Can someone please advise me on this? I'm heading out to chicago and just want to have a pleasant uninterrupted 5 mile hard tempo session. I've never been there before. I am starting around Navy Pier. 5 miles north gets me to Lincoln Park. Or i can go south to Soldier's Field and then double back. Which will be more pleasant and have a clear cut path for running? Thanks for any tips!
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Well if you are doing a tempo run and want to try to run the flattest route possible then you should probably head north. The downside is you'll run right past Oak Street and North Avenue beaches which will both be crowded with people unless you run early in the morning.
If you don't care about running over some minor inclines you'll have much better scenery if you run south. The only downside with runnning south is there is traffic you might have to stop for that enters and exits Navy Pier. So if you run south I'd suggest starting your tempo run just south of Illinois Street to avoid having to potentially stop for traffic. You'll have a few minor hills to contend with but you'll get some nice views of the lake, Grant park, the skyline, the museum campus and soldier field.