Hills are not an option!
I am trying to bike to work more often - and other places as well. I live about two miles from where I work, depending on which route you take. Silly to drive. Exactly how one would get the worst gas mileage possible out of their car!
One of the doctors at the clinic bikes most days - winter included. My inspiration. He has two small children, long hours, yet still manages - makes my excuses seem pretty lame. There are a few other diehard bike commuters in town, too.
Anyway, one of the "realities" of my commute is the hill. I live near the ridgeline. I work near the shoreline. There is about a 300 foot difference in elevation and it all occurs in less than a mile. Great when your commute involves heading down the hill, a bit of a trudge for the way back up. I have to admit that the ride home has been the issue for me. It is one I am attempting to conquer.
So far I have managed two consecutive days on my bike. This is following a 20+ long run on the SHT on Sunday. Talk about hills! Yesterday I rode to work, taking the short route (2.5 miles) through Lincoln Park. The parkway is a fun ride. Curves, woods, river. Nice way to start the day. Lincoln Park Drive is also my usual route home. I used to ride a different way, weaving my way up the hill and ending with a grind up two steep blocks before I hit the relative flatness of 10th St. I gave the Drive a try and found that it is much more rideable. It has several crests along that way that give you a break, but overall is one steady uphill. Thank goodness for really low gears!
I ride a Gary Fisher Marlin with some pretty aggressive, knobby tires. The guys at the local bike shop got a laugh out of trying to fit it with a rack. I believe it is an XS frame (14") and the geometry is a little different, so finding a rack that fit was a challenge. We ended up needing a new, longer seat post and attaching the rack to that (my old seat post was extended as far as it was safe to go already). It is a bit odd to see a mountain bike outfitted for commuting, but you ride what you have. I figure the knobby tires make for good resistance and provide me with the strength training I would never accomplish otherwise.
Today was very hot! Low to mid 70's by 9 or 10 am and predicted to hit the upper 80's. Would have been perfect heat training if I'd gone for a run. Instead I opted to stay at home, pay bills, take care of some phone calls and then head to work the long way. I headed out from the house on the usual route but instead of going downhill at Lincoln Park Drive I turned right and headed up - gaining 169 feet or so in the first mile (much of it all at once). Then it was on to the real fun for the day!
40th Ave W. It is one of only a few roads in Duluth that goes through the hills (think of a mountain pass). It is very curvy, has almost no shoulder to speak of, and is only two lanes. I have run it once - when the road was closed to traffic. Today I road down it! You lose 450 feet of elevation in less than a mile. I am not the bravest of souls so was on the brakes for most of the ride down, but still was going pretty fast. Not too many cars on the road due to the time of day (11:00 am) so safe in that respect. The scariest part was crossing the railroad tracks littered with spilled taconite pellets. Think smallish marbles. Had a pretty big grin on my face when I turned the corner onto 8th St and hit the flats. Took me a total of 20 minutes to get to work (4 miles) including a stop at Walgreens for snacks. I can hardly beat that in my car.
So, hill training.... ever present aspect of my life. Even when I am not running or biking I have the climb from the road to my house (100+ feet, 36 steps). I laughed years ago when an orthopedic doc told me to avoid steps and hills after diagnosing me with Illiotibial Band Syndrome.
Living on the hillside gives everyone in the family a base level of fitness flatlanders may never have. Plus the views are so worth it!
A bit of randomness:
We have a hop plant that grows on one side of our front porch. Hops are amazing! Each fall they die back to the ground and each spring they emerge and grow about a foot a day. Our hop plant would be past the front porch roof if we let it keep going up (the decking of our front porch is about 10-12 feet off the ground, the roof another 8 feet or so). It is the first week of July and the hops are up to the ceiling of the front porch and heading across to the other pillar. They are so thick that you can barely see through them and provide nice shade. We have harvested the hops in the past for brewing and medicinal uses (the flowers are supposed to be a good sleep aid). The vines are quite scratchy though and have been known to make some members of the family break out if they get scraped by them.
Yesterday a robin decided to build a nest on the pillar next to the front steps. This has happened once before. I end up feeling a bit guilty about using the front entrance as our presence tends to startle her off the nest - scary for all parties involved. On the other hand, if our presence was so disturbing you would think she wouldn't nest there. This robin is not quite as good an architect as our last one was. She is a bit messy in her technique and is leaving long trails of vegetation hanging over the edge.
Tomorrow I am taking time off to bring my eldest in to have four wisdom teeth pulled. Since I need to be there throughout the procedure I am planning on bringing my knitting and getting some progress made on that hat - or maybe it should be the bird mittens? Hmmm, decisions, decisions. I have a new pattern tempting me also. Someone posted a ribbed hat to KnitU and I am itching to give it a try. It takes a lot of discipline to finish what you have started and I am determined to get these two projects done before casting on anything new. Really I am!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Late night at wildknits
What do knitting, trailrunning, RN's do in their spare time?
Finish hat brims:
Finally! How long has it been since I cast on for this hat? I can't even remember. What?! Doesn't look like a hat to you? It will, in time. Now comes the easy, mindless part. I just need to pick up and knit 234 stitches, figure out what sort of gauge I am getting, figure out how many stitches to decrease away so that I come out with a hat that fits, then knit away mindlessly for 4 inches or so until it is time to decrease for the top. Ah, relaxing knitting with no charts to follow. Don't mind those mittens sitting in the bag on the floor....
If you look closely you will see my emac monitor and on it a photo of an owl. Yup, I took that photo. Off my front steps. Little guy (or gal) was sitting in the lilac in my front yard. Boreal or Saw-whet?? Can't remember now what the consensus was. At any rate, it hung around the yard for a couple of days and I have pictures of the marks it left on the snow when it had a chickadee snack courtesy of my birdfeeder.
Ran Tuesday morning before work on the Piedmont Ski Trails. It was already starting to warm up by 10:00 am, but I chalked it up to more heat training. Headed out knowing the city crew was there mowing and wondering if I would run into them on the trail. There is a big washout at one of the culverts - too big and deep for me to jump - and too big for the mower to get across, so the grass was a bit longer on the other side. I ended up catching up to, and passing, the mower guy on the expert loop (I had the downhill advantage at that point). Luckily he could hear me whistling at him over the machine and let me by. The cool thing was that he was wearing a NMTC tshirt from the Half Voyageur! Wondered if he would catch me on the uphills, but not to worry. I kept ahead, even though I took the long way, and eventually left him behind.
The run felt hard and slow to me, though I was happy with my ability to run all of the hills out there. The ones on the expert loop are steep (again, an area I will not ski). Didn't feel a huge need to push the pace, other than the need to get to work on time, so just ran. Ended up finishing the 5k (best estimate of distance) in 29:55. Not too slow after all.
No run Wednesday, but did get a three mile brisk walk in with Porter on the Lakewalk. It was in the 80's over the hill and 59 at the Lake. Nice day to go to the lake shore with a husky. I watched the sailboat race as we walked, took a break on the beach, and by the time we had made it back to the car the wind had switched and temps were up in the 70's. Got home and knit a few pattern repeats on the bobble-cable hat brim while sipping on a Summit Great Northern Porter. Summer in Duluth can be quite spectacular!
I was planning to run tonight and, due to the heat, thought the best place to run would be Park Point beyond Sky Harbor Airport (2+ miles of trails lead to the Superior entry). Post-run swims in Lake Superior are the best. Who needs an ice bath?!
Opted to ride my bike down there for a bit of cross-training. It is 7 miles from my house, but the first mile is all downhill so hardly counts on a bike ;-> Got to the airport to discover that Jon was closing up shop and didn't want to hang around while I ran. As he was my ride back up the hill, I decided to skip out on the run. Maybe tomorrow? Though I have a race on Saturday (Knife River Solstice Run, on of only three road/paved trail races I participate in) and a long run Sunday, so may bail on the run tomorrow.
While at the airport I got to see "my" new boat. Ahem - otherwise known as Jon's herring skiff. Picked it up last weekend, along with a bunch of nets, floats, a fish descaler and who knows what else from a retired fisherman up near Silver Bay. I hear it was quite an adventure. Know it involved three miles on Lake Superior in the skiff loaded with the fish scaler, powered by a motor that hadn't been used in a few years with a canoe paddle as back-up propulsion. It is the last big item needed for Jon to get his commercial fishing business going. He has his license (two year apprenticeship served) and can set nets anytime now. I think the herring run is pretty slow at this time of year, but fall is a busy time and they go out until the ice blocks the marina. In the past few years I have learned a bit about the herring fishery on Lake Superior - and about herring. They are NOT that nasty stuff that comes in a jar found in grocery stores. Fresh water herring is a different species. White, delicate, mild-flavored. Feed in the middle layers so don't pick up gunk from the lake bottom. Small enough not to bioaccumulate too many toxins, so safe for women and children to eat. And, the pickled herring made at home... well, even I like it! Not sure what the plan is for all that fish come fall. You may start seeing ads for fresh herring on the blog soon.
Finish hat brims:
Finally! How long has it been since I cast on for this hat? I can't even remember. What?! Doesn't look like a hat to you? It will, in time. Now comes the easy, mindless part. I just need to pick up and knit 234 stitches, figure out what sort of gauge I am getting, figure out how many stitches to decrease away so that I come out with a hat that fits, then knit away mindlessly for 4 inches or so until it is time to decrease for the top. Ah, relaxing knitting with no charts to follow. Don't mind those mittens sitting in the bag on the floor....
If you look closely you will see my emac monitor and on it a photo of an owl. Yup, I took that photo. Off my front steps. Little guy (or gal) was sitting in the lilac in my front yard. Boreal or Saw-whet?? Can't remember now what the consensus was. At any rate, it hung around the yard for a couple of days and I have pictures of the marks it left on the snow when it had a chickadee snack courtesy of my birdfeeder.
Ran Tuesday morning before work on the Piedmont Ski Trails. It was already starting to warm up by 10:00 am, but I chalked it up to more heat training. Headed out knowing the city crew was there mowing and wondering if I would run into them on the trail. There is a big washout at one of the culverts - too big and deep for me to jump - and too big for the mower to get across, so the grass was a bit longer on the other side. I ended up catching up to, and passing, the mower guy on the expert loop (I had the downhill advantage at that point). Luckily he could hear me whistling at him over the machine and let me by. The cool thing was that he was wearing a NMTC tshirt from the Half Voyageur! Wondered if he would catch me on the uphills, but not to worry. I kept ahead, even though I took the long way, and eventually left him behind.
The run felt hard and slow to me, though I was happy with my ability to run all of the hills out there. The ones on the expert loop are steep (again, an area I will not ski). Didn't feel a huge need to push the pace, other than the need to get to work on time, so just ran. Ended up finishing the 5k (best estimate of distance) in 29:55. Not too slow after all.
No run Wednesday, but did get a three mile brisk walk in with Porter on the Lakewalk. It was in the 80's over the hill and 59 at the Lake. Nice day to go to the lake shore with a husky. I watched the sailboat race as we walked, took a break on the beach, and by the time we had made it back to the car the wind had switched and temps were up in the 70's. Got home and knit a few pattern repeats on the bobble-cable hat brim while sipping on a Summit Great Northern Porter. Summer in Duluth can be quite spectacular!
I was planning to run tonight and, due to the heat, thought the best place to run would be Park Point beyond Sky Harbor Airport (2+ miles of trails lead to the Superior entry). Post-run swims in Lake Superior are the best. Who needs an ice bath?!
Opted to ride my bike down there for a bit of cross-training. It is 7 miles from my house, but the first mile is all downhill so hardly counts on a bike ;-> Got to the airport to discover that Jon was closing up shop and didn't want to hang around while I ran. As he was my ride back up the hill, I decided to skip out on the run. Maybe tomorrow? Though I have a race on Saturday (Knife River Solstice Run, on of only three road/paved trail races I participate in) and a long run Sunday, so may bail on the run tomorrow.
While at the airport I got to see "my" new boat. Ahem - otherwise known as Jon's herring skiff. Picked it up last weekend, along with a bunch of nets, floats, a fish descaler and who knows what else from a retired fisherman up near Silver Bay. I hear it was quite an adventure. Know it involved three miles on Lake Superior in the skiff loaded with the fish scaler, powered by a motor that hadn't been used in a few years with a canoe paddle as back-up propulsion. It is the last big item needed for Jon to get his commercial fishing business going. He has his license (two year apprenticeship served) and can set nets anytime now. I think the herring run is pretty slow at this time of year, but fall is a busy time and they go out until the ice blocks the marina. In the past few years I have learned a bit about the herring fishery on Lake Superior - and about herring. They are NOT that nasty stuff that comes in a jar found in grocery stores. Fresh water herring is a different species. White, delicate, mild-flavored. Feed in the middle layers so don't pick up gunk from the lake bottom. Small enough not to bioaccumulate too many toxins, so safe for women and children to eat. And, the pickled herring made at home... well, even I like it! Not sure what the plan is for all that fish come fall. You may start seeing ads for fresh herring on the blog soon.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Jay Cooke State Park
I have long had the goal of running every trail in Jay Cooke. The DNR claims that their are 50 miles of hiking trails, 32 miles of cross-country ski trails and 12 miles of snowmobile trails in the park. Lots of overlap there, by the way.
