Run 52: West End

We were joined on our West End run by our friend Matt, who works at St. Vincent de Paul on Bank Street.  Matt is an amazing LONG distance runner who does most of his miles on trails.  Recently he coordinated a trail 50k and half-marathon at Red River Gorge.  Towards the end of our West End run he told us that the 50k was so challenging that none of the runners finished.  Luckily, the route that he planned for Run 52 was a bit easier!

The West End is just west of Downtown.  I have a memory of being nine or ten years old, going north on I-75 and looking at the West End from the passenger’s side window after a trip downtown.  I remember being intrigued by the narrow, historic buildings close to the highway.  I was riding with a friend and her dad and he obliged my interest by pulling off the highway so that we could take a closer look at the painted brick buildings.  Undoubtedly, this brief detour helped to shape my love for historic urban neighborhoods; in college, I would read Jane Jacobs and think back to the West End. 

We started our route from St.Vincent de Paul, where Matt showed us a brick-paved alley that offers access to a shortcut up to Dayton Street.  On the way, Matt explained that the Dayton Street Historic District was once home to wealthy industrialists who built their detached town houses just a short walk from the breweries and slaughter houses where they made their fortunes.

We stopped for a minute to look at the beautiful stone façade on the Hauck House, which was built in 1870 by brew baron John Hauck. 

Nearby, the industry that built Dayton Street’s “Millionaire’s Row” is still thriving.  We passed a pickle factory, the Sam Adams Brewery, and other warehouse-sized buildings used for packing, processing, and production: 

Matt said that he planned the Sam Adam’s Brewery to be our mid-route “water” stop, but unfortunately they weren’t giving out samples!

This is also where Matt stopped and mocked the way I pose for pictures by doing a curtsey.  Fortunately for him, we don't have any photographic evidence of this. 

Next, we ran through City West, which is a mixed-income development built to replace aging public housing.  City West includes some nice green space and is just a short jog from Downtown:

Leaving City West, we passed Ollie’s Trolley, which smelled good even to me.  (Worst. Vegetarian. Ever.) 

At the end of our run, we ran through the hip Brighton arts district, which is home to galleries that showcase work from some of the city’s best up and coming artists. 

Finally, since Donnie was on camera duty for most of this route there are hardly any pictures of him (whoops, sorry Donnie!).  Here is one to prove he was actually there!

 -K.

View the full route with mile markers here:  http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=531738

Run 52: Walnut Hills

At the beginning of our Walnut Hills run I decided that instead of following our usual routine of launching right into the run, we should try a little warm-up. We opted for skipping in the middle of the street.

Once we were all warmed up, we headed straight up a hilly path to Eden Park's Presidential Grove.

Presidential Grove got its start in 1882 when an oak was planted to honor George Washington.

Here’s a shot of Kayla posing with that very oak: (she and George share a birthday):  

I posed with Ronald Reagan’s Sycamore (me and Ronnie share a love of mac and cheese):

The only thing that I would change about the Presidential Grove is its size. I wish there was more to explore. The land that is developed is a great getaway from the city below.

Heading down from the Grove, we got some great views of Krohn Conservatory:

I’ve probably run by this place over 1,000 times, yet, I'm sorry to say I’ve never set foot inside. Apparently, Kayla hasn’t either. That trend didn't change on this run, as we looped around past the front entrance.

The trek from downtown through Eden Park is a staple for any Cincinnati runner. Especially a runner who is looking to take on the Flying Pig marathon. The Pig--notably, unfortunately, mercilessly, uncompromisingly--takes runners up a steady incline from downtown.

On our trip around the overlook we stopped to take a few scenic shots, which, even on a cloudy day, really show off Cincinnati’s tremendous beauty. Where else can you get a view like that?

We also came across this statue of Lupa Romana (The Wolf of Rome), who was credited with nursing the founders of Rome (Romulus and Remus) to good health.

With the great views behind us, we left the overlook and headed to Park Street to explore the Walnut Hills that lies beyond Eden Park.

A large part of the neighborhood is made up of a mix of Victorian homes and more modern condo complexes:

The Verona, just around the corner from McMillan, combines the old and new:

At the corner of Gilbert and Taft, we came to the corner bell tower, which is what remains of the Walnut Hills Presbyterian Church, designed by the prolific Samuel Hannaford.

Further along Gilbert, we came to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, which is where the author wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Hitting MLK, we did a U-turn and headed back down Gilbert toward downtown. This is the exact course that the Flying Pig Half Marathon follows. That's significant because as we were headed down Gilbert Kayla told me she is planning to run the half this year.

On the descent, we passed the Greenwich, a arts landmark that features some of the best jazz performers around as well as spoken word performers and the occasional independent film.

 

Continuing down Gilbert, I had planned a little detour onto Florence street, which was at one time Cincinnati's Little Italy.

The Florence Avenue that we discovered has transformed over the years into a light industrial district.

Overall, we enjoyed the gradual winding downhill that led us to the border of Walnut Hills and Mt. Auburn. We also passed this piece of Cincinnati history--the Cable House, which is now an office building that once served as a storage site for parts to the cable cars that ran from downtown to Walnut Hills.

