Morning Jog

I woke up early this morning to go for a run. After almost 2 weeks of not working out, I was starting to feel a little guilty (but not too guilty thanks to all the walking we do here!!) Since I stayed in last night to do my homework like a good little student, I decided this morning would be perfect to rise early and go for a jog. I feel safe enough in my neighborhood to be on the streets alone, so I brought my ipod and keys and just took a few laps around our block (I didn't want to stray too far in fear of getting lost!)

At home running outside is never a problem no matter where you are, but here, the streets are ALWAYS occupied with commuters and pedestrians. Literally, whether you want to run late at night, early in the morning, or to suffer in the mid-day sun, you will be running through a maze of people. I found myself having to walk a lot when I was behind older people walking to get their early cafe con leche, or if the side walk was crowded with oblivious young people walking their dogs. Luckily, the side streets are less busy.

Not to mention, jogging on the streets isn't the norm here in Barcelona. I might as well have put a giant sign on my back that said "I'm American" because people stared when I crossed the streets huffing and puffing. Since I've been here I've only seen 2 people running outside of the beach or a park, both blonde, probably not from Barcelona. Gyms here are more of a status symbol here than anything - only the wealthy join them considering they cost 70 Euro per month! One of my friends joined one, but I think I'll stick to running outside, swimming, and doing push ups and sit ups inside! :)

Just yesterday we were discussing in class how we felt about working out here. Most of the girls said they consider this a vacation, and they aren't going to worry about working out. But I enjoy working out, and for me, it feels good to be active on my vacations. Next week I plan on hiking Montserrat and on Thursday I am going to check out the lap pool used in the 1992 Olympics!