Are there any tracks in Houston that are available to the public, maybe at a school or something? If not, what are the best places to run in central Houston? Gotta get back in shape....
What part of town are you in? Spring Branch Middle School and Memorial High School both have tracks, they're both along I-10 between 610 and the beltway. There are also various parks with running trails.
+1 for Rice and Memorial. Rice is less of a traffic nightmare if you avoid Upper Kirby, but Memorial can be a pain in the ass if you take Washington.
Memorial for a loop. Allen Parkway has great tracks that have some ups and downs, but I've never actually jogged there.
Avid runner here: Memorial Park 3 Mile loop with some shade. 3 water fountains along the way. Gets extremely busy (crowded trails and parking) between 5-6. Lots of eye candy along the way. * There's also a track at Memorial if you're solely looking for a track (it's across the street from the Tennis Center). Rice 3 Mile loop (from Village to Main St. back to Village). Lots of shade but can't remember if there are water fountains along the way. Less crowded than Memorial. Allen Parkway Don't know the exact length of the route but should be around 3 miles. Some shade but no water fountains. There was a lot of construction the last time I was there. They've built a couple footbridges over the bayou to make it a loop but not exactly sure of the route. Limited parking.
Has anyone run at Discovery Green? Although short, it seems like a good place to go. Might have to do a couple of laps though.
There are some pretty rough stretches of Telephone Road where you might get into some good running if it is after dark and you appear to have any money.
Thanks for the tips everyone. I live in 3rd Ward for those who asked. I was targeting a track because this dude told me to do an exercise routine revolving around 100 yd dashes.
No lie. We go every evening and it's never a peaceful, easy route even though we're literally 3 minutes away.
There are a couple of water fountains. One close to the skate park and one right outside the dog park.
You may be able to sneak into UH. Possibly TSU, but i'm not sure how it is there. At UH, at least during the day, you can walk right in from the lot. I doubt anyone will give you a hard time unless you're interrupting a practice. There's also some grassy areas around campus that could work.
