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Summer Running Tips
by Lanshan Cao
Running in the summer months can be challenging. Heat and humidity can exhaust us much quicker during the summer than other time of the year.
Safety is always of the highest concern. Carrying enough hydration (water, Gatorade, etc.) and salt pills or gels to replenish electrolytes and paying attention to your body’s response to running are essential. Salt pills will also prevent muscle cramps. Always remember to hydrate and replenish electrolytes before your body needs it.
Monitor the weather forecast closely, especially if you are planning to run a longer distance, and decide best how to prepare accordingly. Start as early as you can, when the morning is cooler. Choose a route in the shade if possible; bicycle paths are ideal candidates.
An article from Outside Online called “How to Run Through a Hot Summer” provides some excellent advice. Click the link above to access the article!
If you’re looking for some local bike and rail trails in the Merrimack Valley area, here are some options!
TheBruce Freeman Rail Trailis a rail trail which winds through the communities of Lowell, Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, Sudbury, and Framingham (planned) in Massachusetts. The trail follows the 25-mile route of the Framingham and Lowell Line, formerly part of the old New Haven Railroad. Currently, it ends in Acton at the Ice House. The bridge over Route 2 connecting Acton and Concord is expected to open in September 2022.
Lowell Parking
Crosspoint Towers, 900 Chelmsford St. (Weekends and holidays Only)
Chelmsford Parking
Chelmsford Center for the Arts, 1A North Road (Rt. 4), Chelmsford
Chelmsford Center Artwalk, Cushing Place, Chelmsford (public restrooms, seasonal)
Town Land at Heart/Baptist Pond, 2 Pond Street, Chelmsford (public restrooms, seasonal)
Acton Parking
NARA Park off Route 27, Acton (seasonal, public restrooms)
At Gould’s Plaza (behind Donelan’s Supermarket) on Great Road (Route 2A), Acton (public restrooms, seasonal)
Ice House Pond, 120 Concord Road, Acton
TheWindham Rail Trailpasses through Windham in southern New Hampshire. Its connections to the Derry Rail Trail in the north and the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor in the south make up the longest paved section—10 miles.
It starts in Derry and Windham and ends in Salem NH (behind of Tuscan Kitchen restaurant).
Derry Parking
North end of trail: Hood Park, 4 Rollins Street, Derry, NH 03038
Windham Parking
Middle of the trail: Windham Depot, Windham Rail Trail, 7 Depot Road, Windham, NH 03087
Salem Parking
South end of the trail: Behind Tuscan Kitchen, 67 Main Street, Salem, NH 03079
TheMinuteman Bikewayhas become a treasured regional resource and most famous bike path. It is used by local residents and visitors from near and far. It is a 20-mile-long paved bike path which connects the Alewife “T” station in Cambridge to Bedford, and winds through Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford.
Enjoy your summer running and be safe!
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