Running on “The Road”

Note – This was a post I started last month while I was away in California.  I am finally getting around to finishing it!  Oooops!!  I’ve said it before and I will indeed say it again….. One of my favorite things about running is visiting new places and having the opportunity to explore them on my daily run. I love it!  There are so many great things about running while on the road.

Running in a new place is always more exciting than running the same old tired route that you could do in your sleep.  This is true whether you’re out-of-town or just trying out a new route by your house.  I have several runs that I do by my house and I’m so tired of them.  I have other local runs that I do with my running peeps.  While I know them by heart I don’t mind doing them over and over again because typically I’m with good company and the stories (thanks J) help to pass the time.

When I travel out-of-town (only once or twice a year) my absolute favorite thing to plan for before I go is where I’m going to run.  In October I had the opportunity to go to San Francisco for the NISE network annual meeting.  This is the third time that I’ve visited the San Francisco area.  Unfortunately all three times have been for work.  What this means is that I’m so busy in conferences, meetings, presentations that I have very little time for sight-seeing.

This year was slightly different in that now I’m a runner.  I decided I would make some time to see some sights while on my daily run.  Lucky for me we were staying at the Argonaut hotel (highly recommend) right in the Fisherman’s Wharf area.  What this means is that I was located in a very safe, relatively flat area with some good running territory right out the hotel door.

When my flight got in on a beautiful Monday afternoon in California, I was so excited to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.  I checked into my room and found a jogging map right there on the night stand.  Perfect-o!  I changed my clothes and set out in the direction of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Unfortunately it was quite a few more miles away then I planned on running, but I got some great views of both it and the ocean.  I ran 4 miles with it feeling like only a few minutes.  Each site was new, lots of people out and it was absolutely gorgeous.  (Note all photos were taken with my iPhone, thus the so-so quality)

On Wednesday morning I set out early to run in the opposite direction along the wharf.  I went out at about 6:00 AM west coast time.  It was pretty dark, but again there were a ton of runners out and lots of street lights so it was super safe.  This time I wasn’t enjoying my run quite as much until I rounded a corner and saw a peek of the Bay Bridge.  As I said, it was still morning and pretty dark, so it was quite a site to see all lit up on the skyline.  This was all I needed to pick up the pace and keep going.

I was only in San Fran from Monday afternoon until late Wednesday night.  So unfortunately I only got in two runs.  But they were totally awesome and really helped me to get out and see a few things during unscheduled times of my trip.

So I wonder….. do you have favorite places that you’ve been and ran?  I know I have readers, I can see your visits to my page.  Lol!  Take a moment, leave a comment and share where your favorite place to run is!