Hi Amiee -- Silverton has an oval track by its visitors' center, not at its school, and it's mostly concrete so it's not appropriate for track meets. It also lacks lane lines. It's funky and fun however! I wrote about it last summer when I did the post-hardrock depletion mile race on it, so you can see some pics of its weed-choked track here: https://sarahrunning.substack.com/p/hardrocks-epilogue
Just when I decided to take a hiatus from track workouts for a while to give my hamstring tendinitis a chance to heal. 😩 Seriously, great post. I’ve really enjoyed getting back to the track this past year, though largely for the social aspect.
Good luck on your non-race race next weekend! And ugh to the falling! I’ve been having stumbles lately from not picking up my foot enough on my injured side. No full blown falls recently, but sometimes I’ve hurt myself worse from the contortions of avoiding it. I’ve also noticed I tend to fall more in heavy mileage cycles, when I’m fatigued. You’re at peak training right now, so it’s not surprising.
Great article. My journey to the track is very similar to yours, with an interesting irony. The Middle School/High School torture track from my childhood was the original Piedmont High track that I (and you) came to love later in life. When I was a teenager, that track was a neglected, rutted-out dirt/clay mess with no drainage. It looked similar to the photo you included of the Ridgway soccer field. Not only was I not at all an athlete as a teenager, but that track was horrible! In my 30's I began running, on city streets, initially to finish the Bay-to-Breakers with a friend of mine. My first B2B was life-changing and I fell in love with running, ultimately becoming a kind of decent, mid-pack runner. When we moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington, the editor of the local running magazine, Jim Whiting, of the Northwest Runner, also lived on the island and every summer he put on all-comers track meets on Monday evenings. I started doing those, with my kids. I came to appreciate all the advantages to running on a track that you wrote about. Moving back to Piedmont in 2000, I found that Ken Rawlings (part of the baseball glove family, and a Piedmont resident) made a very generous donation to completely re-make the football field and track at Piedmont High. This turned the track into state-of-the-art, by far the nicest track I've ever run on. Weekly track work-outs with you and the rest of the "Fartleks" gang are among my happiest memories of that time of my life.
I love track workouts! I always run faster on a track (remembering those high school vibes?), I can usually convince my kids to come do a few laps with me and I often see students or former students playing soccer. Win-win-win!
I have some fond (ridiculous) memories running around the track in Silverton. Is it no longer there? It was a bit beat up but a track no less!
Hi Amiee -- Silverton has an oval track by its visitors' center, not at its school, and it's mostly concrete so it's not appropriate for track meets. It also lacks lane lines. It's funky and fun however! I wrote about it last summer when I did the post-hardrock depletion mile race on it, so you can see some pics of its weed-choked track here: https://sarahrunning.substack.com/p/hardrocks-epilogue
Just when I decided to take a hiatus from track workouts for a while to give my hamstring tendinitis a chance to heal. 😩 Seriously, great post. I’ve really enjoyed getting back to the track this past year, though largely for the social aspect.
Good luck on your non-race race next weekend! And ugh to the falling! I’ve been having stumbles lately from not picking up my foot enough on my injured side. No full blown falls recently, but sometimes I’ve hurt myself worse from the contortions of avoiding it. I’ve also noticed I tend to fall more in heavy mileage cycles, when I’m fatigued. You’re at peak training right now, so it’s not surprising.
Thank you! Glad you’re giving yourself time to heal.
Great article. My journey to the track is very similar to yours, with an interesting irony. The Middle School/High School torture track from my childhood was the original Piedmont High track that I (and you) came to love later in life. When I was a teenager, that track was a neglected, rutted-out dirt/clay mess with no drainage. It looked similar to the photo you included of the Ridgway soccer field. Not only was I not at all an athlete as a teenager, but that track was horrible! In my 30's I began running, on city streets, initially to finish the Bay-to-Breakers with a friend of mine. My first B2B was life-changing and I fell in love with running, ultimately becoming a kind of decent, mid-pack runner. When we moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington, the editor of the local running magazine, Jim Whiting, of the Northwest Runner, also lived on the island and every summer he put on all-comers track meets on Monday evenings. I started doing those, with my kids. I came to appreciate all the advantages to running on a track that you wrote about. Moving back to Piedmont in 2000, I found that Ken Rawlings (part of the baseball glove family, and a Piedmont resident) made a very generous donation to completely re-make the football field and track at Piedmont High. This turned the track into state-of-the-art, by far the nicest track I've ever run on. Weekly track work-outs with you and the rest of the "Fartleks" gang are among my happiest memories of that time of my life.
Aw, Dave, this fills my heart! Wish I could run a workout with you again.
I hatre tripping and falling! And yes, it's getting worse! Every run called a success if I finished upright (like today). Best to you this weekend.
I love track workouts! I always run faster on a track (remembering those high school vibes?), I can usually convince my kids to come do a few laps with me and I often see students or former students playing soccer. Win-win-win!
Modern tracks are softer too! Makes the all out 400 repeats easier on the legs and you get a little more out of the workout.
True! Thanks for reading.