The Running Traveler: Embrace a New Place With Your Feet!
Beautiful views, trails, and lots of runners to share the road with: living in Colorado makes running a natural activity to take up. With all this beauty and open space, why would you want to run far from home?
Yet, it’s only natural that after some time you stop ‘seeing’ your run. You gravitate to same routes, the same races, and as a result you lose the excitement of discovery. When I realized this had happened to me, I decided to take my run out of town. A good friend had recently moved to San Francisco, and I had never been there, so I signed up for the San Francisco Half marathon. I decided on this trip, I was going to be a sight-doer, not just a sight-seer. I was going to ‘run this town,’ because the best way to embrace a new place is with your feet! The decision would change the way I travel!
Duke, a fellow Running Traveler I met on the flight.
Friends Kathy, Sue, Sarah and I are ready to ‘run this town!’
That July, there were lots of runners on the flight from Denver to San Francisco. Everyone was pretty eager to chat; we were drawn to each other by the excitement of what was to come.
We traded racing tips and running stories. It was like we were already moving together toward the finish line.
Race day was even better. Running in a new city gives you a physical connection you miss when you simply drive to locations and ‘view’ them.
Running gives you a sense of what it’s like to belong there. You become part of a new tribe, moving toward the same goal, creating a common accomplishment when you all cross the finish line.
Enjoying the incredible scenery with friends. We are getting close to the Bridge!
A wonderful accomplishment, and a wonderful tour of San Francisco. Now, time to celebrate at the finish line with friends and Irish coffee!
That day in San Francisco I became a ‘Running Traveler,’ transforming my racing, and expanding the travel experience. Who knows where I’ll race next, the possibilities are endless, because I know that if I have to travel many miles in the air before I travel many miles on the ground, once I cross that finish line, every mile traveled was part of an amazing experience!