Time to hit the running trail!
Since I was in my mid-twenties, my primary form of outdoor activity has been running. I love long walks and scenic hikes, and I’ll occasionally hop on a bike for a ride in the rolling hills near Stanford, but most often I’ll choose a medium or long run as my preferred outlet for a stress-relieving workout. There’s a practical aspect to this: when traveling extensively, the easiest way to burn some calories and see the world is to throw on some running shoes and hit the trail. Nowadays, with GPS as a ubiquitous service, it’s mighty easy to wander all around unfamiliar places in just about any part of the world and not get lost. Way back when, though, in the pre-iPhone and Apple Watch era, going on a run in a strange new locale could be exciting but potentially dangerous on any number of levels. I still have a collection of crumpled maps, offered to me by hotel front-desk managers, that were my primary forms of route direction for hundreds of runs over the years.
So, in my extensive travels, what have been my most memorable and favorite running routes? Here, in no particular order, are the first that come to mind:
Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC, Canada: the 10K seawall trail offers magnificent views throughout, from the city skyline, Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver, and English Bay.
Central Park, New York City: a somewhat hilly, heavily traversed but beautifully maintained 10K loop through the park.
Camden Maine: I have a favorite route through and near beautiful Camden and Rockport, Maine, complete with sea views and encounters with a fascinating breed of cattle known as the Belted Galloways.
The Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany: a gorgeous, elegant park in the heart of Berlin, fully restored and bordered by the Brandenburg Gate, the moving memorial to Jews who perished during the Holocaust, the Reichstag, and the Berlin Zoo.
London, UK: many options here, including various runs along the Thames, a Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park loop, Primrose Hill, the Regents Park, Hampstead Heath, and the Grand Union Canal through Camden Town.
This is just a few of dozens I could list - consider this a start, and I’ll supplement it with many more in future posts!