Nice day in the city, although I probably should have done a better job with timing the busy sections in the loop. It was very crowded in the Brooklyn Bridge area, lots of pedestrian dodging in the middle of the day. That also coincided with it getting very hot and sunny, by the end I was feeling roasted.
There are some really great sections of this loop, my favorites were the Coney Island boardwalk and the Belt Parkway bike path. Mostly smooth sailing there (wasn't crowded yet) and no traffic lights or intersections.
Ran unsupported, 2L of tailwind which was not close to enough given the conditions. I should have stopped for water (seems like quite a few bathrooms, water fountains around) or packed more. The last 10 miles was a bit of a slog.
Notes for future runners:
- some of the bike paths seemed to have posted hours (dawn to dusk type)
- pretty hard to find spots to discreetly use the bathroom - may want to scout things out and know where the public restrooms are ahead of time
- similar point on water, and I imagine that changes based on the season (i do not recommend filtering...)
- miles 0-4 and 33-46 (based on my start location / direction) have the majority of the frustrating sections (pedestrians, traffic, stop lights, sharp turns, etc). i find it easier to do those when I'm fresh. So maybe starting at the bridge (as prior runners did) is more optimal.