I'm a runner, and I would be very reluctant to run on Old Oregon Trail. The shoulder is narrow and I bet people speed like crazy on that road. You would be amazed how close people come to you. It's like they don't want to cross the yellow line. Better to stay on the less used roads, and I bet people give more room without the center line, as well. The dust on those dirt roads can really suck, though, when a car goes by, but I expect they get far less traffic than Old Oregon Trail. I'd rather choke on a little dust now and again than accept the much higher risk of getting picked off by someone not paying attention. It's just not a good feeling to have cars whizzing by at 50 mph just a foot or two away from you.
If I lived where Sherri does, I could easily see myself running to the end of Sunrise Drive and then turning around, though, if that is what it took to get a run length I was happy with.
When training for a 5k, most people are going to want to run 5k, which is 3.1 miles. There is a nice loop she can do from her house, but it's about 2.2 miles. A run to the end of Sunrise Drive and back adds about 1.1 miles. So I could see it.
I tend to think the phone was found right on the corner. The evidence 500 feet up Old Oregon Trail might have been a red herring. It could also have been thrown there, of course.
I also think it is highly unlikely she ran for hours. If the sitings are credible, she could have walked to pick up her mail, or gone for a second run. One 5k run in the morning, and one in the afternoon. I've never done that, but it's not out of the question. I think it's more likely that one or more of the sitings is not credible, though. It's quite common.
The husband seems to discount the later sitings, because he said his best guess is she went jogging around 11:00, based on what his neighbors said.