First let's get some giveaway business out of the way...
The winner of the Reebok Spartan Race entry is Karen Zehner! Congratulations!
If you didn't win, you can still grab a discount code
here.
I'm linking up with some of my running blogger friends to showcase some of the places we spend time in our running shoes. As runners, we run all over the place. Sometimes we return to the same routes out of convenience or because we fall in love with them. Some places we never go back to or only get to experience once.
I thought it would be fun to highlight one of the places I have run recently. Last week I was back home in Cincinnati trying to squeeze in my training runs while visiting my family and friends. While looking for a place to run near my Gpa's, my stepdad asked if I'd ever run the
Loveland Bike Trail.
The
Loveland Bike Trail is part of the
Little Miami Scenic Trail which makes up 78 miles of the southern leg of the
Ohio to Erie Trail. Like many of the trails near where I live in New Hampshire, the Little Miami Scenic Trail follows an old railroad bed.
There are many trailheads, but we decided to access the trail from
Miami Riverview Park because there would be easy parking and restrooms available. We were not disappointed. The park was empty because it was a rainy morning, but the restrooms were open and clean.
A path led us right out of the park and across the road connecting directly to the trail. Most of the trail was a paved flat path through lush green vegetation. Every so often we caught glimpses of the
Little Miami River, or passed by smaller play areas, and picnic areas.
The trail passed through
downtown historic Loveland where we found restaurants offering outdoor seating along the trail, bike rentals, and shopping. There was also access to public restrooms and smaller parks.
We ran an easy paced out and back 8 miles on the trail. After changing into dry clothes in those incredibly clean park restrooms, we made our way back to downtown Loveland to have brunch at
Paxton's Grille right of the trail. You know you're in a good place when they go ahead and serve you breakfast even though it's technically now lunch. I'd love to go back and sit outside on a sunny day.
After lunch we walked across the street to my favorite running store in Cincinnati,
The Running Spot, set up in the old train station. We made some small purchases at their sale and grabbed a copy of the trail map.
Most of us have seen nicely paved bike trails as a great place to run. What makes the
Loveland Bike Trail so brilliant is the way the local businesses and community embrace it and make it part of the everyday culture. Who wouldn't want to stop for an ice cream cone or read up on an infamous train robbery?
This is the kind of trail where you will find something new and fascinating each time you go.
#WhereIRun Link Up!!
Join the link up by adding a link to your own post below:
