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.