Laura and I were in Rochester, N.Y., for my nephew's baptism. We decided to go to Abraham Lincoln Park, a 20-minute drive away. The 182-acre park was renamed (from Irondequoit Bay Park East) on Feb. 12, 2009 to honor the 200th birthday of Honest Abe. Among its amenities are running trails.
Greeted by a bearded collie mix named Sarah at the parking lot, we walked the steep concrete hill down to the trails. Concrete changed to earth and the familiar natural obstacles -- rocks, ruts and roots -- that I remembered from the Lynn Woods Reservation back home in Massachusetts.
The descent was difficult but we were rewarded by the sight of the bay and its gentle waves running across to the shore. The water was clear as we looked down from a boat ramp. It felt colder along the shore, but the sun came out for a stretch to glimmer on the water.
I did several sprints to a nearby tree and back. I didn't want to go further on the trail because it was waterlogged. At least the running warmed me up. It also felt inspiring to run along one of the inland seas of North America.
Later, we drove along the Seaway Trail, a National Historic Byway, to the Webster Park Campgrounds for a wider view of the lake. It was amazing to see no shore on the horizon as larger waves crashed onto the beach.
Running is popular in the Rochester area in general. We saw runners along the Erie Canal the next day, as well as on the roads. There's a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot and a 5K at the springtime Lilac Festival. We look forward to our next visit!
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