Photo by Jessica Stewart / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

Holli Wright and her grandmother Carolyn Sipe walk Tuesday afternoon at the Mark Young Dahl Urban Conservation Area. Mrs. Sipe says she walks outside everyday when the weather's nice or on her treadmill at home.

For Russell Book, athletics and activities director at Lafayette High School, there’s nothing better than walking laps on the school’s track, the grass cut nicely, the air beginning to warm.

There’s nothing better, except maybe that it’s free.

“The public is welcome to walk and run on the track,” he says.

This winter, you’ve had no end of excuses about why you can’t work out.

It’s too cold. There’s too much snow. You can’t afford a gym membership. You lost your power. There’s too much snow. There’s too much snow. There’s too much snow.

But the weather’s better now, and with those warm temps come the perfect cure to your workout excuses — the free outdoors.

Like Lafayette’s track, Benton and Central high schools’ tracks also are open to the public. Four laps equal a mile. The only restrictions: “We strongly discourage bringing pets,” says Mike Ziesel, athletics and activities coordinator for Benton. Also, he says, the school’s sports take precedence over use of the field. And, Mr. Book adds, you can’t bring bikes or roller blades.

But the walk is free, and Mr. Book says, it’s pretty safe.

“There’s always somebody pretty darn close by,” he says, whether it’s kids playing on the baseball field or teams practicing.

If you’d rather get away a bit more, St. Joseph’s Parkway system has 26 miles for walking, running, biking, hiking, skating and anything else to get you moving.

Many parts of the Parkway have stretching and training stations to help you get a full body workout. Each routine takes about 10 minutes.

“... It’s something a 5-year-old could do as well as an 85-year-old could do,” says Mike Halloran, senior recreation supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department. “And it’s appropriate for everybody in between.”

Hiking and biking along the Riverwalk also is popular, Mr. Halloran says, offering a break from traffic and a view of the river and bluffs nearby. For safety, he recommends walking with a partner and walking before dusk. For more information on all the parks in the area, go to http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/parks/facilities.cfm.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Mark Youngdahl Urban Conservation Area on 36th Street has three loop hiking trails, and two of them are disabled accessible. Unlike walking around a track or through popular neighborhoods, the Youngdahl trail has the advantage of offering a little country in the middle of the city.

“It gives you a feeling of being out in the country, out of the city ...,” says Debbie Kundiff, who works in public service with the MDC. “You get to see wildlife.”

In fact, according to its Web site, Youngdahl has a two-acre marsh, small wildlife watering holes, wildflower meadows, prairie grasses and the occasional peek at white-tailed deer, foxes, raccoons, rabbits and bobwhite quail.

Another trail that gets you off the beaten track winds through Missouri Western State University. There, starting in the parking lot of the Baker Family Fitness Center, a 2.2-mile walking trail begins. There’s also the school’s track, where four laps equal a mile, and a frisbee golf course if you’re not into traditional walking.

If you really don’t want to be outside, you can join the legions of mall walkers who pace around and around East Hills Shopping Center.

But that’s inside, and there’s a whole world that’s starting to wake up outside, with miles for walking, running, biking and breathing fresh air, and, hopefully, no more snow.