For me the beach holds first place as the best location to run, almost beaten by the experience of seeing a foreign city wake up during a morning jog.
Running along a trail outdoors isn’t that bad either.
Or over the waves in the sea.
In the park.
With your dogs.
Up the stairs.
On asphalt.
In the gym.
Or like crazy.
Regardless of how young or old you are, where you run, when you run, and how you run, keep running. Seriously, what other way of exercising can outdo running? I can’t think of anything less simple, less expensive, and more convenient. Everyone knows how to run. And if you bring your friend, an MP3 or an iPod (we do get more energy when listening to music), it’s actually fun. No, really. At least when you’re no longer a beginner, feeling you can’t take a single step… after fifteen minutes. Apparently it takes 21 days to develop a new habit, so just set your mind to get through those first three weeks. After that, rather than dreading your run, you might actually start looking forward to it.
One more thing. If you run in a city you don’t know that well, do bring a map… just in case. I almost got lost in Paris when I tried to find the way back to my hotel. Luckily, in the end, I saw a street sign and realized I had been running in circles around the hotel instead of straight to it. Believe me, you don’t want to make the same mistake. Especially not if your French is bad.
For more thoughts on running, read Running: A Free Distraction-Free Way to Get Things Done at Popagandhi.
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Amen to the map comment. I’ve totally been there, although it was in Dublin. I always enjoy running in a new place better than in the same place as well because it keeps the scenery fresh and interesting. And for travelers, running is a great exercise because you don’t need to pack much else or get any sort of special equipment/gym stuff.
Suz, I totally agree. It’s much more interesting to run somewhere new. And yes… for travellers, running is a terrific way to exercise because the only thing you need is basically just a pair of running shoes and clothes to run in.