I will be starting grad school at Towson in January. Looking for advice on where to live so I can maximize training and quality of life. Easy access to good cycling, running, pool, good vibes, etc.
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Re: Suggestions on where to live around Towson, MD [BeastTri]
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If you aren't big into the bar scene and everything, I'd probably check around Hunt Valley/Cockeysville area. Still close to pretty much anything you need but should be able to bike out your front door and easily get to some quiet roads without too much issue.
Depends on the kind of riding you like to do but (in my opinion) the farther north you get from Towson the better the roads are for safe riding. Anything north of Hunt Valley both east and west of 83 is pretty safe and quiet. I personally ride ride up around Prettyboy Reservoir and all around that area but that probably a 20-30 minute drive if you want to start at the reservoir. Great hill training though. There is also a bike/walking path that starts at Hunt Valley and runs north all the way to York, PA (~40 miles one way I think). It is a completely flat, gravel-ish path that is great for running. I wouldn't ride on it though because there are too many kids, dogs, slow riders using it.
For pools, I'd either check out the University pool (I assume they have one) or maybe look for a gym membership at Merritt Athletic Clubs.
On the flip side. I do see a lot of people that bike out of Baltimore City and head north into the country. Much better option if you are more social and are looking for that side of things.
Depends on the kind of riding you like to do but (in my opinion) the farther north you get from Towson the better the roads are for safe riding. Anything north of Hunt Valley both east and west of 83 is pretty safe and quiet. I personally ride ride up around Prettyboy Reservoir and all around that area but that probably a 20-30 minute drive if you want to start at the reservoir. Great hill training though. There is also a bike/walking path that starts at Hunt Valley and runs north all the way to York, PA (~40 miles one way I think). It is a completely flat, gravel-ish path that is great for running. I wouldn't ride on it though because there are too many kids, dogs, slow riders using it.
For pools, I'd either check out the University pool (I assume they have one) or maybe look for a gym membership at Merritt Athletic Clubs.
On the flip side. I do see a lot of people that bike out of Baltimore City and head north into the country. Much better option if you are more social and are looking for that side of things.
Re: Suggestions on where to live around Towson, MD [FuzzyRunner]
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Thanks for the recommendation! How is the endurance sport community in the area? Fast groups? Racing opportunities?
I honestly do about 99% of my training by myself so I don't know much of anything about that.
There are some pretty good running groups in the city though. Faster Bastards is one that is growing in the area and has some pretty fast men and women. The guy that started the group also founded the BelieveInTheRun.com website. The other group is Falls Road Running. It's a running store that has some pretty fast runners as well. I think that one is a little more "exclusive" but not sure. I only say that because I had a friend that was invited to join the group, which made me think that it wasn't just sign up and show up. I know there are a bunch of other groups but I don't really know any details about them.
There are a good amount of running races in the area too. Check out Charm City Run, The Baltimore Running Festival, and Annapolis Striders. They all hold races. Baltimore running festival is the big marathon, half, 5k, etc. in baltimore everything October.
Riding wise there is Baltimore Bike Club. I've never looked into them very much but I talked to a guys awhile back that mentioned that they have a couple tier levels of cyclist in the club and there are some pretty fast dudes around based on the strava KOMs. There are a few LBS in the area that might have groups. Joe's Bike Shop, Race Pace, Lutherville Bikes. They are all located either in Towson or very close.
Not sure if you are from the region but we have Eagleman in June, IM Maryland in September. Kinetic Multisport hold some tri and duathlons in the area and are smaller (these guys hold the SavageMan Tri). And for Fondo's we have two good ones, one in Frederick (Gran Fondo Maryland) that is held in September and the other is Garrett County Grand Fondo. Both are very hill races. The Garrett County one has something called the Diabolical Double. It's something like 120 miles with over 16,000 feet of climbing. It sucks but fun haha. There is also a 40k TT that is run every year (maybe not this year though) that goes around Prettyboy Reservoir. It's called The Dam TT. You can probably google it and find some details.
Hopefully someone else will chime in with some more riding groups for you but in the end you can follow me on Strava and check my routes or the flybys to see where others are riding in the area.
There are some pretty good running groups in the city though. Faster Bastards is one that is growing in the area and has some pretty fast men and women. The guy that started the group also founded the BelieveInTheRun.com website. The other group is Falls Road Running. It's a running store that has some pretty fast runners as well. I think that one is a little more "exclusive" but not sure. I only say that because I had a friend that was invited to join the group, which made me think that it wasn't just sign up and show up. I know there are a bunch of other groups but I don't really know any details about them.
There are a good amount of running races in the area too. Check out Charm City Run, The Baltimore Running Festival, and Annapolis Striders. They all hold races. Baltimore running festival is the big marathon, half, 5k, etc. in baltimore everything October.
Riding wise there is Baltimore Bike Club. I've never looked into them very much but I talked to a guys awhile back that mentioned that they have a couple tier levels of cyclist in the club and there are some pretty fast dudes around based on the strava KOMs. There are a few LBS in the area that might have groups. Joe's Bike Shop, Race Pace, Lutherville Bikes. They are all located either in Towson or very close.
Not sure if you are from the region but we have Eagleman in June, IM Maryland in September. Kinetic Multisport hold some tri and duathlons in the area and are smaller (these guys hold the SavageMan Tri). And for Fondo's we have two good ones, one in Frederick (Gran Fondo Maryland) that is held in September and the other is Garrett County Grand Fondo. Both are very hill races. The Garrett County one has something called the Diabolical Double. It's something like 120 miles with over 16,000 feet of climbing. It sucks but fun haha. There is also a 40k TT that is run every year (maybe not this year though) that goes around Prettyboy Reservoir. It's called The Dam TT. You can probably google it and find some details.
Hopefully someone else will chime in with some more riding groups for you but in the end you can follow me on Strava and check my routes or the flybys to see where others are riding in the area.