Runner’s World+ Member: Peter Cole
Peter is a Runner’s World+ member. Join him and thousands of others chasing their goals with day-by-day training plans, expert advice from editors and coaches, and unlimited digital access. We regularly feature members online and in print.
I started running to cope with the lockdown this past spring. I used to run on a treadmill at the gym as a warmup before working out but never outside and never more than 20-30 minutes. In February I started using an app to do a calorie burn program (vanity never dies). After four weeks I was amazed that I was able to run six miles on an actual road! When I finished that program I wanted more. Then COVID happened and my entire professional life came to a halt. My band couldn’t play live and all staged events stopped. I decided to run a half marathon so I had a goal to focus on. I entered the Adirondack Distance Festival Half Marathon (virtual) since I live in Schroon Lake in the summers. After months of training, I ran it and placed third (on a normal year I would have been in the 30’s but I’ll take it!). I now have a strict 20 mile per week minimum and I’m hooked. How deep is this rabbit hole anyway?
I love running alone but I like feeling connected to a community focused on running. I find it incredibly motivating.
I run to records. I go back through the albums that I first fell in love with as a kid and listen to them all the way through. I have routes that match the music and they make each run feel like a journey or an adventure. When I come home from a run I feel like I’ve been somewhere better.
I have four routes that I run regularly—a five mile loop in my neighborhood, a six mile loop on a local college campus, a 7.5 mile off-road loop at The Rockefeller State Park (which is spectacular) and my favorite, a 10.5 out-and-back trail along the Bronx River. It’s hidden in the woods and takes you past train stations, apartment buildings, and highways; nobody in the real world knows you’re there. Plus, it’s full of twists, turns, and hills so it’s a challenge every time.
I love my Hoka Clifton 7’s and my Brooks Sherpa running shorts. They have perfect storage. With the cool weather I’ve fallen in love with my North Face Hyperlayer Hoodie.
Outside of music, running is the only thing I’ve found that I want to do all the time. To discover something new at my age makes me feel optimistic. It’s never too late.
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