A new reason to go outside

Its been a while since my last entry but I am in a very good mood today. It's the end of October and the weather is finally changing. LMT outdoors is supposed to make people want to go outside. Well now is your chance. Some people may take the sun not shinning as a very gloomy day, but not me. We had enough sun in the summer and the sun and I need a break from each other. I thought I could take the heat and enjoy my runs while the sun beat me down but I got weak. I tried to fight at no avail. My butt stayed inside and worked out by doing "Insanity," the craziest workout I've ever done. It works! Anyway back to going outside. I think I'm going to dust my bicycle and start riding again. This time not only just for exercise but also to take some nice photos of the city changing. The city has expanded so much the past few months and now the leaves are beginning to fall as well. Great photo ops! Also, Halloween is around the corner and that costume has to fit. Thats another reason to get your behind outside. It wouldn't hurt to sweat a little to make it fit just right. Even if its not for exercise, enjoy the lovely weather in the park. Walk with friends, family, significant others, lovers who cares. Just go outside and enjoy the wonderful weather everyone is chatting about on facebook. I know I am. See ya!

Too Hot!

Well I know it's been incredibly hot outdoors and even I've been a little discouraged to venture out and do my normal routine of relaxing or exercising while basking in the sun. The extreme temperatures have led me to just wait it out a bit and then continue with my outdoor adventures. For now I joined a softball team and we practice twice a week at the perfect time when its still light out but not extremely hot, 6:30 p.m. On other days I'm running in North Central Park, it clears my head and keeps me in shape.

Outdoors on Vacation

I recently vacationed to three different states; California, Nevada, and Utah. Each offered me different outdoor experiences. For the first part of my vacation I was in Los Angeles and spent most of my time around the beaches. In Redondo, Hermosa, Venice, and the Santa Monica Pier I walked and walked for hours taking in the scenery and getting an appetite. Delicious food! My next stop was Las Vegas, well its safe to say I did some more walking up and down the strip and in the shops. I didn't know vacations could be so tiring but it was nice. My boyfriend and I did hide in the hotels for a little bit to gamble but we'd rather take in the weather, scenery, and smells of the outdoors. After Vegas we drove to St. George and you would think I'd be tired of walking well I was so I went for a run. This town is so small and beautiful I did my usual 3-mile run and viewed some of the best parts of the town in less than half an hour. I can say that is one of my favorite runs ever because it was scenery I had never seen before and I ran up and down hills next to beautiful red rock. Definetly an unforgetable experience.

Summer Days

I love the summer. So far I've kept busy going to the lake for instance this last weekend I spent it with my family and friends playing softball, getting our feet wet, and enjoying some good quality time together. I saw so many people doing the same which is great. They were swimming, cooking some food, and just enjoying the really hot day. According to a friend he said a solar flare exploded or something so it was extra hot that day. That didn't stop my friends and I from leaving the nicely airconditioned homes we live in. Now I really don't like swimming at the lake because I personally don't trust it. So after we were kicked out my friends and I went over to a friends house to enjoy a nice dip in the pool. Thats whats so great about the summer the weather lets me enjoy what I like best; water. I love being around water especially lakes and rivers for several reasons; they keep you cool in the summer, make for nice photo opps, and they are great sources for exercise when swimming or kayaking. I guarantee I will not be bored this summer. I make it a point to get outside and stay active. I believe I haven't watched TV in a while. I'm not too fond of the winter or cooler months of the year so as soon as it gets warm I'm off my hibernation mode and go outside as much as possible. When I'm at work I can't wait to get off and go for a run. My tan is looking great!

Running Outside is Free

As much as I love riding my bike in all parts of the city I love to run too. I enjoy running in several different roads, trails, and tracks because I am actually going somewhere. In the gym I'd have to pay to run on a treadmill that wouldn't take me anywhere and its boring. My favorite place to run is the North Central Park because it is the biggest trails Laredo has to offer. I go around twice making it an estimated 5.4 miles. One of my best investments was my Nike+ on my Itouch because it lets me know the distance, pace, time, while listening to my workout play list. That trail offers a beautiful scenery with trees, natural streams, and man made ponds and at times the different wildlife pops out of the brush. The trail allows me one of the best workouts because it has hills and then allows me a more relaxing run with the long stretches of flat surface. Another great thing about that trail is that it is broken into different smaller trails and when I don't feel to enthusiastic about running I like to walk around some of them. Sometimes I feel like I'm not even in Laredo.

Welcome to the Outdoors

Hello my name is Lorraine and I enjoy the great outdoors every chance I get. After the busy week at work my weekends are usually spent outside riding my bicycle around different parts of the city. You would not believe how different the city looks and the things you notice when you cruise slower on a relaxing bike ride compared to driving fast in your car. My boyfriend and I bike ride together along with my little furry companion Mr. Ferguson an 11 year old Pekingese on a basket attached to the front of my bike. He enjoys being outdoors just as much as I do. We have explored many parks, subdivisions, and bike routes and by far riding through the Heights area was the hardest because of the many hills we encountered. It is fun when you get to the top of the hill and ride down real fast but we usually ride those hills for a great workout. For a more relaxing ride we like to start at Del Mar C because it offers a peaceful ride without much traffic. Then we make our way to Jacamen Road to reach the longest bike route in Laredo on Loop 20. It is best to ride during the day because it gets so dark in that area. Once on the Loop 20 bike route we ride to Del Mar Boulevard slowly making our way to the Starbucks for a little refreshment then back to Del Mar C. The estimated time is about 3 hours but you don't even feel it because it is such a pleasant experience.

Lakeside Activities

As the heat rises each day the amount of people partaking in any outdoor activities during the day lessens. Some times it is good to wait until the evening but some lighting is necessary for most of my outdoor activities. I'm very optomistic about the heat because I choose to make my way to the water. The perfect place in Laredo is the Casa Blanca Lake International State Park. The park allows me a nice day of fishing while getting my feet wet. So many times I don't catch anything but just being in the water cools me off along with my little furry companion Mr. Ferguson. Of course that is not all I do at the lake. I like to take my 45 minute jog around the lake to get the heart pumping and exercise next to some beautiful scenery. Now I'm not a big swimmer in that lake but I love to float on a tube and just sit there and relax while I catch some very necessary rays after such a long winter that left my skin white as snow. There really isn't anything better than to relax on a tube in the water after an awesome run that made me sweat like a pig in a blanket. The lake is one of my favorite places to go with my family and friends for recreational fun.