My wife and I happened to be in New York on our honeymoon at the same time as this training run. With a marathon coming up, I couldn't resist signing up when I walked into the New York Road Runners Headquarters and saw that they were handing out bibs for a 12 mile training race. On top of that, it wasn't going to just be another running shirt (as great as those can be) that I earned. Instead, they had great looking compression socks with the New York Marathon logo!

As this race took place in Central Park, parking is always going to be a challenge. However, even as a tourist, I discovered that the subway was one of the best ways to get to the race, and found myself a part of a runner's pilgrimage to the starting line. That was actually one of the coolest parts, as I felt a definite sense of community as we rode the subway, got off at the same time, and walked together in silence (or occasional chatter) to the starting line.

Between the music, coaches, and group warm-up, I don't know if I have ever been quite as excited for a run to start. Needless to say, the scenery and atmosphere was incredible. Central Park is one of the Seven Running Wonders of the World, and I was thrilled to be there. My wife suffered a knee injury a few months back, so she was unable to join me in the run. However, that did not stop her from going from mile to mile throughout the course to cheer me on. She ran into quite a few others doing the same, and we were amazed at how friendly everyone was to both of us. After choosing New York as our honeymoon destination, many people often told us that people on the trip were going to be more rude than we were accustomed to. This race definitely proved otherwise, as we both met some unbelievably nice people throughout the race.

The course itself is no mystery. I already knew what to expect after reading so many articles and reviews about Central Park and the infamous Harlem Hill. What I did not expect, though, was the great encouragement of the coaches from the New York Road Runners to continually push me, a random stranger who they certainly didn't know, the entire way through the run. I was also completely spoiled by the level of organization that I experienced in this run, and the bar has definitely been raised for future competitions.

The fact that this run was in preparation for the New York Marathon made me incredibly jealous of the runners who live in New York and can participate in these events regularly. After pushing through my own marathon training, I cannot stress the convenience that a structured long run can be for the purpose of preparing for a marathon. Running big miles without support can be incredibly daunting, and possibly my least favorite aspect of training for a marathon. An event like this, with built-in support and a safe environment, cannot be taken for granted. As an added bonus, the training course is part of the actual New York Marathon, which runners were reminded of at certain landmarks throughout the run by NYRR coaches and staff.

My wife did a great job of documenting the entire race through our running account on Instagram @runbutte if you're interested in seeing any video or pictures of the experience. It is difficult to put the entire atmosphere into words, and each picture is worth 1,000 of them, apparently.

Overall, the experience of Running Central park with 5,000 other runners was beyond expectations, and my expectations were high. I couldn't have asked for a better race experience, and I am excited to eventually find my way back to the Big Apple for another race.