St. Mary’s College Early Morning Runners – LIGHT UP ALREADY

Jennalynn

New Member
If you are running on Rt. 5 around 6:15 a.m. – drivers cannot see you! You can see our headlights, but we can’t see you until we are practically on top of you! In the dark… in the damp… on the curves… only a foot from the white line – there you are! Running 2 or 3 next to each other that time of morning does not help! Yes – you do look awesome in your cute activewear… Adding some reflective material and/or lights will keep it that way. Activewear does not look as great when it’s flat on the road, or stuck to someone’s bumper. Seriously – for your sake, and for ours… please think about everyone’s safety and make yourselves visible to traffic. Thanks… and have a terrific school year!
 

glhs837

Power with Control
If you are running on Rt. 5 around 6:15 a.m. – drivers cannot see you! You can see our headlights, but we can’t see you until we are practically on top of you! In the dark… in the damp… on the curves… only a foot from the white line – there you are! Running 2 or 3 next to each other that time of morning does not help! Yes – you do look awesome in your cute activewear… Adding some reflective material and/or lights will keep it that way. Activewear does not look as great when it’s flat on the road, or stuck to someone’s bumper. Seriously – for your sake, and for ours… please think about everyone’s safety and make yourselves visible to traffic. Thanks… and have a terrific school year!



I don't know why that crosswalk didn't get the press to flash thing that they have on base.
 

Jennalynn

New Member
I don't know why that crosswalk didn't get the press to flash thing that they have on base.

Maybe they figure students are so busy chatting and/or looking down at their phones, that they can't be responsible to hit the button? Who knows...
 

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
Headline of the thread caused me to think the OP was telling the students to start smoking.
runner-smoking-150.jpg
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
If you are running on Rt. 5 around 6:15 a.m. – drivers cannot see you! You can see our headlights, but we can’t see you until we are practically on top of you! In the dark… in the damp… on the curves… only a foot from the white line – there you are! Running 2 or 3 next to each other that time of morning does not help! Yes – you do look awesome in your cute activewear… Adding some reflective material and/or lights will keep it that way. Activewear does not look as great when it’s flat on the road, or stuck to someone’s bumper. Seriously – for your sake, and for ours… please think about everyone’s safety and make yourselves visible to traffic. Thanks… and have a terrific school year!

I was running there a lot the last few years, and I have to wonder with all the awesome trails in that area, the campus and the park, WHY do they insist on running on Rte 5??

I could do 8 - 10 miles never run over the same piece of ground more than twice (out and back), and MAYBE touch Rte 5 or 1/8th of a mile.. If I cut my run/ walks back to 5 or 6 miles I never would have come anywhere near Rte 5, and could do it without ever touching a road if I had to.

I used to find visiting runners and walkers at our swim meets who would go out and run and walk on Mattappany, and would get out a map and show them where to go so they wouldn't get hit.
 

Jennalynn

New Member
I was running there a lot the last few years, and I have to wonder with all the awesome trails in that area, the campus and the park, WHY do they insist on running on Rte 5??

I could do 8 - 10 miles never run over the same piece of ground more than twice (out and back), and MAYBE touch Rte 5 or 1/8th of a mile.. If I cut my run/ walks back to 5 or 6 miles I never would have come anywhere near Rte 5, and could do it without ever touching a road if I had to.

I used to find visiting runners and walkers at our swim meets who would go out and run and walk on Mattappany, and would get out a map and show them where to go so they wouldn't get hit.

I honestly think they run on Rt. 5 because it's wide, and the road is fairly clean of trip hazards. If they would ride in a car that time of morning, I think they would be shocked at how hard they are to see! They probably think because they can see cars - drivers can see them. I'm surprised there hasn't been anyone hit... so maybe it's just ME that has a problem with it! Wouldn't be the first time! :jameo:
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
there is a nice trail through the woods, but why/how could you run it at 6am? Its dark

They can also run in the park (it's paved) almost a mile loop, and around the visitor center off of Rosecroft.. that's a mile loop.. They can also run down Rosecroft to the end and back to the visitor center (that's about 2.5 miles), still on a road (there's a path next to the road too) but not near as busy or as dangerous as Rte 5.


If you start at the Visitors center and do the wooded trails, it's almost 4 miles (both loops of the trail) and if it's dawn or dusk there's enough light to keep it safe and it's a lot more fun and challenging than the road.
 

Baker12

New Member
They can also run in the park (it's paved) almost a mile loop, and around the visitor center off of Rosecroft.. that's a mile loop.. They can also run down Rosecroft to the end and back to the visitor center (that's about 2.5 miles), still on a road (there's a path next to the road too) but not near as busy or as dangerous as Rte 5.


If you start at the Visitors center and do the wooded trails, it's almost 4 miles (both loops of the trail) and if it's dawn or dusk there's enough light to keep it safe and it's a lot more fun and challenging than the road.

Theres no path on alongside Rosecroft road. There is the wooded path, but there is hardly even a shoulder on Rosecroft
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
Theres no path on alongside Rosecroft road. There is the wooded path, but there is hardly even a shoulder on Rosecroft

Actually the trail turns into a path (that nobody uses) along the sides of Rosecroft.. and in places the Eagle Nest Trail parallels Rosecroft, it's a level fairly smooth trail safe to run on.. Come down Hogaboom, and turn left or right and there is a trail on the north side of the road, doing the loop back to the visitors center the path goes the entire distance back to Hogaboom (though most everybody chooses to run/walk and bike in the street). Going right the path extends about 3/4 of a mile until it intersects with the wooded trail.. then you can pop back onto Rosecroft, loop around Shipping Point and back out to Rosecroft for the trip back to the visitors center..

There's even a path that Parallels Hogaboom, marked by a tunnel of parallel trees, but 99% of people walk/ run and bike on the road.. I don't remember the last time I've seen somebody actually on the path.

BUT Rosecroft there is LOT less traffic and the speed limit is 35, in addition very few college kids drive there so people will actually slow down and move over and give you room.. I have no fear of running and/or biking on Rosecroft and I've been out there at night fairly often.. it's EXPONENTIALLY safer than running on 5 or Mattappany..

And just to add.. I enjoy running on the wooded trails, a little more concentration is needed because.. well, they're trails.. but there's a lot more STUFF.. turns, switchbacks.. uphills.. downhills.. bridges.. to do. The Western most trail is a lot more runner friendly than the more Easterly part of the trail, but neither is really that bad.
 
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