You shouldn't put a price on safety

My 'new life' has brought with it a need for frugality, which has extended to my running. I wanted to take part in a 20k race in my town over Labor Day weekend, but the $45 entry fee plus $10 in service fees stopped me short. It was the first time money has kept me from an event I wanted to try. So, what's a frugal runner to do but wait until the race has ended and run the course solo minus the water stations, split times, and requisite race tech tee and goodie bag. It also gave me the opportunity to trim the distance to a little over 15k, which fit better with my training plan.

In the end, I'm left wishing I had paid my fee and participated in the race. I'm sure the course would have felt safe under the auspices of the race and the company of fellow participants. By myself, I worried for my personal safety as I run under a highway overpass where homeless men were sleeping and no other pedestrians or cars were in sight.

I guess the moral of my experience is that you shouldn't let money get in the way of safe and enjoyable running. I'm thankful, however, that I still got 10 miles in. I just won't repeat this route solo again! (The one positive is that I ran faster than I otherwise would have because I wanted to get out of the unsafe areas as quickly as possible.)