell "PPTC", for Prospect Park Track Club, on Long Meadow of Prospect Park.  Only if the T was not so close to the P.

Some day later I tried to spell "NEWTOWN", my high school in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, in my own neighborhood of Bath Beach, Brooklyn.  Ideally I should do it in the school's neighborhood, but I live quite a drive away and I don't like to combine driving with running.  Unlike writing in an open field, the rectangular nature of the street grid posed an extra challenge.  Also, like the other attempts, the writing appears to be upside down when viewed on a map, with north pointing up.  No problem, I'll try to write better on the next run.  The only down side is I'll be stuck with running in Bath Beach for the time being, no scenic waterfront view.  Starting with this run, I used my GPS watch, which has much better battery life compared to Charity Miles running on the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone.  The one big downside with the GPS is that pausing and resuming do not work as I expected.  A straight line would be drawn from the pause point to the resume point, so I basically have to write continuously.  For some letters I just have to run back and forth along a stroke so to avoid having extra lines.  When there's no choice, I try to keep the extra lines at the bottom of the letters.

"Upside down" NEWTOWN, the first time I tried to "spell" my high school's name.

With today's run, along Bath Avenue and 86th Street and the streets in-between, from Bay 41st Street to Bay 19th Street, I got so much closer to the perfect NEWTOWN.  On earlier runs I used Benson Avenue and Harway Avenue/Cropsey Avenue and had to run around the bus depot at 25th Avenue because the depot took up two blocks.  Using Bath and 86th left the depot out of my path.  Ideally all the letters should be uppercase or all lowercase, but the street grid and time limit do not allow the luxury.  Making the N lowercase solves the issue of the diagonal stroke.  Instead of running two avenues, I can extend to three avenues, but then I will have to cover even more distance.  Not that I cannot cover the greater distance, but I am a slow runner and there is only so much time I can devote to running each day.  For example, the E in NEWTOWN should be wider but by then I was supposed to head back to pick up dinner that my mother already called in to the restaurant.

One thing I enjoyed immensely is that I actually spelled the letters backward as I wrote them, so that they appear right-side up on the map.  I live near the end of NEWTOWN, so instead of running some distance out and spell from left to right, I spelled it backward.  I still underestimated the letter widths and T came out bad, but there's always another run in the future.  In the mean time, take a look at how the route is traced out at

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/289689808

Go to the Player view and click the Play button.  The route is pretty flat, I think the change in altitude is wrong, or probably just me raising my watch arm.

Close-up view of my GPS NEWTOWN.

From far away, it still looks like NEWTOWN, even though the T should be wider.