From Quincy to Boston

On Saturday I did something I’ve been planning for a good while. Whenever I do a long run, I wind up within spitting distance of Boston before I turn back towards home. For once, why not just run all the way into town? Ten miles could put me right in the middle of it, and I could just take the train home.

Since it was a new kind of route, I didn’t plan on speed. Even if you study a map, there’s really no substitute for a recon run. I was confident that I wouldn’t get completely lost, but I’ve gone off-route more than once in the past. For this first-time deal, I just took my camera and enjoyed myself.

There are lots of places where I stopped and took pictures, but my favorite moment was discovering the track at that big park in South Boston. I never ran track in high school, so I couldn’t resist zipping around it one good time. It wasn’t the best idea during a long run… my thighs cramped up a little later. But hey, it was worth it. Besides, this wasn’t a speed run anyway.

If you look close at my Garmin map, you’ll notice a slight similarity to the map comics from Family Circus. I can’t remember ever actually laughing at that strip, but I did enjoy the maps…