This is Week 13 and the long-run this Saturday is 18-miles for Novices and 20-miles for Intermediates. For those doing 20-miles I have marked out two options.
Most of you should have some experience with running to the far N-end of ELT in Highland approaching Grand Ave, and the Intermediates have run North of Grand Ave to the Little Calumet River Levee Trail along N-side of the River. I am building on that for this week's run.
Intermediates that run 18-miles this weekend should recall encountering the 8.0 mile mark (not marked with a number at that time) a bit North after crossing Highway Ave in Highland. This time you continue running North and will encounter the 8.5-mile mark ca 0.07-miles North across Grand Ave. You continue running North until you reach the cul-de-sac terminus at S-side of Little Cal River. At this point, even with the wooden-post stop sign it is ca 8.84-miles. You continue N/NE across the span bridge and turn right or East on the limestone screening trail and head towards Kennedy Ave.
You will encounter the 9.0-mile turnaround before you get to Kennedy Ave. There is spraypainted line on the trail surface, but no telling how long it will last once it rains. A landmark for the 9-mile mark is a culvert that goes underneath the trail from the large pond on the N-side of trail to a ditch on S-side that drains into the river. There is an iron manhole cover in the unmowed vegetation along S-side of the trail that has orange spray paint on it that is ca 10-feet W of the actual 9-mile mark on trail.
If you run all the way to the bollards on the trail at W-side of Kennedy Ave, you are at least 9.1-miles out. Note that just to the N of that end point is the Indiana Travel Visitors Center, which is our "oasis" for restrooms, and they have vending machines there you can buy beverages or snacks, as well as a drinking fountain outside the entrance. This is also a good "emergency" station to fall-back on if you are in a state that you get injured or an injury acts up that you think you can't make the run back, or aren't feeling well for whatever reason. Then, you just stay there and call the Fleet-Feet store and/or me on cell and we will make arrangements for someone to get you. This is also a good reminder that you should always carry a few dollars with you on these LR's.
Those Novices running 18-miles merely need to run to the 9.0 mark and turn it back, unless they decide they need restrooms or sustenance at the center. The Intermediates doing 20-miles run back South and cross Grand Ave, then turn W on the sidewalk towards the bike trail path that leads towards the Indy Ave underpass. You hit 10-mile mark on that path before you go under the Indy overpass. Don't make the mistake of turning around there because you will come up far short of 20-miles - you need to run and hook up with the Wicker Park Road trail, follow the N-leg and watch for a 10.66-mile turn-around point. It will be marked in red paint with a turn-around arrow. If you run to that point and turn it back, you will encounter 11.5-mile mark a bit before you get back to the trail at Grand Ave, then you hit 12-miles where the 8-mile mark is painted and you are in sync with all the other traditional out marks from there-on.
Just a note, that technically you will be a little long when you get back to the 8-mile mark in between Highway Ave and Grand Ave - I believe ca 0.08-miles. I ran out of spray paint and wasn't able to make the rectifications, so I just left everything as is. So, you are run a little farther than the actual schedule distance or once you get back to the final jaunt down 75th ave towards Cline Ave start, simply end your run about a block before Cline Ave and walk, or consider it "extra" credit towards your marathon goal!
If you don't think you need the Indiana Visitors Center Oasis, there is another option to run into Wicker Park for either the 18 or 20 miles. In this case, you simply turn W-down the sidewalk along S-side of Grand Ave and run to the overpass and underneath it to the Wicker Park Road Trail and follow it along the N-side. Note, they are starting work on reconstructing that overpass, so no telling if they will keep that connection open and/or when it will close.
Anyways, taking that route you hit 8.5-mile mark painted in red a bit W after crossing the RR tracks, then you hit 9-miles along the N-Wicker Trail Road section, 9.5-miles on the W-section heading S and 10-miles on the narrow path trail at the SE-corner of the sand volleyball pits. These are all designated with the letter "A" to signify alternate route. Wicker Park also has restroom facilites and I suspect they sell beverages and such (certainly at the Golf shop), but you have to vary and run well off the run route to get to them.
We can discuss more before we start the run on Saturday, but we will be at mercy of construction if we can even resort to Wicker Park route. If we get closed-off, then we simply just have to run the Levee trail to Kennedy Ave and back, and make up additional mileage on the run back. Let me know if you intend to run that way so I know and can advise the "bike rescue dog" so we all know where to watch for you.
Irrespective of the facilities at Indiana Visitor Center or at Wicker Park, I will probably have a cooler with Gatorade and cooler jugs with water at the bench at the little tot-lot park at S-side of Grand Ave. Then the next oasis would be 41st shelter, and all the other standard shelter locations.
That's all for now on run-routes and aid stations.
No comments:
Post a Comment