{"id":153299,"date":"2020-03-31T12:32:43","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T19:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=153299"},"modified":"2023-03-03T11:36:59","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T19:36:59","slug":"urban-running-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/urban-running-tips","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Urban Running"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: Please consult the\u00a0<\/em>CDC<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or your state health department for information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. When spending time outdoors, please\u00a0<\/em>recreate responsibly<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Running is a great way to clear your head, boost your physical and mental health and relieve cabin fever. With races canceled, gyms closed and orders to stay close to home<\/a>, runners are finding respite in lacing up shoes and hitting the pavement in their local cities and neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

While many stay-at-home orders allow you to get outside for a run, walk or other exercise, it\u2019s important to follow local health department rules and social distancing guidelines<\/a>\u00a0from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as staying 6 feet away from others, to help slow the spread of the virus. Consider adjusting your route or the time of day you’re running\u00a0to adhere to those guidelines,\u00a0or staying home if you’re unable to do so.<\/p>\n

The CDC now\u00a0recommends<\/a> \u201cwearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies)\u00a0especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.\u201d The idea is to protect the people around you if you are infected but do not have symptoms, according to the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Should you wear a face covering while running or exercising outside?<\/p>\n

Check specific guidelines in your community. Public health officials in New York City<\/a> and Michigan<\/a>, for example, say that you do not need a wear a face covering when exercising outside as long as you maintain at least 6 feet from others. \u201cPeople should only do exercise that enables them to keep physical distance from others,\u201d those health officials say<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of the mask is to protect people around you, not to protect you,\u201d says Brian Labus, assistant professor in the University of Las Vegas School of Public Health, who served as senior epidemiologist for the Southern Nevada Health District for 15 years. \u201cIf you are running solo and not running around other people, you are not putting other people at risk, so the mask won’t do anything. You should consider taking one with you in case you have to make an unplanned stop and would be around other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labus says that you can still run in cities if you can do so while keeping 6 feet away from others. \u201cThe risk isn’t being outside and running, it is being around other people. If there are places you can run in big cities without being around other people, there is no increased risk of disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

For other tips on urban running, we turned to experts\u00a0Polly de Mille<\/a>,\u00a0a\u00a0clinical exercise physiologist and the director of\u00a0sports performance at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York (the official hospital of the TCS New York City Marathon), as\u00a0well as\u00a0Karen Kuykendall,\u00a0a personal trainer and health\u00a0coach certified with the American Council on Exercise who is also an REI employee.<\/p>\nClick Here for More Running Inspiration<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\n

Plot<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Your\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Run\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Map<\/span>\u00a0your route ahead of time<\/span>\u00a0so you can\u00a0<\/span>take advantage<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>the city\u2019s geography.\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>void<\/span>\u00a0busy streets<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>find a scenic path<\/span>\u00a0or make sure you\u2019ll log the miles and elevation you need<\/span>\u00a0for th<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>day<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>To help you plan that route:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n