Gym Ninja did. She'd planned to get up early and do her first outdoor run in ages. Well, it is now officially Spring. It'd be rude not to.
So, after breakfast had digested and emails been sent, Gym Ninja donned her black running gear, a cap, plus new lightweight waterproof jacket, plugged in her iPhone and off she went. She was heading to the promenade which is 5 minutes away from her home.
WHAT a gloriously sunny spring day! Gym Ninja had set off for her run with an undercurrent of bad mood, however, as she ran she could feel her mood beginning to lift. Remarkable what exercise does for you mentally, not just physically.
The promenade wasn't too busy. The usual mixture of people fishing in the River, a fair few people walking their dogs (which actually involves them strolling along whilst their over-excitable dogs cannonball from one jogger to the next, yapping and bounding up to them), couples out for a leisurely walk, cyclists pedalling everywhere except the designated cycle lane, oh and a few joggers like Gym Ninja.
As Gym Ninja was running, she decided to start looking for suitable areas to train future clients. The promenade would be a good place, especially for cardio sessions. There was also a nearby local park that sat on the Promenade, so Gym Ninja detoured into it. How exciting! Gym Ninja hadn't been in this park since she was 8 years old. After all, Gym Ninja is neither 14 years old with a penchance for cider NOR a parent/dog owner, so why else would she need to go to the park?
My my, is this how parks are nowadays? It was SO pretty and SO clean! Admittedly it had looked bigger when she last went, aged 8, but then everything looked bigger aged 8 (especially Creme Eggs!). There were a few grassy areas GN could do circuit style exercises on, plus some steep hills to send her clients up. Oh, and most importantly, it was beautiful..
Isn't that pretty?
Yes, that IS a bandstand and no, it has NO graffiti!
After exploring the park, Gym Ninja headed for the exit gate, only to notice a strategically parked Ice Cream Van. Hmm, maybe bringing clients here wasn't such a good idea? No point working them hard if they then go and stuff a 99 down their throat! As GN jogged back out, she narrowly missed
a huge dog emptying it's bowels on the road. It's owner was dashing over, plastic bag in hand, ready to clean up. Not fast enough though! Gym Ninja got assaulted nasally by the smell! Yuk!
On and on Gym Ninja jogged, admiring the view, and feeling as if she could have continued running forever (if only she had the time). The River looked beautiful with the sun shining down...
Eventually, Gym Ninja turned and headed back home. Checking her watch, she'd been out running for 55 minutes and it really didn't feel that long. So, still full of energy, Gym Ninja ran to the shed, took out the lawn mower and decided that today was the day the grass got cut (much to the relief of the neighbours no doubt).
You know when you are just tooooooo busy to sort the gardens out, yet you live next to the world's most dedicated gardeners? That's Gym Ninja's life. The thing with gardening is that you can't just 'plant & go'. This is the mistake Gym Ninja makes. Stuff gets planted, and then it wants a fuss. Plus, Gym Ninja has a cat who enjoys using pot plants as toilets, so there is something off-putting about that. That, and next door's love of stone garden ornaments. A stone hedgehog, rabbit and...the worst of the lot...a stone gnome! These tacky creatures take pride of place in the front garden of next door. Plus, as you have to go past next door in order to reach Gym Ninja's house, a quick glance up the driveway and people MAY suppose the tacky objects are actually in Gym Ninja's garden!
PUT THEM IN THE BACK GARDEN!
Why though? Why? What makes someone want stone animals? To pretend Medusa visited one day and a rabbit and hedgehog accidentally met her gaze...?
Anyhow, GN is now rambling waaaaay off topic, so had best wind up today's blog.
Hope you also had a great fit start to the Spring? Bring on the snow next week (apparently) eh? ;-)
Gym Ninja x
