I run from Montrose to North Avenue and back. Can't really figure out how long this is. It's like 3.5 miles on mapmyrun.com, but that doesnt take into account all the turns and whatnot. Anyone ever measure the lake area running path by themselves. Any help would be great!
If you stay on the "official" lakefront path there are mile markers every 1/2 mile. Here's a map.
The waterfront path is about 6K. I'm just basing this off of estimations from my run times, though.
Use gmap-pedometer.com; go in to satellite view; zoom in as close as it will let you go (Chgo lakefront has a nice high resolution); locate exactly where you start; and then map your route using lots of clicks, i.e., measure only very short distances per "leg" and follow closely on the satellite view so that you're drawing your route as closely as possible to where you actually run.
For example, although this one is not the greatest precision, but pretty close (not your loop, but on lakefront and same idea):
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=726799
...zoom out until you see Shedd Aquarium, center on that, zoom back in and track south from there, and you'll see that the line drawn for the route actually follows the running/bike path. You want to go for that precision. It's tedious though.
You'll see that I had to do some approximating in the area SE of Soldier Field because the area looks different now than it did when the photo was made (sledding hill). If you have to do such approximations (I don't think you will where you want to make a map), just do it in such a way that you can't make your map longer than your run is.
I usually just measure my runs by time, but when I want a distance that's exactly what I do; Just zoom in as close as gmap-pedometer will let you in satellite mode. It may not be perfect but it's the best you can hope for without busting out a wheel yourself.
I sometimes go from Roscoe to around North and back and the times usually seem to add up well enough with the distances I map. Although lately I've been doing some more stuff heading north from Roscoe, in those "trails" around Belmont Harbor and then again the "trails" up by Hollywood, and it's been tough to map.