"Car Less" or "Car Free"?

As you may have already read from my last post, I have jumped into the world of renting my car out using RelayRides on Friday, and am now without a car for the upcoming week!

So, how has it been going so far?

Well, it's certainly been an adventure.  For starters, my fiance is still getting used to the idea, and seems at times, a bit surprised and forgets I don't have a car this week.  On Sunday night I set my alarm an extra half hour earlier than usual, and when he asked why, I had to remind him that MARTA (oh, such a joy to ride!) is none too quick.

Nevertheless, I have to say I've found the experience more freeing than anything else.  The weather has been ideal this week, making my 4.5 mile bicycle ride (each way!) to the train station rather stress free.  I have a desk job, so it's fairly important that I'm not drenched in sweat when I arrive.

My commute time is longer now, that is true, but I have the pleasure of knowing I'm actually multitasking while I bike to the train station; I am getting from Point A to Point B, exercising, and reducing my impact on the environment!  Since running and fitness are always top of my mind, this is a significant benefit.  I even decided another way to look at what I'm getting paid is that I'm 1), covering the cost of owning my car each day it's rented out, and 2), I'm getting paid to exercise!

Looking at it like that may not be useful to everyone, but it has helped me, especially since I already make a good living.  I have a steady, full-time job in corporate America and don't actually need the extra money from renting my car out.

So, why do it?

The extra cash is great as is helping to preserve our environment, but neither of those is my driving motivation.  Mainly, I enjoy trying new things, escaping my comfort zone and finding new ways to make money.  Renting out my car is affording me all of those opportunities.

Renting on RelayRides and being Car Free is not new to me.  I experimented with ditching my car entirely for about 5 months a couple of years ago.

While living in Atlanta. 

If you've ever visited Atlanta, you know it's not what you would call a walker or biker's paradise and has some of the worst traffic in the country. In addition to that, according to a new report released by the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings Institution, Atlantans also have the longest commute in the country.




Still, this was possible for me for a few reasons:

1.  I lived within 2 miles of work
2.  I had a great support network - family that lived nearby that didn't mind giving me the occasional ride!
3.  I was in the middle of the city.

Still, I gave up the experiment after a few months and bought a new car.  At this point, I don't believe it's practical to live in Atlanta without a car, but going without for occasional stretches of time, now that, I can do. 

Starting not quite at the beginning

I've been running for about a year and a half now, and with the number of races I've done (still to be determined, but probably in the range of 20-40) ranging from 5Ks to marathons, it seems like it's time to start writing about the experiences, if only to help other people choose races. 
I love going on marathonguide.com to help pick my marathons (of which I've done three so far), but sometimes a blog is just more interesting, not to mention informative, to follow.  I can't promise to be incredibly entertaining, as I've read a fair number of witty and clever blogs.  Instead, I want this to be a place to reflect on what I've done as well as provide some feedback on my runs and races. 

Just a bit of background on myself.  I live in Atlanta, Georgia and work a demanding job (public accounting doing taxes) that has large peaks and valleys, so I expect there will be stretches during which I won't post, although as this becomes more routine, I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

I'm 25 and before a year and a half ago had never run, nor aspired to run, any sort of race in my life.  I grew up a bookworm and did not play any sports.  In fact, I've struggled with my weight most of my life, despite enjoying exercising on a fairly consistent basis.  Running has given me an outlet.  I consider myself to have somewhat of an "addictive" personality, and running has served to give me something healthy to latch onto. 

Running wise, I aspire to run a marathon in all 50 states.  How long that will take has yet to be determined.  3 down (Florida, Tennessee and California), 47 to go!  Additionally, I am exploring the world of ultramarathons, and running my first on November 3rd, which will be the Nashville Ultra Marathon of 50 Miles.

I just ran a local half marathon, the Heroes 1/2 Marathon in Hampton, GA, and will be running the Shoreline Sport & Spine's Oktoberfest Marathon in Spring Lake, MI in two weeks, so I'll provide feedback on those in the coming days and weeks.