Running Around Town

This is a blog about running. It’s also a blog about Syosset. I guess you could say it’s a blog about running in Syosset, although that’s not the only thing I’ll touch on here. A little about me: I’m a 43 year old married father of three young boys. I've been running regularly for 20 years. During that time I've logged about 30 miles per week, every week, with one day per week off for good behavior. Believe me, it’s more fun than it sounds. Because I travel a lot for work, I've been fortunate enough to have run in many different places in all sorts of conditions. After all those miles I’d like to think that I’ve learned a thing or two about running, and a thing or two about physical fitness and diet. Hopefully I’ll be able to share some of that with you.

On Saturday mornings before the three amigos pop out of bed and launch themselves pell-mell into another weekend, I usually try to get in a run. I’ve found that running through the sleepy streets for 5 miles or so is a nice way to kick off the weekend in relative peace, before the onslaught of birthday parties, errands and trips to the pool that epitomize the average summer Saturday.

Syosset affords the runner some fairly decent options, ranging from flat loops around the Syosset High School track to some pretty strenuous trail running on the Greenbelt or in There are also miles of streets to run through, but depending on what direction you point the toes of your Nike’s, traffic can be an issue in our busy little town. I know from experience that dodging a Chevy Suburban driven by a sleepy soccer-mom on a single-minded mission to Bagel-Master can ruin even the most relaxed early morning run.

I try to get out on the road early, say, before 7am. At that time of the morning there is usually little traffic and the weather is fairly cool. I recently stopped wearing an I-Pod so I can be more in tune with the environment. It’s also helpful to be able to hear the cars before you see them so you can plan escape routes as necessary (see above). Lately, my typical route starts from my driveway on Muttontown Road and meanders up to Stillwell Woods where I hit the trails for a while before turning back.

This time of the year he mosquitoes are starting to get bothersome in Stillwell. Last Saturday I stopped for a few seconds to adjust my watch and was immediately attacked by what seemed like fifty of the aggressive little disease-carriers. You also need to watch your step; several of the trails there are lightly used and they become covered with heavy vegetation that conceals jutting tree roots. I took a few near stumbles but fortunately I was paying attention and was able to recover before doing a face-plant in a poison ivy patch. I try to stick to the better groomed trails but I like to explore and prefer to come home muddy and covered in weeds. It’s more fun that way and helps me relate to the kids, who are usually covered in something or other most of the time.