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Marathon Training at Selkirk Yard

Ouch!

Under M.D.'s orders (literally, my orthopedist), I'm off running for the foreseeable future: too many herniated disks.

[ go to "State Workers' Special: various runs from the Plaza" ]

Getting to Selkirk Yard

The Route 32 Bridge overlooking CP-FB and the Top End at Selkirk Yard is a nine and a half mile run from the Center Square/Capitol Hill neighborhood of Albany. This run passes through a variety of neighborhoods, going from inner city to rural farmland. Start in Center Square and head south down Lark Street to Delaware Avenue, then south on Delaware through the southern part of the City of Albany to Delmar in the Town of Bethlehem, through Delmar and out through the farm and industrial areas of Bethlehem to Feura Bush and the Town of New Scotland. This is a delightful 19 mile run out and back.

Albany to Selkirk Yard

From the center of Empire State Plaza via Hamilton Street to Lark Street, Delaware Avenue/Route52/Route 32

A D&H Alternative

Delaware Avenue to New Scotland Road

For a 13 or 15 mile loop (and a definite D&H feel), turn right onto Kenwood Avenue (State Route 144), just past the Post Office at 4.5 miles, and proceed west on Kenwood parallel to the D&H Voorheesville Running Track (a.k.a., the Albany Main), returning on New Scotland Road. Distances are as follows:

Return to Albany by making a right turn onto New Scotland Road (6 3/4 miles) or add a 2+ mile loop (and two grade crossings of the D&H) by making a left turn onto New Scotland Road and making the first right onto Upper Font Grove Road, remaining on Upper Font Grove Road back to New Scotland (keep bearing left to recross the D&H).

Albany to the D&H Overpass over New Scotland Road:
from the center of Empire State Plaza via Hamilton Street to Lark Street, Madison Avenue to New Scotland Avenue

This New Scotland/Delaware loop can easilly be run in either direction, so here are the distances from Albany to Kenwood on New Scotland:

News Flash!

Word around town late August 2008 is that Canadian Pacific is selling the Albany Main from Kenwood to Guilderland Center for a rail-trail.

And indeed that's just what happened.

At Selkirk

The yard itself offers some interesting possibilities for running and train watching. An out-and-back of the yard, starting at the Route 32 bridge, starts with a three mile run to the engine shop under Jericho Bridge (stop at South Albany Airport north of the bridge for water and a rest room), three miles from Jericho Bridge to the drill tracks at Mosher Bridge, and two miles down 9W to CP-SK (stop at the Hess gas station at the corner of 9W or at the Stewarts farther down 9W for water and a rest room). This offers the possibility of a 16 mile back-and-forth with ample water opportunities (carrying a bottle to be refilled along the way), with a variety of shorter combinations for short days.

Approximate distances west (Route 32) to east (CP-SK)

Measured distance, east (Route 9W at CP-SK) to west (Route 32)

*

This is going to change soon if it has not already: Ben's bridge has been closed to cars for some time now, and word is it will come down completely.

The yard is more-or-less visible (well, honestly, more less than more) for almost half this run.

Just a note -- to go 20 miles in a line (i.e., no round trip), starting at Empire State Plaza, head south to the Stewart's in Feura Bush, then turn around and head east along the yard to CP-SK; then (with 18 miles to CP-SK) head east on the road along CP-SK and continue north and east to the hamlet of Selkirk, joining State Route 396; then turn right (across the Albany Secondary) and head east to State Route 144; finally, head north to a point about 100 yards north of the Thruway interchange, to a waiting car with lots of water.


Favorite Places to Train

Locally

When not running to, from, or around either Selkirk Yard or where I work at Empire State Plaza (see State Workers Specials below), Thatcher State Park is a good choice, as it has well maintained paths and nice views from the northwest through northeast; the foot-path through the Albany Municipal Golf Course is also a good choice; and the Port of Rensselaer and the Port of Albany are interesting places.

Otherwise,

Mohonk's Trails in New Paltz, N.Y., are spectacular, and were home to my running for a decade.

In my travels I've run in a few interesting places. Oahu's north shore gives new meaning to a nice run (a bit understated this). For an international taste, along the Rhine between Arnhem and Nijmegen on the Rijndijk was one place I spent a summer and fall training for a marathon: not much in the way of hill training, but a unique view the Dutch countryside (except for when the German smog came up from the Ruhr Valley). And somehow I've managed to avoid getting flattened in the U.K, Ireland, and Australia, all places where "they" drive on the "wrong" side of the road.


Applied Marathoning

With Marcus at the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon, 2004
Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon, 2004

. . . and Other Distance Running

With Marcus at the Utica Boilermaker, 2004 (15K)
Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon, 2004


Some Marathon Links

Here are some regional links:


Some of my odd notes to myself


State Workers' Special

[ TOP ]

More runs from Empire State Plaza

All distances approximate

Three-mile loop

Four-mile loop

Five mile loops

Flat-five
Five-with-a-hill
Five-with-a-real-hill

Six-mile loop

Seven-mile loop

Eight-mile out-and-back

Nine-mile out-and-back

Ten-mile out-and-back

Eleven-mile out-and-back


revised 15 December 2012 [ TOP ]

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