Running Anywhere

If you take a glance at the pic above of a woman running amidst some killer scenery, it’s easy to see why one would fall in love with a sport so natural and so intuitive, it would simply have to become a part of one’s existence.

Flip it around, however, and what happens?

What happens when you take an avid runner, who thrives on endless miles of trail running, balanced out with some speedwork on the track or tread and sometimes, but never more than an in a pinch run on the road, or even worse (gasp) on the cement bike path, and put him (or her!) in an urban jungle?

Does she stop running?

Absolutely not.

What then?

Adaptation.

Case in point: yours truly. 

While I’d be telling a huge lie if I said I didn’t miss my trail runs in the Santa Monica Mountains during our present stint in NYC, the bottom line is that I simply have had to adapt.  Running along the West Side Highway along the Hudson is an option, as well as 10k repeats in Central park, or a weekend drive upstate or to nearby trails in New Jersey are all part and parcel of being a more versatile runner.

Having a brilliant body worker, ideal shoes and proper strength plan off season in place is crucial; no doubt the added pounding combined with more identical foot strike inherent to training in a city is less than idyllic when compared to trail running, but it’s still running nonetheless.

I’ve had the opportunity to run in many places around the world and all I needed to bring, apart from training clothing, depending on the climate, is a pair of running shoes.

And though I love my triathlon racing, running runs so deeply through my blood that I’d pick it in an instant if I were forced to choose between the three disciplines.

Whether you run, or jog or walk… they all achieve the same goal- a very natural, important motion that just makes perfect sense for any biped to engage in.

Now, get moving!