I did an easy 5k loop along the river over lunch to clear my head. Gorgeous day out there! It almost feels like spring. I was pleasantly surprised to find the paths in much better shape than they were last week. However, the paths along the east side of the river across from downtown still have some extremely treacherous spots. Not sure why they're in worse shape than the west side (less sun? less traffic?) but it was kind of a drag. My route takes me from Plymouth Ave. through Boom Island Park and along St. Anthony Main and across the Stone Arch Bridge back to downtown. Does anyone better know of a similar route that would have better footing? Is there a low traffic side street on the east side of the river that I could run on as an alternative? I would be interested in any other suggestions for lunch time running routes near downtown. It's a great treat to sneak out of the office and get some fresh air and exercise in the middle of the day! I need to start doing this more often. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the info. The trail by the Guthrie is a good idea. I checked MapMyRun for inspiration, and I was surprised at how few downtown routes are posted out there. Oh well.