I originally set this goal about 7 years ago when my daughter Sarah was volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding organization in the area. I would drop her off and head to Jay Cooke with Porter to occupy myself during her 3+ hour shift. Back then I wasn't running as many miles and avoided running when it was hot (which Porter greatly appreciated), which meant I did not get very far into the park on these jaunts. I did a lot of exploring on the trails away from the headquarters though. There are numerous trail loops that can be accessed from back roads or Hwy 210. The Half Voyageur and Voyageur Ultra use some of these trails on their course.
Anyway, on to yesterday's run. While most of Duluth was focused on Grandma's Marathon and the Garry Bjorkland Half Marathon (either participating in it in some way or trying to get away from it) I headed south to Jay Cooke. My plan was to run 22 miles - the last really long run before the Half Voyageur. I had plotted out a course south of the swinging bridge that worked out to be 26K/16 miles. It allowed me to run almost every trail on that side of the park without duplicating too much. Then I was planning on heading across Hwy 210 and running trails over there to get the next 6 miles in. Part of the beauty of this plan was that I needed to be self-supported and could use the car as my "aid station" as I have learned that I can only carry enough water for about 18 miles or so (at least with the equipment I currently have).
The weather since Friday has been a bit unsettled with thunderstorms popping up in the afternoon. I really do not like running when there is lightening about. I have been close to a strike before and don't care to experience that again.
I headed across the swinging bridge and out the Summer Trail. Within a mile or so of leaving the headquarters I got to the part of the park that few people use - evidenced by the extreme lack of trail maintenance. Parts of the Summer Trail are also a snowmobile trail in the winter. The grass was pretty long here. Not too bad to run through though as it was probably only calf high or so and there were areas that others had been in, so the grass was at least knocked down a bit. The long grass continued for almost all of my run, at least until I got back within a mile or so of headquarters. Guess we know where most park users are concentrated!
So, yesterday's route was: Summer Trail to Bear Chase Trails (long way around) to Lost Lake Trail to Lower Lake Trail to Upper Lake Trail to Spruce Trail, back to Upper Lake Trail, Lower Lake Trail, Lost Lake Trail and then onto an unlabeled trail on the map, but was called Summer Trail on the posts, to the Ridge Trails (near the river) and back to the bridge and park headquarters. If you have a map in front of you, I generally took right turns at all intersections, choosing the long way around if there were shortcuts. A lot of these trails are loops, so it worked out that I only ran the same trail one time - the Lost Lake Trail - and that was because it is the connector between the two trail systems on that side of the park.
The further I got from park headquarters the taller the grass and ferns in the trail got. It was obvious that very few people get out this way as the vegetation was almost untouched in places (Spruce Trail for example). I saw only a handful of people, surprising a backpacking group as a matter of fact. Also surprised a few deer, wood frogs, toads and one - soon to be really pissed off - momma ruffed grouse. I am sorry, but mad ruffed grouse are very scary - especially when they are chasing you. So much for low heart rate training!
The trails on this end of the park have some killer hills. If you have ever run the NMTC Bull Run you will know what I mean. That race uses portions of the Spruce Trail and the Lake Trails (still not totally sure which parts). These are ski trails and I am waaay too chicken to ski them because of the steep hills. But I will run them. I just kept thinking "powerlines" as I walked up the hills or ran down them.
This is also where the grass and bracken ferns got thigh high or taller. Okay - no comments about my height! It is tough running through this stuff. And at times it was a bit tough finding the trail. The woods are making their best attempt to reclaim the trails back there. Often the only difference between trail and not-trail was a lack of trees.
A few trees were down across the trails, not too many and mostly easy to get around or over. The worst part of the course for me was hitting the corduroy on the Lost Lake Trail. I couldn't see it due to the long grass, it was there for a reason (very wet) and on the way back I hit it wrong and heard a loud 'crack' from my right ankle. Good thing the backpacking youth were long gone as it hurt, I was unhappy, and I let it be known. No damage done, was back running after a few feet of walking to ensure nothing was truly injured.
Took every walking opportunity to scan my legs for ticks and dispose of them before they got too attached to me ;-> Grand total for the run was only 10 - not too bad considering what I was running though most of the time. The tick issue did make finding a 'good' bathroom spot a priority - no vegetation allowed. Lack of other humans in the area made privacy a non-issue. The deer flies are out and about, so it was a good decision to wear a hat. I really dislike the sensation of them buzzing about my head, the hat helps.
Was heading back to the swinging bridge when the sky started to darken. I had timed things well. Got to the car, shed the camelback, started to refill my water bottle and empty my waist pack of garbage when I heard the crack of thunder. Tossed stuff to the front of the car, climbed in, and the heavens opened up.
26k in 3:36. Not too bad for me. As I sat there waiting for the skies to clear a bit (remember - I do not like running in thunderstorms) I kept busy tossing ticks out the door (they seem to hide in my shoes till I stop moving), snacking on a few pretzels, making a couple of calls (checking in with Jon and Ed while waiting out the storm), and plotting out the next part of my run. I settled on running the White Pine Trail to the CCC trail and then onto the Thompson Trail and back to the car - only about 5k, so short of my original goal of 22 miles. As soon as I saw bluish skies I decided I might as well finish up the planned run.
I made it a couple of hundred feet. My excuses: heels/achilles tendons hurt bilaterally; I was cold (why yes it had been in the mid-70's all day); and it was getting dark again. Yup, I bailed out. Maybe if I had been with other people I would have kept going, hard to say. I had been cycling through thoughts of cutting the run short from pretty early. Dangers of running by yourself and having an out - it is easy to quit.
Overall though I am pretty satisfied with the run. It was quite hilly and my pace was not too bad considering the trail conditions. It was good to run it alone, after all that is how I run most of my races. I did learn not to sit around too long at aid stations :->
Throughout most of the run I kept seeing these tall pale purple flowers that looked dimly familiar. I made a point of trying to get a good look at the leaves and the shape of their growth as I ran by so I could look them up when I got home. Virginia waterleaf. I did not see much else blooming - lots of bunchberry, some canada mayflower. No ladyslippers on the trails I was on.
Not much happening with my knitting of late. Back to the same two projects that require lots of attention to work on, which means they don't get worked on. My thoughts are roaming to new sock yarn so that I can have a portable project, though if I would just finish up the band for the bobble-cable hat I would have a simple, portable project!
Planning the drive to Montana to bring Sarah to college. By late August we will be "empty-nesters". Amazing! We are the youngest of the group of parents that we know, and the first to have all the kids in college. There is something to be said for starting your family early I guess. It will be interesting to explore this new life!
I originally set this goal about 7 years ago when my daughter Sarah was volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding organization in the area. I would drop her off and head to Jay Cooke with Porter to occupy myself during her 3+ hour shift. Back then I wasn't running as many miles and avoided running when it was hot (which Porter greatly appreciated), which meant I did not get very far into the park on these jaunts. I did a lot of exploring on the trails away from the headquarters though. There are numerous trail loops that can be accessed from back roads or Hwy 210. The Half Voyageur and Voyageur Ultra use some of these trails on their course.
Anyway, on to yesterday's run. While most of Duluth was focused on Grandma's Marathon and the Garry Bjorkland Half Marathon (either participating in it in some way or trying to get away from it) I headed south to Jay Cooke. My plan was to run 22 miles - the last really long run before the Half Voyageur. I had plotted out a course south of the swinging bridge that worked out to be 26K/16 miles. It allowed me to run almost every trail on that side of the park without duplicating too much. Then I was planning on heading across Hwy 210 and running trails over there to get the next 6 miles in. Part of the beauty of this plan was that I needed to be self-supported and could use the car as my "aid station" as I have learned that I can only carry enough water for about 18 miles or so (at least with the equipment I currently have).
The weather since Friday has been a bit unsettled with thunderstorms popping up in the afternoon. I really do not like running when there is lightening about. I have been close to a strike before and don't care to experience that again.
I headed across the swinging bridge and out the Summer Trail. Within a mile or so of leaving the headquarters I got to the part of the park that few people use - evidenced by the extreme lack of trail maintenance. Parts of the Summer Trail are also a snowmobile trail in the winter. The grass was pretty long here. Not too bad to run through though as it was probably only calf high or so and there were areas that others had been in, so the grass was at least knocked down a bit. The long grass continued for almost all of my run, at least until I got back within a mile or so of headquarters. Guess we know where most park users are concentrated!
So, yesterday's route was: Summer Trail to Bear Chase Trails (long way around) to Lost Lake Trail to Lower Lake Trail to Upper Lake Trail to Spruce Trail, back to Upper Lake Trail, Lower Lake Trail, Lost Lake Trail and then onto an unlabeled trail on the map, but was called Summer Trail on the posts, to the Ridge Trails (near the river) and back to the bridge and park headquarters. If you have a map in front of you, I generally took right turns at all intersections, choosing the long way around if there were shortcuts. A lot of these trails are loops, so it worked out that I only ran the same trail one time - the Lost Lake Trail - and that was because it is the connector between the two trail systems on that side of the park.
The further I got from park headquarters the taller the grass and ferns in the trail got. It was obvious that very few people get out this way as the vegetation was almost untouched in places (Spruce Trail for example). I saw only a handful of people, surprising a backpacking group as a matter of fact. Also surprised a few deer, wood frogs, toads and one - soon to be really pissed off - momma ruffed grouse. I am sorry, but mad ruffed grouse are very scary - especially when they are chasing you. So much for low heart rate training!
The trails on this end of the park have some killer hills. If you have ever run the NMTC Bull Run you will know what I mean. That race uses portions of the Spruce Trail and the Lake Trails (still not totally sure which parts). These are ski trails and I am waaay too chicken to ski them because of the steep hills. But I will run them. I just kept thinking "powerlines" as I walked up the hills or ran down them.
This is also where the grass and bracken ferns got thigh high or taller. Okay - no comments about my height! It is tough running through this stuff. And at times it was a bit tough finding the trail. The woods are making their best attempt to reclaim the trails back there. Often the only difference between trail and not-trail was a lack of trees.
A few trees were down across the trails, not too many and mostly easy to get around or over. The worst part of the course for me was hitting the corduroy on the Lost Lake Trail. I couldn't see it due to the long grass, it was there for a reason (very wet) and on the way back I hit it wrong and heard a loud 'crack' from my right ankle. Good thing the backpacking youth were long gone as it hurt, I was unhappy, and I let it be known. No damage done, was back running after a few feet of walking to ensure nothing was truly injured.
Took every walking opportunity to scan my legs for ticks and dispose of them before they got too attached to me ;-> Grand total for the run was only 10 - not too bad considering what I was running though most of the time. The tick issue did make finding a 'good' bathroom spot a priority - no vegetation allowed. Lack of other humans in the area made privacy a non-issue. The deer flies are out and about, so it was a good decision to wear a hat. I really dislike the sensation of them buzzing about my head, the hat helps.
Was heading back to the swinging bridge when the sky started to darken. I had timed things well. Got to the car, shed the camelback, started to refill my water bottle and empty my waist pack of garbage when I heard the crack of thunder. Tossed stuff to the front of the car, climbed in, and the heavens opened up.
26k in 3:36. Not too bad for me. As I sat there waiting for the skies to clear a bit (remember - I do not like running in thunderstorms) I kept busy tossing ticks out the door (they seem to hide in my shoes till I stop moving), snacking on a few pretzels, making a couple of calls (checking in with Jon and Ed while waiting out the storm), and plotting out the next part of my run. I settled on running the White Pine Trail to the CCC trail and then onto the Thompson Trail and back to the car - only about 5k, so short of my original goal of 22 miles. As soon as I saw bluish skies I decided I might as well finish up the planned run.
I made it a couple of hundred feet. My excuses: heels/achilles tendons hurt bilaterally; I was cold (why yes it had been in the mid-70's all day); and it was getting dark again. Yup, I bailed out. Maybe if I had been with other people I would have kept going, hard to say. I had been cycling through thoughts of cutting the run short from pretty early. Dangers of running by yourself and having an out - it is easy to quit.
