Retirement Communities: A Hidden Gem

I recently moved to a new neighborhood and have been searching for new running routes.  I have run a 5 mile loop, 6 mile loop, and an 11 mile loop.  The area has tons of paved bike trails and there are bike lanes on most of the main roads.

The 6 mile loop is awesome!  The first 2 miles is on a paved bike trail.  Then it crosses a main street into a retirement community for people 55 and older.  There is a golf course there and it is really well maintained.  My favorite part is that they have a lane for cars, a lane for golf carts, and a bike lane.  This is all in addition to the sidewalks.  The people there are really nice too.  They always say hi and every once in a while, you get a funny comment.  There was one guy (probably about 70) who took a few steps next to me, looked over, and said “I’ll race you to the corner.”  He didn’t race me, but I couldn’t stop cracking up.  Another guy commented on how beautiful the day was.  It was a pleasant change and I will continue running there. 

I tend to run in the bike lane in the opposite direction of traffic.  That way I can see cars coming and can dive to the curb if someone is going to try and run me down with their car.  I do like how there is that extra buffer with the golf cart lane.    If you have a similar retirement community close, I would suggest giving it a try. 

I am entering my 6th week of training, which is one of my easy weeks (every 3 weeks my mileage takes a step back to allow for muscle recovery) Here is what my 6^th week consists of.

Monday: Cycle 13 miles

Tuesday: 3 mile run

Wednesday: 5 mile run

Thursday: Cycle 17 miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 6 miles run (at race pace)

Sunday: 9 mile run

Also, my Achilles tendonitis continues to get better and I still am doing the eccentric heel drops twice a day.  I still have some tenderness on the back of my heel on occasion, but it is 1000 times better than it was before.

My 11 mile run last Sunday solidified my love for the Hoka One One, Clifton 2.  It is an amazing shoe with plenty of cushion and it is extremely light weight.  Check out my past review here.  I hope you are all having a great week and can’t wait to see what the next week brings.