Running on the Course Part 2...

The winter storm has subsided. Although it is still cold out there, I was able to go down to Framingham and run the next 5 mile segment of the Boston Marathon route. My route today would take me to the 10 mile marker in Natick. I started at the same place I left off a couple of weeks ago at the Framingham Town Line. The next 5 mile segment would take me through Framingham and almost to Natick Center.

As I described in the first blog about the course, the first five miles are almost all down hill. The good news is that as you hit the Framingham Town Line, the course flattens out for the next five miles. Don't get me wrong...flat is a relative term (see elevation profile). But, overall it is a very easy five mile segment.

I ran along Route 135 towards Framingham Center. With a population of almost 67,000 , Framingham is the largest Town in Massachusetts and the hub of the Metro-West region where I live. One of the things Framingham is famous for during the Revolutionary Period is that this is the town where Crispus Attucks lived. If you don't remember your history, Attucks was the first to fall mortally wounded at what is know as the Boston Massacre. According to the historical society, Attucks lived on what is Route 9, not far from the State Police Academy. Route 9 is north of the marathon route.

There is one other connection to the Revolutionary War here in Framingham. Framingham was the town that Henry Knox dragged his "cannon train" to from Ft. Ticonderoga in January 1776. General Knox waited in Framingham for orders to bring the artillery to sites around Boston where they would force out the occupying British forces (Evacuation Day, March 17). Our Boy Scout Troop 100 of Westborough is part of the Knox Trail Council named for Gen. Henry Knox and has their headquarters in Framingham.

As I passed the center of Framingham, I ran past the train station and past one of my favorite wing joints -- The Chicken Bone. We sometimes go over there for lunch from work. As they say, "The Chicken Bone, on Rte. 135 Framingham, is the place to be for Bone-i-fied Fun!" It is definitely not on my training table right now. But, I will be visiting them some time after race day.

Not too much further up Route 135, I hit the Natick Town Line. Natick has a rich history as well. It started out as a farming town, but later, was more know for their shoe industry. Natick gradually became one of the largest producers of boots and shoes and by 1880 had 23 shoe manufacturers. Natick was famous for its brogan, a heavy ankle-high boot worn by soldiers in the Civil War. During the early part of this century the shoe industry suffered and the last shoe factory in Natick, the Winchell Shoe Co., closed in 1971. The wound core for a more resilient baseball and figure-eight stitching were devised in Natick. This new ball was manufactured by the firm of H. Harwood & Sons in their factory built in 1858 - the first plant in the world for the manufacture of baseballs. You can see some of the factory buildings along the route.

I have to say that when you run in towns here in Massachusetts you see things you would never see if you were driving through. As I ran along Route 135, I passed a little wooden building at 181 West Central St. (Rte 135). It was the original building that Henry Wilson worked in as a cobbler. You may ask who is Henry Wilson. He not only established a shoe factory in Natick but later went into politics and became Vice President under Ulysses S. Grant. I have driven down Route 135 many times and never noticed the building. Look for it on the left hand side of the road as you approach Natick Center.

I finally reach the 10 mile marker and turned around to head back to my car. The run was enjoyable and I finished a 10.2 mile loop run in 1:29:40 (8:47 per mile). This was a little faster than I wanted to run. I guess the flat route and sunny morning made it easy for me. I am starting on my 4 month program on Monday. I am looking forward to my training and utltimately crossing the finish line in Boston.