The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and teens were making out in the park. Everyone was enjoying the Brady Bunch sunshine kind of day!

I have been feeling really congested lately with a deep old man’s cough. But- it was a beauty day and my friend just told me about an amazing run he just had so, I wanted to go for a run too. I decided that the first outdoor run of the season is always going to be a slower paced run. I was about to deal with wind, hills, air quality, and saying “Hi” and giving a genuine smile to my running friends as we pass each other. I was expecting to run a pace of 5:45/km at the absolute slowest. I figured a good playlist for this run should be an easy-going one that is filled with old classics.

I was really excited to do this run because I bought one of those Amphipod belt water bottle holders and was excited to use it. But- I literally ran for 3 seconds and it kept jumping up and down because I didn’t make it tight enough. It started to really bother me so I ran back to my house, threw it inside, grabbed my klean kanteen and ran out the door again. I will have to adjust the size and let you know how I feel about it another day. But- I felt lighter when I went out for my run again and I was ready to just run. I found myself starting to get to the hills and wondering how far I had gone and what my pace was like instead of just enjoying my run in the sun. Unfortunately, my hacking cough came back 2.5km into my run. I wasn’t going to let that stop me so I looked over and saw teens making out on a hill and that distracted my mind for a while! Especially when they got awkward when they saw me running by. Oh, to be young again!

As I kept running through the phlegm I came across some dogs. Now as much as dogs can be fun- I don’t want them to chase me because they think I am playing with them. So, I start to run the pace of the runner in front of me until they pass the dog. This way I can see if the dog is going to bite the runner in front of me and if I will be OK to run past the dog. Yep- that is selfish but also smart for my well being. ha! This could also be a factor to why my running pace isn’t as fast when I do my first outdoor run! But- that’s OK, it means I won’t loose a limb!

The rest of the run was great! I was running against the wind for awhile but it was nice to have fresh air. When I ran in my last kilometer (all uphill) I was still feeling great. Until I stopped, stretched, and coughed it out. Not attractive. haha!

Cool Down/Stretching:
Don’t Stop Believin’- Glee Cast
You Can’t Always Get What You Want- Glee Cast

And then I picked up a golf club and hit a few practice balls in my backyard. Golf is a new sport I decided to take up. I always wanted to learn how to play so I decided, why not make this the year I actually do it! It’s a great cross-trainer and I’m actually having a lot of fun learning the new sport!

Stats of the Run:
Distance: 9 km
Pace: 5:15 min/km
Calories: 389