We went September 2013 and there were very few people so the bike lanes on either side of Hwy 182 seem to be okay for running. I am a cyclist only and it seemed as if there were more runners in the bike lanes than there were cyclists, but at this time of year you should have most of that to yourself.

Anyway here are a few pictures of the bike lanes that I noted on our 2013 visit.
http://thecyclingaddiction.blogspot.com/...-shores-alabama.html

Enjoy the beach

There isn't a whole lot of variety, but it's good aerobar training time. I wouldn't worry about a pool; just swim in the ocean as it will be plenty warm.

Here's a pretty good example of what you have to look forward to ;)

This was on a road bike, so gives a good idea of how flat it is. You're missing a pretty fun triathlon by about a week unfortunately that takes place at "The Hangout" which is at the end of 59. From there you can basically go any direction you want. Where I start/stop on that particular ride is out on the Fort Morgan peninsula, which is nice but getting more crowded with traffic over time (55mph speed limit but big wide shoulder).

I am actually down here right now -- Gulf Shores area.

The pool at the Gulf Shores municipal center is actually pretty nice. It is 25 yards, but there is a lot of natural light, lanes are wide, and you will have the place to yourself. If you are up to it, you can try and swim in the Gulf, but I choose not to. It cost 5 dollars a day to use the center and they have decent weight room and track. They also have these really neat interactive stationary bicycle machine that accept spd cleats. The machines are no substitute for riding on the roads, but they are better than anything else I've seen inside a gym.


http://www.gulfshores.com/details/bodenhamer-recreation-center/12749/


The beachfront highway is perfect for running and riding. It's flat and the bike lanes are pretty wide. It is mostly blacktop and it can get very hot, but coming from a large metro area with traffic and lots of pedestrians, it is a real treat.


They are actually having a triathlon down here this coming weekend.

Thanks for the info on the pool. Looks like that will be a good place to swim and close to wherever we end up staying.

I was there about 3 weeks ago. Ran along the side of the beach road, as there is a plenty wide bike+pedestrian lane on each side for the most part. Swam at the Orange Beach aquatics center, which is $5 and you also get admission to their rec center if you need a weight room. I could have swam in the ocean the first few days as it was nice and glassy, but got choppy with some wind and there was a purple flag the whole time (for critters - likely jellyfish). Avoid swimming in the non-ocean bodies of water -- too many things named after alligators (Alligator Island, etc)!

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One thing that I observed while using the bike lanes and sharing those lanes (on either side of the hwy) was the runners running toward traffic and away from traffic was about 50 / 50. This is not enough to send me into a rant because it wasn't that big of a deal at the time. What I found interesting of the runners that looked experienced using the bike lanes I had a greater appreciation for those running toward me and most would move over enough to allow me to keep my momentum up, whereas, those running in the same direction could not hear me call out because they were wearing ear buds or simply would not move over. This forced me to go out into the traffic lanes briefly to get around them. I got honked at a few times for doing this, but I was safe enough and had plenty of distance between me and the oncoming cars, but they (the drivers) still didn't like it that I went out into the traffic lane. The runners that I had trouble getting around didn't seem to care one way or the other (probably not ST members).

For anyone that stumbles into this thread it sure would be nice if you are running in the bike lane to run toward cyclists rather than in the same direction. Again not a rant, but it sure would have been nice. :-)

Has anyone swam in the ocean lately? Going to gulf shores for family spring break the first week in April.