What Goes Around, Comes Around (and Around, and Around)

Despite having the worst possible marathon date for this climate, Seattle is full of runners...casual runners, distance runners, elite runners. We can run around outside here year-round, which is great, and the hills are good for training on, but if you don't like hills there are several paths that cater to those less inclined to hit the inclines.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and make the following claim: all runners have run around Greenlake--probably many, many times. I trained for my first half marathon by circumnavigating this lake again, and again and again and now I ask myself: WHY?! Greenlake has to be one of the worst places to run. It's crowded and full of coffee-swilling, dog-walking, cell-phone toting, and stroller-pushing folks. I love this scene, but only when I'm one of those folks, not when I'm trying to improve my time, or when I'm struggling to get around without stopping. They're in my way. The outer trail is certainly reserved for the more serious folks, but still, after two times around it quickly becomes monotonous.

There are many fabulous places to run in Seattle, whether you prefer parks or urban neighborhoods or expansive views, it's easy to create a course that best suits your needs. There is a great website called runningahead.com that allows you to create courses and track your progress pretty easily.

The truth is, you can easily cover a lot of this city on foot in a relatively short amount of time. Living north of Ballard, I'm only 1.5 miles from Golden Gardens Park, 1 mile from Carkeek Park, 3.5 miles from Fremont, 4 miles from Gas Works Park, 4 miles from the Ballard Locks, etc. Why not run through the Ballard or Fremont markets early on a Sunday morning while the vendors are just setting up? Or hit Golden Gardens and Shilshole early in the morning in the summer and you're apt to hear the sea lions calling to each other. In November, the Ballard Locks and Carkeek both offer fabulous views of the salmon runs; running through Ravenna and Cowen parks in the springtime puts you under a canopy of brilliant greens, and anyone can appreciate the varied architecture and views of downtown that the "Crown of Queen Anne" loop has to offer.

I understand why people run around and around Greenlake, I really do. It's for the same reason so many eat at McDonald's: it's safe and familiar, and (unlike McDonald's) it is beautiful. But trust me on this: it can be very rewarding to break out of a rut and explore the nooks and crannies of our lovely city.