Running routes for the coming school year

Since 35 Home Ave. (where I’m living this year) is pretty much as far across campus as one can get from 324 Washington St. (where I was living last year), I had to make some tough choices: running choices.

Where am I to run this year? Well, I thought about it. I checked out Google Maps. I checked out the topographical maps. I added up the mileage. And I came up with some conclusions—three conclusions, to be exact.

Last year, I was running 3.67 miles over the Arrigoni Bridge, into Portland, and back. It was pretty sweet; it allowed me a long and gradual downhill, followed by a flat straightaway down Main Street, a decent uphill onto the bridge and back, and then a tough but manageable, long uphill on the way up Washington Street.

Anyone who knows me, knows that it’s not difficult for me to find beauty in the world around me. And so it was, that climbing the incline onto the bridge, seeing the morning commuters zip along Route 9 under me, as the water in the river caught the light of the rising morning sun, was an immensely pleasurable experience. Plus, there’s a triumphant, Rocky-like feeling that comes from being at the top of the world—or, uh, at the top of the bridge.

I wanted to preserve that Rocky-like feeling, and so I knew that I needed to keep running over the river. I came up with a nifty 4.95-mile route that takes me from 35 Home, down South Main Street, through the entire length of Main Street, and over the bridge into the center of Portland. On the way back, I’ll do the ol’ uphill on Route 66, then cross that street at the corner of High, go down Wyllys and between Usdan and the old squash courts… all the way out to Church Street, under the trees next to the labs, then up Lawn and down Home… until, well, home.

The route’s lovely because it’s all downhill until the bridge, and then it’s all uphill until the last stretch on Lawn. In the fall, I’ll be able to watch the trees on Wilcox Island and upriver change color. And, just running with the river 90 feet under your, well, feet, is an awesome feeling.

But, not content to settle for the same route every morning, I decided to come up with two more.

My second route takes me to Wadsworth Mansion, allowing me to get off the hard pavement and onto the hilly, forested trails. It’s a cute little 4.87-mile trek up Pine and up Wadsworth Street, down the entrance into the mansion and around the outskirts of the property. What’s nice is that it’s almost entirely flat, except for the hills inside the mansion’s grounds—which will be the toughest part of the workout. On the way home, it’s flat again, until I dip down to Highland Avenue and then have a little uphill on the final leg back to the house.

This will be a strictly fair-weather route, because I don’t want to slip (or get muddy) on the trails when it’s wet. But I’m thinking it’ll be an occasional, beautiful treat; the hills around the mansion provide steep inclines through stands of tall white birch trees. At the tops of the hills, when the leaves start to fall, you can see right to the river, if I remember correctly. And I won’t have to deal with cars or other pedestrians on the sidewalks, because, well, there will be no cars or pedestrians or sidewalks.

My final route is the longest, and probably the most difficult. It’s a 5.33-mile journey to the top of Silver Street, past the Connecticut Valley Hospital and, I think, the juvie hall. It also hugs (and I mean hugs) the river and the railroad tracks that run along it. There are lots of wetlands and beautiful trees, and once I establish the times at which the trains run, I might even be able to run along the tracks to get me right along the shore of the river.

This one’s not difficult so much for the added length—which is minimal—but because of the topography. It’s an easy downhill for the first mile (to the river), then it’s a huge uphill as I turn off of River Road and onto Silver Street. Then, about a mile later, I’m in for another large uphill climb, and then a final climb as I turn off of Route 17 and head for the house. It’ll be a challenge, for sure.

I’ll reevaluate the routes in late October, and probably set up a more differentiated training routine (distance, sprints, stairs, maybe some weight training). My ultimate goal is to complete a marathon before the year is out.