9.24.2009

Changed my bridge and I don't like

I've done my last two hill workouts on the Queensboro Bridge, and that was working for me. It replicated part of the NYCM course, it was difficult incline, it was well-lit in the early morning hours, etc.

However, earlier this week I saw some people riding bikes on the bike/pedestrian lane of the Triboro Bridge (which is now called the RFK bridge, but I will continue to call the Triboro Bridge). I thought this bike lane was closed while they were doing construction, but apparently I was wrong. And since the Triboro is about two miles closer to my apartment than the Queensboro I gave it a shot this morning.

Wow. What a bad idea. What a horrible idea.

First--and I really should have seen this coming--there was the traffic. The Queensboro Bridge is a regular street we regular street traffic on it. The Triboro, though, happens to be I-278 as it leaves Queens and turns north to the Bronx. Therefore there is a lot of traffic on Triboro. And a disproportionately large part of that traffic consists of tractor-trailers, semis, buses, and construction trucks that cannot go on the Queensboro Bridge. And all this traffic moving fast, pumping a lot of emissions into the air, making the air-quality suck ass.

Second, it was very dark since there were no lights on the pathway. So dark that a cyclist scared the be-Jesus out of me when he kinda just appeared out of no where on the path.

Third, I felt jipped because the incline wasn't as sharp as the Queensboro Bridge.

Lesson learned. In three weeks I'll return to the Queensboro Bridge for my last set of hill repeats. Unless you want to count the Marathon as the real last repeat. But that's only one time over the bridge, so it would be properly called a hill single.

4 comments:

The Laminator said...

Yeah, I would stick with the Queensboro! I've done the Triboro many times when I lived in UES and didn't like it too much.

RunToTheFinish said...

Funny how we all get used to certain routes and just really enjoy them more

Jess said...

Lesson learned: change is bad.

Irish Cream said...

Oh man . . . I can't imagine running over the Triboro. I would definitely stick with Queensboro too. I think the confidence it will give you on race day alone makes it worth it!