3 Alternative "Safe" Running Routes

 The theme for this Tuesday's Tuesdays on the Run is "Safety".   Runner, Walker, and bike safety is SO important. Last week I had just heard of another resident in my area that was hit by a truck and killed while walking her dog. Such a sad story.

When I think about being safe while running, I always think about the safest route possible. I came up with these safe places to run a while ago but thought I would share them again for Tuesday's "Safety" theme. 

If you’ve read my previous running posts then you know that I am pretty particular about where I run.  I don’t like having to stop at red lights or worrying about dodging traffic. Therefore I always run in a park or on a trail.  This summer the heat on my favorite trail made it almost unbearable to run on because there was very little shade there.  This had me on the search for alternative places where I could run safely.

Here are a few alternatives I came up with.

1.     A campground

I live fairly close to a campground, I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this one before.  This is perfect for those really hot days because there is plenty of shade. I’ve run at our local campground during the week and I didn’t have to contend with any cars on my route. I imagine the weekends are a busier time. One possible downside, If you run at the campground early in the morning you may still smell remnants of some campfires the night before which can be kind of unpleasant ( unless you like that smell).

2.     University or College Campus

I’m local to one of these as well.  As well as having nice shaded paths, a college campus is probably one of the safest places to run ( especially if you are running alone).  Campus Security is always around somewhere, and most campus’s have those call boxes for emergency situations ( but most people have their cell phones anyway). Another upside to running on campus is the paths are always well maintained and you get a good a variety of level land and inclines!  I don’t know about where you live, but I have not experienced a college or university on the East Coast that does not have at least one hill on it!

   

3.     A Cemetery

I know this might sound a bit creepy, but really no one will bother you here!

Most cemeteries are shaded with mature trees and landscaping. There’s no traffic, and quite honestly there is just something peaceful about running in a cemetery.

As summer is coming to an end, we may not have such a need for shadier places to run, but I will continue to run at these spots ( in addition to My Favorite Park and Trail ) because of the safety factors.

A fellow runner shared this on Facebook yesterday and with her permission I am sharing it here.

"I was walking down my street yesterday getting set to take off on my run! I heard a lot of noises behind me like people were having a good time! I turned slightly to look over my right shoulder just to see two motorcycles coming toward me. One man closest to me had his hand out and was reaching for my hind end! Talk about frightening! That gave me a freaky feeling! But once I started running my pace picked up! What gives someone the right to do that? The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"

You certainly don’t want something like this happening to you. Another reason you need to find a safe place to run!

 Thank you April, Patty, and Erika for hosting this link up!

Where is your safe place to run?  Please share.

3 Shady Places to Run this Summer

Well, I guess we are officially into Summer. Wasn't June 21 suppose to be the longest day of the year? That night Scott and I were sitting out on our back patio discussing this and we saw a shooting star! It was amazing and I can't believe we saw it in that split second. It wasn't the first one that I've seen, but for some reason they are always special.

Since it is "officially" hot outside it can sometimes make running a little uncomfortable if I don't get out on the trail by a certain time. I do like to get up early, but I admit that sometimes I don't get up and around early enough. It can be sweltering hot here by 8 am.

I can remember being just miserable last year because my favorite trail was so hot because it had very little shade on it.  Since then I had gone to look for some other places to run where I would be out of the direct sun.  Now if you know me, you would know that sharing the roads with cars as I run scares me, I prefer to run on trails and sidewalks so finding some of these places took some thought.

Some of these places I found  last summer and I plan to take advantage of them this summer when it gets too hot. The best part is that I bet each of you have at least one, if not all of these places near your home!

 

1. The cemetery: I don't need to tell you why this is such a peaceful place to run. Cemeteries are usually shaded and there is no traffic.

 

2. College or University:  These offer lots of paved paths. They are nice and shady and over the summer months the traffic is very slim.

3. Campgrounds:  If you can find a campground to run in, you will be in shade heaven even if you run in the middle of the afternoon ( not that I would recommend that). The only negative thing I have found about running at a campground is that if I go early in the morning, I can still smell the campfires from the night before.  Also, I would go during the week because they tend to be pretty busy on the weekends.

And of course there is always the treadmill or an inside track but I prefer to be outside as much as I can during the summer.

Where are some of the shadier places you have found to run during the summer?   ~M

And don't forget the GIVEAWAY we have going on! If you hadn't enter it yet, go now!

Motivational Monday

 

So as many ladies ( and some gentleman) are starting to taper for the Disney Princess half marathon weekend of races, I am not.  I feel like I've fallen behind on my running due to my knee/leg injury so I am going to keep running to try to build up my mileage and my strength. I'll be using this weekend of races as a "fun training" run because I have something "bigger" that I am training for this spring!

Although my pain has not completely healed, it has started to feel better. I did an entire hour on the treadmill on Friday night without stopping and felt little pain. I think I have found something that makes my treadmill running a little more exciting!

I've been watching my Sex and the City DVDs.  I got this box set as a Christmas gift one year and although I've watched the entire box several times, it is still entertaining! ( I admit that the earlier episodes are a little too raw and aren't as good as the later episodes).

Also this weekend I received my Camelbak pouch, so this motivated to get a long run in outside. ( I'll talk a little more about this pouch later).

After doing an hour on the treadmill on Friday, I wanted to get out of the house and do an hour outside on Saturday.  Side Note: When I run on the treadmill I focus more on time than I do on distance. I know when I run outside I can run twice as far in the same amount of time. So my plan was to just run for an hour and see how far I get.

We ran on the campus of a university near my home. It was a great run but very hilly! About forty minutes into the run my right leg/knee started to get really tight and I couldn't run like I had been. I did a little more walking than I had wanted to at that point but I continued to get my hour in.

I haven't been able t do more than 6.2 miles since this pain started. I am a bit worried, but I know I will have my mom running PHM with me and if I have to walk the additional 6.9 miles, I know she will walk it with me!   I am going back to the Chiropractor today, so I am hopefully that things will start turning around for me for good and I can start getting some higher mile runs in very soon!

How were you motivated this weekend? What did you do?