Sunday Run

Last week –We had a small crew run the SLR. Many of our half trainers were off doing the BAA Half Marathon (yeah the sidebar had it in the wrong week), and results look good. Our small crew ran through Swains Pond and around to Melrose High School. Many of the people training for half marathons decided to put in a few extra miles, a good sign people are feeling healthy and ready for their races. A handful of us continued on to Farm Street and looped back Main Street. It was good to part of the long route, as I left the water stop duties to Tom and Hank and partook in the full route for the first time since 2011. Felt good to be back out with the crew.

This week –We’ll wrap the whole thing up with the old standard, out the Fellsway East to Spot Pond and back. We’ll do this a little different for those looping Spot Pond, this is the only week of the season we loop the pond counter-clockwise. For those running the Howling Wolf this course gives you a good dose of the same hills you’ll see in that race.

Start – We’ll head up Main Street towards Ell Pond. As you pass the pond look for the monument to Clarence DeMar. Clarence lived in Melrose for some time before moving to Keene, New Hampshire. He ran the same paths we run but 100 years earlier. Clarence DeMar is the man that has won the most Boston Marathons to his name, winning 7 times over a 30 year span. The monument to him also mentions another Melrose resident that won the Boston Marathon multiple times, Bill Rodgers. As you finish up your training know we’ve been running the training routes of champions. Keep that in your head as you turn left on Melrose Street and left again onto the Lynn Fells Parkway heading towards our hills. Run past Grimsby’s, through the Fellsway East hills, and turn right on Highland Ave, making your way to the water stop.

Half Finish – The half runners will go through the Highland Ave rotary onto Woodland Rd, up to the right on to Pond Street. Run down to Grimsby’s and continue straight on to West Wyoming to finish up with a left on Main and a trip to Brueggers.

Full 2 – The full distance runners will also continue straight through the rotary onto Woodland Rd. Continue straight at Pond St, past the Stone Zoo, and veer left into the Straw Point parking lot. You should find Hank there for a little water before continuing left onto the Fellsway West, over I-93, past the Sheepfold, under I-93, and down to Elm Street. Elm will take you up, up, and up back to the Highland Ave rotary. (I never liked Elm Street this way, that’s why we only circle Spot Pond this way once per season). Turn right on Highland for the next water stop.

Full Finish – From Highland, turn left on East Border, left at the lights on to the Fellsway East, and up to Grimsby’s. Turn right on West Wyoming and a left on Main to finish up at Brueggers.

Water Stops – I believe Hank is in, Tom is taking the last weekend off, but Dan is stepping in to be you Highland Ave water helper. (I think I get to run again!)

Roll Call – Who’s in?!

Last Week – The half route runners made their way through 12.5 miles, except those that decided to follow the erroneous side bar distance instead and stuck to 9 miles. The few full route runners pushed through a hilly 22 mile run to complete their longest of their long runs (until their race). All seemed to make it through healthy and happy!

This Week – Bring on the taper! Over the next week or two we give our bodies a little recovery time as we head into our October races. I call period the “Don’t Do Anything Stupid” time. Your training is done and your legs got you this far. Human nature will be that you’re nervous you didn’t do enough, you’ll think about that one long run that didn’t go right or you cut a few miles off and you’ll feel the need to cram in one last hard training run. Don’t do that! Recover instead. Your taper runs should be at the same intensity as your training runs, but the miles will be less and the toll they take on your body should be minimal. With that in mind we’ll all head through Swains Pond and the long runners will continue out to Farm Street.

Start – We’ll cross Main Street and head up East Foster to the Melrose Common where we’ll turn right at the Common onto 6th Street. This will turn into Swains Pond Ave and bring you up into a wooded section of Melrose. When you reach Swains Pond and Turners Pond there will be a stop sign, turn right here to stay on Swain’s Pond Ave. This will eventually bring you to Lebanon Street where you’ll take a sharp right. Lebanon will bring you to a set of lights where you’ll turn left on Forest Street which will lead you across to Main Street in Malden. Citizens Bank will be across Main Street with a water stop.

Section 2 – Leave the Citizens Bank parking lot onto Winter Street. Follow this past the Oak Grove T station to a five way intersection. Cross straight through the intersection on to Glenwood Street. Wind your way up to Highland Ave where you turn right with a very quick right onto the Fellsway East. Make your way through the hills down to Grimsby’s. If you’re running the half route you can turn right at Grimsby’s and head back to Brueggers for 7 miles along West Wyoming and left on Main Street. If you want a little longer of a run continue with the full route runners on to the LynnFells Parkway and keep going to you get to the knoll across from Melrose High School for a water stop. Half runners can then head up to a right on Melrose Street and a right on Main Street for an 8 mile run.

Full 3 – From the knoll, continue on the LynnFells Parkway until you reach the intersection with Main Street in Saugus. Turn left and follow Main Street, which will become Farm Street in Wakefield, and turn left onto Nahant Street. This will bring you across to Main Street in Wakefield where a water stop will be waiting for you at Nick’s Pizza… or maybe Dunkin Donuts.

Full Finish – Its taper time so we’re already heading back to the finish. Head south on Main Street from Wakefield to Melrose and finish up at Brueggers. That’s it, you’re done already.

Water Stops – Tom, Hank and I will man the water stops… unless I decide to join in on the run!

Roll Call – Who’s in?