I truly believe that every runner has their own place that is their "running place". Whether it's a particular treadmill at the gym, a spot you ran once while on vacation and dream to go back to, the course from a race you ran, or a stretch of road that you run on daily. It's their place and no one can take it away from them.
My place is the Arroyo Simi Bike Path, located right behind our apartment. It is a stretch of road that goes from one end of Simi Valley to the other. I call it the wash and it runs about 7 miles from one end to the other.
The bike path runs parallel to the storm drain, and although it can vary from algae water to a dry creek, the sights and sounds are so much better on the wash than on the streets.
My family worries about me running alone on the wash. They think that there are going to be people waiting to attack me. They think too much. I have trained on the wash off and on for almost 2 years and have never once felt unsafe. To be honest I feel more safe on the bike path than I do on the streets.
There are certain things that I do whether I'm running on the wash or on the street in order to stay safe. I rarely listen to music when running, but when I do I only use one ear bud. I don't wear jewelry while running. I am very aware of my surroundings. I tell Patrick where I am running, how far I'm running and how long it should take me. I run against traffic. There are a lot of other tips and suggestions for running safety and I highly suggest finding ways to make your run safer with tips from articles like this one or this one.
I think the reason that the wash is "my place" is because it reminds me of a secret spot that my dad and I used to fish at in Mammoth. My dad is a man of few words, but when we went fishing it was our time. We didn't talk because "talking scares away the fish", but I knew that we were spending some quality time together. We often fished at the lake, but every once in a while he would take me to his secret spot.
The secret spot involved a 45+ minute hike in, climbing down rocks, sitting on the flattest rock you could find and waiting. Quite often we would see birds or fish jumping out of the water. Once we saw raccoons across the water washing their face. The wash reminds me of this special place because it's the same type of scenery. It's quiet, peaceful and I love seeing the variety of wildlife.
No matter where you run, it is important to remember to stay safe. I hope that you are able to run in your place as often as I am able to run in mine. I admit that I take it for granted more often than not, and am working on enjoying every chance I get to run on it.
I think the reason that the wash is "my place" is because it reminds me of a secret spot that my dad and I used to fish at in Mammoth. My dad is a man of few words, but when we went fishing it was our time. We didn't talk because "talking scares away the fish", but I knew that we were spending some quality time together. We often fished at the lake, but every once in a while he would take me to his secret spot.
The secret spot involved a 45+ minute hike in, climbing down rocks, sitting on the flattest rock you could find and waiting. Quite often we would see birds or fish jumping out of the water. Once we saw raccoons across the water washing their face. The wash reminds me of this special place because it's the same type of scenery. It's quiet, peaceful and I love seeing the variety of wildlife.
No matter where you run, it is important to remember to stay safe. I hope that you are able to run in your place as often as I am able to run in mine. I admit that I take it for granted more often than not, and am working on enjoying every chance I get to run on it.
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