Still better than a treadmill. 🐹
The snowmelt system in downtown Holland is a closed-circuit network that pipes water from the power plant under the streets and sidewalks downtown.
More than 690,000 square feet are heated naturally with water that continuously cools the power plant, and then travels under the pavement downtown to distribute heat to surfaces, and back again.
What’s great about this is that we all get a safe place to run and walk without ice or snow, and there’s no need for salt or other substances to go onto the ground. Just good old fashioned H2O (and the water is recycled, further cutting down on resources to operate the system).
Now, the snowmelt gets boring if you want to run more than 6 or 7 miles, but, in my opinion, it’s still way better than running on a treadmill. Some people don’t mind treadmills, but I am not one of those people.
If you haven’t checked out the snowmelt system before, here’s a link to the city website that gives a detailed map on where you can expect to find toasty sidewalks free from ice and snow.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the snowmelt may not fully melt ice and snow when the temperature and windchills are very low like they have been this week. I went out for a run yesterday (please consult a sane person who is qualified to give run advice before going outside when it’s this cold!) and I’ll share some pics of what it looked like, but overall, it was still more fun than being inside and much safer than running in my neighborhood.
(8th Street was the best because it was the most shielded from the wind, so just a pro tip for you: stay on 8th St when the weather is really gnarly.)
Adventure Briggs 
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