Saturday, I had my 9 mile run. It wasn't as successful of a run as I had hoped - but at least I got the mileage. My knee was sore from physical therapy so I had to walk a bunch. There also was a little diversion off the proposed course (aka I gotta little lost). I also almost tripped a couple times running on Atlanta's beautiful sidewalks. Which brings me to my post title....if there is any danger in my running in the beautiful city of Atlanta - it is not going to be from getting lost and landing in a bad area of town (well maybe), robbers on my route or stray dogs....about 90% of the danger lies in the beautiful sidewalks that line the streets of Atlanta.
I run in some nice neighborhoods that surround Candler Park, Piedmont Park, Lake Clare,Inman Park, etc (note: pictures above are not of those neighborhoods)....and the sidewalks are horrible. Sometimes pieces of the sidewalks are loose and move when your foot hits them. On a run last year a piece of concrete actually flew up in the air and landed on my foot. MH has been known to trip on an unruly sidewalk near Inman Park. I just know that if I don't pay careful attention I'm going to trip at some point and fall completely on my face. Not to mention it does wonders for the IT Band.
But I found help!! Maybe. PEDS!! This little website is a pedestrian advocacy organization where you can report such issues. The website allows you to report broken sidewalks, broken pedestrian symbols, etc. (Now I know where people get those "SLOW" signs that I see on various yards - I used to think they were meant to tell me to slow down my super running speed :)!) Sorry to complain - - - It's just frustrating that such an active running city has such poor surfaces to run on! So on my next run - when I encounter huge cracks, a sidewalk like mountain of cracked concrete, or huge holes...I will write it up on that site and just maybe something will happen.
On another note - ballet was very fun last night! I made friends with the super dressed ballet lady....and by "made friends" I said a hello and asked her how long she had been dancing. I'm starting to appreciate the "properly dressed" ballet participants (we are not yet ballerinas) - it wouldn't be such a great class without them. Last night we didn't have to spot (thank goodness)...but we did a lot of jumps and some serious stretching. After the class, the school offered a free Pilates class. I stayed for the class - and boy was it HARD.... I found my powerhouse....I think...and really tried to work on the movements. The cool thing about Pilates is that its not about how the actions look (like Ballet). It is really about using your muscles and working efficiently even if you can't fully extend in a position. I really had a great time...and I'm going to take a class again soon!
Tonight is my tempo run.....the run that my knee is not a fan of - hoping for the best!!
7 comments:
Hey.. I run much of the same neighborhoods! Yep.. that's the story - if there are any sidewalks at all! Getting lost and winding up in the wrong part of town.. most definitely can happen if you're running downtown.
You just explained why I don't dare run on pavement. Cement flying up in the air can be kinda dangerous.
Good job getting through your run in one piece on the cracked sidewalks of Atlanta. Perhaps it is time to find a smoother route?
Last year I met with a client who lives in Inman Park. We had a great dinner at Rathbun Steak on Krog Street. Maybe you ran by us?
Glad you enjoyed ballet and pilates. Good luck with the tempo run tonight.
Yea, the sidewalks downtown are in much need of repair! But it IS a lovely place to run, provided you don't kill yourself!!
Have fun on your run!! Hope that the knee does well!!!
Those sidewalks look dangerous. My clumsy butt would have tripped by now, more than once.
Nice job on Pilates.
Those sidewalks look dangerous. My clumsy butt would have tripped by now, more than once.
Nice job on Pilates.
Yep... really nice boat ride from Woods Hole. They even have free wifi on the ship!
I did go to Black Dogs - actually I loved all the local places to eat! Including this bakery in Woods Hole called Pie in the Sky. Been there?
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