I have never posted my run maps before, but since I will not be running this one again throughout the rest of training, and because the distance/towns covered might impress my NJ friends, here you go:
In planning the run, I aimed to stay in relatively flat territory. The Franklin Lakes/Wyckoff/Midland Park area has a few hills, but the streets I ran on had gradual inclines that were perfect for running. I also aimed to hit some key landmarks; the two that I sought out were Abma's Farm, a local grocery/farm with cute animals, and the Wortendyke Studio, where I went for pottery lessons as a kid.
It appears that I have gotten spoiled by the sidewalks and trails in the DC area, because the dearth of them in Northern NJ was glaring. The sidewalks on most of Franklin Ave (aside from those near commercial areas) are abysmal; Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff should consider using their stockpiles of tax revenue on improving this feature of their towns. Midland Park was a step up in terms of sidewalk, especially in their commercial areas. On the way back, Wyckoff earned points back from me, because there was a consistent sidewalk on Wyckoff Ave. Given, it could have been paved a bit better, but at least it was there. I certainly will not take my DC sidewalks for granted anymore; if towns like Franklin Lakes pale in comparison, then DC has to be one of the best in the country for this type of public works project.
I saw some fellow runners on the roads. My guess is that they were mostly housewives, since they were at least ten years older than me and since they were not working on a Friday morning. That seems very North Jersey to me. I also saw two cyclists and a few people walking their dogs, but the streets were not bustling with runners - only cars.
That being said, I did see everything that I sought out to see - and more! In Oakland, I had to take a detour because of road work on Franklin Ave. As a result, I got to run through parts of my old neighborhood that I hadn't seen in a while, and I got to run through a bikes/runners only part of the trail. Other than starting from my home and hitting the neighborhood, I didn't see too many interesting things in Oakland.
In Franklin Lakes, I ran near my old high school. Heading up Colonial Road made me think about all of those runs I did in track/cross country, and how the run I did now completely blew all of those runs out of the water.
In Wyckoff, I ran past Abma's. About a block up, I saw three wild turkeys. One of them crossed the road; I kind of wanted to ask it why. I also heard a loud fire alarm as I passed a firehouse in Wyckoff. The scary part was that I didn't see the fire truck leave until at least 10 minutes after the alarm first sounded. Lesson learned: if I'm at a friend's house in Wyckoff, do NOT set it on fire.
In Midland Park, I ran past my old pottery studio, which is attached to an old train car. In running down Godwin Ave, I went past the Friendly's - which is where I went on the day of 9/11 to see the city skyline. It took me back to that day when they sky was clear without a cloud in the sky - except for the cloud over the WTC - and how it's so hard to believe that that day is almost ten years past.
I enjoyed my Tour de North Jersey, and I especially enjoyed how effortless it felt to run 17 miles. I know I will be in great shape come marathon weekend. Next up will be 18 miles, back on the streets of DC!
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