Sunday Run

The winter continues. This week, if this were any other winter, you’d be in for a great run through the wooded paths of Breakheart. Instead, I’m making up an 18 mile route that actually has roads you can run on. That’s easier said than done. The current plan (Here’s the map) is to run Swains Pond to Spot Pond to Farm St for 18.5 miles.

Swains Pond is new for this years group and it can be a little confusing. We cross Main St right away and head up East Foster to Melrose Common. Turning right at the Common Market at 6th Street we’ll head straight onto Swain’s Pond Ave. This will wind its way around Swain’s and Turners Pond through a very pretty part of Melrose. Note there are some blind turns in the road so run cautiously. Also, at the ponds there is an intersection where you won’t know where to go. Swains Pond Ave turns right. Don’t go left, don’t go straight (there’s a big hill there you won’t want to go up so don’t), go right. If you did it right the pond will be on your right as you continue on. After doing that right you’ll pop out to Lebanon St. There will be a little market on the corner. Turn right here. If you aren’t paying attention you’ll head left thinking you didn’t have a decision to make here, then you’ll end up and Malden and we’ll never find you so go right on Lebanon. On Lebanon you’ll hit an intersection with a set of lights, an auto mechanic garage, a school. This is Forest St. Turn left here and run past Oak Grove. This will take you to Main St where we’ll have the first water stop set up. That all sounds really confusing, pay attention and you’ll be fine. We’ll be back here in a few weeks so do it right this time and it will be much easier next time.

From here you’ll head out Winter St over the Oak Grove T Stop to a 5 way intersection. Your options there will be a sharp right, a soft right, a straight, and a left. Go straight onto Glenwood St. This windy hilly road will bring you to the rotary where the paperboy sits at the Fellsway East and Highland Ave. Go through the rotary onto Highland Ave. Now you know where you are! Follow Highland up to Mobil Station, go left onto Elm, Right onto Main St/Rt 28. Follow that to the parking lot at Straw Point (if you get to Friendly’s you went a little too far). We’ll have a water stop at Straw Point.

Now continue on past the Zoo and down Pond St to Grimsby’s. Turn and follow the Lynnfells Parkway past the Middle School. We’ll have another water stop at the knoll across from the middle school.

Next up, take the Fellsway out to Main St in Saugus. Turn left at that intersection where there used to be a gas station and there used to be a J Pace’s. Follow Main St, it’ll turn into Farm St and take you to Wakefield High School where we’ll have another water stop.

From there you run out to Water St, take a left there and follow it to Main St in Wakefield Center and follow that on home to Melrose and Brueggers.

Besides the first part this route is a bunch of pieces of runs you’ve already done so you should be fine after we get started.

If you’re running short you’ll do the first part and continue on out Highland. At the end of Highland you’ll head along the front side of Spot Pond like you’ve done several times before and down Pond to Grimsby’s. There you’ll have a choice to go back Wyoming for 7.5 miles or turn left along the LynnFells to Main St for an extra mile. If you’re interested in a distance more like 10 miles, run the longer route but go straight at Grimsby’s down Wyoming.

So who’s in for this impromptu, flying by the seat of our pants route? ROLL CALL!!!

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 26th, 2011 at 11:56 am and is filed under Week 8, Winter 2011. 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.