Weather Report: Clear, 89°F, 50% Humidity, Winds: From W @ 14 mph; feels like 92°F.Run: 5.5 Tough, Sticky, Slow, Honest miles in :58:30 min. @ 11:30 a.m.
Pace: 10:38 min./per mile avg. (!)
Now that my Summer Break is officially here, I am continuing in my efforts to expand the number of different and interesting locations where I can go to run. My latest training "crushes" are trails: paved, canal, river, parks, whatever. A local trail that I had not previously ventured upon is the section of the Genesee River Trailway that runs north of River City and West of the Genesee River. I have long run on the southern part of the trailway which goes along the University of Rochester campus and eventually connects to the Erie Canal Trailway, and just recently ran with a colleague over the river onto the north-eastern section which goes by the Seneca Park Zoo. The north-west portion, however, had been a mystery of sorts to me. No more.I entered the trail at an access point just beside the city YMCA at which we have a family membership, and ran under the Driving Park Bridge onto what appeared to be a loose gravel trail This trail quickly turned into a paved trail until it, and the signage I had hope to follow, ended.
Not to be deterred I continued on, with the river in view to my right, going through progressively more secluded "trails." Eventually it dawned on me that I was no longer on a trail at all. Maybe it was the seemingly abandoned garage I followed a narrow paved road through that gave it away!
Not all "trails" are "trails." As is the case with the southern and eastern parts of the Genesee River Trailway, this section is NOT an actual trail. I wish I'd known this before setting out in the blistering heat this late morning. When I see "trailway," I think of a well worn natural sidewalk (maybe paved) allocated solely for the use of walkers, runners, and bicyclist. This part of the Genesee River Trailway follows a main road and is in fact THE ROAD!
After skirting along the border of the second of two cemeteries I crossed through, I made my way back to the road and started back. By this point the extreme heat had got the best of me and I found myself dreading the long stretches of unshaded sidewalk along the road home.
My son called me once on my cell and this offered me a break, to which I added another respite during which time I walked about a quarter of a mile. Fortunately, upon reaching the "real" trail, I could resume plodding along until making it back to my car. As challenging as this whole experience may seem, I would definitely revisit this course, especially once I have a better understanding of the Trailways's location.
Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!
2 comments:
Not sure exactly where you were b/c I don't know that area really well, but - if you have access to a copy of Take Your Bike by Rich & Sue Freeman they give a pretty good description of the trail from the Pure Waters Pedestrian Bridge north to the lake. From Maplewood Park to just before Burley Rd, the "trail" follows the sidewalk along Lake Ave. The good news is, once you get into Turning Point Park, there is an incredible stretch along a 3/4 long boardwalk that crosses through the Turning Point Park marsh - we ran along that during the Harborfest 10K this past Sunday. Good luck with your explorations - there are some fairly neat places to run and ride up that way which I'm hoping to explore a bit more this summer when I'm in Rochester. (BTW, thanks for including a link to my blog on your page!)
Great book suggestion--I actually have a copy of that book, as well as Take a Hike! After reading your comment I checked and you are correct, that path is in in both books. Thanks so much for reminding me of the resources I had available... but failed to recognize and use on my own!
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