Running Routes: Stop Lights and Crossing Streets

I do pretty much what everyone else has already said...dance around, jog in place. However, when I see the light and know I need to cross the interstection, sometimes I slow down my pace just a bit to time the light when it turns green in the direction I am going. Overall, it won't change your pace since you are not stopping and waiting. This way you keep your momentum, albeit, slower, but you can still time it with the flow of traffic. Just WATCH all around you. There's always someone out there making a quick turn. I've had a few close calls myself but it's the nature of running in the grand outdoors! Enjoy and be safe.

if you get to a busy intersection, and don't want to wait, you can always turn.  if its a busy road with many intersections you'll come across, each time you get to a light, cross the street, going with traffic.  you'll keep running, and you'll add some slight distance instead of just dead time.  with luck, by the time you cross the street, the light'll be ready to change.  and at the next light, you can cross back.

 conversely, instead of crossing the street, you can turn down the road you're on, and hope to have better luck on the next intersection, or cross when there's a sizeable break (ie that road gets the red light)

 but hte best advice might be to modify the route from the get-go to avoid crossing major intersections.  you might be able to do this just by running a block or two off from where you are now, depending on your area. or in a different direction. 

 ...

at my old apartment, no matter how far i wanted to run, i always had to cross a major highway within a half mile to get anywhere, and again to get back.  with no recourse, i typically would just hope for good timing, or, failing that, i would wait out the light by stretching my chronically tight quads or calves.  
however, once that street was out of the way, i had nothing but suburbia in front of me, and typically avoided the busier intersections, or at least crossing the busier sides of the intersections. 

if that can work for you, try running with the major flow of traffic, instead of across it. 

It's rather unfair to say that "Maybe you need to run harder". There is no reason to imply that someone is lazy just because they're not dead tired at all times while running. Personally, I do all of my speed work and hill intervals on a treadmill. Makes it easier to control the workout (Ensuring that I don't get lazy!), and of course reduces the chances of injury by making sure that I don't have to repeatedly go down the same hill I just powered up.

 This leaves my long runs and recovery runs for outdoors. The point of these is to keep your heart rate lower, so if I feel a need for a rest when I do hit a light, it's only a sign that I'm running too hard.

Whenever I see a red light ahead of me, I just turn.  If the light is green and it's where I want to go, fine. If not, I just turn.  I generally know my pace so it's no big deal if I don't run the exact route I plan.  This is in Cincinnati, though, where there isn't as much traffic as other much larger cities.

gcclarke:

It's rather unfair to say that "Maybe you need to run harder". There is no reason to imply that someone is lazy just because they're not dead tired at all times while running. Personally, I do all of my speed work and hill intervals on a treadmill. Makes it easier to control the workout (Ensuring that I don't get lazy!), and of course reduces the chances of injury by making sure that I don't have to repeatedly go down the same hill I just powered up.

This leaves my long runs and recovery runs for outdoors. The point of these is to keep your heart rate lower, so if I feel a need for a rest when I do hit a light, it's only a sign that I'm running too hard.

 Thanks everybody for writing, and I agree mostly with gcclarke, i do most of my long runs outside so my speed workouts aren't interrupted.

I think the key is to be aware of your surroundings. If you notice that you can cross with green in the direction you are headed, then pick it up before it changes or alternatively drop the pace if the lights are right.

However even when the lights aren't green in my direction, I always keep my eyes open towards the travelling cars. They never tend to follow each other that tight so I just slip through by picking up the speed a bit.

 Last option would be to start earlier in the morning! Less cars, the air is better and there's less excuses to be lazy.