How far are you willing to drive (and in turn pay) to go run?

MarathonMind wrote:

There's no f.'ing excuse for a runner to not run (or walk or jog) anywhere he needs to go to do a workout.

I can't believe this. Apparently some runners are too embarassed to be seen running by their neighbors? or their suburban streets are not fit for running in?

Yes there is, dumbass. I've done the 3 mile warmup and cooldown on the track many times. But if I want to 15 miles on trails and I blow 10 of them on pavement getting there and back, then I've got a 5 mile trail run.

hah, i remember when that was expensive...

legally blond wrote:

For obvious reasons, it is probably more healthy in the long run to run on trails, and most of us don't have those right out our front door.

This is another thing I don't consider. Are people really that frightened of pavement and concrete? I used to run on them almost exclusively in my old neighborhood and never had a problem. I have a friend that only runs on trails and always has knee problems because of the rolling hills and he sprains his ankle at least once a year. Actually, I don't know what is causing his knee problems, but it always seems to get aggravated on downhills.

Um yeah, aside from the fact I live in the inner city and I am not running that route after dark, no way.. it's bad enough in the local parks (and yeah, I'm female, before you call me a pussy bitch or something similar).

Along with the fact I have shin splints and 6 miles on concrete either side of a track session I can barely walk after and am completely shattered and exhausted after (sometimes having difficulty making it back to my car) would not be good for my legs.

Along with the fact there are three lines of speeding traffic for part of the route.

Along with the fact my car is the smallest car on the roads (in this country) and one of the most efficient.

So yeah, it is not a very enticing 6 miles round-run.

plus i don't like people screaming things at me while i run either! :o

LnL wrote:

I looked at the dobler radar and saw that is wasn't raining in upstate New York.

Is that anything like Doppler radar?

one lap of the track wrote:

I drive to the track, which is 2.8 miles away.

You might consider running to the track for a warm up.

EZ10Miler wrote:

I dare someone to run from my house to the closest track and back. You'd have tread marks up your back. I don't care how "green" you are, sometime circumstances do not allow you to run or bike.

So what's compelling you to live in such a shltty location? If running is important to you, then get a place in proximity to good running.

Not a shitty location, just no close to a track, and no sidewalks.

Also I think I'd get bored running in my neighborhood every day. I have to mix it up.

Well the farthest I have "driven" (I rode a bus) was a non-stop ride from Fort Worth, TX to Eugene, OR for the Junior Olympics. Yeah...that was about a 3 day/night trip.

Biking to your favorite running spot, weather permitting, is often a good compromise and provides a nice gentle warm-up.

Vanny

I regularly drive 20 minutes to run at Burke Lake in Nothern Virginia. Many posters here do the same and would applaud this choice. Of course, the kicker is that while I can now easily afford to so, I am now older and slow!

Dish Dog wrote:

Am I the only one who runs from his front door every day? Driving somewhere to train...silly. Even if gasoline were free, time isn't. I'm doing good to squeeze in 10 miles in the morning before rushing off to work. I certainly don't have time to drive somewhere to do it.

I live at the top of a big friggen monster hill. I'm not starting my runs balls out downhill (or holding myself back) or try to cool down running up the damn thing. Drive 1 mile to start my run.

After having trails near my doorstep for years, I have run 100+ on the roads for the past 8 weeks and my legs are destroyed. I guess that's what living in fairfax county does. That being said, I have found a trail that goes for 15 miles that is exactly in the middle of my commute to and from work. I run to the local high school track to warmup for workouts. I need the soft surfaces to keep from getting hurt ie not accomplishing my goals.

To those who say "if running was really important enough then you'll live somewhere else": Running is important, it's so important that I have taken a job in this place that will allow me the flexibility of hours as well as the ability to train hard. If people want to drive to run on the trails, more power to them.

So do you have training partners that all meet at your house every day? I used to train on a highly competitive post collegiate team and would meet various places to train.

Now that I am older and moved away I still meet up with the faster locals for workouts now and then...or just to enjoy some company on my runs. Thus we usually meet at trails half way...

Why is it so hard to get this?

I have a full time job, family, various other commitments. I can only alot so much time for running. I'm not wasting some of that time to drive somewhere to run. I'm using it all for running. 30 minutes spent driving to run is 30 minutes I don't get to spend running. Therefore, I run from my front porch.

They built America so that we would waste fossil fuel.

Because - they did not build the infrastructure to accomodate those of us who would walk, run or ride a bike to wherever it is we want to go.

There are plenty of places I would ride or run to, but I would be putting my life at risk.

We are built to waste fuel.

MarathonMind wrote:

There's no f.'ing excuse for a runner to not run (or walk or jog) anywhere he needs to go to do a workout.

I can't believe this. Apparently some runners are too embarassed to be seen running by their neighbors? or their suburban streets are not fit for running in?

Dick Beardsley (et al.) fart in your general direction.

Umm...sorry, but gonna have to agree with the others who say you're wrong. Just depends on where you live. When I lived in CA, out the door and just half a mile later I was in the foothills running on trails. Awesome! Now though, I can run through the neighborhoods if I want (on the street or sidewalk), and I can head out the door to a local park with a paved path (with a sign that says it's a 1 mile loop when in actuality it is about .75 of a mile; I mean, I wish I were ripping off 5:30 miles with that kind of ease). If I want to head to a park with nice trails for a longer run, there's no way I can run there. Not that it's too far, but because there are roads between my front door and the destination where pedestrains are not allowed (55 MPH four lane highways).

Your hardcore attitude doesn't cut it in all situations my brother.

Try not to deal in absolutes. Maybe in your town you can run every where, but there are roads that do not allow foot traffic.

Consider yourself lucky. Also I like to meet friends and run, we all don't live in the same neighborhood or suburb.