Overall though I am pretty satisfied with the run. It was quite hilly and my pace was not too bad considering the trail conditions. It was good to run it alone, after all that is how I run most of my races. I did learn not to sit around too long at aid stations :->
Throughout most of the run I kept seeing these tall pale purple flowers that looked dimly familiar. I made a point of trying to get a good look at the leaves and the shape of their growth as I ran by so I could look them up when I got home. Virginia waterleaf. I did not see much else blooming - lots of bunchberry, some canada mayflower. No ladyslippers on the trails I was on.
Not much happening with my knitting of late. Back to the same two projects that require lots of attention to work on, which means they don't get worked on. My thoughts are roaming to new sock yarn so that I can have a portable project, though if I would just finish up the band for the bobble-cable hat I would have a simple, portable project!
Planning the drive to Montana to bring Sarah to college. By late August we will be "empty-nesters". Amazing! We are the youngest of the group of parents that we know, and the first to have all the kids in college. There is something to be said for starting your family early I guess. It will be interesting to explore this new life!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Rock Angels
My niece Ella.
I asked her if she was making a "rock angel". "Yeah". Ever thought of trying that? Neither have I. Maybe next time.
Location: Corner of the Lake Beach, on the Lakewalk, Duluth, MN. One of those magical days in Duluth. We sat there watching the little ones throwing rocks in the lake, trying our hand at skipping stones, and just soaking in the Lake.
My nephew Zander throwing rocks. He loved the rocks and was happily entertained for an hour. Not so happy to leave. Rough ride home for his folks.
The evening at the beach was a perfect way to "top off" graduation day. Sarah is officially a high school graduate. Open house went well. Had the perfect amount of food. Great help for the party (Thanks Trina!!! and Ethan, Bev, Dave, Judy, Erik, Sarah and to Jon for all the cooking!).
Weather here has been a bit gloomy. No tornadoes though, so can't really complain. Would like the temps to get above the low 50's though! We went from high 70's - low 80's on Saturday and Sunday to the 40's on Wednesday. Today we seem to be hovering at 50. I hear there is sunshine south of town, but we are socked in with fog at my house. A lot of people are talking about how wrong it is to turn on the heat in June. We have been holding out, but when the house is below 60 degrees.... well, it is hard. Lots of fleece and down bootees are seen around here. Good thing I have knit so many afghans over the years!
Ran on Tuesday. Decided I needed to face the hills that had defeated me on Sunday's run. Started on the Haines Rd end of the SHT and ran up to Piedmont knob, then took the unofficial snowmobile trail west to where the SHT crosses it, got on the SHT and ran to where a spur trail links it with the Piedmont ski trail and ran that back to the trailhead parking lot. Run went well, lots and lots of climbing, not too wet, and all done within a half hour as I had to get to a board meeting. Managed to cut myself (with my shoe?!?) within the first 5 steps out on the trail. Still have no idea how that happened.
Lack of sleep since Friday finally caught up to me Wednesday and combined with the cruddy weather I spent my evening drowsing on the couch curled up under a wool afghan. Still tired today, so bailed on the planned run and will get out tomorrow.
Coming up:
Trail Maintenance Hike on the Superior Hiking Trail in Duluth
Friday June 20th
3:00 pm
24th Ave. W to Twin Ponds (1.7 miles)
Tools provided
RSVP to me in the comments if you are interested in participating.
June 14th is World Wide Knit in Public Day (www.wwkipday.com). There are no events listed in Duluth, but maybe there are some near you. I don't have much planned for that day: 15 mile run in the morning (no knitting involved!) and then we will see. If the weather is nice maybe a visit to the beach with my knitting.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
First 20 miler
Depending on how you count the miles ;->
The original plan was to do a long run on the Superior Hiking Trail. I pulled out my map, plotted a run, added up the mileage and realized that I would need to modify the original plan.
I had thought about starting out in Jay Cooke State Park and running to my house. Once I did the math I realized that was a 24.5 mile run. Too far (for now). Lopped off the first section - 4.2 miles, added on a spur trail and came up with the run for today - Fond du Lac (a neighborhood in Duluth) to my house. Total mileage for this section would be 20.9 miles. A bit over the plan, but I knew I could lop off a bit by running roads home in the neighborhood vs staying on the trail to my house.
Enlisted the help of my daughter (in trade for letting her have my car today) to drop me off at the starting point and started tracking down water carrying options. I am leery about leaving water at road crossings - will it still be there when I come through? The quickest driving route to Fond du Lac is no where near the trail, so it was inconvenient to stash water also. I got out the Camelback, filled it full of ice cubes and water (32+ ozs), got out the waist belt and another water bottle, filled that up, loaded the pockets with Cliff Shot Blocks, small amount of tp, and my cell phone and headed out.
As we drove along 35 we passed a sign that listed the temperature as 72 degrees (9:30 am). Hmm - guess I am getting my heat training in. Made me wonder if I had enough water along though.
The Fond du Lac neighborhood is located along the St. Louis River near Jay Cooke State Park. My house is near the ridge line. The run started by heading up the old Mission Creek trail for 0.5 miles until it crossed the SHT. Then it was up some more onto a ridge where the trail levels off. Saw yellow lady slippers here. The starflowers are out in profusion, large-flowered trillium are still blooming, and I saw a couple purple clematis also. The trail eventually drops down to Sargent Creek and crosses this incredible bridge. You have to see it. Very cool - and all the components were carried in by hand!
From there it is onto the Munger Trail for 0.4 miles (flat and paved). This is where I ran into a porcupine. I started chatting at it as soon as I saw it and by the time I drew abreast of it, it had turned back into the woods, but was displaying a nice set of quills for me to see. Once you turn off of the Munger it is about a half mile climb up Ely's Peak. This is a local climbing hot spot and the trail, in some spots, could be a rated climb! Once you are up, it is a rolling run until you climb to a crossing with Skyline Parkway. It was in this stretch that I saw a pine marten. The trail was flat and pretty clear of rocks so I was able to look around. That was how I caught movement ahead on the trail. The great thing about pine martens' is their curiosity. It was as interested in checking me out as I was in checking it out. We had a nice visit and then I headed off. After crossing Skyline the first time you get to the Magney-Snively section and more yellow lady slippers. This secion has some nice old growth forest and is a pleasure to run. It was warm enough that by the time I hit the white pines the needles on the ground were emitting a nice scent.
Skyline Parkway traverses the City of Duluth following an old beach line (Glacial Lake Duluth). It is near the ridgeline also, so when you are on Skyline you are pretty much at the top of the hill in Duluth. The section from Magney-Snively to Spirit Mountain goes from near the top of the hill to the bottom and then back up again. This was also the first section where the soils were really wet. There is a spot here that never seems to dry out and it was slow going as the mud was slick as grease. Never knew which way your foot might slide. Fun times!
From the base of the ski hill to Highland and Getchell is another up and down section. I ran this last Tuesday after hiking it with a group from Harbor City International School. It features a lot of steps, crossing under railroad tracks on a bed of taconite pellets and having to climb over a road barrier to get to the next section. I was starting to worry about how much water I had left at this point and was feeling the hills I had climbed.
The section from Highland and Getchell to my house is an old favorite of mine, though I usually skip the uphill climb from the trailhead. Not today. At least 0.5 miles of uphill on a very rocky trail along Keene Creek. Then some more climbing after crossing Skyline and heading into Brewer Park. Running the flats and downhills was still feeling pretty good, but uphills were hurting. I started thinking about my options for getting home. No ride was available so it was a matter of deciding how long I was going to stay on the trails. While running along the ridge above Haines Road I spied some.... dang, could name them while running, now can't remember their name. Pink and yellow, member of the poppy family....maybe a foot tall, prefers rocky places up here.... pale corydalis!
Down a steep hill to Haines and across and up into the Piedmont hills. And this is where I took my last sips of water. Now, I have run this section plenty of times without water - on shorter runs. Not today. Between my tired legs and the water issue I decided to bail out at the access trail down to the big overlook on Skyline. 19 miles. Cut off a couple of big climbs and a long downhill on the trail. Walked along Skyline towards home. Mostly flat, other than the four block downhill section and then the climb up my 36 steps.
The mosqitoes were pretty fierce in a few sections. Ticks were not too bad. Took one off during the run (Ely's Peak) and three at home - they were hiding in my shoes.
So, next weekend I think a shorter run is in order. As much as I would love to avoid steep hills, it is good training for the Half Voyageur, so may do a similar run.
OKC:
Finished the baby surprise, just need to sew up the seams. Looks like a good fit for my nephew Zander and my sister likes the color. The first baby surprise I made for him fit for about 1 day :->
I have been working a bit of the bobble-cable hat, may finish the band one of these days.
Bird mittens?! Now I have a deadline. Sarah is moving to Montana in August so I either need to get them done before then or save them as a Christmas gift ;->
The original plan was to do a long run on the Superior Hiking Trail. I pulled out my map, plotted a run, added up the mileage and realized that I would need to modify the original plan.
I had thought about starting out in Jay Cooke State Park and running to my house. Once I did the math I realized that was a 24.5 mile run. Too far (for now). Lopped off the first section - 4.2 miles, added on a spur trail and came up with the run for today - Fond du Lac (a neighborhood in Duluth) to my house. Total mileage for this section would be 20.9 miles. A bit over the plan, but I knew I could lop off a bit by running roads home in the neighborhood vs staying on the trail to my house.
Enlisted the help of my daughter (in trade for letting her have my car today) to drop me off at the starting point and started tracking down water carrying options. I am leery about leaving water at road crossings - will it still be there when I come through? The quickest driving route to Fond du Lac is no where near the trail, so it was inconvenient to stash water also. I got out the Camelback, filled it full of ice cubes and water (32+ ozs), got out the waist belt and another water bottle, filled that up, loaded the pockets with Cliff Shot Blocks, small amount of tp, and my cell phone and headed out.
As we drove along 35 we passed a sign that listed the temperature as 72 degrees (9:30 am). Hmm - guess I am getting my heat training in. Made me wonder if I had enough water along though.
The Fond du Lac neighborhood is located along the St. Louis River near Jay Cooke State Park. My house is near the ridge line. The run started by heading up the old Mission Creek trail for 0.5 miles until it crossed the SHT. Then it was up some more onto a ridge where the trail levels off. Saw yellow lady slippers here. The starflowers are out in profusion, large-flowered trillium are still blooming, and I saw a couple purple clematis also. The trail eventually drops down to Sargent Creek and crosses this incredible bridge. You have to see it. Very cool - and all the components were carried in by hand!
From there it is onto the Munger Trail for 0.4 miles (flat and paved). This is where I ran into a porcupine. I started chatting at it as soon as I saw it and by the time I drew abreast of it, it had turned back into the woods, but was displaying a nice set of quills for me to see. Once you turn off of the Munger it is about a half mile climb up Ely's Peak. This is a local climbing hot spot and the trail, in some spots, could be a rated climb! Once you are up, it is a rolling run until you climb to a crossing with Skyline Parkway. It was in this stretch that I saw a pine marten. The trail was flat and pretty clear of rocks so I was able to look around. That was how I caught movement ahead on the trail. The great thing about pine martens' is their curiosity. It was as interested in checking me out as I was in checking it out. We had a nice visit and then I headed off. After crossing Skyline the first time you get to the Magney-Snively section and more yellow lady slippers. This secion has some nice old growth forest and is a pleasure to run. It was warm enough that by the time I hit the white pines the needles on the ground were emitting a nice scent.
Skyline Parkway traverses the City of Duluth following an old beach line (Glacial Lake Duluth). It is near the ridgeline also, so when you are on Skyline you are pretty much at the top of the hill in Duluth. The section from Magney-Snively to Spirit Mountain goes from near the top of the hill to the bottom and then back up again. This was also the first section where the soils were really wet. There is a spot here that never seems to dry out and it was slow going as the mud was slick as grease. Never knew which way your foot might slide. Fun times!
From the base of the ski hill to Highland and Getchell is another up and down section. I ran this last Tuesday after hiking it with a group from Harbor City International School. It features a lot of steps, crossing under railroad tracks on a bed of taconite pellets and having to climb over a road barrier to get to the next section. I was starting to worry about how much water I had left at this point and was feeling the hills I had climbed.
