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Happy Monday / St. Patty's Day!

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Happy St. Patty's Day! Its a beautiful day to run stairs right? Riiiight? 
I mean, what else would you be doing? Apparently, you'd be flashed by a leprechaun, that's what, and probably much worse. Nobody has time to be flashed by a leprechaun. Here's a suggestion. Run stairs!

I woke up Monday with an urge to run--specifically, to do stair sprints. I wanted to run stairs to completely exhaust myself and empty the tank and finally fulfill this nagging feeling I have had. I felt like my little inner child was tugging at me saying, "can we run stairs today please? Its so nice out, and you had a rest day yesterday, can we please". No kid in their right mind would ask to run stairs, but today it seems like playing outside is more of a rare privilege than an expectation--so of course I gave in. Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day and perfect for an outdoor workout at Mt. Bonnell in Austin, TX (with a later workout at the Golds Gym downtown). If you don't want to run stairs (first of all why not?) you can just walk. Its just a short climb to the top and for those looking for a spot to chill out and watch the sunset, Mt. Bonnell is the best spot in Austin. 
Here's the starting line: 

After a quick stretch, I hit the stairs, sprinting full speed ahead, two at a time when I could. Careful though, its a bit rocky. Which I love! I absolutely love running full speed down a rocky trail...call me crazy. Ok, we're about half way there, just a few more stairs past the top curve and we're done with round 1.

We made it! Mt. Bonnell is definitely worth the climb. I burst up the stairs, already panting and breathing heavy to find couples and families soaking up the scenery and enjoying the view. I jogged around to check out the view and avoid breaking the relaxing atmosphere with my gasps for air. Here's a birds eye view of downtown Austin. 
 


One down, 7 more to go. After a few more rounds, I was more winded than I expected. Sprinting steep stairs is a killer workout. I took a few minutes to fully recover between runs, then hit the stairs again. Then finally, 1 more picture for the road. Look! I can see Russia from here! Oh, no wait that's just the 360 bridge. See it? Its the little arch just past the curve in the river.
I'll definitely be back for more stairs, but for now, some St. Patty's Day Grub and Green Beer with the girls. Looks like a heart rite? Ciao! Stay fit my friends!



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