It was so nice to go home and visit my family the last few days, but you know what else was nice? A change of scenery for my runs and bike rides.
Obviously, since I’m marathon training, I can’t really skip workouts just because I’m going home for a few days, so into my suitcase went all of my running stuff and I managed to get in three quality runs and one bike ride in the four days I was at home.
I didn’t take my road bike all the way up there with me, so I broke out my mom’s Hybrid bike. SO different from a road bike! It felt more like a leisurely ride than a workout.
One of my favourite things about Kamloops is all the amazing running paths in and around the city. I didn’t actually become a runner until I moved to Kamloops and if it wasn’t for how EASY it is to be active in that city, I don’t know if I ever would have.
Now, FSJ on the other hand, not so much. It’s a city full of BIG trucks and very few sidewalks.
This is why I was psyched when they started building a walking path there a few years ago. They have slowly been adding onto the path and eventually it will go around the whole city.
My mom’s new house is only a block away from the path!
The path also goes through a couple of fields so it’s more nature-y! I really loved running on this path and I think it’s such a great addition to the city that makes it that much more liveable!
Another favourite thing about running in FSJ?
It’s FLAT!
I was seriously starting to doubt my ability to run fast anymore because Kamloops is full of HILLS! My normal route from my apartment in Kamloops has me climbing for the first 1/4 mile.
I did my longest run of marathon training to date (11 miles) in FSJ Sunday and was very happy with my pace and thoroughly enjoyed the run. I also did two 5-mile runs, a speed session and an easy run with my mom’s dog Murphy. I did all three runs on this gorgeous path and loved it.
I try not to run the same route more than once a week so having a new place to run for a few days was a great way to break up the repetitiveness of marathon training!
Caitlin did a post awhile ago about her old job as an Urban Planner and the importance of walkable neighbourhoods. I found it really interesting because it’s so true. Even in Kamloops, I now live in a much smaller apartment than my last one but the location is way better for running/walking/getting to work/getting to the grocery store etc. And location makes a huge difference.
Maybe it’s because I’m a runner, but if a city has a path like the one that FSJ recently built, it increases it’s appeal tenfold for me!
Do you think walkable/runable neighbourhoods are important? And do you live in one? Do you like to shake up your workouts with a change of scenery every once in awhile?
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
I live in the country but my bf lives in town!!! I tell him every day when we start looking for a home it must be running safe with lots of trails and good neighbors!!!!
Hmmm…I’m still a baby runner and would consider a 20-30 min run pretty good! I’ve just been running around the streets here (granted they’re pretty nice, there are schools, a couple of little parks, lots of trees). I’m also going to make an effort to schedule runs to Cornwall Park and Mt Eden (the two closest mountains/volcanoes which are fairly scenic). I get bored easily and hate to run the same route often!
I’m def. in the suburbs so walkability isn’t really an option but I would love if I could bike places instead of having to drive!
I think Minneapolis is a great city for walking/running. We have so many parks and biking/walking trails. There are a few loops that I sort of do over and over again, but I don’t get sick of them. My favorites are one that go around 3 local lakes. My other favorite winds along a river. I love to run by water!
Well done on getting your runs in while at home! Hopefully my 12 mile run goes better this weekend than my 11 did because I need something to restore my confidence! And hopefully my ankle is back to normal soon!
That looks like a great path for running! I live in a pretty small town and often just head out for a run without a particular place in mind. I’ve found some great back, country roads this way and love to explore new areas.
I’m not good at mixing up my running routes. In the summer, I run when I’m barely awake so I basically go on autopilot. I think walkability is important, probably more so when I’m out of college and on my own.
i’m good at mixing up my routes, usually it’s a few different roads…
and walkability is so important… we can pretty much walk everywhere or ride our bikes. however, i still drive to the grocery store - about 1.5 miles away. But if they put a costco where they are thinking they’re going to put it. I’m gonna have to get one of those carts and walk to the mall and grocery store all the time because traffic is going to be HORRENDOUS!
This is amazing! My town, though it’s small, is barely walkable. We have a sidewalk on the main highway, but it doesn’t go the entire length of the highway, and it’s VERY tiny (so hard to ride a bike on) and RIGHT next to the road with no space between. I’d love to have a bike/walk lane for my commute to work (which is only about a 10-15 minute drive).
