People get really into trail running (gorgeous scenery, but the bugs and the tree roots keep me an occasional rather than regular trail runner). People are passionate road runners. No “dread-mill” for them!
Well, I’ve found my passion. I’m a sidewalk runner. I have that luxury, because I live in a place with lots of beautiful sidewalks, not just downtown, but places where I can go for miles without dodging walkers and feeling guilty for running on the sidewalk instead of in the breakdown lane.
And I love it. I get so nervous running in the breakdown lane that my hands start sweating. (Ok, maybe it’s from running.) I’m the type of runner who pushes the walk button at intersections and waits patiently. Perhaps too patiently (so nice to have a break!). I laugh when Greg gets really worried about me buying another dark running top because it’s not visible enough to cars. I have to remind him that a) I seriously do mostly run on sidewalks, not that much faster than people walk on them, and b) I wait for a walk signal before crossing busy intersections.
When I’m not running on a sidewalk, I try to remember to run on in the opposite direction as traffic, so I can react better to cars. If there’s a steep hill, you’re technically supposed to run in the direction of traffic while going up the hill and then carefully cross back over, because oncoming traffic over a hill won’t have much time to see you and react. I’m always very careful crossing intersections, because cars sometimes take a right on red without looking for pedestrians and I’ve almost been hit by a car that was doing so illegally. If I hadn’t stopped to give myself the time to assess the situation before crossing, I might have been roadkill, even though I had a walk sign. Yikes.
Be careful and have fun wherever you run!
I am a sidewalk runner myself! I am blessed to live in a beautiful little city with sidewalks all over!
That’s awesome! I get freaked out when I have to run on the road on vacation. It’s pretty good near where my parents live in Maine, but sometimes I find myself on roads where the breakdown lane is minimal, and sidewalks are non-existent. Makes me thankful to live where I do!
I am very blessed to have beautiful wide paths to run on along the waterfront in a town called Woy Woy and don’t need to run on the road at all if I so choose. Unfortunately I have been using the same path over and over again in my half marathon training and am so over it, in spite of the gorgeous views! I’m looking forward to trying out different routes after the half this Saturday!
That’s awesome! Except I completely understand what you mean about the same path getting boring. I sometimes settle into a routine for my long runs and get really bored, but when you’re running 10-12 miles, it’s kind of a hassle to find a new running route that you’re not familiar with! I know that my tried and true path has a lot of sidewalks, not TOO many hills, and is long enough without having to make lots of turns. Hope you find some different routes after your half so you can mix it up! Whenever I drive anywhere now, I always think about if it’d be a good running route. Unfortunately, if I’m driving it, it’s a through road, and some of the best roads are in residential areas where there aren’t a ton of cars… you have to seek those out! I tend to steal my husband’s running routes 😉 Maybe there’s a message board online somewhere of runners near you who have route suggestions!