In my neighborhood in Santa Monica, they’re replacing a lot of concrete sidewalks with sidewalks made from recycled tires–they’re super springy when you walk on them!

I personally prefer sidewalks and the physical safety they offer, BUT, if you are an avid runner you will know that the material used to pave sidewalks is much harder and denser than that used to pave streets. So over time, if you put in too many miles on sidewalks you put yourself at more risk of stress fractures and injuries.

Again, I prefer to take this risk over getting smashed by a car in one fell swoop, but this is the reason that a lot of people run in the street and not on the sidewalk!

In the case of the jogger I featured here, he was streetbound all the way. He came trotting in full mindless entitlement south on Van Ness — in the street. Made a right onto 4th — in the street. Then proceeded westward on 4th as shown — in the street. When I was a couple blocks past him I turned to look behind and there he was still — in the street. He might still be there now.

And just a general postscript: The disasterous degenerative toll that running takes on a body — with or without the factor of craptastic sidewalks is WHY I RIDE A BIKE.

90% of the time, I’ll run on the sidewalk if it’s available.

When I run in the street (when there’s a sidewalk available), I do so because the conditions of the sidewalk are not good for running. Broken pavement, sprinklers flooding the sidewalk, or no “buffer” between the sidewalk and the street (i.e. the sidewalk is right up against the curb, which is annoying when you hit a lot of driveways, causing an uneven up and down when you cross each driveway)… it may not seem like much when you’re only walking a block or two, but when you’re running 6 or 7 miles, bad sidewalks takes their toll.

THAT SAID, I’m always mindful of traffic around me, and I’d usually be facing traffic, and sticking closer to the sides of the street. This guy should probably be running closer to the cars; I doubt he’s running so fast that he couldn’t react should someone open their door in front of him.