It was raining just about the whole time, which turned out to not be that much fun. But on the other hand I did not have to worry about sweating too much. Overall, the route was a bit boring, but great not to have to worry about cars all that much. If you're looking for a place to try out a 50 miler, this would definitley be a good option.
As a route note, I would recommend that future attempts start not at the subway entrance but rather the parking lot in Van Cortland park (right next to the Empire State trails sign). The difference compared to the current route is very minimal in terms of distance but does remove a fair amount of confusion in getting to the actual bike path start. The end of the route is where the Empire State Trail/Putnam County Trail turns off the designated bike only path and to an actual road (this is what is currently mapped, so no need to change anything).