Northern Cali Running Love

Greetings NOVA team! I'm (somewhat) glad to be back on the East Coast after a great trip out West to see the sights of Northern California. In addition to playing the classic tourist (my first trip to this part of the world, and I was making the most of it), I did some awesome running around the city of Davis, CA while visiting my friend Karen. Karen and I ran together at W&M so she was well-prepared to show me the prime running trails in the area, and even drew me a map for my 14 mile run around Davis (city size: 10 square miles). Though I did take day trips to San Francisco, Napa/Sonoma, and Big Sur, those days were occupied by lots of delicious food, lots of wine, and lots of driving, respectively, and no running. Despite this itinerary, I received some great tips on NorCal running prior to my departure from fellow NOVA Team Members, including Ben Brooks, who highly recommended I attempt to run across the Golden Gate Bridge over to Sausalito, and I am already planning a return trip when I may have the opportunity to take Ben's advice.

Running Trail in Davis, CA
- Erin Masterson

Davis is an ideal city for both running and biking. A good place to start (if you can find it, and I had serious trouble), is the Davis Bike Loop. This loop is a 12 mile paved trail around Davis which links all the major bike infrastructure points of the city. Because more than half of Davis's 65,000 residents are university students at UC Davis, biking is an economical and convenient way to get around, especially given the temperate climate of Northern California. The Bike Loop was conceived in the 1980s by UC Davis Landscape Architecture Professor Mike Francis and was completed in 2005 (you can read more about the Bike Loop here.) Though fairly well marked with a painted green bicycle sign on the path, it is easy to get off track and miss a turn on the loop, and end up in a random field or neighborhood, as I did. No worries though, because on your next turn, you'll probably connect to a Greenbelt (see below).  

More running in Davis, CA
- Erin Masterson

Pond on Davis Greenbelt
- Erin Masterson

In addition to the Davis Bike Loop, the entire city is lined with Greenbelts, which are a series of more than 10 interconnecting paths, bike trails, tunnels, and parks that link all the open space of Davis (see more on the Greenbelt wiki here.) Karen told me AFTER the fact that one distinguishing characteristic of the Greenbelts is that they are not marked, listed on a map, or documented in any way. So, that was some good times getting lost. But, I feel like that's the best way to get to know a city sometimes. The Greenbelts keep things interesting with ponds, nature preserves, fields of sunflowers, sculptures, and lots of wildlife. I had the chance to do several runs around Davis (14/7/5 miles) and each one was unique and fun. I didn't break any records on pace, mostly because I had to keep checking my map and looking around to remember which bush I had used as a landmark. But they were peaceful, scenic, and enjoyable, and that was enough for me. My advice: if you're ever in Davis, bring your running shoes, a compass, and a good sense of adventure.

Happy running!
- Erin