Seabrook Trailhead to Kemah Bridge Out and Back Running Route

Enjoy a Scenic Run by the Texas Gulf Combined with Hillwork

Runners on the Kemah Bridge crossing to Seabrook

This is a middle distance (for me) route that starts and finishes in at one of the Seabrook trailheads. To make it more challenging it includes an over and back loop of the Kemah Bridge smack dab in the middle of the run.

If you’re not yet a friend of hillwork, you’ll find the return leg of your bridge loop to be more tiring than the outbound one. If you are, the return is a nice cool down.

Why include the Kemah Bridge on this Training Run?

I think there are at least two important advantages to including the Kemah Bridge. First and foremost, it will give your pins (legs) a great chance to adapt to handling lactic acid build-up, which will allow you to race at a higher intensity.

Dr. Tim Noakes¹ tells us, “As the exercise intensity increases, so does the rate of carbohydrate use. When high exercise intensities (greater than 85% to 95% VO₂max) are achieved, virtually all the energy comes from carbohydrate oxidation. This means that the rate of energy flow through the glycolytic pathway increases steeply with increasing exercise intensity. The result is that the rate of lactate production increases inside the muscles.”

The second reason? This is the same bridge as the one the Toughest 10K traverses, giving you a perfect opportunity to get in some training for the event. Even if your don’t do this 10K, hillwork will help you for even flat races. Without further ado, here’s the route.

Start at the Seabrook Trailhead

Begin at Miramar Park in Seabrook. This is a trailhead of the Seabrook Trails and is where the Seabrook Lucky Trails half and full marathon happen every March. There’s plenty of parking at the swimming pool early in the morning. To get there from Houston, take I-45 south, turn left on NASA Rd. 1. When you reach the intersection of NASA Rd. 1 and Hwy. 146, cross Hwy. 146 and take a left on Meyer (a block past the Post Office), then go 0.5 mile and hang a right on Hammer.
Run out of the pool parking lot back to Meyer and turn left.
Hang a left on 2nd Street. 2nd has a fairly steep camber, so be nice to your knees and run on the sidewalk on the left as soon as you can get to it.
Turn right on Todville. You’ll be running along the bay. Beware of traffic as this is a narrow road and some of the locals are low-tolerance.
In a few minutes you’ll see the bridge. Head for the base on the right and start your ascent on the side facing oncoming traffic.

still

U-turn at the base and return to the park, reversing the way you went out.

The distance of the run is approximately 5.6 miles. To add more distance, do an extra loop of the bridge or simply add some mileage on the Seabrook Trails right across the street from the park pool.

Follow Kelly Smith

Did you find this article helpful? Thanks for supporting this free site with a small donation!

Sources:

Noakes, Tim, MD The Lore of Running, 4th Ed. Cape Town, South Africa: Human Kinetics;2003

Seabrook Trailhead to Kemah Bridge Out and Back Running Route

Enjoy a Scenic Run by the Texas Gulf Combined with Hillwork

Why include the Kemah Bridge on this Training Run?

Start at the Seabrook Trailhead

Recommended Related Articles

Sources: