Excuse Me, Where is the Little Girl’s Room?

This is somewhat embarrassing, but last week I found myself in an unusual situation. I was only about a mile and a half into my run when I realized I needed to go to the restroom. This is only the second or third time this has happened to me, so I’m not sure if I drank too much water that day or what. However, I found myself in this conundrum and decided I had the following options. I could either:

a. Find a tree or a bush
b. Knock on a strangers door
c. Keep running until I found a pubic restroom

I realize that public exposure is illegal, so I ruled that option out first. Plus you always run the risk of getting some weird rash or bug bite. The second option seemed feasible until I realized that having a random black girl knocking on their front door would freak out most people. So, that left me with option c. As I kept running to find a restroom, I started changing my route expecting to find a gas station, fast food place, etc. just around the corner. The longer I ran, the more my bladder started taunting me, “Hehe Ashley, you’ll never find a restroom.”

Now that my runs are getting longer (6-8miles) and I’m running for at least an hour, it’s more important for me to plan my runs instead of just winging it.

Here are a few resources to help you plan out your runs

1. Mapmyrun.com, Run.com, walkjogrun.com– I’ve blogged about these sites before, but I wanted to re-emphasize how easy they make it to map a route and leave markers such as restroom, mile markers, etc. Lastly, maymyrun.com and run.com can be synched to your iPod.
2. Sitorsquat.com – This idea was genius! The site shows you where public restrooms are located according to your location. They also have an application for your iPhone and iPod touch.
3. Public park websites– I realize that many cities have excellent public park systems with running trails, rest room, etc. Check the park department’s website to find a map of the park that outlines restrooms, pavilions, concessions, etc.

Also in Black Girls RUN!