Route planning: one long route at a park somewhere or shorter meanderings around the neighborhood?

[Catwise]

I’m curious as to how everyone else plans their routes.

When I first started running I liked the idea of being able to get exercise just by stepping out the door. I spent months just meandering up and down streets near where I live. There are several urban parks and dog parks around and the neighborhood has got some fabulous trees so it’s actually a pretty area, it’s residential/urban with apartments, condos, cafes, small businesses etc. I’m crossing streets but traffic is super light and quite slow. At first especially I liked being close to home in case I couldn’t complete the full distance I had planned. I can decide spontaneously to take or avoid a particular turn because it’s an uphill that I want/don’t want at the moment. I can easily get 5-6k without going down any street twice.

Once I got into longer distances, 7,8,9k, I started scouting out nearby walking trails at parks around me. I have to drive a bit to get there, no big deal especially if I just do that once a week for my long run.

What do you do for your routes? Planned or meandering? Parks, city, or residential neighborhood? Out your own door or a place you drive to? How far do you drive to get to a good spot?

[Tasha99 Graduate10]

During the week I tend to run from my home or at a local park with a friend as I run after work and before tea. On a weekend I may drive up to 10 miles for a road run or much further if it’s trail. I always plan the route on ‘plot a route’ website first. I like to run on bike paths. I’ve found loads of new ones since starting running; paths I never knew existed. That web page will highlight them for you.

[Cmoi Graduate10]

I never, ever drive anywhere for my runs because I'm spoilt rotten and live in mid-mountain countryside, at the edge of forests!

That does mean that I don't have many short cut options - I know if I start running up the road, I'll have to run about 3k before I can turn off, because there aren't any other roads or tracks. This is how I end up running silly distances that weren't necessarily planned!

If I know I want a shorter run, I have a few options that I can mix and match. I did once try using a "plot the route" to plan my run but the site refused to acknowledge the existence of the roads down which I ran, so I gave up and now just do my own thing

[Roxdog Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

I very rarely drive to run because I like the simplicity of just walking out of my door. I am busy exploring every inch of my area and have found trails I didn't know existed! Despite living in the suburbs of London it's surprising how many quite wild areas there are. I only vaguely plan routes and often change my mind. Only run on roads or pavements to get to where I want to go the main run, as I'm not at all keen on road running. There are some lovely places to run if I drive, but I normally can't be bothered or don't have time.

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

When I started c25k I stayed up a hill and had dodgy knees so always drove 2miles to run on the flat. In February I started hills and loved them. This meant running country roads or round houses from home. During lockdown I took great delight in running as far as I could from home - escape. Then in may I relocated. I now stay in the countryside and always run from home, mix of roads, fields, tracks. I’ve done loads of cycling getting to know the new area and this helps plan longer runs. Happy running 🤗

[CBDB Graduate10]

I use footpath app ( on IOS) to map my routes.

I’m still a relatively new runner (running since April 2020), so still running in my neighbourhood. I have one hill run ca 3.5km, one former rail line wooded run of 5k and one 4K street run.

So still have to explore some longer runs in my area and I have some potential routes all mapped out but have not run them yet.

I do not want to have to drive to get to somewhere where I can regularly run (apart from Parkruns, obviously) .

[Lifluf Graduate10]

I'm lucky that I have lots of footpaths and tracks around me. I do have to decide my distance before I set off because I don't like to come back the way I came.

It's a bit more problematic in autumn and winter as some footpaths get very muddy and visibility on the small roads can be poor. I've also had to restrict my routes to public paths only so I don't come face to face with deer and pheasant shooters. ☹

But it's such a lovely area I can't complain.

[a_in_gsr Graduate10]

I live in city and start running 5 minutes from my door! Personally I love running on the road, in the 'urban' areas. I've used my longer runs to explore different neighbourhoods, places I usually couldn't / wouldn't go... any places really! I have also been a couple of times to nature reserves, but not often

[WeavingWonk Graduate10]

I live in an urban area and honestly there are so many main roads around me that I can just about squeeze in a 5k, while minimizing the main roads, if I loop round blocks. There is a park with a nice track round it, but it is heaved up in so many areas with tree roots, and I am such a klutz, that I have decided it's not a good choice for me.

I have a loop in the neighborhood behind me that is about .95k. I run that repeatedly for anything up to 5k. For my longer run on weekends I drive a few minutes down to the river trail. I decide how long my run is going to be and I run outbound for half of it, turn around and run back.

I need to find some new places to run, but for me it needs to be supremely easy and mindless, so for now these runs will do. Particularly as it means my husband won't have to go far to retrieve me if I bite the dust 🤣

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

Sounds lovely, we have a half kilometre track round a park where we did most of c25k, sometimes along the path by the beach and a few times across the south downs

Now the runs are longer I wander off and last run ran to the next town and back along he seafront it was so exciting not knowing where i was going and deciding as i went, I do know the area but not all the side roads i ran along