where have all the runners gone?

my hometown is officially the worst running town ever. i just spent the last hour and a half driving around to various parks and "trails" only to be sorely dissapointed by their conditions or their level of safety. even my old high school track ended up being a bust as there was some game going on rendering the track occupied. i even drove a ways to the community college track only to find it so deserted on a saturday i felt too afraid to be out there myself.

i guess i was just spoiled. living in dc afforded me plenty of trail options within walking distance from my house, office, and metro. tomorrow i'm driving up to sacramento where there seems to be more of a gold mine of running hot spots. at some point today i'm making it to the running store in the next town over from me. i'm sure they MUST have the inside scoop. sometimes word of mouht is a much better resource than the internet, which shows no local running groups in a 10 mile radius of my town.

but i'm determined to find something. i'm not content to just run on the treadmill at home or the gym or on the streets of my neighborhood. i will find a trail, a running space to call home.
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UPDATE!
the local fleet feet ended up being a great resource! got flyers for their half marathon training program and a 10K in february. they also pointed me in the direction of a park with lots of trails. i checked it out on the way home and it looks promising. they also have groups that run every night of the week, though there are only 2 that are geared for me. but i think i might have to check them out at some point. though it's always intimidating because everyone that worked at the store was like 1% body fat.

i know i sound really angsty lately but i'm in a HUGE adjustment period and i always find change painful. even when it is welcome.