Buffalo has been experiencing a bit of a revival lately, and the city proper has some really great things going on that I am loving now that I live in the city. Across from the area called Canalside, though, is the Outer Harbor which you can get to from the Queen City Bike Ferry.

Outer Harbor Attractions

In the summer while on a run I take the Queen City Bike Ferry over to the Outer Harbor and run the bike trail over there. The ferry is only $1 each way, and it is a quick 2-minute ride over.

Once on the other side, you can head over to the Buffalo Lighthouse, into a preserve with marshes and trees and end up on the stone break wall, run over to Wilkeson Point Park that always has stuff going on (including a beer garden) or run down the paved bike path to other parks and marinas.

Tifft Farm Nature Preserve is also close by, for a nice hike. Just last week there was a picture posted on social media of an eagle in the preserve! I have heard that there are some over on that side of the city, and that confirms it.

My mission this summer is to train for a sub-2 hour half-marathon and see an eagle!

7.5 Mile Run or Longer!

If you come to Buffalo and want a nice 7.5-mile run, take the Queen City boat ferry over to the Outer Harbor and start running when you cross the street near the woods.

Keep in mind, I measured the distance using the Google Measure Distance tool (see how to use that here). Your GPS may alter the distance a bit. I find even when I do the same route over and over, my GPS will tell me different things! Annoying, but it’s usually not enough to make that much of a difference.

Run out away from the water (duh) and keep following the bike path to the Union Shipping Canal, go under the bridge to the water and run the perimeter of the canal. Go back out to the bike path and back to the ferry.

There are also walkways you can take into Wilkeson Point,
Times Beach Nature Preserve, the Bell Slip, and Buffalo Harbor State Park. All these little side trips will take you close to Lake Erie for a terrific view. It will also add mileage if you are looking for a longer run.

After Marathon Running Blues

My run for this was a 5 mile run with 4 x 20-second strides (see how to do those here), and it was only a week after the marathon. I get another mile in when I do the strides, and boy were they tough! I’ve only had what I would consider a “good” run once since the marathon and it is wreaking havoc on my psyche!

My legs are tired and I am shocked when I check my pace and see the time. I think, “Oh, this must be pretty good” and then see it’s slower than I have run in over a year!

I think I need to be more realistic about what my body went through for the marathon, and I need to take a week off and do some cross-training only. Next Sunday I will start training for a half-marathon and I will not be able to accomplish what I want to do for that if I am injured and over-trained.

This week I am going to go to some spin classes, which I love but haven’t been doing since training started for the marathon. I will also try to get some swimming in, as well.

It is discouraging to feel like I am regressing, but I also know that rest and recovery is important and I need to take the time to do it. Hopefully, I will back to my “old” self soon!