I have several months where I can just eat/sleep/run wherever I want, where should I go?

Kremmling or Walden, Colorado.

Thank me later.

Colorado mountains. I basically did this last summer except I ended up hiking a lot more than I ran. Regardless it was the best summer of my life and I am in great shape now. There are so many cool mountain towns above 8,000-9,000 feet in Colorado and the weather is nice in the summer.

Feel free to ask for any advice if you need

Do you think Colorado is more worth it than international travel, like one of the athletic resorts in Kenya or Ethiopia? Or are those just money grabs?

I'd love advice about where to stay and that kind of stuff. Outside of running I'm not very outdoors-y, so I'd need a simple place with running water, a kitchen, electricity, and heat. Don't need a TV, and no internet would probably be good for me for once in my life. Probably in somewhat close vicinity to a grocery store. So yeah, a little town would do.

What was your living situation? My rent will end by that August so I will effectively be homeless for two months anyways.

almost a ph.d student wrote:

Do you think Colorado is more worth it than international travel, like one of the athletic resorts in Kenya or Ethiopia? Or are those just money grabs?

Dude, skip the "resorts" and high-priced "camps" and just GO to Kenya. Research which towns the big groups of runners train at and just go. Find a place to stay (rent a room from someone) (cheaper than a touristy priced-for-Americans camp), start introducing yourself to people, and start jumping into the daily runs, etc.

Think about it. How awesome of an experience would that be. You might struggle the first week or so (versus pre-arranging everything at a resort) while you're trying to get established, but you would get a true adventure, save a ton of money, and probably meet some damn cool people in the process.

1:10 or bust wrote:

almost a ph.d student wrote:

Do you think Colorado is more worth it than international travel, like one of the athletic resorts in Kenya or Ethiopia? Or are those just money grabs?

Dude, skip the "resorts" and high-priced "camps" and just GO to Kenya. Research which towns the big groups of runners train at and just go. Find a place to stay (rent a room from someone) (cheaper than a touristy priced-for-Americans camp), start introducing yourself to people, and start jumping into the daily runs, etc.

Think about it. How awesome of an experience would that be. You might struggle the first week or so (versus pre-arranging everything at a resort) while you're trying to get established, but you would get a true adventure, save a ton of money, and probably meet some damn cool people in the process.

That does sound really fun, I'm just wondering if it'd be awkward to be the (relatively) slow American in a Kenyan town of people who are actually fast. Maybe that would be good for me though. I think if it's between Ethiopia and Kenya, I'd prefer Ethiopia, just because I already know I like the food, and Ethiopians are super friendly (Kenyans might be too, but I don't know anything about Kenyan culture).

almost a ph.d student wrote:

Do you think Colorado is more worth it than international travel, like one of the athletic resorts in Kenya or Ethiopia? Or are those just money grabs?

I'd love advice about where to stay and that kind of stuff. Outside of running I'm not very outdoors-y, so I'd need a simple place with running water, a kitchen, electricity, and heat. Don't need a TV, and no internet would probably be good for me for once in my life. Probably in somewhat close vicinity to a grocery store. So yeah, a little town would do.

What was your living situation? My rent will end by that August so I will effectively be homeless for two months anyways.

I know nothing about athletic resorts in Kenya or Ethiopia besides the fact that they are expensive.

I actually lived out of my tent and camped all around Colorado. But since you said you were outdoorsy I would find a town in Colorado that fits your needs and rent a place. Pretty cheap up in mountain towns (less than $500 a month).

The thing about being in Colorado rather than international travel is that outside of running you would probably really enjoy it. I know your main motivation is to get better at running, but if you don't have balance and focus solely on running it may drive you crazy. You want to look back on the summer as one you will never forget not just one that made you in crazy good shape.