Seattle, City Trail

Volunteer Park and Washington Park Arboretum

It's no secret that Seattle is a capital city for running. It has a great network of city-trails for a major metropolitan area. I know the spread of trails in the city is feeble compared to a mountain town, and sometimes I want to pick up and move straight to Bend or Sun Valley, but if I did that I would truly miss the diversity of the city. Seattle is never going to be like running through the Smoky Mountains, but for the combination of city culture and running it is pretty dang good. Road runners thrive in the emerald city, but for a trail runner you still have to jump in your car to get to the mountains. Nonetheless, options are endless.

With that said, Justin and I almost always make it to the mountains on the weekends unless we are traveling somewhere, which is usually a trail-running destination anyhow. The trail-road balance has shifted my choices in purchasing running shoes. When I first started seriously trail running I was biting it on the trail whenever I went downhill. Justin was running in road shoes on the trails in the beginning and was constantly speaking about specific shoes (that will go unnamed) as being dangerous on the trail. My first trail shoe was a bit on the extreme end when I reached for the Salomon Speedcross which had lugs big enough to tear my eyes out. Since then I've modified my choices and realized a little will go a long way. The Scott Kinablu has been one of my favorites thus far and the rocker bottom is surprisingly comfortable.

Salomon is a noteworthy brand with top-notch trail running shoes. Regardless of Justin's affiliation with Salomon I have always been keen on their products and was stoked when they came out with a CityTrail line. They also have an app that goes along with their line. Their CityTrail shoes are the perfect combination of traction and fluidity for weekly urban runs that turn into mountain trails on the weekend.

Interlaken Park, in the heart of Seattle

It's nice to see a brand with a good balance that suits a diverse runner like myself and Justin. They have shoes for multiple terrains, which I'm yet to see another brand match in their same quality. I plan on eventually trying all five of their CityTrail shoes, but for now I'm enjoying my Sense Pros.

If you're coming through Seattle as a trail runner and don't have enough time to get to the mountains, consider these options, which all have easy extentions to nearby parks:

Discovery Park
Lincoln Park
The Arboretum
Seward Park
Green Lake