Sunday Run

So far we haven’t strayed all too far from our home base in Melrose, but this week’s run is the first in the training routes that will make you feel like you really went somewhere: Horn Pond. I’ll need a volunteer to assist with water stops. What this requires is a car. I suggest if anyone running the shorter distance wants to run the more scenic part of the run, they help by parking at water stop 1 and running out to the pond and back to their car. I’ll bring the supplies, you bring the trunk space. Anyone?

As far as the route goes, here’s a synopsis of the long route. Starting at Brueggers, we’ll head over to West Wyoming, out past Grimsby’s and straight up to Spot Pond. Take a right along the pond past the zoo, keep going through the lights past Friendly’s, following to traffic lights at the intersection of Park St and Marble St in Stoneham. Here you’ll take a left, run up and over I93 and look for the water stop tucked to the left on Eugene Dr.

From the water stop head down Forest St into Winchester. Take a left at Washington St (the intersection with the Gingerbread Construction Company), and then right on Cross Street. Cross will take you straight over to Main Street/Rt38 in Woburn. You’ll take a right on Main St, then after a block or two a left on Lake St. Lake St will bring you over to… no not a lake, a pond, Horn Pond. The water stop will in the parking lot at the head of the pond.

After the water stop, circle the pond clockwise along the dirt paths and paved streets. One the opposite side of the pond there will be a street with a big hill along with a dirt path that cuts the big hill. If you want to do well in your upcoming races run the hill, if you’re feeling lazy and want me to give you crap at Brueggers later in the morning feel free to take the shortcut. Either way you’ll pop out onto Arlington Road along the pond. Look for the markers for the planets along the sidewalk there as you finish your loop along the lake. If you feel like heading back to the car for another sip you can, our take a left on Lake St and start heading back the way you came: Right on Main St, left on Cross, left on Washington, right on Forest and up the series of steep climbing hills to the water stop.

From this water stop you head back over I93 on Forest St, but go straight through the intersection with Park St. The street name will change to Marble St when you enter Stoneham. Follow this across Main St where it will become Summer St. Here you’ll wind along a narrow road over to Franklin St. Take a right on Franklin past Stoneham High School and back into Melrose. This will bring you out to Main St in Melrose eventually, where a right turn will turn you towards Brueggers where your long trip will come to an end.

If you’re running the short route you have an option. You can run to the first water stop with the rest of the pack and then back along the finishing part of the route for 7 miles or you can meet at the first water stop and run the middle part of the run out to Horn Pond and back. This will be about 6.5 miles but a more scenic run.

So who’s helping me and who’s running what? Roll Call!

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 3rd, 2013 at 8:50 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.