The section from Highland and Getchell to my house is an old favorite of mine, though I usually skip the uphill climb from the trailhead. Not today. At least 0.5 miles of uphill on a very rocky trail along Keene Creek. Then some more climbing after crossing Skyline and heading into Brewer Park. Running the flats and downhills was still feeling pretty good, but uphills were hurting. I started thinking about my options for getting home. No ride was available so it was a matter of deciding how long I was going to stay on the trails. While running along the ridge above Haines Road I spied some.... dang, could name them while running, now can't remember their name. Pink and yellow, member of the poppy family....maybe a foot tall, prefers rocky places up here.... pale corydalis!
Down a steep hill to Haines and across and up into the Piedmont hills. And this is where I took my last sips of water. Now, I have run this section plenty of times without water - on shorter runs. Not today. Between my tired legs and the water issue I decided to bail out at the access trail down to the big overlook on Skyline. 19 miles. Cut off a couple of big climbs and a long downhill on the trail. Walked along Skyline towards home. Mostly flat, other than the four block downhill section and then the climb up my 36 steps.
The mosqitoes were pretty fierce in a few sections. Ticks were not too bad. Took one off during the run (Ely's Peak) and three at home - they were hiding in my shoes.
So, next weekend I think a shorter run is in order. As much as I would love to avoid steep hills, it is good training for the Half Voyageur, so may do a similar run.
OKC:
Finished the baby surprise, just need to sew up the seams. Looks like a good fit for my nephew Zander and my sister likes the color. The first baby surprise I made for him fit for about 1 day :->
I have been working a bit of the bobble-cable hat, may finish the band one of these days.
Bird mittens?! Now I have a deadline. Sarah is moving to Montana in August so I either need to get them done before then or save them as a Christmas gift ;->
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Running, hiking, and graduation preparations
It's that season.
Lots of races to train for, wildflowers are blooming so all I want to do is get into the woods, and it's the end of the school year, so we have been receiving lots of invitations to open houses.
Oh yeah, and we have one of our own to host this weekend!
Sarah is graduating on Saturday and, due to scheduling issues, we are having her open house the same day. This means lots of cooking (Jon) and very little cleaning ;-> We are having the open house at church. Our house is tiny (under 800 sq ft) and with the vagaries of weather in the northland it is best not to have large numbers of people over and hope they can hang out outside. The forecast for this weekend involves rain.
Yesterday and today I don't think it has gotten above 50 degrees and there is a wind from the east. Even indoors the temps are below 60. I normally would never turn the heat on once it is May, much less June, but it is hard to stick by that resolve when it is 59 degrees in your living room! But hey, no tornadoes up here.
Today was the last race in the NMTC Spring Series. It was held at the Magney-Snively ski trails. These trails are hilly, very, very hilly. So hilly that I have never skied them. In the "off season" they are used by all kinds of people: hikers, runners, horseback riders....
In addition to being hilly trails, these are wet trails. Horses and wet soils are not a good combination. There were holes made by horse hooves that were 6 inches deep and hard to see because the grass is getting kind of long. The city doesn't mow the ski trails when they are too wet because the equipment damages the trails. See the problem? Granted, a bunch of runners didn't help conditions, though we may have filled in a few holes!
The soils were so wet that it was hard to get any push off. Your feet just kind of sank. And then there were the puddles. Going around them just widens the puddle and the trail - not good. But going through them can lead to loss of a shoe - or going in past your knees. What to do? Over the years I have learned to go through puddles - most of the time. A few of the ones on this trail are scary deep looking and I am short. I did manage to splash mud all the way up to my face and was covered in mud most of the way up my calves. Needed to walk a fair amount of hills, but was able to run fairly fast on the downhills despite the footing issues.
I was tired today. It has been a busy week so far. Donated blood last Friday. Ran/walked 12 miles on Sunday in 77+ temps (part of the Voyageur course from Beck's Road to the Zoo and back = lots of hills), hiked 6 miles with Harbor City International School students yesterday on the SHT from Highland and Getchell to the base of Spirit Mountain, then ran back to my car. This part of the trail has a section with 130+ steps on it. I could feel it today, especially on the uphills and when trying to pull my legs out of the mud. I think I have earned a day or two off.
The plan this weekend is to run 18 - 20 miles. When? Probably Sunday sometime. I am trying to run at the hottest part of the day to get used to running in the heat. The Half Voyageur is notorious for being hot. Heat training is tough up here. We tend to jump 20+ degrees suddenly and with the Lake, can lose 20+ degrees suddenly too.
Funny, a few months ago I was struggling to run 14 miles and now a 12 miler seems pretty easy and even that 17 miler a couple weekends ago went by pretty quick. Interesting how the body adapts ;-> Next thing you know I'll be signing up to run an ultra!
Flower update
No pictures but here is a list of what I have seen blooming in the last couple of days:
starflower
nodding trillium
large-flowered trillium
mertensia (virginia bluebells)
yellow violets
purple violets
cherry sp
juneberry
strawberry
apple trees
wood anemone
jack-in-the-pulpit
baneberry
clintonia (buds)
wild lily-of-the-valley(canada mayflower)
columbine
I got a report today that the yellow ladyslippers are blooming in Jay Cooke. I have not been out to check on the patch on the SHT, but they are probably also in bloom. Guess I know where I need to run on Sunday!
Stay warm!
Oh yeah, I finished #2 in the female standings for the spring series! Consistency does pay off!
Lots of races to train for, wildflowers are blooming so all I want to do is get into the woods, and it's the end of the school year, so we have been receiving lots of invitations to open houses.
Oh yeah, and we have one of our own to host this weekend!
Sarah is graduating on Saturday and, due to scheduling issues, we are having her open house the same day. This means lots of cooking (Jon) and very little cleaning ;-> We are having the open house at church. Our house is tiny (under 800 sq ft) and with the vagaries of weather in the northland it is best not to have large numbers of people over and hope they can hang out outside. The forecast for this weekend involves rain.
Yesterday and today I don't think it has gotten above 50 degrees and there is a wind from the east. Even indoors the temps are below 60. I normally would never turn the heat on once it is May, much less June, but it is hard to stick by that resolve when it is 59 degrees in your living room! But hey, no tornadoes up here.
Today was the last race in the NMTC Spring Series. It was held at the Magney-Snively ski trails. These trails are hilly, very, very hilly. So hilly that I have never skied them. In the "off season" they are used by all kinds of people: hikers, runners, horseback riders....
In addition to being hilly trails, these are wet trails. Horses and wet soils are not a good combination. There were holes made by horse hooves that were 6 inches deep and hard to see because the grass is getting kind of long. The city doesn't mow the ski trails when they are too wet because the equipment damages the trails. See the problem? Granted, a bunch of runners didn't help conditions, though we may have filled in a few holes!
The soils were so wet that it was hard to get any push off. Your feet just kind of sank. And then there were the puddles. Going around them just widens the puddle and the trail - not good. But going through them can lead to loss of a shoe - or going in past your knees. What to do? Over the years I have learned to go through puddles - most of the time. A few of the ones on this trail are scary deep looking and I am short. I did manage to splash mud all the way up to my face and was covered in mud most of the way up my calves. Needed to walk a fair amount of hills, but was able to run fairly fast on the downhills despite the footing issues.
I was tired today. It has been a busy week so far. Donated blood last Friday. Ran/walked 12 miles on Sunday in 77+ temps (part of the Voyageur course from Beck's Road to the Zoo and back = lots of hills), hiked 6 miles with Harbor City International School students yesterday on the SHT from Highland and Getchell to the base of Spirit Mountain, then ran back to my car. This part of the trail has a section with 130+ steps on it. I could feel it today, especially on the uphills and when trying to pull my legs out of the mud. I think I have earned a day or two off.
The plan this weekend is to run 18 - 20 miles. When? Probably Sunday sometime. I am trying to run at the hottest part of the day to get used to running in the heat. The Half Voyageur is notorious for being hot. Heat training is tough up here. We tend to jump 20+ degrees suddenly and with the Lake, can lose 20+ degrees suddenly too.
Funny, a few months ago I was struggling to run 14 miles and now a 12 miler seems pretty easy and even that 17 miler a couple weekends ago went by pretty quick. Interesting how the body adapts ;-> Next thing you know I'll be signing up to run an ultra!
Flower update
No pictures but here is a list of what I have seen blooming in the last couple of days:
starflower
nodding trillium
large-flowered trillium
mertensia (virginia bluebells)
yellow violets
purple violets
cherry sp
juneberry
strawberry
apple trees
wood anemone
jack-in-the-pulpit
baneberry
clintonia (buds)
wild lily-of-the-valley(canada mayflower)
columbine
I got a report today that the yellow ladyslippers are blooming in Jay Cooke. I have not been out to check on the patch on the SHT, but they are probably also in bloom. Guess I know where I need to run on Sunday!
Stay warm!
Oh yeah, I finished #2 in the female standings for the spring series! Consistency does pay off!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thoughts about food
The other day I was home alone and hungry.
I am spoiled. Jon is a good (great) cook and I rarely cook for myself anymore. If left to my own devices I joke that I would live off of popcorn. It is not very far from the truth! It is not that I can't cook, or that I don't like to cook, it is just that I am not motivated to cook for one.
So, back to the other day...
I have been craving popcorn for awhile. But popcorn my way: coated with about a tablespoon of melted butter mixed with some tamari (teaspoon?), sprinkled with lots of nutritional yeast. Yumm! I am quite capable of finishing off the entire batch. Big boost of B vitamins thanks to the nutritional yeast. Porter loves this stuff also and gets to finish off the dregs.
So, as I am making the popcorn I got to thinking about the foods I used to eat a lot of when I was a poor college student back in the 80's, and to be honest, up until not so long ago.
Mostly vegeterian. Lots of whole grains, nutritional yeast, beans, veggies, yogurt...
After shopping the other day I am reconsidering that diet. We already bake our own bread (Jon makes incredible sourdough), most of the meat in our diet is obtained from the wild, either by a local fisherman or relatives who hunt. We even belong to a CSA and get our veggies and eggs from them.
But maybe it is time to refocus on the old standbys of bulger, cheese and onions or potatoes, onions, tamari and nutritional yeast?
Our family is lucky - we have some flexibility in our budget. Three years ago the current prices for food and fuel would have been very difficult for us to manage.
For most of my neighborhood and for most of the clients at our clinic, the current situation is leaving them in more dire straights than normal ("the trouble with normal is it always gets worse..." - name that artist). Can they afford the gas to get to their appointment? What about the meds we prescribe? When I offer a patient nutritional counseling I try to focus on inexpensive, basic foods that are nutrient dense and that they are willing to eat.
These are interesting times we are living in...
I am spoiled. Jon is a good (great) cook and I rarely cook for myself anymore. If left to my own devices I joke that I would live off of popcorn. It is not very far from the truth! It is not that I can't cook, or that I don't like to cook, it is just that I am not motivated to cook for one.
So, back to the other day...
I have been craving popcorn for awhile. But popcorn my way: coated with about a tablespoon of melted butter mixed with some tamari (teaspoon?), sprinkled with lots of nutritional yeast. Yumm! I am quite capable of finishing off the entire batch. Big boost of B vitamins thanks to the nutritional yeast. Porter loves this stuff also and gets to finish off the dregs.
So, as I am making the popcorn I got to thinking about the foods I used to eat a lot of when I was a poor college student back in the 80's, and to be honest, up until not so long ago.
Mostly vegeterian. Lots of whole grains, nutritional yeast, beans, veggies, yogurt...
After shopping the other day I am reconsidering that diet. We already bake our own bread (Jon makes incredible sourdough), most of the meat in our diet is obtained from the wild, either by a local fisherman or relatives who hunt. We even belong to a CSA and get our veggies and eggs from them.
But maybe it is time to refocus on the old standbys of bulger, cheese and onions or potatoes, onions, tamari and nutritional yeast?
Our family is lucky - we have some flexibility in our budget. Three years ago the current prices for food and fuel would have been very difficult for us to manage.
For most of my neighborhood and for most of the clients at our clinic, the current situation is leaving them in more dire straights than normal ("the trouble with normal is it always gets worse..." - name that artist). Can they afford the gas to get to their appointment? What about the meds we prescribe? When I offer a patient nutritional counseling I try to focus on inexpensive, basic foods that are nutrient dense and that they are willing to eat.
These are interesting times we are living in...
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Resistance Training - Duluth Style
Took a couple days off from running, but did get a nice four mile hike in yesterday before the temperature dropped into the 40's. Lots of wildflowers blooming along the trails in the Piedmont area, the highlight being wild oats (bellwort sp) and violets - of all shades.
There are a few nice rock outcroppings on this section with views of Lake Superior and the harbor. Not yesterday. Instead the view was of a bank of fog. There was an interesting weather phenomenon going on though: the fog was moving inland (breeze off of the Lake?) and the higher clouds were moving in the opposite direction. Very cool looking.
