My training plan called for me to run 14-21 mi at a 7:08/mile average pace. I was originally supposed to run this long run on Sunday, but because I slept in a lot on Saturday, I moved Saturday and Sunday’s workouts back a day.

Once again today I overslept. I was planning to do the long run in New York before I flew back to St. Louis but again I slept in. I barely made it to the train on time to get to my flight 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. Luckily the flight was delayed a little bit so I had enough time to not miss my flight.

When I arrived at the St. Louis airport, I decided I would run from there. I have lived in St. Louis for almost 13 years and have never run to or from the airport and thought today would be the day I tried it. I packed light with only my winter coat, phone charger and a pair of dress pants and dress shirt which all fit into a small drawstring bag. I mapped out my route trying to avoid major roads and set off for my long run.

The first mile was the most difficult trying to navigate out of the airport. I ran through a parking garage and across a few intersections without sidewalks or crosswalks. I was not the only one on foot but it was definitely not an area designed for pedestrians.

Miles two through three were hilly but less eventful. I was running through residential subdivisions enjoying the sunset. I would say the streets had a sidewalk about 50% of the time.

Miles 3-4 were a bit hilly and this was where I crossed. I-170 on a pedestrian-only overpass. It was nice to be separated from cars but but it was a little lacking in its maintenance with icy steps and mud covering the path.

For the next mile I got a little lost trying to avoid running on Hanley road for too long. I eventually found the Bel-Ridge Park which was partially in a state of disrepair but still pretty.

Miles 6-7 were again through residential subdivisions. For miles 7-8, I ran through St. Vincent Park which had a few patches of thick snow and ice that had not melted yet.

Next I ran down St. Charles Rock Road and Ferguson Avenue which were a little busier but I could see that Great Rivers Greenway has been working on expanding the St. Vincent bike trail with marked/separated shoulders and wider sidewalks. Some of these are still under construction so I had to run in the road for a bit. I saw some festive decorations on Delmar Avenue in University City.

At mile 11, I ran through part of the Washington University in St. Louis campus and after mile 12 I was in Forest Park. I encountered more construction here at Mile 14 and had to run on the road.

From mile 15, I was running through The Grove and mile 16 was through Shaw. Mile 17 was through Tower Grove Park and the final 2 miles were along Arsenal. By the end of the Run I had crossed over or under five interstate highways, I-70, I-170, I-64, I-44, and I-55.

It was about 30° and partly cloudy for most of the Run with light winds from the East. A little chilly but not as bad as it could have been. My biggest complaint was having to carry around the drawstring bag which was a bit uncomfortable. Even with the small amount of items I had packed. I had to keep switching between carrying it in my left hand and right hand because the strings were digging into my fingers and making them numb.

Overall, the run was an interesting experience but I probably would not run again to or from the airport. Instead I would do my run before or after and take the Metrolink train and Metro buses to wherever I need to go.