As a blind runner who travels on occasion for family and business, I am frustrated by the inability to continue my outdoor running regimen when I'm out of town. I would love to get out early and explore a new town on an easy run, but most of my family and friends are not runners. I can always find a treadmill and work out inside, I suppose, but it's just not the same. I'm energized by the changing sounds, smells and textures around me when I run, and I like having a tangible goal or destination to reach.
On this trip, I'm trying an experiment. I'm in Pasadena, CA, for long enough that it would be worth putting in a few good runs, so I'm using my online and offline networking skills to my advantage. I need to find a running group or a few individuals that meet close enough to where I'm staying that it wouldn't be a headache for someone to drive me there. (I sure do miss NYC's public transit). Also, of course, these running partners need to be okay with guiding a blind runner. It's not hard to do, but they need to be willing to learn. Hopefully they'll be interesting people, but I'm not worried, because most runners are.
So, reader, if you have any tried and true methods for finding running buddies on the road, or if you have suggestions for groups in this area, please drop me a comment here. So far I've been combing Meetup.com, Facebook and Twitter. I'm excited to see how this goes, and I'll let you know if I succeed!