Bicycling in Bloomington

 I did not get to ride much this week. I was away two days and the other days, I needed the car. Tomorrow, I will commute to work just because I want to. However, my wife will have to pick me up because I will be on campus until 7 PM. I rode on my trainer four mornings.

Today (Sunday), it was 22^o when it was time to exercise. I decided to run instead of riding. I am going to try to run more this year. I ran for about 85 minutes which is long for me, especially considering I have done only 2-3 3-4 mile runs since Thanksgiving.

Running in Bloomington is somewhat like biking. Generally, it’s a pretty good place to run. Today, I ran on the sidewalks for almost the entire run. Many sidewalks were icy and snow-covered. I have been running for more than 35 years. Prior to coming to Bloomington, I lived in PA, MD, and CT. Each has substantially more snow than Bloomington. I’ve learned how to handle ice and snow when running, so it doesn’t bother me. In fact, it’s a good skill to practice regularly.

Bloomington has an ordinance that requires property owners to clear their sidewalks of snow and ice after snow. It is not enforced and few property owners clear their sidewalks. This behavior causes pedestrians (and unskilled runners) to run or walk on the street with the cars. A dangerous situation.

However, it doesn’t snow often and not much when it does. So, outdoor running can be done most of the year.