Treadmill, elliptical, weights, abs....all of these were typical of my trips to the gym at home. I have always loved working out but normally I shy away from long grueling runs up and down hills in the heat or cold of the Indiana weather outside and head for the gym whether at school or at home. Here the price tag on a gym membership was out of the question and I at first timidly pondered the idea of picking up my running shoes and exploring the city on a jog. After a couple weeks of bocadillos and tapas I needed no more convinced it was time to hit the pavement. I ran to wherever looked interesting or picked a building in the distance that I wanted to see up close and ran there, really wherever my twist and turns took me. The first few times I found myself in areas I had never seen or visited before and maybe took an hour to find my way back home but it became not only a great form of exercise but also a great way to explore the city and my surroundings. Finally one day I decided to check out the accommodations for running on the beach and after a short fifteen minute jog had reached the beach and discovered an entirely new expanse for my new hobby. A wide expanse hugged the coastline dotted with pedestrians, bikers, roller-bladers and allowed for running by restaurants, clubs, cafes and best of all miles and miles of the vast blue Mediterranean.
I could officially say I was hooked. It is hard for me to tell if this hobby will continue when I return to the states but I know that it is something I have explicitly enjoyed during my time in Barcelona. My thoughts and mind sort of tunes out as I listen to the playlists on my Ipod and soak in the views, maybe I am a runner at heart and just had yet to find the perfect place to let loose. All I know is that I hope I continue this new hobby and have already signed up for a half marathon in Chicago at the end of the summer....let the training begin!
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