I remember being about 16 years old with one goal in mind, getting into military shape.

During my 16th birthday, I went over to the recruiting station in Elizabeth, NJ and tried to enter the military. I was denied because of my age, so I was a bit upset. I didn’t feel motivated.

When I went to my academic counselor, I decided that I wanted to join the Marine Corps Junior ROTC program that was available at my school. When I enrolled, I thought I was getting a taste of the military when I would do PT (physical training) with the class. I did that as much as I could, joining other PT sessions that would go on throughout the day. I did maybe three sessions each Friday, but it was never enough for me.

During my senior year of high school, I received a belated 17th birthday gift, two Army recruiters at my door trying to get me in-processed. I was ecstatic and asked my father to sign the form that allowed me to enter and I was well on my way.

That year, I was dedicated to do as much as possible to prepare me for the world I was about to enter. I joined the wrestling team, took on American Kickboxing and Kempo, started to hit the weights and began to run. That was the most active I had been at that age until I got sent to Fort Benning, GA.

Going back to the preparation, I remember going to Warinanco Park in the border of Roselle and Elzabeth and running around the track maybe two to three times per week. I wasn’t very good at it, but I knew I had to run. I had no clue what I was doing, I just didn’t want to be the Private Pile of my platoon, so I went with what I knew…putting one foot in front of the other.

Warinanco is where it all started for me, so roughly about 10 years later, I decided to go back to where I came from to find my motivation. I recently went for a run around the park and it is quite a nice one. Not so much during the winter, but during the spring-fall it remains pretty well bloomed.

The area around the park is roughly about 1.8 miles in distance. Some of the things you see along the way keeps you mildly entertained, such as other runners, people in the boats, some animals and the flowers that bloom during the warmer months.

There is also a trail that is about two miles long in the park, unlike the area where cars drive through. The trail gives the runner much more to pay attention to and it makes for a far more interesting run.

The last stop is the place where I started, and that is the 1/4 mile race track. If you don’t mind running around the racetrack, this isn’t exactly a bad spot. For me, I currently go in there to stretch and just for a warm-up 1/2 miler. It’s convenient for those who are sprinters or those who don’t mind using people as their chase rabbits to challenge themselves.

The next time you pass by Roselle or Elizabeth, feel free to stop by. There’s a lot to see and a good distance to run!