My Favorite place to run: Catawba Cliffs
My parents live in a small town in Ohio called Catawba Island. Catawba is located just between Toledo and Cleveland. We are boaters and have been going up there for 25+ years. We all used to camp out on the boat every weekend during the summer and as we (the kids) got older, the boat got bigger. But, there came a point in time where there really wasn't a boat big enough for 3 teenage girls. My parents downsized the boat and bought a condo. Then, when it came time to retire and move out of Cleveland, they decided to build a beautiful home there.
I have so many wonderful memories of the summers we spent on the island. Catawba is truly one of Ohio's best kept secrets. I still cherish the time I get to spend there on vacation and over holidays. It's a very sleepy place in the Winter, but is beautiful all the same.
I lived in Cleveland for 9 years after college, so I had the luxury of being able to spend my weekends and do many of my marathon training runs on Catawba. There is one particular 1.5 mile stretch of my run that is my absolute favorite place to run. I usually leave it until the end of my run to help distract me from my discomfort.
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| Does it get more perfect than this? |
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| Rock beaches - I don't run on those - OUCH! |
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| So beautiful. |
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| A view of the Cliffs from a boat. |
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| Perry's Monument at Put-In-Bay (in the distance). |
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| View from my parents porch. |
So many places come to mind...Cleveland Metroparks, Big Sur, Vermont Mountains...but two win out over everything...long runs on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and ANYWHERE with my wife. I could run in the dumpiest places in the world but it's always fun if it's with Cindy.
ReplyDeleteWow, those are some great views! I'm sure in the summer it's great to jump in (or at least wade in) the water after a hot run. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you introduced me to your favorite route - that's one of my favorites now, too! In my hometown, I have a route along the lake, and I love that, too. Pretty much anywhere with pretty views to distract me, as you said, does the trick. Or anywhere with fun friends.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa told me how pretty it was to run there! I'm jealous I missed out :)
ReplyDeleteThat is gorgeous! It's rare that I get to run anywhere different my from neighborhood routes.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's just beautiful - puts the MV trail to shame!
ReplyDeleteWow, looks gorgeous! My favorite is the Laurel Highlands Trail, about 3 hours from DC in Pennsylvania.
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