Country roads, take me home

I went to college and law school at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. I moved there in 1996 and lived there until 2002. My parents live there now, and after 9 years of living elsewhere, I wonder every time I visit when it will stop feeling like home.

Woodburn Hall, the centerpiece of WVU's downtown campus.
I really didn't run in college. I was a crazy gym rat and worked out almost every day. I would walk miles on the track on campus and on the trail by the river. But running wasn't really my thing. I even walked a few 5Ks in college (one in 33 minutes...that's some fast walking.)

Now that I've been running for nearly six years, I love to run while visiting my parents. Morgantown has so many great places to run - on campus, downtown, on the rail trail along the river. If you're up for challenges, Morgantown's hilly terrain provides lots of them. There have been times where I've gotten to the top of a hill and have to just stand there gasping for breath. It's awesome.

Yes - hills like this on North High Street in downtown Morgantown.
In terms of place, Morgantown is a fantastic small city. It's won many accolades including Forbes' top ten places for business and careers (2010) and one of Budget Travel's top eight college towns (2010) to name a few. (You can look at a more comprehensive list of awards on the city's website.)

Morgantown does a great job of leveraging its anchor institution - WVU. WVU and the city are interchangeable. Downtown Morgantown is effectively an extension of campus with bars, restaurants and shops.  The amount of growth in the city is staggering. Every time I go home (every few months or so) there is a new apartment complex, new restaurant or new shop. The city seems to be bursting at the seams while still maintaining the feel of an intimate small town.

College GameDay visits WVU. Thousands of fans crowd the Mountainlair Plaza
The scenery in Morgantown is second to none with Mountains, the river and a gorgeous campus to tie it all together. Coopers Rock State Forest is just a few miles away, and the views there are just outstanding (particularly in the fall). 

With our Golden Retriever, Murphy, at Coopers Rock
WVU is divided into several campuses, and a monorail (the PRT) connects the campus. The PRT is an old school public transportation system, but it's critical to get students to the various campuses.  


The PRT
I'm so proud to consider Morgantown my hometown, and I wish there were more running races to do there. Every time we go home I scour websites for a race, and I'm frequently disappointed. Until I find one that meets my schedule I'll continue my favorite runs along the river near my parents' home and on the hills of the Evansdale campus.


Plus I'm going to have to burn off the French fries from my favorite restaurant, The Boston Beanery. Who says you can't go home?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some Reasons Why Diet Culture is Garbage: I Poop a Lot and I'm Always Hungry

Image
It was the spring of 1996, and my mom and I were at the mall shopping for my senior prom dress. I had decided I was only going to eat 500 calories a day over the weekend. It was track season, so I couldn't starve myself on practice and meet days, but in my mind it seemed perfectly logical to basically starve my healthy, 17-year-old body on less physical days. I was in the fitting room trying on dresses, and I heard the sales person say to my mom, "Your daughter is so tiny!" I was light headed and nauseous from not eating, but that overheard compliment made me feel like it was all worth it.  Senior Prom 1996 I've struggled with my body image since I was a pre-teen, and in the 30+ years that have passed it's still something with which I struggle daily. I spent years punishing my body so I wouldn't gain weight: eating very few calories and working out for hours, purging, taking laxatives, only drinking alcohol until I threw up so I wouldn't gain weight. It...
Read more

Here's a Shortcut: Do the Work.

Image
I have a confession to make: I don't think I'm my best self right now. I've been thinking a lot about being my best self overall (including fitness which is a huge thing for me), and I've come to a simple, unalienable truth: there is no shortcut. To be the best version of yourself (whatever that means) you have to do the work. I'm not the same version of myself at 46 as I was at 26. (Man could I give that girl some good advice though.) I spend a lot of time reflecting on who I am and who I want to be. While doing the work all the time seems daunting on its surface, it's not. It doesn't mean life has to be a grind 24/7, but it does mean that there is effort in whatever is important to you (which of course is unique to each of us). Where am I willing to do the work to be the best version of me? Fitness. I love exercise. My husband says I'm "obsessed", and I retort that there are way worse obsessions. While I'm logging way fewer miles than I ...
Read more

Why Do I Talk About my "Stuff"?

Image
A few months ago a friend told me someone we knew was venting that I share too much about myself in my blog and on social media. She said (I'm paraphrasing) something like "We all go through stuff. There's no need to share it." At first I was irritated until I realized this person has zero impact on my life. And it's true: we are all going through things. But since then I've been thinking a lot about why I am so candid about things in my life (in particular my struggle with Crohn's Disease).  I was 19 when I got sick. It was so embarrassing. No college girl wants to tell people they're dealing with bloody diarrhea and nausea and horrible cramps. That's the thing about a chronic illness: it's easy to feel like you don't have anyone to lean on. I had my colon removed 5 weeks before I started law school (the delightful adventure chronicled in this blog ). I began law school having lost 30 pounds in less than a month, with steroids puffing up m...
Read more