Today I did not need to be into work until 11:30 am. Tuesdays are one of my days to get errands done that have to occur during "business hours". First stop of the day was the veterinarian. Porter loves going to the vet's office, until he sees the doctor, then he is not so sure. He has figured out where the "treat' drawer is, so will check that out and finangle a few biscuits out of the vet tech as soon as possible. Porter got a "clean bill of health" for the year, got his rabies vaccine (I have 2 more vaccines to administer in the coming month or so) and heartworm meds and made his escape. I was pretty happy to see that his weight was 95 lbs - even with his winter coat still in. He is exercising less now that he is not running and I was afraid he would be over 100 lbs. Not good for his joints and expensive related to heartworm medication.
Next stop was Sky Harbor Airport. Porter spends his days as the airport dog, hanging out with Jon and mooching off of the guys. No matter how many times I say "Don't feed the dog", people do (explains my surprise about his weight). Knowing I had to drop the dog off I decided to run on the Point. The road ends at Sky Harbor and it is sand dunes and trails from there until the Superior Entry two miles away [Minnesota Point (Park Point)... at 7 miles in length and neighboring Wisconsin Point at 3 miles form the longest freshwater sand bar in the world. The natural entry to St. Louis Bay divides the bar on the Wisconsin side and is known as the Superior Entry. The Park Point Ship Canal is the man made access to the bay on the Minnesota side.]
Much of the run is done on fairly well-packed trails through the pine forest (a State Scientific and Natural Area) and dunes, but there is about a half mile to mile of trail that is through soft sand. Uugh! Tough running. Good for the quads, but not my favorite. I keep reminding myself it is good strength training. Feels pretty good when you hit packed trail though. If you really like running in sand there is 7 miles of beaches to run. I am not a fan of this as the beach has quite the slant to it and is really hard on my legs. Nothing good comes to me from running across slopes like that. Aggravates all the biomechanical issues I have.
Lots of stuff blooming on the point. Strawberries were everywhere. False Soloman's Seal were just opening up their flowers. And - just to make things more exciting - poison ivy was emerging from the sand.
Park Point has a few wild edibles growing along the dunes - the aforementioned strawberries; blueberries; and cherries to name a few. The hardest thing about this is that they often grow interspersed with the poison ivy. Picker beware!!
I am fairly resistant to poison ivy it would seem as I have only had a mild case once or twice and have spent the past 20+ years out on the point. Now that I have said that I will probably have the worst case ever this summer ;->
By the time I was done with the run it was time to head into work. You never know how long it will really take to get off of the Point because of the Lift Bridge. I lucked out and no lakers or salties were inbound or outbound and I didn't get bridged. I had packed my knitting just in case. Depending on the size of the ship - and how many there are - you can spend up to an hour waiting for the bridge to drop. Usual wait is more like 20 minutes - nerve-wracking if you need to be somewhere!
So, it was a productive day errand wise but not knitting wise.
Tomorrow is "race day" in our household. NMTC Chester Bowl run for me, sailing regetta for Jon. Lots of hills at Chester Park which is a little ski hill located in the center of Duluth (for those of you from the Twin Cities think Buck Hill but smaller and woodsier - with bears). In addition to having downhill runs, Chester has the only ski jumps in town (Clouqet is the only other town nearby with ski jumps). And yes, I have really seen bears on this trail. Good thing they are black bears and fairly willing to head the other way as quick as I am.
I am planning on riding my bike to work and will need to decide about riding home and then driving to the run or biking/bussing to the run and then making my way home afterwards. My car will be in use for a road test tomorrow morning (Good Luck Sarah!!! Hope the 90 degree back goes well!) so I am forced to make alternative transportation plans. I work at the bottom of the hill, live close to the top and Chester is further east and higher still. Could be quite the cross-training day ;->
There are a few nice rock outcroppings on this section with views of Lake Superior and the harbor. Not yesterday. Instead the view was of a bank of fog. There was an interesting weather phenomenon going on though: the fog was moving inland (breeze off of the Lake?) and the higher clouds were moving in the opposite direction. Very cool looking.
Today I did not need to be into work until 11:30 am. Tuesdays are one of my days to get errands done that have to occur during "business hours". First stop of the day was the veterinarian. Porter loves going to the vet's office, until he sees the doctor, then he is not so sure. He has figured out where the "treat' drawer is, so will check that out and finangle a few biscuits out of the vet tech as soon as possible. Porter got a "clean bill of health" for the year, got his rabies vaccine (I have 2 more vaccines to administer in the coming month or so) and heartworm meds and made his escape. I was pretty happy to see that his weight was 95 lbs - even with his winter coat still in. He is exercising less now that he is not running and I was afraid he would be over 100 lbs. Not good for his joints and expensive related to heartworm medication.
Next stop was Sky Harbor Airport. Porter spends his days as the airport dog, hanging out with Jon and mooching off of the guys. No matter how many times I say "Don't feed the dog", people do (explains my surprise about his weight). Knowing I had to drop the dog off I decided to run on the Point. The road ends at Sky Harbor and it is sand dunes and trails from there until the Superior Entry two miles away [Minnesota Point (Park Point)... at 7 miles in length and neighboring Wisconsin Point at 3 miles form the longest freshwater sand bar in the world. The natural entry to St. Louis Bay divides the bar on the Wisconsin side and is known as the Superior Entry. The Park Point Ship Canal is the man made access to the bay on the Minnesota side.]
Much of the run is done on fairly well-packed trails through the pine forest (a State Scientific and Natural Area) and dunes, but there is about a half mile to mile of trail that is through soft sand. Uugh! Tough running. Good for the quads, but not my favorite. I keep reminding myself it is good strength training. Feels pretty good when you hit packed trail though. If you really like running in sand there is 7 miles of beaches to run. I am not a fan of this as the beach has quite the slant to it and is really hard on my legs. Nothing good comes to me from running across slopes like that. Aggravates all the biomechanical issues I have.
Lots of stuff blooming on the point. Strawberries were everywhere. False Soloman's Seal were just opening up their flowers. And - just to make things more exciting - poison ivy was emerging from the sand.
Park Point has a few wild edibles growing along the dunes - the aforementioned strawberries; blueberries; and cherries to name a few. The hardest thing about this is that they often grow interspersed with the poison ivy. Picker beware!!
I am fairly resistant to poison ivy it would seem as I have only had a mild case once or twice and have spent the past 20+ years out on the point. Now that I have said that I will probably have the worst case ever this summer ;->
By the time I was done with the run it was time to head into work. You never know how long it will really take to get off of the Point because of the Lift Bridge. I lucked out and no lakers or salties were inbound or outbound and I didn't get bridged. I had packed my knitting just in case. Depending on the size of the ship - and how many there are - you can spend up to an hour waiting for the bridge to drop. Usual wait is more like 20 minutes - nerve-wracking if you need to be somewhere!
So, it was a productive day errand wise but not knitting wise.
Tomorrow is "race day" in our household. NMTC Chester Bowl run for me, sailing regetta for Jon. Lots of hills at Chester Park which is a little ski hill located in the center of Duluth (for those of you from the Twin Cities think Buck Hill but smaller and woodsier - with bears). In addition to having downhill runs, Chester has the only ski jumps in town (Clouqet is the only other town nearby with ski jumps). And yes, I have really seen bears on this trail. Good thing they are black bears and fairly willing to head the other way as quick as I am.
I am planning on riding my bike to work and will need to decide about riding home and then driving to the run or biking/bussing to the run and then making my way home afterwards. My car will be in use for a road test tomorrow morning (Good Luck Sarah!!! Hope the 90 degree back goes well!) so I am forced to make alternative transportation plans. I work at the bottom of the hill, live close to the top and Chester is further east and higher still. Could be quite the cross-training day ;->
Saturday, May 24, 2008
More wildflowers
Seen last Thursday and one from today's 17 mile run on part of the Half Voyageur course (Peterson's Aid Station in Jay Cooke State Park to Carlton and back). As you can probably guess, no records were set on this run. We were out for a long, easy run and a chance to catch the trout lilies in bloom.
Violets (Thursday, Magney-Snively section of the SHT)
Not really violet in color, but there were lots of violet ones out too, especially at Jay Cooke.
wild ginger
Photo by Ed Dallman
They like to keep their flower hidden on the ground. These were on a slope next to the trail. Interesting method of getting pollinated - "ground-loving insects" ie: beetles.
Lots of other photos I wanted to show you, taken today, but I am having issues trying to rotate them so, to spare you all the hassle of turning your computers on their sides, I am not going to include them. Too bad as the photos were of:
yellow trout lily
white trout lily
spring beauty (different species than the ones from Thursday)
wood anemone
adoxa (few patches at Jay Cooke)
purple clematis
Long uphill climbs are useful for a lot of things - one of which is spotting wildflowers (and interesting mushrooms). I would not have seen the purple clematis otherwise. One vine with 4-5 flowers. That was it.
We also saw three porcupines. One on the way out. Two up in a pine tree. We had to search for those! As we were coming past the Hemlock Ravine on the Munger trail we heard some screeching noises. Looked up, saw a broad-wing hawk fly over and figured maybe it was babies calling out for a meal. Went searching for the source (you would think I know better after my last escapade with a mother hawk) and after a few minutes of following the noise came upon the two porcupines. Ah, forgot that porkies can be kind of noisy!
Violets (Thursday, Magney-Snively section of the SHT)
Not really violet in color, but there were lots of violet ones out too, especially at Jay Cooke.
wild ginger
Photo by Ed Dallman
They like to keep their flower hidden on the ground. These were on a slope next to the trail. Interesting method of getting pollinated - "ground-loving insects" ie: beetles.
Lots of other photos I wanted to show you, taken today, but I am having issues trying to rotate them so, to spare you all the hassle of turning your computers on their sides, I am not going to include them. Too bad as the photos were of:
yellow trout lily
white trout lily
spring beauty (different species than the ones from Thursday)
wood anemone
adoxa (few patches at Jay Cooke)
purple clematis
Long uphill climbs are useful for a lot of things - one of which is spotting wildflowers (and interesting mushrooms). I would not have seen the purple clematis otherwise. One vine with 4-5 flowers. That was it.
We also saw three porcupines. One on the way out. Two up in a pine tree. We had to search for those! As we were coming past the Hemlock Ravine on the Munger trail we heard some screeching noises. Looked up, saw a broad-wing hawk fly over and figured maybe it was babies calling out for a meal. Went searching for the source (you would think I know better after my last escapade with a mother hawk) and after a few minutes of following the noise came upon the two porcupines. Ah, forgot that porkies can be kind of noisy!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wildflowers!
Inspired by all the flowers along the trail at the Superior 25K I decided to head out to the Magney-Snively section of the SHT and see what was blooming. This has always been a good spot to find:
dutchman's breeches
carolina spring beauty
Toothwort (forgot this one was out there)
large-flowered trillium
wood anemone
The one thing that I could not adequately capture was the evening light through the new leaves. Wow!! Rosey-yellowy-green. pretty incredible. I did try to get a picture of some of the views along this portion back towards downtown Duluth:
Porter came along for the hike and was actually quite feisty out there. He enjoys these days with a cool wind off of the Lake and had fun checking out all the smells and doing his bit to redistribute a deer skeleton.
Yeah, looks pretty patient here doesn't he?!
Todays hike was a good break for my legs. Ran to work Tuesday (hilly, with an extra hill and some bushwhacking thrown in for good measure). Ran the NMTC Western Waterfront Race/Run yesterday. Five miles in 43 minutes. I am happy with that time. For some reason I have had a lot of trouble on this course over the past years. One year it was an unstoppable bloody nose that turned me around less than a mile in. Several times it was asthma attacks that made it a bit of a struggle to complete. It is a relatively flat course by NMTC standards (though has a doozy of a hill right at the end) and is run along the St. Louis River estuary in West Duluth. It can be hot back there! My theory on the asthma attacks is that it happens to fall on the same week that something I am particularly allergic to is blooming. Who knows about the bloody nose!
This year things seemed to come together and I think I ran well - especially in light of the recent race. Focused on my breathing and ignored all the little aches and pains. After Tuesday's run to work the pain behind my right knee is back. Note - wore the orthotics for that run due to all the road on that route. Yesterday ran without the orthotics. I am testing a theory here. Anyway, knee is still a bit sore today so chose to hike vs run.
Trying to decide what length of long run to attempt this weekend. 18 miles? Something less?
I hear the trout lilys are blooming in Jay Cooke State Park. Friend sent me some photos - white and yellow. I am hoping to do my long run out that way and catch these while they are still blooming.
