One of the best things about being a runner/walker is that you can do it almost anywhere -- including vacation. And, yes, you should continue to run or walk while on vacation -- remember physical fitness is a lifestyle (or should be) and it's not something you should ever take a vacation from. Sure, you can take a day or two off (especially if you're on an active vacation), but running or walking while on vacation can help from packing on those pounds from all those restaurant meals and dacquiri's by the pool.

I just returned from a conference in Chicago which happens to have an exceptional (albeit concrete) running trail along beautiful Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. The 14-mile trail (I think, it could be longer) is just a short jog from the major hotels in downtown Chicago and is a safe place to run -- even very early in the morning -- as it's a highly populated trail. It's a gorgeous run, too, offering incredible views of the Lake, the Chicago skyline and miles of sandy beaches.

The Lakefront trail is definitely my most favorite thing in Chicago and I especially love running there on Saturday mornings (I go to this conference almost every year -- it's always in Chicago on a Thursday through Saturday) because there groups of runners all over the trail -- fast, slow, newbies, obvious vets, young, old... It's obviously some sort of organized group run -- probably sponsored by a Chicago running club. It appears they separate into groups of similar pace. They run two by two, sometimes dozens deep -- snaking along the trail -- resembling one giant jogging mass with legs everywhere like a centipede.

It's the only thing that ever made me want to live in Chicago. I'd love to have all those people to run with and motivate me every Saturday. Most of them are carrying on conversations -- at least the slower women are. Surely, they're discussing things I could fall right into conversation with -- careers, kids, husbands, etc.

So, as I was jogging behind one of these group, envious of their camaraderie, I wondered if I should start a group run on the East-side of Erie.

Nothing formal, nothing organized, nothing concrete. Just sort of a "we're meeting at Penn State Behrend, by the start of the trail at 6:30 a.m., come if you want to run with someone."

But, I wonder how it would work -- what would we do about fast vs. slow runners, how far would we run and what if someone didn't want to run that far -- and if there would be any interest in it from any of you east-siders (there is a group that meets at Presque Isle every Saturday & Sunday at 8 a.m.).

Any thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

My other thought was to start a women's running group -- maybe on Wednesday nights after work? We could meet somewhere in downtown Erie -- run the bayfront trail. Run, sweat, gossip, bond.

Ladies -- any interest in that?

We've got everything Chicago has got -- a great lake, a breezy picturesque bayfront trail and an active runners club.

Let me know what you think -- post below (or email me).