Tired of running that same stretch of street or sidewalk? Wish you could run up a different incline than just the steps to your front door? Well, if you’re thinking about tackling some trails, the Lynn Woods summer cross country race series conveniently starts up next Wednesday.These races have livened up Lynn Woods for almost 45 years. You get a choice of a short race, a long race and a junior high race (there are also weekly races for younger runners). Just about all the races are free, and they can attract crowds of several hundred to Great Woods Road.The season will last from the end of May until the last evening races on Sept. 26, and then the Stone Tower 5K and 15K runs on Sunday, Oct. 21.Organizer Bill Mullen listed several reasons for choosing the woods as a summer running spot.”One, it’s a beautiful place,” said Mullen, who has managed the races for the past 30 years. “There’s woods, lakes and lots of vegetation. Two, there’s no traffic. Once you’re inside, there’s no cars. That’s appealing.”He added, “The surface is dirt roads and trails, more forgiving on the legs. It tends to be challenging. There’s always uphills and downhills. There are footing issues to watch out for.”For week one, runners have three options: a 1.7-mile race intended for junior high runners; and a 2.5-mile and 6-mile race on “fairly simple courses,” Mullen said, “pretty straightforward routes to get us started for the season.”Mullen credited Joe Abelon, the founder of the summer races, with getting the junior high race added to the lineup in the past two or three years.As for the other two parts of the program, Mullen said that it is a “tradition for us to do a shorter 2 to 3-mile (race) and a longer, anywhere from 5 to 8 miles. A number (of people) are happy doing 2, 2.5 miles. Other people like to go further. Way back when, we had two races going, trying to satisfy (both).”Regardless of the race runners choose, chances are they will have to contend with an uphill climb or two, including one incline that came as a rude awakening to me at the beginning of my first Lynn Woods race last year.”Every race has to negotiate that hill,” said Abelon, who has returned to the races to help with timing. “It’s part of cross country running, steeper inclines.”At least you’ll have company on the climb.”Last year, once we got going, there were over 200 regularly on a normal night,” Mullen said. “There were easily 150-200 runners on Wednesday night. It’s getting crowded (as opposed to the) early ’80s when we had crowds of 12-24 people.”So, for those interested, the races kick off at the Great Woods Road entrance to Lynn Woods on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Get ready for some stretching, some running ? and some climbing!Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].