running in Charlotte

I'm in Charlotte this week for work. Last time I was here I was afraid to venture out of the small, familiar downtown business district to run, but then I wasn't training for a marathon. I was deteremined not to let my travel interfere with my training, so I looked up Charlotte Running clubs and found one that shared a nearby running route on their site. (Here's the route info.)

I managed to start both Wednesday and Thursday's runs by 4:30, while it was still light. It's a little scary running into unfamiliar territory by yourself in a strange town. After the first run though, I could see that it would be quite a safe route even after dark. It was pleasant too - old churches, charming houses and tree-lined neighborhoods.

There were lots of pedestrians, many of whom appeared to be commuting home on foot. I didn't see a homeless person on my run at all. Charlotte does not have any significant presence of homeless people - quite a change from Atlanta.

Wednesday's 5 mile run was in a downpour of rain, but no thunder or lightning and I found it kind of refreshing. I didn't see any other runners until Thursday's 7.5 miler, when the weather turned sunny. Apparently the runners of Charlotte are fair-weather people. :) I don't really blame them.