McKinley Park, how I've missed you.

My treadmill has recently become the dreadmill for me. Although it allowed me to train for my first 5k almost 3 years ago, the magic has vanished and I'm bored. The thought of coming home and spending 45 minutes on it seemed like torture to me. But, I still love the way I feel after I finish a run, so I knew I had to change up my routine in order to keep it interesting. So I decided to head to McKinley Park this week to start running/walking outside. I almost decided not to go yesterday afternoon because I wasn't sure what the weather was going to be like, but when I got home from work and it was sunny and warm, I had no excuses.

And I am so glad I did. I had forgotten just how lovely that park really is. I felt like I was going somewhere instead of feeling like a hamster in a wheel. When certain songs came on my iPod, I got a little ahead of myself by thinking I could run faster than I really could. The burst of energy was incredible. I didn't run as much as I wanted to, but I kept reminding myself that running outside is entirely different than running on a treadmill, and I'm simply not used to it. Over time, it will become easier.

It was nice to spend some good quality time by myself. I was alone in my thoughts and enjoyed the outdoors as I listened to my workout mix. I felt like an entirely different person when I left.
I think this time is going to be so important to my sanity while we're working on this big project at work.

I'll probably go back to the treadmill when the weather isn't good (either too hot/too cold), but it's nice to have the park to use while the weather is nice.