RUN TWO RUN THREE
A downtown route has its challenges for any runner. Depending on the
time of day and traffic, I make sure to keep my music off and my brain alert
crossing streets of downtown.
I inevitably see things along my downtown routes that cause me to stop
and take a picture.
Once my feet hit the Second Street Bridge, I resume my focus and my music
and head across the water. The bridge offers its own challenges. The cars
whizzing by in both directions and the slight sway of the bridge, juxtaposed
with the movement of the water below, can be disorienting.
Keeping your eyes on the prize usually works for me: focus on the end
of the bridge and run toward it. There is a slight elevation to the bridge, but
the better challenge hits you at the Big Four Bridge. Leave the Second Street
Bridge and run along the banks in Jeffersonville. Also, there is a really great
ramp or a set of stairs waiting for you at the Big Four Station.
I have a general rule for conquering hills or inclines, especially if there are
options to get around them. I may not be barreling up the hill at full speed,
but I never let the hill beat me. I also try to remember as I am ascending any
hill that I have to come back down at some point. The bridge is usually filled
with people on any given day, running, biking, taking pictures – so be wary.
The end of the bridge comes after about a half mile, and the promised descent
drops you on Louisville’s Waterfront Park and then back into downtown.
It’s a good run with a mildly challenging route, but I am a fan of urban
running and exploration. This route would be really easy to skip the streets
of downtown and crosswalks by sticking solely to the waterfront paths. There
is plenty of free parking at the base of the bridge on either side of the river
and water stops in the parks.
For more information, go to jeffparks.org/parks/big4-station or
louisvillewaterfront.com. One of my favorite runs that I dread every time is the hilly road around
and through Iroquois Park.
I love the scenery in the park and the dedicated lane for running or biking.
I dread the relentless hills (what goes up, must come down) but know they
are good for me. The hills around the loop are deceiving. Just when you
think you are reaching the top and about to head downhill, the road turns
and goes up a bit more. Parking at the amphitheater, I begin the Iroquois
run clockwise on the loop (Rundill Road). Around the 2.5 mile mark, Uppill
Road branches off to the right. The road could – and should – be called Uphill
Road as a mile-long incline opens up around the turn.
Pushing through to the top and a half a mile back, runners are rewarded
for their hard work with the Iroquois Park Overlook and a spectacular view
of the city from six miles away. I dread it, but running this route prepares
me for what’s to come in the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon or the Papa
John’s 10 Miler. Conquering the hills in practice runs make me stronger in
the races, as Iroquois Park hills happen in the middle of both, and, who am
I kidding, hills are great for my glutes.
For more information, go to louisvilleky.gov/government/parks/park-
list/iroquois-park
Follow more of JD’s running adventures by following @runstheuniverse on Instagram.
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