Visiting and Running in Raleigh

I was in downtown Raliegh for a conference this past weekend. Whenever I am out of town I like to get a run or two in. Running in new places is a nice change and a great way to see the area. Using Garmin Connect, I found some greenways that looked promising. One was close enough to my hotel that I could leave from there.

And so I did on Saturday morning. The picture I had in my mind of where to pick up the Walnut Creek Trail turned out a bit different, but I found it. And less than 100 yards into it there was a bicycle and sleeping bag with a person sleeping on the side of the path. I changed my stride to step as lightly and quietly as possibe, went wide to the opposite side of the path and kept on going. The path was mostly through a forested area with a few street crossings. One crossing was a longish tunnel. Long enough that a good section of it was too dark to see the ground. Looking ahead to the light at the end, I could see a reflection on the ground. That meant water. Luckily, it was not deep, but it was accompanied by a bit of mud. Short, careful steps and I was out safely.

Instead of doing an out and back as originally planned, I turned back toward downtown and felt my way to the downtown hotel (tall buildings are easy to spot). Doing so took me through an area or two that may have not been the safest parts of town. What better motivation to pick up the pace for the last mile or two. After almost 7 miles, the breakfast buffet in the restaurant at the top of the hotel hit the spot.

Sunday morning I opted for a short drive to Lake Johnson that has a trail around it. Half of it was a paved path and half was a mixture of single track and wider unpaved trails. This was a very nice location with the only threat being a goose guarding her young as I ran past. I especially enjoyed the last mile or so which was on the wide, unpaved section. It was a nice soft surface with a beautiful tree branches canopy. I felt good and cruised through that before heading back to the hotel. It was about 4.5 miles all the way around. If I had had more time, a second go around would have been in order.

Happy Running!