Sunday Run

While some of our running buddies are charging through the streets of Hartford, Connecticut, others are preparing for their last run of the training season before the Baystate Marathon in Lowell next week. Good luck to those racing this weekend, you’ve all trained hard, it should all pay off today. For those racing next week, a reminder that this run is meant to just keep your legs loose. You’re done training, now you’re letting your muscles recover to be at their best for race day. For those racing late season marathons… keep on runnin’!

This week we’ll be doing most of the old Melrose Law Enforcement Half route. You’ve run this route many times, but I promise this week it will feel so much easier than when we did it 13 weeks ago.

Start out with a trip up Main Street, past Ell Pond, and one more chance to give a nod to the Clarence DeMar monument as you do your last training run of the season on the same roads this legendary marathoner ran a century ago. Turn left on Melrose Street and a quick left onto the LynnFells Parkway. Go past Melrose High and up into the hills of the Fells, past Grimsby’s and onto the Fellsway East. Eventually you’ll get to the Highland Ave rotary where you’ll turn right. As you crest the long shallow uphill you’ll catch sight of first water stop on Highland Ave. Stop, have a drink, a snack, and get yourself going again.

Here we’ll vary from the norm, and from how the half was run, and we’ll go counterclockwise around Spot Pond. Keep going straight through the rotary past the hockey rink onto Woodland Road, no matter if you’re running short or long. Eventually the short route runners will turn right onto Pond Street, head down to West Wyoming Ave, turn left on Main Street, and finish your training at Brueggers. Long runners keep going past the Stone Zoo, cut through the Straw Point parking lot on the left and turn left onto Route 28/Main Street in Stoneham. Continue along the back side of Spot Pond to the corner of Elm Street, where you’ll turn left. Run up the hill back to the rotary at Highland where you’ll go right to find the water stop.

After the water stop continue on Highland a bit and turn left onto East Border Road. Up that short steep hill, turn left back on to the Fellsway East at the set of lights. Continue up to Grimsby’s where you’ll turn right on West Wyoming to Main and finish up your training season at Brueggers as well.

Water Stops: I’ve got Highland covered. I believe Denise will help out and cover a bonus stop at Straw Point.

That will be the end of the training season. All that will be left is running some of the marathons…. and a Sunday Long Run Brunch. I’ll need a volunteer to host the brunch, if you’re interested let me know. We’ll figure out a Sunday sometime soon.

Ok, last Roll Call of the season. WHO’S IN?!

Last week we had a lighter than normal turnout for the SLR. With the Hartford runners already tapering, only 3 people ran the 22 miler last week. They ran strong on a cool day over a hilly course, finishing off their final big run before their marathon. Many half marathoners got in a surprise 11 miler, despite the calendar calling for a 9 miler. Now you’re each a little more prepared than you thought.

So this week we start tapering as we decrease your training distances to give your legs some time to recuperate. Taper time calls for shorter runs but continue running at your training pace. So this week you have a 14+ mile run for the long runners and a 7 miler for the half runners. We’ll start out heading up East Foster to Melrose Common, turning right on 6th Street to Swains Pond Ave. Follow that up through the wooded pond area of south east Melrose, bending to the right to bring you back to Lebanon. Turn left at the convenience store onto Lebanon, and then a left at the lights onto Forest Street. Continue to the end of Forest where you’ll find water stop 1 at Citizen’s Bank.

After the water stop, head out along Winter Street, past the Oak Grove T stop. This will bring you to a 5-way intersection. Cross Washington Street and head up Glenwood Street which will take you out to the rotary at Highland Ave. Keep to the right onto the Fellsway East and follow that through the hills to Grimsby’s. Running short? Turn right onto West Wyoming and left on Main Street to finish up at Brueggers. If you’re going long continue on to the LynnFells Parkway and find the water stop at the knoll across from Melrose High School.

After that water stop continue on the LynnFells up to Main Street in Saugus. Turn left on Main and follow it as it turns into Farm Street. Turn left on Nahant across from Wakefield High School and find a water stop at the end at Nick’s Pizza.

After that stop head south on Main Street and finish up your taper run at Brueggers.

Water Stops: I can cover the first two, but getting to Nick’s before fast people show up can be a challenge sometimes. One helper would work out, and if its easier, someone could leave their car at the knoll and I’ll leave supplies in it as I head up to Nick’s after the runners start coming through.

Ok, Roll Call! Who’s in?