I really miss the Whirlpool Trails in Oxford. I could be on singletrack about five minutes after leaving my apartment, ride hard for an hour and a half without repeating anything, no traffic, few joggers. It was great. The ultimate way to clear my head. One day I'll live next to a trail system again, but that's not the case now.
Of the three nearby trail systems, none of them are worth moving closer to. Cedar Hill is only a three mile loop. It's about seven miles from my apartment which makes it a decent ride. It's also the newest and therefore takes the longest to dry out. Percy Warner is nice but gets very repetitive in under an hour. It's also surrounded by McMansions, so not really feasible to move much closer. It's currently about a fifteen mile ride just to get there. Hamilton Creek is the best, but it's equally far and surrounded by typical suburban infrastructure where all traffic gets funnelled into fast, busy arteries. Some bike lanes exist, but it's not a great area to ride. Lock 4 and Schutes Branch are further still. I have yet to ride those; I often forget that it's considered normal to drive to the trailhead.
My riding has been dwindling, as it usually does in winter, and I feel like I need more exercise. More importantly, I need a way to clear my head. Road riding in general doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's the traffic or the stop and go of stop lights/signs, maybe it's the lack of dirt or worrying that a large pebble will take me out. I don't know, but there is a gap in my life that running might fill nicely.
I've been running once a week or so with a local club, but I'm considering taking it up more seriously (ideally without sacrificing cycling). The advantages are too big to ignore: I can get in a good workout in thirty to forty-five minutes, there's very little stopping and no coasting, traffic is of minimal concern, it doesn't require miles of open road or dry trails, it's easier to run than ride in cold and/or wet conditions. There are other perks too like it being far cheaper, takes less time to get ready, and there's no maintenance to speak of (unless you injure yourself). When things do dry out a bit, I can go explore the gravel/grassy/dirt paths that branch off of the greenway, maybe even bringing Lucy along. I feel bad that she doesn't get much exercise these days, but she's hardly good for two miles on pavement.
I recently replaced my running shoes, ran in them for the first time this morning. I'm kind of excited to see where this goes.
