How is running in Council Bluffs, IA?
Thinking of taking a job there.
How is running in Council Bluffs, IA?
Thinking of taking a job there.
Running in CB? non-existent, the wabash is a nice trail though. Omaha is right across the river, running scene is much better over there, not really saying much thought. If your running faster then 17min 5ks youll win just about every race by a minute...
Just wanting to know more about environment. I live in a decent size city right now, 80,000, I see Council Bluffs is 60,000. Is it busy with traffic? Are there nice places, routes, trails, I don't compete anymore. I just like running.
I was in Council Bluffs for work once or twice. Most of my running I did in Omaha for the short time I was there. There is a little trail along the Missouri river that feeds the pedestrian bridge to the Nebraska side.
That Wabash trail sounds cool wish I'd had time to find that rather than just hoping on roads from my hotel for the limited time I had.
mgnttttt wrote:
Running in CB? non-existent, the wabash is a nice trail though. Omaha is right across the river, running scene is much better over there, not really saying much thought. If your running faster then 17min 5ks youll win just about every race by a minute...
I chose to live in CB by Lake Manawa rather than Omaha when I lived in the area because it was much better for running, especially in the winter.
In metro Omaha, CB has the only places for miles around with shade in the godawful summers - Wabash trace and the MTB trails by the river at Lake Manawa State Park (when they aren't flooded). The paths and roads at Lake Manawa State Park are actually plowed and, godforbid, I even had a few actual loop road courses that didn't involve a redlight every half mile or cars with no respect for runners and either no traffic or a shoulder large enough to run on. Omaha is so bad that the Creighton runners fo half their runs in Iowa. Omaha is 100 degrees with 70 degree dewpoint half the year and covered with ice half the year, so that is a big consideration for running.
And from my house at Lake Manawa, I could be in the Old Market in 15 minutes, so it was closer to the only place in Omaha worth going than most of Omaha was.
If you live in CB, live by Lake Manawa. 6 mile loop around the lake that is plowed and traffic free in winter, a large shoulder on the 4 lane that gives you access to quiet farm roads on the flood plain, a 7 mile bike path, Wabash Trace (blessed shade for summer) and about 6 miles with no repeating of very runnable wooded MTB trails. If you live in Omaha, where would you run? Way out west is Lake Zorinsky, but the path is covered with ice and maintained poorly in the winter and hotter than hell in the summer and road runs from there are frustrating, especially in the dark in winter. If you don't have a job and never have to run in the dark, that wouldn't be so bad. I lived in both Omaha and CB and preferred running in CB by far.
Just don't. The entire Omaha metro area is neither pedestrian nor bike friendly. CB is a little better simply because there are fewer people. I lived in that region for a few years and my only regret is that I didn't leave sooner. It was hands down the worst place I have ever lived. I stupidly moved there for a job. Lesson learned. Lest you think I am a coastal snob, this is coming from someone who enjoyed living in the South as well as North Dakota. The Wabash trail is a gem in that sea of poop.
Ask yourself "Do I enjoy running? Do I wish to continue finding reward in it?" If the answer to either of the previous questions is yes, turn away from this job and never look back. I'm sure there are worse places than this filthy, god-forsaken, fvck-stained shit-hole (as affectionately known by locals)...I just haven't found one yet.
In all fairness, if you have friends or family there, you will be able to overlook the sucky running scene and lack of courses. Now you no longer compete, so I assume you are interested in the environment in general. If you are from the Midwest (not OH, MN, ND, or WI), you might like it. If you are from anywhere else, please thoroughly investigate the region.
Thank you very much for the information everyone very helpful! Seems like a good place to just get in miles. Live in the Duluth, MN right now, which is very nice for running.
Are there any surrounding towns that are decent for running in, beside Omaha? I could commute if there are close surrounding neighborhoods that would be better.
Joe, here's a link to the local trail advocacy group. You can also find them on facebook (T.H.O.R.)
http://www.trailshaveourrespect.org/thor/
Also check out the GOATS
if you want to hook up with some other people to run trails with.
There are approximately 4 dirt trail systems in the Omaha metro/CB area (Tranquility, Swanson, Lewis & Clark, Jewell). The Loess hills area is a lot nicer than council bluffs proper (basically if you go north of town into the hills). There are plenty of nice country roads both paved and unpaved to run on if you are willing to drive a little. As mentioned previously there is also a nice rail trail starting in Council Bluffs. There are also cement bike paths to run if that's your thing.
CB will be nowhere near as nice as Duluth, but there are places to run and people to run with. Omaha is not the most glamorous city, but it has a lot more going for it than people give it credit for.
oops, forgot to include Lake Manawa in the metro area trail systems...
Thank you again everyone!
You also have several cities within driving distance for good races, Lincoln NE, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids IA, KC MO, and perhaps Twin Cities if you want a long drive. You can check out www.mararunning.org, www.fitnesssports.com and www.kcrunningcompany.com for sites with good race schedules. ML
I went to high school in Bellevue, which is a little south of Omaha. There are miles upon miles of rolling, dirt farms roads. I really miss running there and used to love it as a high schooler.
I'll second Tojar's comments. There is good running if you are willing to drive just a little ways to get to it. I'm an old man doing 75-80 miles/week on some of the softest, least trafficked country roads I could hope for. Attitude is everything in Omaha/CB.
Runguru is totally right! Attitude is everything in Omaha/CB! That guy that said that this place is a "filthy, godforsaken, fvck-stained shithole" sounds like a real 'poo'ssy.
Pope T-bag II, then why are you in Omaha? If you think it is a "Godforsaken, fvcking shithole" then why don't you leave?
Driving sucks when you get off work at 5:00 in the winter. Who should have to drive all the time to go running? One has no free time as it is.