I received a blog comment from a runner who said she and her husband are new to the Erie area and wanted to know where they could do long runs in the winter. I inadvertently deleted her comment when I deleted a duplicate entry in this blog (sorry), but I wanted to respond and INVITE other Erie area runners to post a message and tell us where THEY like to long run (since I'm almost exclusively an east-side runner).

The woman who posted a comment asked if the Presque Isle trail is plowed in the winter. And, correct me if I'm wrong readers, I believe it is only plowed up to the administration building. After that, you're on your own. When I have encountered this, I've run on the road. The traffic out there is lighter in winter and motorists are accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists anyway.

As I said, I am an east-side runner and I have a couple of favorite long-run routes. One of them, however, is out if there is substantial snow because it includes about three to four miles on the East Side Connector trail which is NOT plowed in the winter.

So, most of my long runs are run on the berm (because sidewalks are seldom plowed) on major roads (typically E. 38th Street). Why major roads? I run major roads for a few reasons:
1. They are most likely to be "taken care of" (plowed, salted, etc.) first.
2. There are rarely dogs running loose (lest they be killed on the busy road).
3. I actually feel safer -- having lots of motorists witness to my travels.
4. If you go in the early morning (which is when I long run on weekends), even the busy roads aren't that busy.

Another option is to head downtown -- the city typically has substantially less snow that the outlying Erie area does -- and there are lots of streets with wide berms (like 6th Street).

I will run outside in most conditions, but two things I avoid in the winter is rain (too cold) and slush or soft, melting snow because my feet slide and it causes major hip pain later in the day (and if you've ever been hit by a pile of slush thrown by a car's tires, you know what true misery is).

Anyone else find any great trails to run that are maintained in the winter? Please post below. Our new-to-the-area running couple needs to know (and so do I)!