So…I did it! Under foggy skies and 93% humidity, I ran the Brooklyn half marathon in 1:49:03.  The course started out and back on the boardwalk between Brighton Beach and Coney Island, and then turned up Ocean Parkway.  A teasing descent took us off of the main road and into Prospect Park, where we were tortured by 4 miles of grueling hills.  After one and a half laps around the park, I finished the race in an all-out sprint.  My legs felt great!

On Sunday, the clouds broke and I rode in the “New York City 5 borough bike ride” through, as the name implies, all 5 boroughs.  We started out in Central Park, continued into Harlem, into the South Bronx, and back into Manhattan.  We rode down the F.D.R. and then over the Queensborough bridge to Astoria park near the Triborough Bridge.  The ride continued down the waterfront over the Pulaski Bridge into Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, Red Hook, Williamsburgh, DUMBO, and into Brooklyn Heights.  From there, we entered the Belt Parkway and soared straight down along the water to the entrance of the Verrazano Bridge.  The Bridge was the final uphill push to the finish line in Staten Island, where we were greeted by a festival with food and music.  A short 2-3 mile ride took us to the Staten Island Ferry where we enjoyed the harbor’s view on the way back to Manhattan.

Thank you to everyone who supported me or took an interest in my training and completion of the first of several life-long goals.

Some interesting phenomena to note.  First, the level of development and building along the waterfront in Brooklyn is staggering.  Brooklyn’s waterfront is being developed at a rapid pace, reshaping former industrial, commercial and residential landscapes.  Reservation of green space along the waterfront is being left to the developers in this case, in stark contrast to prior development and development in the other boroughs, where green space is undertaken by the City or State.  Further, the housing stock being created must reserve living space for low to middle income families, who are equally deserving of a lifestyle proximate to green space.  Community groups should learn from development along Manhattan’s west-side where formerly blighted areas were torn down and replaced by multi-million dollar flats.  This left a class barrier between poor and middle income communities and the public waterfront areas along the west side.

Second, both the 5 borough bike ride and the NYC marathon take only brief detours in the Bronx.  Along the way, riders/runners see classic signs of a forgotten and neglected borough.  The roads are pitted and dilapidated, the buildings are grey from soot, the odor of the nearby Hunts Point waste treatment facilities is ubiquitous, and there is a marked disparity in the types of businesses and services available.  The Bronx has many communities and neighborhoods worth showcasing, and raising awareness is crucial to catalyzing the type of change that the Bronx needs.  Many areas along the Grand Concourse are being revitalized and the City is renovating and building new parks near the new Yankee Stadium.  The Bronx is home to many dedicated community groups who are doing their best to improve the area’s environment, quality of life, safety, housing, public transportation, etc.  What better way to lend support than to demonstrate NYC’s pride by funneling 40,000 cyclists from all over the world through the Bronx’s myriad vibrant communities.

Third and lastly, recreation in NYC must be promoted as a multi-racial, multi-class, multi-purpose, and multi-beneficial lifestyle.  The benefits of cycling as a form of exercise and transportation are undeniable and require no further advertisement here.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of the 5 borough bike riders fell into relatively narrow racial and socio-economic categories.  Understandably, bicycles and accessories are quite expensive, and access to safe bike-friendly paths are disproportionately available in more wealthy areas, however, bicycling is the great equalizer.  Any person of any stature, race, socio-economic background, and any geographic region in NYC can not only derive physical health benefits from riding, but can transport themselves to/from work under their own human power.  This raises interesting issues that relate to environmental justice.  Safe and well-marked bicycle lanes are less available in poor communities and communities of color, and so the relative benefits of bicycling seem, on the surface, only to be available to wealthier and whiter denizens.  Anybody, however, can ride a bicycle (WITH a helmet of course) on any public city street, exercising due caution for fitness or as a mode of transportation.  With enough ridership, public officials may become aware of the demand for more public bike lanes and will start to answer the call for such public infrastructure (bike lanes, bike lock-up posts, signage, inter-borough access, bike racks on buses, easier bike access on subways, etc.).

So…everyone, get up, borrow/rent/buy a bicycle and start riding.  By getting out there and riding, you are showing the City where our the priorities of our public expenditures ought to be.  This is a natural alternative to congestion pricing, and the environmental benefits are quality of life enhancements we all can enjoy.

For more information:

NY Dept’s of City Planning: www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/home.html

NYC Parks & Recreation: www.nyc.gov/parks

Transportation Alternatives: www.transalt.org

Time’s Up!: www.times-up.org

Century Road Club Association: www.crca.net

Five Boro Bicycle Club: www.5bbc.org

Bike New York, 5 Borough Bike Tour: www.bikenewyork.org

New York Cycle Club: www.nycc.org

New York Bicycling Coalition: www.nybc.net

Recycle-A-Bike: http://www.recycleabicycle.org/

To buy a used bicycle – Craigslist: http://newyork.craigslist.org/bik/

(If you are aware of any organization that may want to be included in this list, please let me know)

T-minus 4 weeks, 1 day.