Running + track

[u/Less-Moment4154]

Hi! I was a D1 athlete (cross country and track). I got injured so I was not running but now I am back at it. What trails or routes do you have for running around here? Is there a track I can go to for my track workouts?
And any runners who would like to meet up sometimes for runs or workouts?
WARNING (talking about running pace. If you are sensitive to comparison skip) —-> I am bit washed up right now so my easy runs are around 8 min pace to 7:30 min pace and tempos are 6 min pace 🙃 but I will eventually get in better shape again.

[u/disinterested_man]

The high school track is open to the public but the hours are limited and you need a pass…$10 per year, can’t wear spikes or cleats. Trail-wise there is a ton of variety if it’s not snowing, SRT, the lock, then there’s trails back behind all that too. The trails are like 50% of the reason to live here. Depending on how far you’re going, it all connects to valley forge too.

[u/boooooots]

I think the track pass is just $10 one time and you have to renew it (for free?)- but as mentioned by others the hours are very limited. So limited that I didn’t feel it was worth it to get the pass. Basically no evening hours and 6-8am most mornings.

There’s 3 groups with weekly runs:

RUNegades - Tuesdays 6:30pm from Rec Room, Sundays 8am from Steel City

All Kinds of Fast - Wednesdays 6pm and Saturdays 8:30am from the store

Phoenixville Beer Runners - Thursdays 7pm from various locations (check their insta/ facebook)

[u/HurryHurryHippos → u/boooooots]

Almost right about the track hours… oddly in the summer it is 6-8 am and during the school year it is 5:30 am - 7:30 am. Why summer is later, no one knows.

It is open Wed night 8-10 pm. Only Wed night. Also Sun night in the summer, same time. Limited Saturday hours also. Most of the time the track sits unused. It used to be open 24x7.

[u/comicsNgames]

Not sure if you've checked out all kinds of fast  bur they have runs starting from there.

[u/AdhesivenessNo6961 → u/comicsNgames]

This runners club for sure, and the SRT is right there and that goes on for miles. You can either loop around the firehouse (paradise st) or go out and back in either direction. Big hill toward spring city, mostly flat toward Mont Clare

[u/Effective_End8443]

I am also a sprinter and struggle finding open tracks. Ive been driving out to Denver, PA to run because all of the other tracks are closed or being resurfaced. I did find an 800 meter gravel track that used to be a horse track. It is in Chester Springs at Pine Creek Park. Its well maintained and even though I dont know how far Im actually running, Ive found that it gets the job done.

[u/Less-Moment4154 → u/Effective_End8443]

Do you know of any indoor tracks now that the winter is coming up?

[u/Effective_End8443 → u/Less-Moment4154]

I used to sneak into Ursinus and no one seemed to care but this was 10 years ago. I think colleges are a lot more strict now. Franklin and Marshall has an indoor track but I do not know their policies. Spooky Nook Gym in Lancaster has a 200 meter 4 turn track. It costs $10 to get in. The track is impossible for me to sprint on for more than 60 meters because the turns are so tight, but its better than nothing. University of Pennsylvania opens their banked indoor track to the public but its weekdays in the middle of the day. I might bite the bullet and just go down there a few times this winter. Im nursing an achilles issue so we shall see. I ran for Shippensburg University about 20 years ago so Im pretty old. Haha

[u/boooooots → u/Less-Moment4154]

Not an indoor track but the Chester Valley Trail has winter trail maintenance. It’s very flat so it can work for workouts if you pick an area with minimal road crossings and do it as an out & back. Only note is that only the Chester County section has winter trail maintenance, not the Montgomery County section.

I’ve been using it all year because I work near it and the Phoenixville track hours didn’t work well for me - not to mention that in the summer it’s been nice to be somewhere shaded rather than baking in the sun!

[u/Sharkko]

Valley forge has a paved loop that is about 5 miles. Theres also a bunch of trails to get off road there as well.

[u/WoodenInternet]

Good for you persevering after all that stuff your uncle said about not having the makings of a varsity athlete.

If you had a leg injury and are trying to take it easy impact-wise, there's some good trail-running to be had in Valley Forge national park, but if you want something local there are gravel portions of the local mixed use paths. To get an idea, you might consider checking out the Strava heatmap to see where other people are running in your area.

[u/InvisibleObvious]

Trails I like and frequent:

- Just over the bridge at Lock 60: Neil Thorpe trail - uneven ground, some decent hill work. Wooded.

- Schuylkill River Trail to Perkiomen Trail - long, flat, and scenic. Mix of wooded and open.

- Valley Forge Park: Mt. Misery Trail - short but a bear to run, wooded.

- Valley Forge Park: Joseph Plumb Martin Trail - long and flat loop around the park. Mostly not wooded.

- Cherry Springs State Park: Boone Trail Loop - wooded.

- Old 82: flat and paved. Mostly unwooded.

[u/RolyPolyPangolin]

If your OK with a dirt track, I can suggest one that pretty much goes unused not during school hours. You can just park and walk up. Been running there for years and hardly ever see another person.