Soon to come: ladyslippers! Yellows should be on their way in a another couple of weeks. The section I hiked today has yellow ladyslippers right on the trail, so I will need to head back out in the coming weeks.
Best for last:
Adoxa!!!
Look for the non-descript greenish-yellow flowers poking up from the compound leaves. They are near the canada mayflower leaf in the center of the picture (the adoxa is that low stuff surrounding the mayflower leaf). I know - only exciting for wildflower geeks ;-> [From Spring Flora of Minnesota by Thomas Morley: A. moschatellina L. Glabrous herb with a musky odor; leaflets obovate, 3-cleft; corolla yellowish-green, 5-8mm wide. Rich moist soils in woods, or in the north often in rocky or mossy places, Fillmore, Winona, Wabasha and Goodhure counties, and in Carlton Co. and the s. 1/2 of St. Louis County.]
Note: I have seen it further north - Lutsen for example.
dutchman's breeches
carolina spring beauty
Toothwort (forgot this one was out there)
large-flowered trillium
wood anemone
The one thing that I could not adequately capture was the evening light through the new leaves. Wow!! Rosey-yellowy-green. pretty incredible. I did try to get a picture of some of the views along this portion back towards downtown Duluth:
Porter came along for the hike and was actually quite feisty out there. He enjoys these days with a cool wind off of the Lake and had fun checking out all the smells and doing his bit to redistribute a deer skeleton.
Yeah, looks pretty patient here doesn't he?!
Todays hike was a good break for my legs. Ran to work Tuesday (hilly, with an extra hill and some bushwhacking thrown in for good measure). Ran the NMTC Western Waterfront Race/Run yesterday. Five miles in 43 minutes. I am happy with that time. For some reason I have had a lot of trouble on this course over the past years. One year it was an unstoppable bloody nose that turned me around less than a mile in. Several times it was asthma attacks that made it a bit of a struggle to complete. It is a relatively flat course by NMTC standards (though has a doozy of a hill right at the end) and is run along the St. Louis River estuary in West Duluth. It can be hot back there! My theory on the asthma attacks is that it happens to fall on the same week that something I am particularly allergic to is blooming. Who knows about the bloody nose!
This year things seemed to come together and I think I ran well - especially in light of the recent race. Focused on my breathing and ignored all the little aches and pains. After Tuesday's run to work the pain behind my right knee is back. Note - wore the orthotics for that run due to all the road on that route. Yesterday ran without the orthotics. I am testing a theory here. Anyway, knee is still a bit sore today so chose to hike vs run.
Trying to decide what length of long run to attempt this weekend. 18 miles? Something less?
I hear the trout lilys are blooming in Jay Cooke State Park. Friend sent me some photos - white and yellow. I am hoping to do my long run out that way and catch these while they are still blooming.
Soon to come: ladyslippers! Yellows should be on their way in a another couple of weeks. The section I hiked today has yellow ladyslippers right on the trail, so I will need to head back out in the coming weeks.
Best for last:
Adoxa!!!
Look for the non-descript greenish-yellow flowers poking up from the compound leaves. They are near the canada mayflower leaf in the center of the picture (the adoxa is that low stuff surrounding the mayflower leaf). I know - only exciting for wildflower geeks ;-> [From Spring Flora of Minnesota by Thomas Morley: A. moschatellina L. Glabrous herb with a musky odor; leaflets obovate, 3-cleft; corolla yellowish-green, 5-8mm wide. Rich moist soils in woods, or in the north often in rocky or mossy places, Fillmore, Winona, Wabasha and Goodhure counties, and in Carlton Co. and the s. 1/2 of St. Louis County.]
Note: I have seen it further north - Lutsen for example.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Update - two days later
So, got home to a nice hot shower and a cold porter (Red Hook? one of my favs) and a home cooked meal. Thanks Jon!!!
Ended up hanging around the house not doing much that night but stretching my legs out - oh yeah, and opening up a blister under the callus under my bunion on my left foot. Pressure was building up and it was really starting to hurt! Bandaged up my right heel and left bunion to keep the area clean and headed to bed.
Sunday I got up and was able to walk - easily - downstairs. Greeted by coffee and current scones (starting to sound like a food blog). Needed to head to church as it was the day to say good-bye to our Associate Pastor. Gave me a chance to touch base with another Superior 25k runner and talk Half Voyageur with yet another of the ultra runners at Peace (he is planning on the Superior 100 this fall).
Got home, took the dog for a three mile walk along the SHT behind my house. I am a lucky gal, living just 300 feet or so off of a long distance trail! I am the Section Leader for this portion, so took the opportunity to go out and survey my section for maintenance issues. Porter is slowing down a lot, so a leisurely pace is perfect for him. I also took the time to note all the wildflowers and trees that were leafing out, budding or blooming. There were a lot! I had quite the list by the time we finished up our walk. Really nice considering that this is an urban portion of trail (I am only two miles from downtown Duluth) and the area above my house was a farm in the not-to-distant past.
Highlights were: (l=leaves; b=buds; f=flowers)
strawberry (f)
violets (f)
marsh marigold (f)
wood anemone (l, b, f)
wild garlic (l)
bellflower sp. (l)
cherry sp (l, b)
and a...
magnolia warbler
Like the rest of the SHT my section has some good hills on it. Not quite as long as the ones during the race, but steep enough. Good way to loosen up the legs after Saturday's run.
Arrived home and headed out to the grocery store with Sarah. Funny thing on how the family insists that there be food in the house ;->
Got home from that, hauled six bags up the steps to the house (36 steps - this my be my secret weapon in hilly runs, built in stairclimber everytime I leave the house) and took a look at my lawn. It was time for the first mow of the season. Actually it was way past time. Since a power mower was at hand I wussed out and relied on fossil fuels to help me knock the tall grass back down to a reasonable height. Other than the front yard most of our yard is at quite a severe slant. We long ago got rid of the grass alongside the steps, so it is just the side yard that has to be mowed on the angle - this happens to be the largest part of our yard.
For the almost 10 years that we have lived here we have done all of our mowing with a reel mower. Old-fashioned, human-powered, quiet, and non-polluting. Works great if you stay on top of your mowing, not letting the grass get too long. Long grass entails a few passes and is hard work. Long grass coupled with a steep slope.... gas-powered was the answer yesterday. I got all of the lawn mowed. Good workout one day after the run. Especially those treks up the hill to the top of the yard - multiple times. One section of our yard is steep in two directions, double the challenge and no real way to avoid hauling the heavy mower uphill. I also like to avoid any wildflowers in the yard, making things interesting on the slopes. I have some white, with purple speckles, violets in my yard. Can't bear to mow them over, so went around.
By the end of all of this I felt like I had done a long run.
Today I rode my bike to work. Pretty easy on the way there. It is only about 2 miles and the first mile is almost all downhill ;->
Now, the ride back is a whole 'nuther thing. At some point you just have to face it and pedal uphill. I ride a mountain bike with some pretty knobby tires and some very low gears - perfect for Duluth streets! The ride up Lincoln Park Drive felt a bit harder than last Friday's.
My legs feel great and - the most surprising thing - my right knee is bardly bugging me at all. Did I mention that I opted to go without my orthotics during the race. Makes me wonder....
Tomorrow my plan is to run to work. I don't have to be in until 11:30 am so I have time to be lazy in the morning and still get a nice run in. I can run over half of the distance on trails (combination of SHT and illegal ATV). I have just enough time to get in some good training before the Half Voyageur.
Ended up hanging around the house not doing much that night but stretching my legs out - oh yeah, and opening up a blister under the callus under my bunion on my left foot. Pressure was building up and it was really starting to hurt! Bandaged up my right heel and left bunion to keep the area clean and headed to bed.
Sunday I got up and was able to walk - easily - downstairs. Greeted by coffee and current scones (starting to sound like a food blog). Needed to head to church as it was the day to say good-bye to our Associate Pastor. Gave me a chance to touch base with another Superior 25k runner and talk Half Voyageur with yet another of the ultra runners at Peace (he is planning on the Superior 100 this fall).
Got home, took the dog for a three mile walk along the SHT behind my house. I am a lucky gal, living just 300 feet or so off of a long distance trail! I am the Section Leader for this portion, so took the opportunity to go out and survey my section for maintenance issues. Porter is slowing down a lot, so a leisurely pace is perfect for him. I also took the time to note all the wildflowers and trees that were leafing out, budding or blooming. There were a lot! I had quite the list by the time we finished up our walk. Really nice considering that this is an urban portion of trail (I am only two miles from downtown Duluth) and the area above my house was a farm in the not-to-distant past.
Highlights were: (l=leaves; b=buds; f=flowers)
strawberry (f)
violets (f)
marsh marigold (f)
wood anemone (l, b, f)
wild garlic (l)
bellflower sp. (l)
cherry sp (l, b)
and a...
magnolia warbler
Like the rest of the SHT my section has some good hills on it. Not quite as long as the ones during the race, but steep enough. Good way to loosen up the legs after Saturday's run.
Arrived home and headed out to the grocery store with Sarah. Funny thing on how the family insists that there be food in the house ;->
Got home from that, hauled six bags up the steps to the house (36 steps - this my be my secret weapon in hilly runs, built in stairclimber everytime I leave the house) and took a look at my lawn. It was time for the first mow of the season. Actually it was way past time. Since a power mower was at hand I wussed out and relied on fossil fuels to help me knock the tall grass back down to a reasonable height. Other than the front yard most of our yard is at quite a severe slant. We long ago got rid of the grass alongside the steps, so it is just the side yard that has to be mowed on the angle - this happens to be the largest part of our yard.
For the almost 10 years that we have lived here we have done all of our mowing with a reel mower. Old-fashioned, human-powered, quiet, and non-polluting. Works great if you stay on top of your mowing, not letting the grass get too long. Long grass entails a few passes and is hard work. Long grass coupled with a steep slope.... gas-powered was the answer yesterday. I got all of the lawn mowed. Good workout one day after the run. Especially those treks up the hill to the top of the yard - multiple times. One section of our yard is steep in two directions, double the challenge and no real way to avoid hauling the heavy mower uphill. I also like to avoid any wildflowers in the yard, making things interesting on the slopes. I have some white, with purple speckles, violets in my yard. Can't bear to mow them over, so went around.
By the end of all of this I felt like I had done a long run.
Today I rode my bike to work. Pretty easy on the way there. It is only about 2 miles and the first mile is almost all downhill ;->
Now, the ride back is a whole 'nuther thing. At some point you just have to face it and pedal uphill. I ride a mountain bike with some pretty knobby tires and some very low gears - perfect for Duluth streets! The ride up Lincoln Park Drive felt a bit harder than last Friday's.
My legs feel great and - the most surprising thing - my right knee is bardly bugging me at all. Did I mention that I opted to go without my orthotics during the race. Makes me wonder....
Tomorrow my plan is to run to work. I don't have to be in until 11:30 am so I have time to be lazy in the morning and still get a nice run in. I can run over half of the distance on trails (combination of SHT and illegal ATV). I have just enough time to get in some good training before the Half Voyageur.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Superior 25k Race Report
Well, I did it - and with a smile!
I actually had a blast on this run. Wore the heart rate monitor (though didn't pay too much attention to it except on the long uphills). Finished the race passing folks - on the trail portions - and pretty happy. Legs feel good (it is 5 hours later as I type this).
So, for those folks who do not know this race: It is run in conjunction with the Superior 50K on the Superior Hiking Trail between Lutsen and Oberg Mountain and back. (http://uppermidwesttrailrunners.com/superior/index.html).
The Superior Hiking Trail is narrow (18 inches) with a lot of rocks, roots and hills. This race starts and ends at the Caribou Highlands Lodge at Lutsen. This equates to about .6 miles of "road" at the beginning and end of the race. The starting elevation is about 1300 feet. You ascend to 1650 feet within the first mile or so, then descend back to 1300 feet and repeat a couple of times, with a descent to 1100 feet thrown in before hitting the turn around at 7.2 miles and 1296 feet. These are not gradual ascents and descents. if you look at the trail on a topographic map, the contour lines are very close together.
The great thing about trail running is that you are not expected to be able to run up all of those hills. Power walking is about the best you can do (unless you are a running god/goddess). Descents can be a blast though - if you can keep your feet under you and don't roll an ankle.
The race course was complicated by a lot of downed trees. Just as you would get a nice pace going on Moose Mountain you would come upon another downed tree that had to be got over, under, or gone around.
