Urban or Suburban?

I have to ask, what is your preference, “Urban or suburban?”.

I moved out of the city in June to be near my family after the arrival of my first child. All-in-all, it was a great decision. Grandmothers, parents and sister-in-law, all here to help out with my wife’s extended leave of absence to take care of our daughter, Amelia.

Running-wise, the conditions are ideal. Especially for our local network of well-lit and perfectly maintained walking/cycling paths.

However after a couple of months in, I find myself longing for the subtly-more-exciting streets of Stockholm. Yet I feel a bit guilty; Here in Åkersberga I’m on the edge of a vast wilderness. Kilometer upon kilometer of rolling trails, fresh air and no one to see or get in the way.

The problem is, I miss the city.  I miss the nightly stories I used to put together with all the sights I took in on my nightly runs. Be it a crazy panhandler, a rowdy group of party-ers, or simply the company of fellow runners, I just miss the aspects of the city which made the time fly by and the excuses to leave the earbuds out so I might hear what’s going on as I passed by.

Now, I get fresh air without automobiles. I get kilometer after kilometer of wilderness; Trees, horses and the occasional fox, deer or moose. So why does it sound like I’m complaining? I shouldn’t be. Life out here is billed as cleaner.

Stockholm Urban

Still, I long for my city runs. 24km of woods is a bore compared to the same through the heart of congestion, potential trouble and wear on the knees.

This is where I live and I’ll be happy here regardless, but I just thought I’d see if I was alone in my city running preferences.

Åkersberga Rural

Tomorrow’s run… A trip into the city for a lovely 25km jaunt around what I miss so much.