Your Route...

[TheBoyWhoRun]

Hey peeps, do you stick with one route or do you vary it ?

[sarah-b Graduate]

So far I have stuck to the same route as it's a massive flat park near my house which feels nice and soft underfoot, and I can see a long way in front of me so can avoid running too near to people/dogs! I like having a planned, safe route like this so I can focus on the podcasts and not worry about what's coming up round the next corner or anything else that might distract me. I also quite like to look back at the distance which I have just run.

[Beek Graduate]

I only have the one route at the moment. I really find running on tarmac difficult and prefer compacted paths or grass. To change it would mean a lot of tarmac paths. They say varying your route keeps things interesting so I should give it a try. I fancy running through the forest on the top of the hill here but driving to get to it seems a tad ungreen! Does anyone else drive to their runs?

[TheBoyWhoRun Graduate in reply to Beek]

I dirve to the Common where I run....one day I will run to the common.

[Be11adonna Graduate]

I have 4 routes that I run so far. In the beginning I used to run the same route all the time because I was just starting and wanted to make it easy for myself and that particular route is as flat as a pancake, but as time went on I got better and I got bored so I started running different routes.

All my routes except one have hills and they're all on different surfaces (tarmac, forest path, gravel, etc.) I figure if I'm ever going to sign up for a run then I better get used to all sorts of terrain.

Beek, I drive for one of my runs (about 10 mins one way) but the others all start from my house.

[Tready Graduate]

I have different routes, sometimes I make them up as I go along with the aid of my trusty Runkeeper. If I enjoy a route ( or find it challenging) I run it again a few times. Sometimes small variations keep it interesting.

[bikertj1981 Graduate]

I have a few routes i can do from my house but they are very similar routes, i would like to find a new route but i think its too hilly round here for me at the moment.

[Beads Graduate]

So long as there's not too much running beside the busy road I just go out and run wherever the whim that day takes me, I know roughly what 5k looks like in a couple of directions so can work out a route 'on the fly' as it were depending on how much energy and time I have. I'm on the very outskirts of London and there's a good mix of pavements, footpaths and open spaces round here.

Edit: I do spend time with maps and 'playing' on MapMyRun.com trying to devise new routes.

[TheBoyWhoRun Graduate in reply to Beads]

Well I am hoping to be experienced like you one day....

[Beads Graduate in reply to TheBoyWhoRun]

I think the word is addicted rather than experienced!

[Oldgirl Graduate]

I have loads of routes to chose from but I'm fortunate enough to live on the outskirts of a city with forest tracks on my door step. I vary the surface as much as I can too. i.e. tar/pavements one run, then forest tracks another, and I also have a route mapped out with half and half. Some steep hills and some not so steep but long. Having said all that I have been at this running caper for 3 years so I've had plenty of time to look and map out different roads and tracks. Happy running everyone and you know what they say "Variety is the spice of life"

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

I live half way up a hill. Five minute warm up walk takes me nearly to the top, then down a ridge, with views of Dartmoor, from which I have either a 1.5k or 2.1k loop back to the top of the hill, then on down very steep hill to the river, where I can add on a 3k loop or continue normal route along the valley and up the not quite so steep hill to a five minute walk along roads back to home. One day I will have the nerve to reverse this route and run UP the steep hill, which is known as Breakheart, (haven't managed it yet).

[Beads Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Running up is better than down, I find running down to jar my knees, one of my (almost exactly) 5k routes has a long hill in it, I now try to make sure I run up it rather than down. Glutton for punishment!

[Twizzle53 Graduate]

I have tended to stick to the same route on tarmac just because it is straight out of the door and hubby is reassured if he knows exactly where I will be on a run at an approximate time. However I've just started to adapt it a bit after my graduation to include a compacted gravel path. I also did one through a forest path and a bit of grass on Tuesday and love the variation. As for up hills, the best I can manage just now is up the other side of a subway. This is progress for me as I have always avoided anything that looked remotely like a very slight incline!

[katee1958 Graduate]

my 5 minute warm up walk gets me to my local park, from there I run down and back up a tarmac path, then into the park on a rough gravelly path, sometimes around a wildlife pond, sometimes upto it and back into the park, then around the perimeter of the playing fields, and this usually gets me to the end of the podcast and the warm down walk on the way home. I love it x

[waletta Graduate]

I don't do hills which is difficult living in Wales. Like Twizzle subways are my limit. There are only 2 routes near my house that I can do now the runs are longer & my husband isn't keen on me doing either of these & I wouldn't do them in the dark myself. I have run twice in Cardiff (outskirts) before driving home from work & I think I'll have to do this more as the nights draw in. There is a gym on works site but I don't fancy running indoors but perhaps that will become more appealing as weather turns colder.

[DizzyMum Graduate]

I started off on one pavement running route and expanded it as I progressed through the C25K weeks, with detours across fields and through woods as my stamina and daylight allowed. I've been using mapometer to plan some new routes that will allow me to build up distance, have some variety in gradient and, as I run at 6am, have street lighting. I've three core routes now , which give me some variety.

[Laney0378 Graduate]

I used to run on a single footpath which I'd measured so it was helpful for me during the C25K weeks, especially the second half when I was trying to increase my distance and improve my speed but it is quite uneven with tree roots and compacted earth and after I fell over and scraped and bruised myself a lot I was less happy with it so now I tend to run along quiet roads locally. It's harder on the feet but steadier! The other downside is that these roads all have uphill stretches and it's hard but I reckon they've helped me improve my stamina and fitness and now I've found some ggod websites to measure the distances I have several different routes which test me in different ways, plus they give me some variety!

I think from a fitness and psychological point of view, trying something new is beneficial. I'm not sure I'd be still running as much if I stuck to the same route, week in, week out, but that may just be me!

Now, I can't stop - I feel bad if I don't get a regular run!

[skipper59]

Hi, I have two routes, both of which are disused railway lines now converted to footpaths / cycle routes so no steep hills. Never thought I would be thankful for something Beeching did. Well maybe not that thankful.

[Anniemurph Graduate in reply to skipper59]

And me, skipper - except that mine do have hills in! Not fair!

[Anniemurph Graduate]

I vary my run most days - I get bored easily! Having said that, it's mostly variations on a theme. If it has been raining I go round the town and there are lots of different ways round. If the weather is nice I might go up the trail which starts about 5 mins from my house, or sometimes I do drive to one of the other points on one of the trails and go from there. I was determined when I started c25k not to drive to run, but actually it's quite fun to try something new. When I started c25k I walked a new route first because I didn't want any nasty surprises, but now I'm more confident and if there's a steep hill and I walk for a few minutes, hey, that's okay - I'm still off the couch