Compulsion and Confusion.

Compulsion
Traveling tends to bring out a compulsiveness that runners otherwise manage to keep confined to their own heads. Planning work or family leisure trips involves not only an understanding of treadmill policies at hotel gyms or knowledge of side streets, pedestrian and cycling lanes, and recreational trails; it also involves precise space dedication in a suitcase for shoes, shorts, fuel, and other accessories.

So long as I have an interest in running and training, I know the places I won't be visiting based solely on the lack of runner-related resources in the region.

Stephanie and I have enjoyed overlapping breaks for the first time since 2006. With her downtime between jobs coinciding with my district's spring break, we decided to spend a weekend on the central coast. Stephanie's only criteria for the trip was that the locale had to offer a place to run--we'd be hightailing it out of town at the peak of our training for the Eugene Marathon, after all. It had been over two years since my last pilgrimage back to my undergraduate stomping grounds, so the Monterey Peninsula seemed the most amenable place to find a respite.

And it didn't disappoint. In a departure from my own norms, we opted to stay in Pacific Grove, which proved a much smaller, quieter, and more affordable place to set up shop.

Our running schedule had us booked for 22 miles--6 of which had to be run at our prescribed marathon pace, an uninterrupted stretch of tempo running that trains the body for the grueling race ahead. For this reason alone, the Monterey Bay stands as a top-notch location to visit. We managed, with little difficulty, to run all 22 miles from our doorstep in Pacific Grove. We bounced from beautiful sea-front streets to sea-front bike trails--at times rolling along hills and by sand dunes--in the beautiful sun-drenched morning. The view remained consistently stunning, the wind mostly calm, and the environment tempered.

For other reasons, Monterey remains a great location for a quick weekend vacation. We explored some of the marathon course through Big Sur, meandering through parts of Garrapata and Molera and Yankee Point. We also enjoyed terrific food (try this in Monterey, and this in Pacific Grove) and plenty of relaxation.

Confusion
Runners follow the rules prescribed to pedestrians--mostly. On the streets, runners remain aware of the dangers of running with traffic, and therefore, when possible, run against traffic. This appeases not only the runner, but promotes eye contact with the motorist and keeps runners and cyclists on face-to-face terms.

When runners move to recreational trails, they continue to operate as pedestrians, while conceding the street role of automobile to the cyclist. Thus, the cyclist continues to operate in lanes as a driver would, while the runner continues to run against the grain of this flow, adhering to the same rules as those in the street. When sharing the trail with walkers, the walker and runner use the same direction, and the walker hugs the shoulder or, if possible, walks in the room just off the trail.

Somehow, these rules cease to exist in certain contexts. One of these contexts is the stretch of trail spanning the communities of Seaside, Monterey, and Pacific Grove. Contrary to logic, cyclists and runners are expected to ride with traffic on the street. It feels wrong in concept, obviously, but also remains a frightening mystery with every approaching vehicle's roar. Should your running habits reflect any other system, you will get yelled at.

On the recreational trails, cyclists are given their lanes, but runners and walkers in both directions are expected to share the dirt shoulder that only exists on one side of the trail. This makes for a massively confusing directional tango. Everyone dodges and ducks the walkers, some of them with their backs to approaching cyclists, some forced to watch the potential calamity while seeking a safe way to avert disaster.

It's not enough just to run the way you know is right (unless you're immune to angry feedback). My only suggestion for the avid strider is to rise early and do what you can.