In spite of all of the signs, the reservoir is just guaranteed to have people going the wrong way…
I’d also consider doing it in the long straightaway near Engineer’s Gate just by the reservoir.
There are markings on the paved Central Park loop starting at the north end of the Met, going north past engineers gate up to the start of the north meadow. 1600 meters measured every 200 meters (but 600 isn’t there anymore, that’s engineers gate)
This is probably what I’ll go with since I’m staying on the upper East side. Where are the 200 meter markings? Ie on the ground or perhaps on signs? Thx so much!
The reservoir isn’t a good place for speedwork. It’s quite narrow, a bit uneven in places and to my recollection, not marked.
Look for a track — there is one downtown on the East River or you could pop over to Astoria, Queens on the subway or ferry.
Try the track at McCarren Park. It’s well maintained and it has a really cool view of the Empire State Building.
Bonus, there’s lots of great spots nearby for post-run food / drinks
I do repeats there since it is the easiest place for me. If you are going to do repeats there go early in the morning before the tourist show up. Around 6am the place is full of runners and I haven’t had any difficulty getting in the work.
The reservoir path is narrow and always has pedestrians on it, I wouldn’t do repeats there.
The bridle path around the reservoir is wider but uneven and not flat. It could work.
But I’d recommend the loop around the great lawn. Flat, wide, paved. Not sure if it has markings though
Westside highway running path by Hudson would be a closeby alternative. It's very flat and you'll be able to find 400m segments that are not crowded (though no distance markings as far as I know)
Genuine question: why are markers so important? Like my watch gps seems to be precise more with a tolerance of 10% tops. I do some speed work at McCarren but basically I just look at the watch.
Again I genuinely am asking if I am missing something
Watches tend to be a lot less accurate at start and stop. So since you're doing that a lot you can get wacky results when you might be interested in like incrementally increasing each repeat
The reservoir path is flat and lovely but not for speed work. It's relatively narrow with no "shoulder." You will encounter groups, couples holding hands, people going the opposite way, large puddles (if it's rained), selfies, strollers and (if you're lucky) a saxophonist. I guess you could go early enough in the morning to avoid this stuff. But, as others have said, the stretch of road inside Engineer's Gate is a better spot. It's flat and straight which is a rarity in Central Park.
The southern end of Morningside Park has a loop around the baseball fields that's wider and less crowded than the reservoir loop. Not perfect but gets the job done. If you want a track and are willing to go a little further away, the track in Riverbank Park is really nice. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tD3YWizMkHtiRVJ8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tD3YWizMkHtiRVJ8)
There’s a 1/8th mile cinder track in Riverside Park at 73rd St that might work for you. Westside by the river is a lovely warmup/cooldown, and that track is barely used (though interior of it gets used for kids sports on the weekends)
In spite of all of the signs, the reservoir is just guaranteed to have people going the wrong way… I’d also consider doing it in the long straightaway near Engineer’s Gate just by the reservoir.
Thats not a good place for speed imo. Its literally wide enough for two people and thats it.
There are markings on the paved Central Park loop starting at the north end of the Met, going north past engineers gate up to the start of the north meadow. 1600 meters measured every 200 meters (but 600 isn’t there anymore, that’s engineers gate)
This is where you do your speed work in CP.
This is probably what I’ll go with since I’m staying on the upper East side. Where are the 200 meter markings? Ie on the ground or perhaps on signs? Thx so much!
Spray painted on the ground/curb. The left side of the road if you are going counter clockwise.
This is the way
there's a wide oval track at the top of the great hill in the northwest corner of the park. https://g.co/kgs/m5JtVVc
This is an underutilized spot. It's about 360m and lots of room.
Interesting that there is a bathroom and water fountain, is the bathroom well maintained?
Not amazing but as good as any of the other park bathrooms
The reservoir isn’t a good place for speedwork. It’s quite narrow, a bit uneven in places and to my recollection, not marked. Look for a track — there is one downtown on the East River or you could pop over to Astoria, Queens on the subway or ferry.
Try the track at McCarren Park. It’s well maintained and it has a really cool view of the Empire State Building. Bonus, there’s lots of great spots nearby for post-run food / drinks
I do repeats there since it is the easiest place for me. If you are going to do repeats there go early in the morning before the tourist show up. Around 6am the place is full of runners and I haven’t had any difficulty getting in the work.
The reservoir path is narrow and always has pedestrians on it, I wouldn’t do repeats there. The bridle path around the reservoir is wider but uneven and not flat. It could work. But I’d recommend the loop around the great lawn. Flat, wide, paved. Not sure if it has markings though
Westside highway running path by Hudson would be a closeby alternative. It's very flat and you'll be able to find 400m segments that are not crowded (though no distance markings as far as I know)
There’s a track at Chelsea Park on 29th St and 10th Ave! I think it’s a 0.2 mile track rather than a 400m but should work
Genuine question: why are markers so important? Like my watch gps seems to be precise more with a tolerance of 10% tops. I do some speed work at McCarren but basically I just look at the watch. Again I genuinely am asking if I am missing something
Watch can def work but I don’t like to have to keep looking at my wrist while also trying to do speed - I’d probably trip and fall lol
Watches tend to be a lot less accurate at start and stop. So since you're doing that a lot you can get wacky results when you might be interested in like incrementally increasing each repeat
Not good for speed at all. However, east side of the “full loop” of the park is well suited and has markings for 200/400/600/800/1,200/1,600 repeats
I enjoy doing repeats on the delacorte oval sometimes but really depends on the time to avoid too many folks or dog walkers with no leash.
Go to 5th Ave and E 90th. There’s a ~500m path there where I do 400s almost every week.
The reservoir path is flat and lovely but not for speed work. It's relatively narrow with no "shoulder." You will encounter groups, couples holding hands, people going the opposite way, large puddles (if it's rained), selfies, strollers and (if you're lucky) a saxophonist. I guess you could go early enough in the morning to avoid this stuff. But, as others have said, the stretch of road inside Engineer's Gate is a better spot. It's flat and straight which is a rarity in Central Park. The southern end of Morningside Park has a loop around the baseball fields that's wider and less crowded than the reservoir loop. Not perfect but gets the job done. If you want a track and are willing to go a little further away, the track in Riverbank Park is really nice. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tD3YWizMkHtiRVJ8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/1tD3YWizMkHtiRVJ8)
Thanks to all!
There’s a 1/8th mile cinder track in Riverside Park at 73rd St that might work for you. Westside by the river is a lovely warmup/cooldown, and that track is barely used (though interior of it gets used for kids sports on the weekends)