Day 3,068: Running in West Virginia

The WV Route 9 bike path stretches from Ranson to Martinsburg.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Often times when I travel, my running route is a hodge podge of running block to block until I can find a park or an open area.

But today there was a nice bike path to run on to claim my 26th state including Washington, D.C. that I have run in. And, of course, there were geocaches.

The West Virginia Route 9 bike path stretches between two towns but I was only planning on running on it for a few miles. As with many exercise paths, it's never clear how well-loved -- or deserted -- one of these paths is going to be.

But this one was nice enough to run on. First off, it seemed fairly flat. You could hear cars whizz by, since the path parallels the state highway and there is only a thin wire fence (not the kind that is designed to wrap around cars in an accident and prevent them from going into other lanes) that separates you.

Yet in the morning, the road wasn't really that busy. I passed a few people out walking and one runner on the way back.

At a few spots historical signs detail what used to be standing nearby. The entire area was pretty beautiful and reminded me of last year's trip to the Belgian countryside, especially with this orange flower on the side of the path that resembled the poppies that grow wild in Europe.

I decided to run my usual four miles and because I was traveling, I dusted off my Skechers Go Run 3 shoes that I retired in April after I felt knee pain running with them. They are so light and are great for throwing into luggage. The shoes performed admirably in three outings -- one here and two in Virginia.

Time: 7:15 a.m.
Temp: 50 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short, shorts, Skechers Go Run 3.