Husband and I are probably moving back to Chattanooga, Tennessee next year for school (we lived there for a year after I graduated high school), and they are fairly bike-friendly, so I’m looking forward to that!
That’s one thing I wish I had- the ‘burbs around here are not walkable. So it’s always cool to spend the weekend in the city with a friend who lives in a neighborhood that is…
Although they’re jealous of the “spacious green” that I have surrounding me. So I guess it works out?
Pathways are hard to come by in Baltimore becuase it’s such an old city, but if you head out a bit and into the county there are more options. My favorite is the Northern Centrail Railroad Trail. It used to be a railway that connected MD and PA (and I’m sure much more), but now it’s a packed gravel pathway which is awesome. It’s heavily shaded with plenty of wildlife (so many deer!) and it follows a stream for 20+ miles. It’s my new favorite place to run.
As for pathways close to home - it’s definitely something on the “want” list for our next place! Soo important!
I agree that pathways make running so much easier. It’s not terrible to run along a road with sidewalks, but then you are always having to stop at intersections whereas with a pathway you can just keep on going!
Calgary has some really nice pathways that lead you a long the river. Some areas also have pathways just for bikers and one for runners. We followed these pathways last weekend on our bike ride and it basically took us from one end of the city to the other…it was really nice!
I live in the middle of Dallas so getting anywhere where there is long trails (Long enough for a long bike ride) is a good 25 minute drive. Same with running… I see the scenary around my house everyday via car so I like to change it up - but that requires a nice drive too…and everyone knows Dallas traffic sucks….
I don’t mind it though - the longer the drive - the longer the workout (you have to make it worth the time spent in the car)
Wish it was all nice and pretty green here…..instead it’s yucky brown
I live in Boston, so I’m definitely spoiled. The area I live is right near the beach, which is a perfect area for running. There’s even a bridge/walkway that was built to go out over the ocean. It’s really a well-planned setup, I try to never take it for granted!
We have something called the Katy Trail here in StL, that loops all through the city, county and surrounding areas, and actually runs through a good portion of the State. I personally haven’t run on it before but I know many people who have. We also have other bike paths, big sidewalks and random trails/parks in the area that we can go to, plus tracks at the high schools. I am personally a big fan of the track right now since that’s really the only place I’m supposed to use for the time being
I don’t have a car, so I need to be able to have access to a GOOD transit route (ie. not a bus that only runs every half hour on weekdays and once an hour on weekends) and/or be able to walk everywhere else.
My ‘hood has that. I’m a block from the pathway. I’m a block from groceries (or a 5 minute bus ride to another great grocery store), three blocks from the bank and Starbucks and have a plethora of restaurants and drinking establishments within walking/stumbling distance.
And I can walk to work in 20 minutes.
Why would I live anywhere else?
=)
My neighborhood is very walkable/ runnable. I live right by the biggest park in the city, that surrounds a lake. There is a path going all around it that people can walk/ bike or run on. It is 2 blocks from my front door!
Walking/running/biking paths are very important! I’m lucky to live in a very commuter friendly town with a ton of paths. However, manfriend’s house is not near many paths so when I run there it’s not too exciting…just neighborhoods. Walking paths definitely make a city more friendly in my opinion. Nice work on fitting in workouts while you were away. That’s never easy to leave family/friends when you’re visiting for just a short time.
Since I live in the suburbs I can’t really walk everywhere but I can walk to a Trader Joes/Starbucks which is convenient sometimes
What I like best about my location is how close I am to an awesome bike path. I use it all the time and the only minor downfall is that even though its about a 5 minute walk away, its a massive down hill (meaning uphill on the way back). But otherwise it’s great. I agree with you that the ease of exercising in the area outside is big for me.
A new place to live hasss to be somewhere I feel safe running. I really struggled with that when I moved a year and a half ago. It took me a long time to get in a groove and feel comfortable running in the area I live in. The BF’s moving at the end of the month and I’m not sure how run-able his new place will be. It makes me a little nervous that I’ll have a hard time find places to run for my weekend long runs.