Once we reached the bottom of Florence, our run wasn't finished. Just around the corner was Gilbert. Quickly, our gradual downhill stroll transformed into an intense uphill climb (there was good reason for those cable cars). In the midst of this climbing, I managed to snap a "relfie" (running selfie):

At the height of her hypoxia, Kayla broke some big news. She's going to run the Flying Pig half marathon!

Picture her going down this hill in May

About a quarter of the way up Gilbert, we reached our final destination. The historic Gilbert-Sinton district. At one corner of the district is Andy's Mediterranean Grill, where Kayla and I once enjoyed a Valentine's Day dinner complete with belly dancers. 

The rest of the district features Victorian housing with much of it in the form of condos and townhouses. This row of townhouses along Gilbert had us longing to live so close to Downtown.

On our way home, we passed this couple on a tandem bike, which led Kayla to ask what I thought of taking on "Tandem 52" next year.

.

After a flashback to our last, and only, tandem bike ride around Mackinac Island over the summer of 2006, I came up with my quick and unequivocal response to Kayla's idea: Absolutely not!

See our whole route here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=531313

Run 52: Spring Grove Village

For over 100 years, Spring Grove Village was known as Winton Place. In the 1800’s, the village was a railroad town.  In 2007, residents voted to change the neighborhood’s name to Spring Grove Village.  Today, it is known for having fourteen churches serving nine different denominations.  It is also known for being home to the second-largest cemetery in the United States. 

A few weeks ago, over wood-fired pizzas at Pomodori’s in Clifton Heights, Billy and Janet told us about an unbelievable run they had done in Spring Grove Cemetery.  Although neither Donnie nor I had run there before, we had heard others say the same thing.  In fact, there are several local races that wind their way through its grounds.  This sparked our idea to spend our Spring Grove Village Run 52 in Spring Grove Cemetery. 

Billy was officiating a wedding in Florida this weekend (!), but Janet met us at the gate the Sunday before Veteran’s Day.  Since our original idea was to just show up and run for 45 minutes, we were so glad to see that Janet had printed out a map on which she had highlighted the notable burials. 

The Romanesque Norman Chapel (another Hannaford design) and Gate House provide a grand entrance:

 

We were excited to run with Janet, who just moved back to the Cincinnati area after living in Colorado for several years.  Janet has been on a “run streak” for over 370 days (I just typed 370 years, but that is obviously incorrect) and just scored a PR in the Columbus Marathon. 

Not far into our Spring Grove run, Donnie and I realized what we have been missing.  We’ve lived in Cincinnati for SEVEN YEARS, logged over 25,000 miles between the two of us, and never run in Spring Grove Cemetery.  Such a shame—this place is breathtaking!

 

Spring Grove Cemetery was established in 1845 and contains 733 acres.  The landscape was planned by Adolph Strauch, who also designed Eden Park and Burnet Woods.  The cemetery’s lawn plan—which was unique at the time but became a model for other cemeteries—did away with a typical grid pattern and was instead meant to harmonize with the landscape’s natural contours.  We found it to be strikingly similar to New York City’s Central Park. 

 

 

Among the monuments, indigenous trees grow beside ornamental shrubs and towering evergreens.  A ravine cuts through a Woodland Preserve; swans swim in asymmetrical lakes.

We jogged with two main goals: 1) to find the eerie bust of Charles Breuer “aka Glass Eyes” and 2) to see the ancient White Oak tree that is said to be upwards of 360 years old (almost as old as Janet’s run streak, haha!).  Our tasks became a bit easier once we connected a dotted line on Janet’s map to a main road with a white center line. 

 

The bust of “Glass Eyes” was satisfyingly creepy.  Legend has it that optometrist Breuer requested that upon his death his eyes be removed, encased in glass, and placed in the bust. 

But even more fascinating is the ancient White Oak.  The massive trunk is supported by lightning rods and the heavy branches dip close to the ground:

 

 

 

 

We also got a glimpse of the headstones, obelisks, and mausoleums of several prominent figures:

(Bernard Kroger, of grocery chain fame)

(Edmund Lunken, best-known for his airfield but cherished by Cincinnati runners for the jogging path around the airfield)

(Abolitionist Levi Coffin, whose home in Fountain City, Indiana was said to be Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad)

(Chief Justice Salmon Portland Chase who presided over the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson and founded the IRS)

We also saw the simple gravestone of my relative Henry Probasco and the more opulent marker of his brother-in-law and business partner Tyler Davidson.  After his financial ruin in the late 1800’s, Probasco would serve as the superintendent of Spring Grove Cemetery. 

One of the most impressive sites is the Dexter Mausoleum, built for a whiskey baron to resemble a small-scale Gothic cathedral, flying buttresses and all:

 

And here’s a picture of me, pretending to be a docent, saying who-knows-what:

And here is Donnie, not buying it:

I could go on and on, but bottom line is that Spring Grove has something for everyone:  history buff, nature enthusiast, runner.  Being a bit of each, I plan to return soon!

 

 -K.