Lore of the Loops

Coming in to this sport, it took my a while to learn all the different running loops. In order to not only familiarize new runners with different loops, but also preserve the knowledge and history of the different loops themselves, I've shared my experience with a lot of them. Keep in mind that these are not all of the loops, but the ones that I feel you will run the most.

*Since I know some of you don't want to read through my lengthy descriptions, I have also created a five criteria, five star scale for each loop. Please note that this is based on subjective experience alone, and I have enjoyed every loop here, regardless of the rating. I encourage you to try every loop anyways because I'm sure you will enjoy some loops that I dislike, and vise versa. 

Criteria Legend 

Terrain:  How comfortable is this route? ⭐ = five+ hills, uneven footing whole time, rough sidewalks;⭐⭐ = five+ hills, mostly rough footing; mostly rough sidewalks; ⭐⭐⭐ = three or four hills, some rough footing but mostly smooth and well paved; ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = one or two hills, very smooth footing;  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = mostly flat, very smooth footing.

Safety & Traffic: How safe and stress free is it? ⭐ = use extreme caution, very little sidewalk + busy road; ⭐⭐ = a little sidewalk, but still very busy; ⭐⭐⭐ = decent amount of sidewalk, but still some areas where you are close to traffic ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = mostly sidewalk, quiet roads ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = all sidewalk, very quiet roads.

Scenery: Does it have scenic areas? ⭐ = Very mundane route, no nature, lots of artificial noise; ⭐⭐ = a little but of nature but not much; ⭐⭐⭐ = definitely some nature, quieter ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Lots of nature/enjoyable to see; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Very scenic, beautiful all around. 

Rhythm / Flow: How many stoplights / cross walks are there? ⭐ = Many stops throughout run, pace easily disrupted; ⭐⭐ = Decent amount of stops, pace still disrupted; ⭐⭐⭐ = some stops, but longer stretches to settle into pace; ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = very few stops, an really find rhythm and zone out; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = One, to no stops, can maintain rhythm for entire run.

Overall Rating: How much have I enjoyed this loop? ⭐ = not enjoyable at all (There are non); ⭐⭐ = Somewhat enjoyable; ⭐⭐⭐ = solid, enjoyable run; ⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Really like this loop, fun and enjoyable; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = one of my favorite loops, very and enjoyable and fun

Different Loops