The race directors did a great job of marking the trail though and the only time I wandered off course was when I was cruising downhill and followed the trail rather then the reroute. This always ended in a tree top, so no problem with getting too lost ;-> I appreciated that the flagging was on the end of wires (straightened clothes hangers) stuck in the ground. There was not much opportunity to lift my eyes off the trail in front of me.
The start of the race was a bit crowded and I ended up running with groups of folks for the first 7 miles. I am not used to this and it is hard to watch the trail ahead of you when it is obstructed by feet.
A couple of miles from the turn around (and the only aid station) I knew I was having trouble with a blister on my right heel. At first I thought I might just have dirt stuck in the back of my shoe. I had taped the area before starting as a precaution as this has been a recurring problem with these shoes. I ended up pulling the tape off as it had bunched up and was making matters worse. Got to the aid station, begged some tape off of the folks there and covered up the bloody mess that was my heel. Retied my shoe, filled up my water bottle and headed back down the trail (really up the trail as it had been a descent into the aid station).
Had to stop three times in the first mile to retie my shoe as it was too tight and really hurting the top of my foot. Finally got it right and continued on. The sun was shining and temps must have hit the mid-60's , especially in the valleys. Hot!!! Well, at least to this girl from the north country.
One of the best parts of this race - and something not mentioned on the race website - is the spring wildflowers:
Dutchman's Breeches(http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DICU)
and
Carolina Spring Beauty (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CLCA)
blanketed the forest floor alongside the trail for miles. The blue skies guarenteed the Spring Beauty's would be open, showing off their pink pinstripes. Saw lots of Marsh Marigolds - buds only. Heard Ovenbirds and a couple of warblers (don't ask species, I am terrible with warblers). I think I had a permanent smile on my face when I passed through the sections with all the flowers. Pretty sure I saw a couple of patches of:
Adoxa moschatellina(http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ADMO&photoID=admo_003_ahp.jpg) also.
Both the Adoxa and Carolina Spring Beauty have "Special Concern" status in Minnesota. This is due to their relative rarity.
I think I ran the second half at the same speed (or slightly slower) than the first half. Hard to tell as I was having issues with the chrono feature on my watch and didn't check it at the turn around. Felt great on the way back though and was able to pass a few folks on the downhills as well as the uphills (a rarity for me!).
I had a blast running down the last hill. Nothing funner than some technical single track!
Finished in 3:02. I am quite happy with that time. First race of this distance ever. First long-distance trail race outside of the NMTC series (longest of which is 9 miles and on a road).
Next up: Trail marathon?!
I actually had a blast on this run. Wore the heart rate monitor (though didn't pay too much attention to it except on the long uphills). Finished the race passing folks - on the trail portions - and pretty happy. Legs feel good (it is 5 hours later as I type this).
So, for those folks who do not know this race: It is run in conjunction with the Superior 50K on the Superior Hiking Trail between Lutsen and Oberg Mountain and back. (http://uppermidwesttrailrunners.com/superior/index.html).
The Superior Hiking Trail is narrow (18 inches) with a lot of rocks, roots and hills. This race starts and ends at the Caribou Highlands Lodge at Lutsen. This equates to about .6 miles of "road" at the beginning and end of the race. The starting elevation is about 1300 feet. You ascend to 1650 feet within the first mile or so, then descend back to 1300 feet and repeat a couple of times, with a descent to 1100 feet thrown in before hitting the turn around at 7.2 miles and 1296 feet. These are not gradual ascents and descents. if you look at the trail on a topographic map, the contour lines are very close together.
The great thing about trail running is that you are not expected to be able to run up all of those hills. Power walking is about the best you can do (unless you are a running god/goddess). Descents can be a blast though - if you can keep your feet under you and don't roll an ankle.
The race course was complicated by a lot of downed trees. Just as you would get a nice pace going on Moose Mountain you would come upon another downed tree that had to be got over, under, or gone around.
The race directors did a great job of marking the trail though and the only time I wandered off course was when I was cruising downhill and followed the trail rather then the reroute. This always ended in a tree top, so no problem with getting too lost ;-> I appreciated that the flagging was on the end of wires (straightened clothes hangers) stuck in the ground. There was not much opportunity to lift my eyes off the trail in front of me.
The start of the race was a bit crowded and I ended up running with groups of folks for the first 7 miles. I am not used to this and it is hard to watch the trail ahead of you when it is obstructed by feet.
A couple of miles from the turn around (and the only aid station) I knew I was having trouble with a blister on my right heel. At first I thought I might just have dirt stuck in the back of my shoe. I had taped the area before starting as a precaution as this has been a recurring problem with these shoes. I ended up pulling the tape off as it had bunched up and was making matters worse. Got to the aid station, begged some tape off of the folks there and covered up the bloody mess that was my heel. Retied my shoe, filled up my water bottle and headed back down the trail (really up the trail as it had been a descent into the aid station).
Had to stop three times in the first mile to retie my shoe as it was too tight and really hurting the top of my foot. Finally got it right and continued on. The sun was shining and temps must have hit the mid-60's , especially in the valleys. Hot!!! Well, at least to this girl from the north country.
One of the best parts of this race - and something not mentioned on the race website - is the spring wildflowers:
Dutchman's Breeches(http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DICU)
and
Carolina Spring Beauty (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CLCA)
blanketed the forest floor alongside the trail for miles. The blue skies guarenteed the Spring Beauty's would be open, showing off their pink pinstripes. Saw lots of Marsh Marigolds - buds only. Heard Ovenbirds and a couple of warblers (don't ask species, I am terrible with warblers). I think I had a permanent smile on my face when I passed through the sections with all the flowers. Pretty sure I saw a couple of patches of:
Adoxa moschatellina(http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ADMO&photoID=admo_003_ahp.jpg) also.
Both the Adoxa and Carolina Spring Beauty have "Special Concern" status in Minnesota. This is due to their relative rarity.
I think I ran the second half at the same speed (or slightly slower) than the first half. Hard to tell as I was having issues with the chrono feature on my watch and didn't check it at the turn around. Felt great on the way back though and was able to pass a few folks on the downhills as well as the uphills (a rarity for me!).
I had a blast running down the last hill. Nothing funner than some technical single track!
Finished in 3:02. I am quite happy with that time. First race of this distance ever. First long-distance trail race outside of the NMTC series (longest of which is 9 miles and on a road).
Next up: Trail marathon?!
Friday, May 16, 2008
In 14.5 hours...
I will be starting up Moose Mountain in Lutsen on a 25k (15.2 m) race. What will you be doing???
In 10 - 12 hours I will be waking up, preparing some breakfast and coffee (the all important elixar of life), topping off the gas tank, picking up 3 other runners and heading up Hwy 61 for the 2 hour drive to Lutsen.
Right now I am contemplating what to pack for clothes. It is raining, not that I was expecting the trail to be dry anyway. It may be raining - off and on - tomorrow. Temperatures are predicted to bottom out around 40 and reach a high of 50.
Tights or shorts? Long sleeves or short? Vest? Rain coat? Pack one, wear the other? Layers are a good idea, until you try to figure out what to do with them while running through the woods. I think I may be safe to leave the mittens and wool hat at home. Maybe I will pack them anyway in case the wind is off the Lake.
My plan is to have everything packed and ready to go, with my base layer laid out and ready to put on. I am not a morning person (this may be an slight understatemnent), so cannot leave packing until the morning. I am still trying to figure out what to do about my orthotics.
They are custom-made, but only half-length. This means with every new pair of runnng shoes I take out the stock insoles, cut them, and use the toe bits for the front of my foot with the orthotic for the arch and heel. Works well except.... when my shoes (specifically my left) get really wet. Then the toe bit slides back and over the orthotic. Not too uncomfortable during short runs, but I am not sure I can put up with it for 15 miles.
Did I mention I wxpect to have wet feet tomorrow?!
Yeah. Options include:
1. Not wearing the custom orthotics, but using my as-yet-uncut stock insoles and hoping that the nature of this trail race and my motion-control shoes keep me from an injury caused by over-pronation.
2. Use my insoles and orthotics as I usually do, stopping on occasion to readjust if need be (mucking up my race time).
3. Gluing or taping the stock insole toe bits in place so they cannot slide over my orthotics.
Any suggestions???
Sometime within the next week look for a race report on my first Superior 25K (and my longest race ever).
Ran only one time since last Sunday - part of my taper plan, minus a couple of runs. Did bike to work today, and home - up hill. I took it very easy as I do not want to tire my legs out now.
The NMTC Goat Run was a good time, though I was swayed by my peers to follow a "new" trail that took us off course and may - or may not - have shortened our total run. Not sure of total distance, though I did not shave off that much time compared to previous years. I have been averaging about 5 minutes faster at each race this series.
The standings for the series have been posted on Northland Runner. Consistency and showing up really do pay off ;->
OKC: Still working on the Baby Surprise and still neglecting my other two projects.
In 10 - 12 hours I will be waking up, preparing some breakfast and coffee (the all important elixar of life), topping off the gas tank, picking up 3 other runners and heading up Hwy 61 for the 2 hour drive to Lutsen.
Right now I am contemplating what to pack for clothes. It is raining, not that I was expecting the trail to be dry anyway. It may be raining - off and on - tomorrow. Temperatures are predicted to bottom out around 40 and reach a high of 50.
Tights or shorts? Long sleeves or short? Vest? Rain coat? Pack one, wear the other? Layers are a good idea, until you try to figure out what to do with them while running through the woods. I think I may be safe to leave the mittens and wool hat at home. Maybe I will pack them anyway in case the wind is off the Lake.
My plan is to have everything packed and ready to go, with my base layer laid out and ready to put on. I am not a morning person (this may be an slight understatemnent), so cannot leave packing until the morning. I am still trying to figure out what to do about my orthotics.
They are custom-made, but only half-length. This means with every new pair of runnng shoes I take out the stock insoles, cut them, and use the toe bits for the front of my foot with the orthotic for the arch and heel. Works well except.... when my shoes (specifically my left) get really wet. Then the toe bit slides back and over the orthotic. Not too uncomfortable during short runs, but I am not sure I can put up with it for 15 miles.
Did I mention I wxpect to have wet feet tomorrow?!
Yeah. Options include:
1. Not wearing the custom orthotics, but using my as-yet-uncut stock insoles and hoping that the nature of this trail race and my motion-control shoes keep me from an injury caused by over-pronation.
2. Use my insoles and orthotics as I usually do, stopping on occasion to readjust if need be (mucking up my race time).
3. Gluing or taping the stock insole toe bits in place so they cannot slide over my orthotics.
Any suggestions???
Sometime within the next week look for a race report on my first Superior 25K (and my longest race ever).
Ran only one time since last Sunday - part of my taper plan, minus a couple of runs. Did bike to work today, and home - up hill. I took it very easy as I do not want to tire my legs out now.
The NMTC Goat Run was a good time, though I was swayed by my peers to follow a "new" trail that took us off course and may - or may not - have shortened our total run. Not sure of total distance, though I did not shave off that much time compared to previous years. I have been averaging about 5 minutes faster at each race this series.
The standings for the series have been posted on Northland Runner. Consistency and showing up really do pay off ;->
OKC: Still working on the Baby Surprise and still neglecting my other two projects.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tick Number Two
Ran 15k today (9 miles). Longest of the NMTC "races". This one is all on roads, a mix of paved and gravel since the City decided to dump tar on parts of it. So, how did a wood tick manage to follow me home?
Must have been the short detour into the woods prior to the start of the race. This guy/gal was persistant! I didn't notice it until I had been home for awhile, showered and saw it climbing on my running tights which were hanging on the bedroom door. Needless to say, I have spent the rest of the afternoon and evening checking out any crawling sensations.
Run went well. Wore my heart rate monitor, though did not stay within my long run range (Zone 3 - 142-163 bpm). My average was 169 bpm, but I was chatting the whole time with another runner and never felt winded - even on the uphills.
Weather was better than predicted, but the "breeze" was a bit stiff at times. Funny thing was - on the out and back, hilly, winding course - we ran into the wind both on the way out and on the way back, with the wind being especially annoying near the finish.
No attacks by birds. Not much in the way of wildlife, other than the tick and some birds singing. Couldn't see any wildflowers from the middle of the road, though the woods surrounding this part of Skyline are full of wild leeks and they are pretty easy to spot at this time of year. Soon the large-flowered trillium will be out, and they are quite a show in this area.
Six days to the race. Only runs planned this week are a couple of two milers on Tuesday and Thursday and the NMTC Goat Run (5K) on Wednesday.