Love all of the gorgeous pictures! The walking path is so pretty and the perfect place to run! Yes, I think walking trails and walkability in ones neighborhood are super important. Our condo is close to a few local restaurants, a pharmacy and grocery store. About a month or so ago John and I started going to a city park a few minutes drive from our condo called Woodward Park. There’s walking trails down to the river with views of the foothills! So beautiful! And way better than a stinky gym! I hope to get back there soon! Oh, and btw — I’m so impressed that you kept up your training routine even while on vacation! Go Amber! Yay!
I live out in the country but in our area we have a ton of bike/walking paths.
I have been itching to start running, but last time I went my sister and I spent half hour trying to find a good place. There are soccer fields near my house, but they were practicing. We went to a park but since my sister just HAD to bring out dog we didn’t even bother because they don’t allow dogs. Finally we went to the high school in hopes of running the track there…but they are redoing it and it’s locked up. I ended up running laps around a football field.
I have to say, I’m so much more aware of wanting to live in an area that has access to running/walking trails, to the grocery store, transit etc with this new move. I’ve really narrowed my search down to 4 different areas in the city and concentrated on finding a place in those areas because it would make my life so much easier. Easier to get on transit to work, easier to throw on my running shoes and head out for a run, easier to grab a couple items from the grocery store…
I never really thought about it before this. I have a car, and I’d see no problem driving 10 minutes to grab one item from the store I needed, now I’m like “no, I need to be able to WALK!!!”
I’m lucky enough to live in a somewhat suburban area of town so we have lots of sidewalks and neighborhoods to run through. We also have some great parks with awesome running trails.
But I cannot run or walk the same loop over and over and over again. I did that for about 5 months once at a park and it got to the point where I was finding reasons not to go running. My mom can run the same loop over and over again and it doesn’t bother me. I need to change up my loops at least every month, if not sooner.
I love neighborhoods that offer biking/running trails! I happen to live in that kind of neighborhood and it’s awesome. We even rode bikes one time to my parents’ house and it was fun! Kind of reminds me of being on vacation since they usually have trails at vacation rental places.
I have absolutely no sense of direction so if I changed my route too much, I’d never be able to find my way home! Our neighbourhood is very walkable ~ lots of trails!
That would be a huge appeal for me - our city isn’t really big on bike paths and especially downtown (which is where I work), it’s so un-bike friendly I’m scared to cycle to work.
A couple weeks ago, I blogged about my own definition of neighborhood. In it, I quoted a few articles … one of which stated that neighborhoods/towns boasting HIGH walkability fared much better during the downturn of the housing market than did areas where you’re required to drive everywhere. Needless to say, I love how walkable Chicago is.
That’s the one major thing I really miss about living in New York City. It’s such a walkable city, so moving back to the suburbs in Texas is a huge contrast. I still try to make it a priority to spend at least one day surrounded by nature. I’m super excited about moving back to Austin since it’s known for it’s hike and bike trails and overall “nature appeal”
Walkability is so important to me because I don’t own a car and hate driving them! Which is why right now it’s important for me to live in a large city with good public transit, and walking paths, bike lanes etc.
I love running on the bike trail along the creek a block from my house. I also love the extra-wide sidewalks so I can run under the street lights now that it’s winter. I like that we have a grocery store, wine store, and a multitude of restaurants in walking distance from us. Sure we do often drive to the cheaper, better grocery store a few miles away, but the option to just run around the corner for eggs or bread etc. is great.
I’d like to live in the country one time, but think I would find it hard to have to get in the car all the time to go somewhere. Maybe I’m just not at that stage of my life yet?
stopping by fromSiTS!!your a runner too!! gotta love that! stop by and I know follow you!
I’d say not having walkable, pretty routes is a big reason for me not to get into running. The sidewalks in my neighborhood are just too small and too close to the road. There are some good trails fairly close by, but I’m afraid to go by myself. Homeless people are known to hide in the bushes.
My small town isnt very walker friendly. I mean of course people do walk around town but the sidewalks are sketchy (lots of scracks, unevenness) and there are no paths. Across the river there is a nice path but nothing is flat here.
ummm whats a hybrid bike?
“A hybrid bicycle is a bicycle designed for general-purpose utility and commuting on a wide variety of surfaces, including paved and unpaved roads, paths and trails.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_bicycle
I totally agree that it is important to live in a walkable neighborhood. Ours isn’t that great right now, but they are literally building a path in my backyard. It should be finished in a year.
And I totally have to shake up my workouts. I hate going to the same place over and over and over.