Herndon Park

Today takes me to a new park located in a fairly central location in Mobile, Herndon Park (also known as Sage Park).

Not too far off I-65 and intersecting with Dauphin Street, this is a park that is pretty easy to get to from wherever you are in town.  Although it is a bit sparse, the layout is nice for running and I don't imagine the park is ever crowded.  The park itself looks like they put as few designs and extras in it as they could in order to fit as much play space as possible.  Containing baseball, softball, soccer, and football fields, the paved track is moreso for people-moving than running.  Despite this fact it is still a nice track to run around, again because it is so empty.  

The outer circle of the track at Herndon Park is nearly 3/4 mile, so for long distance running, you find yourself trouncing the same ground over and over again.  I find this a comfort though, because at 3/4 mile I know I can push myself to do "just one more lap" much easier than a course that is continuous or just much larger.

Safety didn't seem to be an issue here, although I may hesitate to run around the park at night as the perimeter of the park goes out near several areas of woods and broken down fences.  In the daytime, it looks perfectly safe.  I also would not recommend any mid-afternoon summertime running at Herndon Park as there is very little shade if any at all.  In the Mobile sun, you may find yourself crawling to the water fountain.

There are a few pavilions in the central portion of the park and there are bathrooms for both ladies and men.  There are also refreshment stands that are presumably open during league play at the park.  Despite its sparse nature, I'll definately be back to this park and enjoy its paths again.

Another great benefit of the park is that it is across the street from Foosackley's.  If you're feeling especially good about your distance and can handle some fried chicken, that'a not a bad spot to pick some up.

My run at Herndon Park was pretty simple.  10.3 miles down on a cool and beautiful Mobile day.  This takes me to just under 140 miles for the year, so I am creating a good pace.  Will most ikely take my first day off this year tomorrow to let the legs rest.  Been in some pretty decent pain for a while, so I'll probably shut it down for a day.