Fore River Bridge Run
Distance: 6 - 7 miles (50 -65min) Jeremy’s energy expenditure: 1,100 - 1,500 calories
Jeremy Watts, imm—May 9, 2020
Living in Weymouth gives me a timely and convenient access into Quincy, Braintree, and Boston where I spend the majority of my time professionally and personally. I’ve located a few parks and recreational areas where I am able to do high intensity exercises like sprinting and agility drills, body weight and resistance band training, or long distance cardiovascular endurance training.
My favorite place to execute a little outdoor training is Legion Memorial Field in Weymouth, MA. The sporting complex is located at the junction of Middle and Commercial Street at the foot of King Oak Hill Park. This area consists of tennis courts, a walking and jogging path, a large soft-surfaced playground, and a field with artificial grass that facilitates multiple sporting functions from soccer and football, to field hockey and lacrosse. I create and execute training routines here regularly but this location is also a great starting point for a long distance run to Fore River Bridge, that offers a challenge and a great experience through residential and industrial landscape on a nice day or night.
The Fore River Bridge is located northwest of Legion Memorial Field and can be accessed from Legion Memorial via secondary streets through residential areas, and an artery with businesses and industrial infrastructure. The route begins on Commercial Street where the route proceeds uphill and bends to the northeast. At the crest of the hill there is a clearing in the neighborhood trees where the Boston city skyline can be seen more than 10 miles in the distance (see picture above). Commercial Street turns west so we want to continue in the same direction, following North Street leading down a hill to a fork in the road. In the fall there are brilliantly-colored Sugar Maple trees that paint the neighborhoods surrounding the birthplace of Abigail Adams. Either Norton or North Street will meet with Route 3A, which takes us west towards the big bridge. The Running surface is conducive to solid running, lined with businesses and shops, and the towers of the bridge create a visual goal of where you will distantly be in the near future.
As you approach the foot of the bridge the elevation increases to what must be between 2 to 5 percent grade, which significantly increases the intensity. I like to control the pace over the bridge by the number of steps in each sidewalk square that I take. Each sidewalk square length is consistent and I increase my stride length and overall speed to accomplish four steps per square leading up to the max height of the bridge-arch. The length from foot to the middle of the bridge is approximately 400 meters so this is a great challenge and the view is really great as you can see Boston in the distance, as well as the industrial infrastructure immediately surrounding the bridge and the Weymouth Fore River meeting Hingham and Quincy Bays.
Running near roadways at night is always less safe but the bridge is completely lit with blue illumination and is absolutely memorable. This part of the route is well lit and the raised curbs provide extra safety on either side of the bridge. The route then declines for approximately 400 meters and proceeds through a busy rotary with clearly marked and easy-to-navigate crossings or bypass space. You may decide to turn around there or continue into Quincy where the road junctions with Route 3A. This is a large intersection and has naturally become a good turnaround point for me. I take the same route back and try and beat my time back, never forgetting to take in my environment.
All it took was a phone call and I was joined by fellow Afghanistan combat veteran Chris Stevens (pictured above). Having this immediate community makes taking ACTION that much easier to get up and run a tough route. The route is full of street crossings and it is mandatory to mentally prepare yourself to maintain vigilance and situational awareness, always preparing to yield for traffic. I always wear my bright running shoes, a bright hat, and a light colored shirt, if I have one clean of course! In the words of Tupac Shakur, “We ain’t hard to find,” so if you see me on the route with bright sneakers gettin’ it in keep up with me to the top of the bridge and push the pace all the way back!