I am a runner. I feel like since I’m in the middle of training and fundraising to participate in the New York marathon this year, I can officially say that. I can talk about compression socks and kinesio tape with the best of them, and debate the merits of chia seeds with seasoned professionals. Or at least anyone who gets it. Being that I also live in New York, most of my training has been done in and around the city. I’ve had to plan out routes online, avoiding tourist traps and major intersections, and try to find just enough open stretches of space to make it 16 miles; trust me, there’s only a certain amount of times that one can loop Central Park without wanting to go absolutely bonkers.

This also means that I’ve had to search out places for running gear; gels, shoes, the aforementioned compression socks (which compressed a little too well, I’m afraid) and good places for that perfect post-run bagel with smoked salmon. Now, for those unfamiliar with the city, New York is a big place. A huge place. A college friend of mine once joked that Boston was the size of Central Park (we went to school just outside of Boston) and now I see that this is true.

Due to the size and girth of this utterly mystifying city (NYC, not Boston), I’ve had to rely on internet searches more often than not to find places and what I need. For instance, my running needs require some bizarre items, and I need to find certain stores and businesses that cater to this. Googling gets one do far – to the closest major sporting-goods stores, mostly. So where are the small running businesses hiding?