Finding new running areas

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One of the hardest parts of moving, be it two miles or 200 miles is finding new running routes. At the old house, I'd walk out the door and go "How far am I running today? Okay - that route." And off I went, without having to think about anything. I knew every turn, every dip in the road from running the same route for plenty of years. I also new how fast (or slow) each route should take based on the effort level and speed. I had fastest times dialed and knew when I needed to take a day off from running if I was too slow. I also knew the traffic patterns - when to avoid the school zones (parents picking up kids are just crazy) and when it would be smarter to run on the sidewalk instead of the bike lane.

Now I'm having to re-learn all of that. I can't just walk out the door and start running. I have the route map for the 4 miles and 2.5 miles posted on the fridge and have to review it before every run! As for longer runs, haven't a clue. I used my little GPS thing for the six mile run I did the other day, but I'm not to sure it's accurate. I usually run everything through something like USATF's Running America route finder website. It's been pretty accurate and very easy to use. I'm still working on the traffic patterns and such as well. That will take the longest to figure out, I think. Especially since it's been a holiday time and there is not as much traffic on the roads. But in a few months, I'm sure everything will be back to normal and I'll be able to run without thinking about anything but the run.

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