Written by Kirby Rodrigue

Being a runner from Maine, I’m used to wide open spaces and lots of hills. When I moved to Boston and started running here, neither of those things were present, until I moved to Southie. South Boston is the perfect place for running, for a few reasons; it’s less crowded than running in the city, there are actual hills, and a beach close by. Win-win-win in my book!

Depending on what type of running workout you’re looking for, South Boston has them all. Here are a few of my favorites:

Need a tough hill workout? Telegraph Hill on Telegraph Street (not to be confused with the bar) holds the perfect incline for hill sprints. Start halfway up the hill and sprint to the top or sprint the whole shebang if you’re feeling really ambitious. If you want an added stair workout, Dorchester Heights is located at the top and has two, three-level staircases perfect for working those glutes.

Want a casual 4-miler along the beach? Start at the corner of Dorchester St. and Old Colony Ave. and run towards the beach, turn left in the direction of Castle Island, and once you reach City Point Beach, turn around. There’s any easy 4-mile run along the ocean; be cautious in the early mornings, it gets windy!

How about a rolling hill 2-mile run? East Broadway is a bigger beast on your body than you’d expect. Start at Dorchester Street and head towards East Broadway, bang a right, and run until you’re tired. My suggestion is making it a shorter run and adding more mileage at the end if needed, your legs will thank you.

Getting in your Saturday morning long run? Copy the 4-miler along the beach, but instead of stopping at City Point Beach keep running towards Castle Island and circle around Pleasure Bay. Once you reach Dorchester at Old Colony, it will be a cool 6 miles. Need more? Make two laps around Pleasure Bay for an extra 2 miles.

*Bonus Tip: Start your run to City Point before the sun is up, make it there for the sunrise, and BRING YOUR iPHONE. You really can’t beat a Southie sunrise at the beach and if you didn’t Instagram a picture, did it really happen?