Hot Springs 10 Miler

Recently I travelled to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a work trip.  I was in town for a fishing tournament and managed to sneak away one morning for a long run.  My hotel was in town and close to Bathhouse row.  Hot Springs is actually a National Park site that is really well tended by the National Park Service.  There are a couple restored bath houses still in operation and you can spot the thermal springs around the town. 

I headed out without a plan or route in mind.  I wanted to try and get the 10 miles on my plan done but wasn't sure if I would.  I went ahead an packed my water belt with Gu and a cold bottle of water.  I went from my hotel to Bathhouse Row.  There was a nice shade along the front of the bath houses and all the park service staff were out cleaning and doing yard work. 



I ran for a little while and encountered a Y intersection.  There was a sign nearby that contained a map for one of the tourist bus stops.  I stopped and tried to figure out where I was on the map so that I could figure out a route. Thankfully a cafe worker came by and showed me where we were.  She directed me back the way I had come from to the Arlington Hotel where I could take Fountain Street to a loop road that I could run on.  This road is a 3 mile one-way road that leads to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  That was definitely a new experience which included almost 1 1/2 miles of an uphill climb to the top.  I wasn't very fast on the climb but I did make it to the top and the view was worth it. 

This is a view from my hotel to the Mountain Tower. 

I headed back down the mountain and then did some back and forth on the main road of Central Ave.  I ended up back at my hotel doors at the 10 mile mark.  It was a great turnout for an unplanned route. 

After that hill, I enjoyed the flat road along Bathhouse Row

One of the other fun things I discovered during my run were the free water stops.  There are several mineral springs water dispensers throughout the town.  The first one that I stopped at delivered cool water and I was pretty happy about it.  I stopped at a different one a little while later and didn't notice the sign that stated it was a thermal water spring. 

In my defense, this sign did not face the street side so I totally missed it.

Free water stops throughout the town.

Yep, I filled my bottle with hot water.  Not a good thing in mid-80 degree weather.  I headed back to the first water stop and the locals were nice enough to let me skip the line and refill.  It was crazy how much water they were filling up on.  One person had a pickup bed full of different types of jugs that he was filling up.  But hey, free mineral water isn't a bad thing!