The Out Of Town Run

Having lived in Salem years ago, I have since craved a nice run in my old hometown. While I was playing lacrosse at Salem State University I had put together a route that started at the College's sports complex on Canal Street and rounded downtown before heading back to campus.

Since moving into Marblehead, I haven't run this route at all. I have done a longer run into Salem twice before but have since been content with mid-distance routes that focused on Town.

With the new motivation of testing out my cPrime wristband, I decided to take on that Salem route again, but this time I would go all out and make it my longest run yet.

This route starts off like The Neck Run and The Atlantic-Humphrey Loop, heading out of Peach Highlands, turning right onto Pond St., left onto Green St. and quickly right onto Elm St. Following Elm St. onto Spring St., this time you head right onto Pleasant St.

Taking Pleasant St. you pass Starbucks, the Spirit of '76 Books, Marblehead School of Ballet, the Marblehead Sport Shop, Manhattan Sandwich Company, and the Flower House; this time climbing the hill up to the Veterans School and riding out the hill down the front of the school.

Continue past the Abbot Public Library and the Fire Station until you reach the intersection of Lafayette St., Pleasant St., and Humphrey St. Bear left onto Humphrey, passing Marblehead High School and the Marblehead Parks and Recreation.

Keep going on this street until you come to the next three-way intersection; where Humphrey, Maple St., and Tedesco Street meet. This time bear right onto Tedesco, taking comfort in the cool shaded street that leads past the Tedesco Country Club and into Vinnin Square.

Once you emerge from the tree cover, back into the bustle of society in Vinnin Square, round the strip mall containing Staples, Supercuts, GNC, and Dunkin Donuts onto Paradise Road, which turns into Loring Avenue at Fantasy Island.

Loring Ave. is a nice long, flat stretch that you follow for quite a while. It takes you past Salem State's South Campus, the Greenhouse School, and Omega Pizza before you cross onto Jefferson Ave. This is where my normal Salem Run joins with my former lacrosse run.

Taking Jefferson Ave. past the Tedeschi Store and Dube's Seafood, there is a steep hill leading up to St. Anne's Church. I always try to take this hill on as hard as I can, as it offers a solid slope down on the other side to regain your stamina that you use climbing it.

Once down the hill, follow Jefferson Ave. past the Tin Whistle Pub, North Shore Brazilian Ju-Jitsu Academy, Thomson Garden Shop, Giovanni's Roast Beef, North Shore Recycled Fibers, Maria's Place, and North Shore Marine. It makes me smile thinking how this stretch used to seem like such a long way, when now it is just a very small piece of a much longer route.

As Jefferson turns into Margin St. at the Salem Police Station, continue past the Phoenix School, NAPA Auto-parts and Salem House of Pizza. Turn right onto Endicott St., in front of John J. Walsh Insurance, and keep going across Canal St. onto Washington Street.

Take Washington past the Record Exchange, the Art Corner, and Major Magleashe's Pub. Washington St. turns into Lafayette St. which brings you past the Saltonstall School, Christina's Pizza, the Temple Shalom, the First Baptist Church in Salem, Jade House, and Okea Grill and Sushi.

Staying on Lafayette, you pass by Salem State's North Campus. Rounding the last corner of the school, you are granted a wonderful view out into Salem Harbor before crossing the city limits and back into town.

Here you are presented with another nice hill to climb, and by this time you might be dreading it, but give it all you can, never yielding to any incline. Climb past St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and down Lafayette St. until you reach Gatchell's Park.

Here, turn left onto West Shore Drive and once again enjoy some tree-cover. The street is long and hilly, but it offers a lot of shade and slightly less traffic than the other roads on this route. Continue on West Shore, past the Tower School, Marblehead Garden Center, Waterside Cemetery, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars building.

After this, turn right onto Green St. which marks the last long stretch before the end. Follow the winding hills down Green St. onto the one-way section of the street at the bottom of the hills, past the Little Store and left onto Pond St. before making the final left onto Peach Highlands for the sprint to my front door.

I was stunned to find that I still had the energy for a final kick as I approached my house, realizing that I had covered 8.44 miles (which comes out to 17,853 steps). This was easily the longest run I have set out to do, and I had completed it with nearly as much ease as any 5-6 miler that I have been running as of late.

To cut a significant distance off of this route you can easily take Leggs Hill Road off of Tedesco St., passing by the Marblehead-Swampscott YMCA and onto Loring Ave., which eliminates the mile section into Vinnin Square. You can also take out the two miles around Jefferson Ave. by staying on Loring Ave., past Salem State's Central Campus and the Horace Mann School, meeting back up with the original route on Lafayette St.

This was the first step in my training for something larger that I have planned for later this month, so keep coming back to Patch for more from The Running Reporter as I bring you more interesting routes in and out of Town as well as tips and tricks for life on the road.