By Nic LaPonte
As spring comes around the corner and the sky begins to get sunny again, it becomes much easier for the student populace to get out and run.
While the track and cross country teams run all year, in all sorts of weather and terrain, the average student waits until brighter, warmer days to enjoy a run along one of the many roadways that crisscross the North Portland and St. Johns area.
Here's a look at some run routes to add to your repertoire this spring. All distances are measured from the corner of Portsmouth Avenue and Willamette Boulevard, the corner with the electronic billboard.
For those who wish to get out of Howard Hall on a nice day, one very versatile run route includes a four-mile jaunt out to the St. Johns Bridge and back.
The St. Johns bridge route takes the runner up Willamette Avenue, past Fred Meyer and Safeway, and underneath the superstructure of the bridge itself, ending at Trumbull Avenue.
This route is less traveled and has fewer vehicles than other, more popular routes.
It also features an incline, and is very near some steep hills for those who want to incorporate elevation into their workout. A shorter, two-mile version of this run puts the turn-around point at the Portway Tavern.
The tavern is also the start of a different run for those who want to do some cross country training, running along the train tracks below The Bluff. This route is close to two miles and ends in an ascent up the challenging Tyson hill.
But why stop at the St. Johns Bridge? A run that the cross country team refers to as the "Pier run" is a more challenging variation of the shorter St. Johns Route.
Head towards the St. Johns Bridge, keep on Willamette and cross under the bridge, then take a right on St. Johns Avenue.
Stay along St. Johns Avenue until arriving at Pier Park, then take the outer loop around Pier Park, climb the hill, go around the fields on the other side, and head back to school on the same route.
This run is seven miles long.
"Pier is the first run everyone learns; the Conference Championships will be there next year," Jeff Gill, a member of both the cross country and track teams said.
Continuing over the bridge will open up run routes that are as long as you want to make them on the other side of the river, and numerous opportunities for cardiovascular excitement.
Forest Park, including Wildwood trail, is the largest piece of woodland reserve within city limits in the entire nation and is fraught with trails and paths for the off-road runner.
"Most of our 10-mile runs that stay on this side of the river are too difficult to explain, they involve going through industrial complexes and commercial parks and/or strange trails with bad smells," Gill said.
Going up Germantown road on the other side of the river is a 2-mile uphill adventure against traffic that is best not attempted alone or without a car on the other side to pick you up, according to Gill.
No matter what level of personal athleticism a person is at, these run routes will incorporate well into any workout schedule. For further assistance in planning a workout, the U.S.A. Track and Field website (http://www.usatf.org/routes/) has a huge number of pre-planned run routes, as well as satellite mapping tools that can be used for creating personalized routes.
"The best runs are the ones you make up on your own; they can be insidiously difficult, incredibly complicated, or really fun and fulfilling," Gill said.
