Monday, March 3, 2008

What Could Have Been

Since I've become an Obsessed Runner(tm), there is rarely a day that goes by that I do not run. Of course, most of my runs take place around the town in which I live. However, when I do travel, I always try to get out and run wherever I may be. So far I have run in such exotic places as Michigan's Thumb and the Cleveland, Ohio area.

Okay, so, maybe I haven't traveled a lot lately.

Instead, I torture myself by thinking about all the places I have been where I could have gone for an awesome run...if I had been a runner at the time:

Hawaii (Big Island, Maui, and Kauai)
Ireland (Western)
The Bahamas
A plethora of places out West
My favorite place in the whole world, the Clarks Fork River Valley, northwest Wyoming
Various national parks
California
Washington, D.C.

Most recently I was in Hawaii (August 2006). I could have run through Kailua-Kona on the very street on which the Ironman Triathlon finishes, for Pete's sake. However, I wasn't a runner at the time. That was still over two months in the future.

I did, however, run on Cape Cod last summer. That, at least, I did not miss out on. I had just started training for my first half marathon and when I went on vacation my long run was four miles. Four miles! Why, these days I'm barely warmed up after four miles.

Luckily...I'm going BACK TO CAPE COD in July of this year, and I will be SURE to put in some quality runs while I am there! In fact, I believe I will be training for the Detroit Marathon by then so I will have plenty to do.

Is it lame that now when I think about going somewhere, I don't think, "Where can we stay," but "I wonder where I can go running?"

5 comments:

Fritz said...

Not lame at all! For all those who define themselves as a runner, it may be one of the first things on their mind!

I know it is on mine! :)

Unknown said...

I have found my runs sometimes in vaction spots or otherwise to be the highlight of my trip. During runs, i have often seen or run into things, that no map, no guidebook has listed!

RunToTheFinish said...

Oh I love so much to travel and run... and I love thinking about traveling in and running!

Anonymous said...

Vacation runs rule. I think that's why destination marathons are so fun, too, especially in winter. :-)

Anonymous said...

In 2006 I traveled with my mom in England and Scotland and the runs I took there were not only the highlight of my trip, but they were the only reason we both made it back Stateside alive.

Not to mention, running through a new city or recreation area is hands-down the best way to see a destination.