Urban hiking

Now that I've signed up for a 113K walk on the Camino de Santiago in September, I've got to get ready! I dusted off my hiking boots on Saturday morning and met Travis at the Met for members' house at the Prada/Schiaparelli exhibit. Then we checked out the "Clouds" installation on the roof. 

After a LARGE brunch (we split our traditional Sarabeth's spread: a ham, potato, gruyere and leek omelette and lemon ricotta pancakes...a little savory...a little sweet...heaven!), I headed into Central Park and spent about three hours treking around. Toward the end of the walk, I downloaded a pedometer app and realized I was walking about 3 miles an hour.

Today I set a goal of 12 miles. I went to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. They have a great (in theory) system where they've created color-coded trails throughout the park. So, I was able to follow all of the trails (more or less...the marking seemed a bit confusing to moi). I walked close to 11 miles by the time I exited. I was pooped! But the park is really diverse and delightful (other than what may be the scummiest ponds I've ever encountered).

I took the 2-3 subway to Fulton St. to check out the New Amsterdam Market near the South Street Seaport. It was focused more on prepared foods than I'd hoped, so I ended up getting a fish sandwich (and a large beer!) at a restaurant with lots of sidewalk tables. I can't believe I haven't been to this area on a weekend before (I explored it a bit when I was briefly working on Wall Street)...it's really great, and I will definitely be back!

In the meantime, I've got four more weekends of "training" until I head to Spain. I was pleased at how well my shoes and socks did. No blisters, and I'm not as tired today. (Last night I was in bed by dark! I think that may be a theme in Spain as well...)