As you may or may not know… I am going to Paris this September!! And highhh on my priority list of things to do is do a Go! Running Tour.
I did a Go! Running Tour in Barcelona Spain last October and it was totally amazing. Something about combining the heights of pleasure you experience when running with the totally unique experience of touring a new country and learning interesting tidbits made this my top memory from my trip to Spain last year. Also, for some reason, I remember the historical facts I learned on my Go! Running Tour way more distinctly than any of the other tours I took while in Spain… even though at that point I was a week into the trip and totally exhausted from traveling! The memory and the experience was SO incredible that my mind soaked in every bit of it.
As soon as I booked my France trip, I immediately checked the Go! Running Tour site to see if they offered running tours in Paris… and when I saw that they did I immediately decided that I am signing up! Sure, you can run through a new country alone and enjoy the scenery…but I loved having a guided tour.
By the way, peeps, they’re not paying me to say this and I did not receive anything free for this review… this is just a recommendation coming from the bottom of my heart!
So let me tell ya a thang or two about my Go! Running Tour in Barcelona so you’ll better understand why I am totally obsessed with this company!
Eeekkk.... writing this post is making me so excited to do another tour with them in Paris this September!
In Barcelona, I chose to do a 15 kilometer Early Bird sunrise tour which started in the center of the city and made its way to Barcelona’s coast in order to watch the sunrise on the beach. Even though the start of the tour was in the dark, I was still able to appreciate the city before anyone else was awake. My guide, Robin, and I stopped to marvel at a light post which was one of Gaudi’s earliest architecture designs or to laugh at the court square littered with empty bottles from late-night-partiers. My guide assured me that in the next 20 minutes all the litter would be swept away to reveal a perfectly spotless, beautiful Barcelona in the daylight. (He was right)
Let's talk about the guide. I was a little nervous that I would feel pressured to run his pace or fell uncomfortable asking to stop pictures.. but Robin was LOVELY. He made it clear that the tour was all about accomodating my running pace and whatever I wanted to see. It was also fun to hear his stories about local races and local runs. He is the best!
It was also fascinating running with a local because he was able to provide historical details on our route, but also information about the current political situation. I was in Barcelona during the 2017 Catalonia Rebellion, and he was able to give me his own unique insight. I also loved that he was happy to change up the route per my request - it was obvious that I cherished being near the water. Anytime I would stop to soak it in, he would happily inform me, “Oh, there’s another great spot coming up!” He was so chill, I never felt rushed, but I also trusted that every time he promised me something better was coming, that something better indeed lay ahead!
The whole experience was so unique and invigorating. I was so in love with Barcelona… I can’t even tell you! During my run, every other thought was, "I love to run," "Barcelona is beautiful," and "I am moving here!" I didn't move there...but geeze louise, it was the best experience of my life.
But somehow, the tour kept getting better, even a few days after it was over. Robin emailed a hundred pictures from his GoPro which had snapped pics of me running through the streets of Barcelona. He caught so many amazing pics of me cruising the streets like the "badass Spaniard that I am" with amazing shots of Barcelona in the background. I am now totally obsessed with GoPro cameras. How amazing that he was able to capture SO MANY candids of me!!!
The other benefit of the run was that I had a really great overview of the city. He helped me figure out the layout of the land, gave me some helpful tips about when/where to run and showed me some reallyyyy cool hidden gems, that I later dragged my bestie Jayne to see. When you’re visiting a country with so little time to see allll the things, its pretty amazing to take a guided tour over miles of the city!
My gameplan for Paris is similar. I want to do the tour earlier in the trip so I get filled in on all the coolllll spots and hidden gems that Parisian runners love. Also, that way I will have a feel for the layout, and my boyfriend and I will be able to return to check out anything I really want him to see for himself.
I cannot freaking wait to go to Paris…and I cannot freaking wait for you guys to try out a Go! Running Tour on your next vacay. From perusing their site, it looks like they offer tours throughout the world… sooo, umm, tie up yo’ laces, run all the miles, so you can eat all the foods!!!
PS- Just to reiterate - this is not a paid endorsement, those are not affiliate links... I just LOVED this experience!
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