Welcome to Week 6 Mix 1 in PodRunner's first day to 5K program.

You'll have three different workout mixes again this week.

The music on this one is pretty funky on the faster segments, with Jazzy, uptempo house

for the breaks.

And by the way, the playlist for every PodRunner mix is with the mix at podrunner.com.

Our focus today is on your running environment.

It's obvious that temperature and weather can have a big influence on your workout, and

that landmarks that get a little closer every time can act as motivators.

But it's also worth noticing the markers that remain consistent.

For instance, I like to run at a state park, and almost every time a warm-up ends, I'm

within 10 feet of the same sign, which means that my pace is really consistent because

of the music.

Both waypoints, endpoints, where you are when the cooldown starts, these things and more

can give you important information about consistency.

You also need to be safe and make sure that you can hear your environment.

The ambience or transparency setting of your earbuds should let you hear around you,

or you can use bone-conducting headphones, I really like mine.

And finally, if you run where you might brush against greenery, check your clothes,

or hat, your shoes, for ticks, because global warming has led to a huge increase in tick-borne

diseases.

My ex-wife nearly died from Rocky Mountain spotted fever, incurred by a tick bite on a trail

run.

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