Seriously looking at a job in Everett WA. Due to job demands, need to live close so would probably would live in either Everett or Mukilteo. How is the running, biking, and swimming in the area? Didn’t find a good running path in my few days out there. Do any exist?
If you post on the Seatri.org site they can probably answer your questions.
I worked up there (Mukilteo) for 5 years and lived for 1. There are some awesome running and mountain biking trails in the Japanese Gulch just north of the Boeing plant. Lots of hills on either side of the train tracks, just keep your ears open for the mtn bikes coming through.
Cycling is really nice once you cross I-5 to the East. Lots of LOOOOOONG stretches of roads with wide shoulders, and if you want some hills cross back over I-5 (west side) and pick a road. Or go further east to get into some Cascade foothills and the Lake Steven’s 70.3 bike course.
There is a very large training group there who have a google group you can join. You’ll have the option of probably ~4 workouts per day to train with someone and there’s a huge range of abilities.
Swimming is usually at the Y pool which they keep at ~88 deg. I ended up having to limit my swim workouts while there as they would totally waste me for the day. OW swimming is in Lake Serene which is about 1/2 mile across. There are also a few groups swimming in Martha Lake which has an underwater bouy line. Usually they meet friday nights.
All in all it’s a pretty good place to be for training.
I’m from that area as well. Go west of Everett a couple miles into the farmlands for miles and miles of pancake flat rural roads with no traffic (TT’s held here in February). All along the waterfront for many miles north/south of Everett there are tons of hills you can pick up with 1 mi or more in upper double digit grades. Go north for more farmlands. Interurban trail is a straight safe shot to Seattle from there, also from downtown Everett.
In summary, no shortage of excellent roads. If you’re willing to drive 20-30 miles to a ride start on the weekends, you can also ride in the Seattle/Issaquah/Snoqualmie valley area.
thanks to the responses so far, sounds like some good biking.
any area for the wife to run with a baby jogger? she’s a marathon runner so runs decent mileage.
As far as the wife goes, that really depends on where exactly you locate to (i.e. I need more specifics to be able to tell you). Running in neighborhoods is probably the safest. Harbour Pt Blvd in Mukilteo attracts a lot of runners/joggers (dedicated sidewalk, maybe 4-5 mi loop). If you’re in Everett… north of downtown you’re good to go, south of downtown, don’t consider it for a minute.
In Snohomish there is the Centennial Trail.
The biking is great lots of places out here.
can you bike year round? how bad are the winters? I live in NY right now and go to my trainer every winter for a few months. would love to be able to ride outdoors year round.
Winters are typically pretty mild, mostly being rainy in the low 40’s. Only snows maybe once or twice each year (never this winter), and heavy storms typically every 3-5 years. If you know how to dress for the rain, yes you can ride year round. All the local road race squads train through the winter.
I lived in the area for 20 years. Everett/Mulkilteo is really a beautiful area. Can’t speak for the swimming (Puget Sound and area lakes are COLD), but cycling and running are perfect. Go East past Interstate-5 and you’ll find plenty of nice roads to ride on. For long rides you can head up over the Cascades, but traffic can be a bit of a pain, especially in summer. Centennial trail in Snohomish is nice for running, although too busy for me to consider riding a bike. I’d stick to the roads. The drivers seem to be courteous, although there was that one truck that ran me off the road :-(. Take a ferry over to Whidbey Island for some nice riding as well.
Now for the worst part - uhm, the rain. Really it rains, … and rains … and rains :-(. Not the pouring down kind, just drizzle. From October through early May it is just awful. You hardly ever see the sun. During the winter it feels like you’re living in a cave driving to and from work in the dark due to limited daylight. I commuted to work on the bike and hated having to put on a wet cycling kit for the ride back home at the end of the day. Invest in some really good rain gear and lights for your bike.
The summers are perfect - the best anywhere I’ve seen. Lots of sunshine, warm temps, and everything is so green.
After 20 years I couldn’t take it anymore and moved to the Boulder/Fort Collins area in Colorado. Lots of sunshine and the Rocky Mountains nearby for some nice long climbs. The local racing community here is how shall I say - competitive :-).