This is my Private July 4 Event.

So today is normally one of those holidays where I do a running event, but this year I’m not. It’s kind of a bummer, so I decided to cheer myself up with my own little event. Instead of my usual route along Wollaston Beach, I would take the train into town and just run around Boston for a couple of hours. I have a GPS watch, so I wasn’t even going to plan a route. There’s just one problem, of course… I don’t feel like taking the train after a long run. I’m spoiled. Unless I’m running with a group, I want to finish things at my own home.

Not to worry, though. There are some bits of Braintree (seriously, that’s the name of the town) which confuse the hell out of Cara and I when we drive through it. It’s not us, I swear. There are streets around here that change to a different name for about a quarter-mile before changing back to the original name. Oh yeah, and the temp name is the same as the main drag through Quincy. So if you’re lost you can think that you’re almost home, even though you’re actually kind of screwed.

But I digress. The point is, I decided to run through that area and take a really good look. Some of it is really pretty, and it seemed to be runner-friendly when I drove through. So I grabbed my iPod Shuffle, strapped on my Forerunner 305 and hit the road.

I ran through Quincy a bit and then through Braintree. It was a good morning for a run, just overcast enough to dull the heat and light. The area was actually very good for running. There were plenty of sidewalks, both concrete and paved, and a few gentle hills to spice things up. It’s going to be a standard from now on, I think.