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May 25, 2010
Trailing
beautiful chicago night, originally uploaded by Monika Thorpe.
Although I got home from work about 6:45 last night, I managed to fudge around until 8:30. That was when I realized I wanted to run for an hour, meaning I was going to have the pleasure of running in the dark.
Fortunately, the lakefront bike trail is lighted for most of the way. I don't normally like running exclusively on that trail, because it's crowded, filled with idiots, and not as interesting to me as running on the street. This is not to say I never run on the trail, because at the right time of day it is positively lovely.
Monday nights, I would say, are one of the more interesting times to run on the trail. In my route from Belmont to Chicago Avenue and back, I encountered three or four clouds of marijuana smoke, two police cars, a garbage truck, and many clumps of teenagers. I try my best not to be judgmental, but large clumps of teenagers irritate me. Always have, even when I was a teenager. In terms of lakefront trail runners, they have this tendency to take up an entire lane, wander aimlessly in front of people, and be a general nuisance. I even had one gentleman push his friend into my path, but fortunately I avoided him.
I wouldn't go so far as to say I felt unsafe on the path, but it certainly felt much rougher than it does during the daytime. Notwithstanding that, it was a perfect night for running, and none of the usual dangers of night running - unseen holes and unseeing cars - bothered me. As long as one can avoid the potential muggers and unruly teens, nighttime lakefront running is great.
entry no. 1463
Posted at May 25, 2010 04:45 PM