During The Running and Fitness Event for Women in Chicago, the days and nights were packed with all kinds lectures and events. We took a few hours out of our jam-packed schedules to get in a few great runs along The Lakeshore Trail and came up with a review of the running paths. Next time you are up in The Windy City, take some time to lace up your shoes and run where all the locals go to get in some miles.
From our hotel on East Ohio Street, we had a short quarter mile distance to get down to the Lakeshore Trail. From here you go either direction. On a sunny and mild Sunday afternoon, we headed left, towards the beaches, weaving our way in and around the many cyclists, runners, walkers and beach-goers. The beaches and paths were packed! Sand volleyball games were in full swing, people were swimming and splashing in the waves and enjoying the warm sunshine and the last few precious hours of the weekend.
Running along on such a busy afternoon, you had to pretty much drop back to single file to accommodate all the other people using the trail. The further north you travel on the trail, the less crowded it gets and you pass several marinas with various sizes of boats, sculpture parks and even a waterfront dog park where pets are permitted to splash and play in the waves.
For our next run, we headed out on an early tuesday morning just as the sun was rising. Wanting to explore more of the city, we went in the opposite direction, jumping onto the trail after a few blocks of urban city running. Believe it or not, Chicago is a very runner friendly city. There were herds of runners and cyclists out enjoying the cooler, morning temperatures. Running down towards The Shed Aquarium and The Field Museum we took a detour to see The Buckingham Fountain and on our way back wove in and around the gardens of Grant and Millennium Park and even found The Bean.
All in all, Chicago is a great place for runners and fitness enthusiasts with many different and scenic options for running, walking and cycling.
