Was updating my running log yesterday and noticed that my total mileage for the year was 991. It was June 29th. I had plans to do some trail work today but figured I could fit in a 9 mile run and finish out the first half of the year with a nice round 1000 miles.
As some of you may remember, it was a big deal for me to finish 2011 with 1000 miles (and I squeaked that in at the end of December). Last year I developed a stress fracture of my right fibula in February, which went undiagnosed for 7 weeks (I am stubborn) and sidelined me for almost the first half of the year. It took me most of the summer to get back into running shape.
Due to the time off early in the year I went into the winter ready to run and racked up a lot of miles in the first few months. I have fallen off a bit since then. This is mostly due to changes in my job which have me commuting across the bridge to Superior to work. Which means "Thursday's are for Running to Work" have gone by the wayside. My work load has also increased due to lack of staffing, hence the job site move. This leads to some long days and a tired worker with less energy for outside pursuits. If you know of any RN's looking for work in the Duluth/Superior area send them here: http://www.lschc.org/employment.htm.
The recent flooding has impacted the trails and led to a few more road runs then I would normally do at this time of year. Today's trail work was focused on clearing downed trees off the course we will be using for the Half Voyageur course. There has been extensive damage in some areas, though much of the course remains in fine shape. Jay Cooke State Park is closed, so the finish will have to be moved to a new location as we went through the park to get to Carlton, Mn.
One week ago - Zapp's Loop section
One week ago - the Fond du Lac aid station was located here
One week ago - Forbay Lake; during the race we cross this dam
One week ago - the levee broke at this point allowing all of the water to flow downhill, washing out the trails (White Pine/CCC - used for Voyageur/Half Voyageur) and Hwy 210. This is in Jay Cooke State Park, which is now closed to all use.
We made good progress on clearing trees today and more work is needed to get the trail ready for the race. Watch for an announcement regarding the status of these races on their website . Looks like a fun course is in development! And no worries, the Powerlines are still intact.
One other recent accomplishment:
The Circuitry Socks (aka Microprocessor Socks) are finished and delivered! This was a fun project in which I collaborated with the recipient to find just the right colors to properly execute this design. Thankfully there is a local business that will custom dye yarns and they were able to develop the right shades of green for these socks.
