Where am I going to run? Running was one of my first concerns when I began packing up my room and planning my last few days at home before I left for college. I was running my usual six-mile loop around the Schyulkill River and it suddenly hit me. I looked at the skyline ahead of me and the eclectic street art on the sidewalk below my sneakers and realized how much I was going to miss it. As much as I enjoy running as a form of exercise, my favorite thing about it is that I'm able to explore with nothing but myself and a good pair of sneakers. Before going to Loyola, I had no idea what Baltimore's Collegetown had to offer. Honestly, I thought that I would be running in a straight line up and down North Charles Street. I imagined myself surrounded by city buildings and busy roads and getting shin splints from the concrete. I spent the first couple of weeks running in neighborhoods surrounding campus, but one day I got lost. Thank gosh. I was somewhere near Hampden when I noticed a stream and a trail under the bridge I was running on. I walked below the road through a graffiti-covered tunnel that lead to the trail, and I remember being ecstatic. Since then, I have made it a priority to discover some place new at least once a week, and it has undoubtedly put me in a better mood. Whether it's a solo adventure, running a half-marathon through the inner harbor on a whim, or dragging my friends through a graffiti-covered alleyway, I've had the time of my life getting lost in Baltimore, finding paint-covered oases within the city streets, and turning my workouts into little explorations. I'll have to see what Pennsylvania has to offer this summer, but I know I'll miss these spontaneous excursions. Until September, Baltimore!
Here are a few of my favorite discoveries:
1. Wyman Park Trail
Photo by Kylee Sullivan '19
2. Stony Run Park
Photo by Emily DiNubile '19
2. Graffiti Alley
Photo by Emily DiNubile '19
3. Jones Falls Trail
Photos by Kylee Sullivan '19
4. Federal Hill Park
Photo by Emily DiNubile '19
5. Druid Hill Park
Photos by Kylee Sullivan '19 and Emily DiNubile '19
7. Charles Village
Photo by Emily DiNubile '19
HAPPY RUNNING!