I have decided to cut the gym membership. I never enjoyed the feeling of being a hamster on a wheel, nor the drips of sticky sweat on machines so I have decided to ditch the smell of rubber and trainers and hit the open road:

CITY CENTRE RUNS

• For a couple of weeks I have enjoyed the Dock Road heading to Otterspool from the Baltic Fleet Pub, but your romance with this can end when you realise you're not in Baltimore and not in The Wire. The Mariner can be a great half way point for stretching, for lunges or for secretly overcoming stitches.
• If you fancy more of a rural setting with the smell of freshly cut grass and daffodils head to Sefton Park. If city centre based I find the route along Princes Avenue cutting through to Princes Park to Ullet Road.
• For the ones living closer to the Yellow Superlambana Everton Park is a lovely reward for all the uphill running (20 mins one way). Guess everyone has to work their own favourite route through the road jungle up there, but the vista is well worth it and if you take some of the parallel roads you run through quieter and unexplored neighbourhoods.
• My current favourite is along Vauxhall Road (passing the Royal Standard and Liverpool Community College) cutting through the quiet and lovely Eldonian Village, down to the canal. Continue till the canal diverts, turns left, continue along the old, but restored and forgotten locks, turn right, cross Crosby Rd, next left down to Stanley Dock where you end up on the old dock road. Crossing the old industrial bridge, passing the Victorian Clock Tower the road takes you back to the newer developments of Liverpool's city centre docks.
• The Canal is just fantastic for any run or cycle trip out to Crosby Beach. It starts right in the Eldonian Village, which you will find if you are leaving town on Vauxhall Rd and then just turn left into the Eldonian Village, after passing the little roundabout by the Liverpool Community College.