OKC: Few more rows done on the Baby Surprise, getting close to the neck decreases. I was asked today at the race about making a hat for one of the runners. I usually donate one for the end of the year potluck so he may just have to wait :->
Must have been the short detour into the woods prior to the start of the race. This guy/gal was persistant! I didn't notice it until I had been home for awhile, showered and saw it climbing on my running tights which were hanging on the bedroom door. Needless to say, I have spent the rest of the afternoon and evening checking out any crawling sensations.
Run went well. Wore my heart rate monitor, though did not stay within my long run range (Zone 3 - 142-163 bpm). My average was 169 bpm, but I was chatting the whole time with another runner and never felt winded - even on the uphills.
Weather was better than predicted, but the "breeze" was a bit stiff at times. Funny thing was - on the out and back, hilly, winding course - we ran into the wind both on the way out and on the way back, with the wind being especially annoying near the finish.
No attacks by birds. Not much in the way of wildlife, other than the tick and some birds singing. Couldn't see any wildflowers from the middle of the road, though the woods surrounding this part of Skyline are full of wild leeks and they are pretty easy to spot at this time of year. Soon the large-flowered trillium will be out, and they are quite a show in this area.
Six days to the race. Only runs planned this week are a couple of two milers on Tuesday and Thursday and the NMTC Goat Run (5K) on Wednesday.
OKC: Few more rows done on the Baby Surprise, getting close to the neck decreases. I was asked today at the race about making a hat for one of the runners. I usually donate one for the end of the year potluck so he may just have to wait :->
Saturday, May 10, 2008
It's the Little Things
Seen on runs this past week:
Hepatica in bloom (though closed due to the cloudy skies - more on spring ephemerals later) - Jay Cooke State Park/NMTC Bull Run
Violets (purple ones even!) in bloom - Superior Hiking Trail in the Piedmont area
Mertensia (Virginia bluebells) in bloom - my back yard (has been blooming for past week or so)
Daffodils in bloom - my backyard again
Lilac leaves are bursting out, how far behind can the flower buds be?
Cherry sp - leaves appearing.
Rhubarb is up a few inches
Bloodroot in bloom - Piedmont area
Wild Leeks (ramps) - up at least 6 inches or more - Piedmont area
Wood tick (only one) - Jay Cooke State Park - NMTC Bull Run (last year I had 25)
Despite the cool temps spring is inching it's way into Duluth.
Have managed a run or two more in shorts though it has been a challenge of late. No more run-ins with angry hawks.
Rode my bike for the first time this year. Great thing about my neighborhood is the fast ride downtown. Bummer is the climb back up. Today I rode downtown to meet someone for coffee. By the time I headed home I had picked up Porter (got another meal out today) and the two of us "biked" back home. First we had to figure out a leash as Jon did not have one in the car. Lucky for me, rope seems to materialize on a regular basis around Jon and it was a long enough piece to work as a leash. Skijoring commands come in real handy when you are biking along side your dog.
I think the 50 degree temp (cooler by the lake with the northeast breeze) was a bit much for Porter. His tongue was hanging out pretty far at times, and we needed to slow the pace a bit, though he was threatening to leave me behind on the steeper uphill bits.
The low gear on my bike is a big help in getting up the hill, though I have yet to be able to pedal up 7th (third steepest street in Duluth according to the DNT). I do plan on running 9 miles tomorrow morning (Happy Mother's Day to me) so was not very interested in pushing it too much. From here on out until the 17th it is all about staying healthy and saving up some energy for the race.
OKC: Baby Surprise is coming along slowly. No other knitting has touched my fingers. Not much in Interweave Knits to get excited about...
Oh yeah - about spring ephemerals: this is a term for the wildflowers that appear early in the spring before the trees fully leaf out. Many of them will be seen while snow is still on the ground. They appear, bloom, go to seed and disappear all before the woods get shady from the leaves. Often you can find no sign of them by mid-summer, with one exception. Leeks/Ramps do not flower until July, but by then there are no leaves to be seen!
Many of the spring ephemerals have white to pink to purple flowers (though not all); and many of them have flowers that close up on overcast days (and in the evening). Energy conservation tactic? Quite a few spring ephemerals have interesting ways of directing insects to themselves. Spring Beauty uses infrared stripes to guide bees into the pollen. Wild ginger apparently smells wonderful to ground-dwelling beetles and other lovers of dead things.
Most of these plants are not very showy and are low to the ground, meaning they can go unobserved if you are not looking for them. Sunny days are the exception as then they are quite obvious in their presence.
My advice: Get out into the woods!!! Soon the trillium will be in bloom and that is a show worth seeing!
Hepatica in bloom (though closed due to the cloudy skies - more on spring ephemerals later) - Jay Cooke State Park/NMTC Bull Run
Violets (purple ones even!) in bloom - Superior Hiking Trail in the Piedmont area
Mertensia (Virginia bluebells) in bloom - my back yard (has been blooming for past week or so)
Daffodils in bloom - my backyard again
Lilac leaves are bursting out, how far behind can the flower buds be?
Cherry sp - leaves appearing.
Rhubarb is up a few inches
Bloodroot in bloom - Piedmont area
Wild Leeks (ramps) - up at least 6 inches or more - Piedmont area
Wood tick (only one) - Jay Cooke State Park - NMTC Bull Run (last year I had 25)
Despite the cool temps spring is inching it's way into Duluth.
Have managed a run or two more in shorts though it has been a challenge of late. No more run-ins with angry hawks.
Rode my bike for the first time this year. Great thing about my neighborhood is the fast ride downtown. Bummer is the climb back up. Today I rode downtown to meet someone for coffee. By the time I headed home I had picked up Porter (got another meal out today) and the two of us "biked" back home. First we had to figure out a leash as Jon did not have one in the car. Lucky for me, rope seems to materialize on a regular basis around Jon and it was a long enough piece to work as a leash. Skijoring commands come in real handy when you are biking along side your dog.
I think the 50 degree temp (cooler by the lake with the northeast breeze) was a bit much for Porter. His tongue was hanging out pretty far at times, and we needed to slow the pace a bit, though he was threatening to leave me behind on the steeper uphill bits.
The low gear on my bike is a big help in getting up the hill, though I have yet to be able to pedal up 7th (third steepest street in Duluth according to the DNT). I do plan on running 9 miles tomorrow morning (Happy Mother's Day to me) so was not very interested in pushing it too much. From here on out until the 17th it is all about staying healthy and saving up some energy for the race.
OKC: Baby Surprise is coming along slowly. No other knitting has touched my fingers. Not much in Interweave Knits to get excited about...
Oh yeah - about spring ephemerals: this is a term for the wildflowers that appear early in the spring before the trees fully leaf out. Many of them will be seen while snow is still on the ground. They appear, bloom, go to seed and disappear all before the woods get shady from the leaves. Often you can find no sign of them by mid-summer, with one exception. Leeks/Ramps do not flower until July, but by then there are no leaves to be seen!
Many of the spring ephemerals have white to pink to purple flowers (though not all); and many of them have flowers that close up on overcast days (and in the evening). Energy conservation tactic? Quite a few spring ephemerals have interesting ways of directing insects to themselves. Spring Beauty uses infrared stripes to guide bees into the pollen. Wild ginger apparently smells wonderful to ground-dwelling beetles and other lovers of dead things.
Most of these plants are not very showy and are low to the ground, meaning they can go unobserved if you are not looking for them. Sunny days are the exception as then they are quite obvious in their presence.
My advice: Get out into the woods!!! Soon the trillium will be in bloom and that is a show worth seeing!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Adventure on the trail
Weather was so much better this weekend then the forecast! Friday it was pouring rain and windy. Forecast for Saturday was 30% chance of rain, cloudy, temps in the upper 30's. Perfect hypothermia weather. I started to re-think my plans to run Saturday while at the SHTA Annual Meeting.
Reality: sunny, windy (very windy), and warming into the 40's. Perfect running weather.
I headed out from Wolf Ridge with a group that was hiking a 6 mile out and back to "Fantasia" overlook. My plan called for a 10 mile run, so I needed to add on another 4 miles somewhere on the SHT. The Wolf Ridge trails were mostly dry, but they are up on a hill. Footing got wetter as I descended and it turned into a muddy, wet run once on the SHT. Heard the area got 1 inch of rain Friday night, so it was no big surprise that the occasional stream appeared on the trail!
This section was an interesting mix of puddles, mud and steep ascents and descents. It is technical singletrack, except for the Wolf Ridge trails (more akin to ski trails). Synopsis from the SHT guidebook: " ...one of the most challenging, varies greatly from the easy long stretches along the contours to steep, scrambling ascents and descents. There are many open ledges affording beautiful views of both Lake Superior and its shoreline, and inline lakes, mountains and valleys. "
I seemed to have missed out on the long easy stretches. The views are spectacular! Luckily the wind was blowing from the west, so no risk of being blown off a cliff edge ;->
Over 50% of the trail was under water, so trying to keep my feet dry was pretty pointless. Running on the SHT requires focus. I didn't get much of an opportunity to look up at my surroundings except while hiking up the steep ascents. I did manage to notice a few signs of spring including: violets just emerging from the soil and unfurling their leaves; columbine leaves along the steep stretches; marsh marigolds - both leaf and flower buds; and nesting birds (more on that later).
In one stretch of trail on my way out to Hwy 1 I came upon the remains of a deer. Interesting to run through puddles lined with deer fur. Not much was left other than a leg or two and a ribcage - and the fur.
After running west to Hwy 1, then returning to the trail junction with the Wolf Ridge trails, I headed east towards another overlook on the SHT (overlook = steep ascent/descent), turned around and headed back to the trail junction. Got a bit confused here, headed down a trail I thought would take me back to Wolf Ridge, hit an intersection with the SHT that I had been through already, turned around, headed back - uphill - and got back onto the right trail up to the environmental learning center.
That is when the REAL excitement of the day began! I was nearing the end of my 10 mile run, heading up hill and had just turned a corner on the trail when I heard a screech. Looked up in an attempt to locate the bird and see if I could identify it. A greyish, large bird flew over. Hmm, hawk of some sort... stopped to see if I could get a better look. Bird flew over again, this time lower, and screeching the whole time. Hmm, think it wants me to move on, must be nesting in the area. So, up the hill I go, next thing I know, a third pass is being made! Lots of screeching and the bird is much closer. By this time I am ducking, apologizing (swearing) and heading up the trail as fast as I can go. Out of the corner of my eye I see the hawk diving on me again, and by now I am worrying about her talons and wondering how bad it hurts to get attacked by a hawk and if I will freak folks out when I show up with a head wound! The fourth and final pass came within 6 inches of my head (near as I could tell while ducking and running) and by then I must have gotten far enough away that she felt confident I was no longer a threat to her nest because the attacks stopped.
What kind of hawk did I piss off Saturday? A Northern Goshawk. For a picture follow this link:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/SPECIES/GOSHAWK/images/goshawknest.jpg
There has been a female nesting in the area of trail I was on for the past few years. Found that out after I got back to the ELC and spoke with staff. I was the only person that weekend to experience this unique sign of spring. Best adventure so far on a trail run!
OKC: not much knitting got done this past week. Long days spent at work and on board and family stuff. A little progress has been made on the Baby Surprise, no progress on the mittens or hat.
New Interweave Knits arrived while I was gone... just what I need more inspiration!
Reality: sunny, windy (very windy), and warming into the 40's. Perfect running weather.
I headed out from Wolf Ridge with a group that was hiking a 6 mile out and back to "Fantasia" overlook. My plan called for a 10 mile run, so I needed to add on another 4 miles somewhere on the SHT. The Wolf Ridge trails were mostly dry, but they are up on a hill. Footing got wetter as I descended and it turned into a muddy, wet run once on the SHT. Heard the area got 1 inch of rain Friday night, so it was no big surprise that the occasional stream appeared on the trail!
This section was an interesting mix of puddles, mud and steep ascents and descents. It is technical singletrack, except for the Wolf Ridge trails (more akin to ski trails). Synopsis from the SHT guidebook: " ...one of the most challenging, varies greatly from the easy long stretches along the contours to steep, scrambling ascents and descents. There are many open ledges affording beautiful views of both Lake Superior and its shoreline, and inline lakes, mountains and valleys. "
I seemed to have missed out on the long easy stretches. The views are spectacular! Luckily the wind was blowing from the west, so no risk of being blown off a cliff edge ;->
Over 50% of the trail was under water, so trying to keep my feet dry was pretty pointless. Running on the SHT requires focus. I didn't get much of an opportunity to look up at my surroundings except while hiking up the steep ascents. I did manage to notice a few signs of spring including: violets just emerging from the soil and unfurling their leaves; columbine leaves along the steep stretches; marsh marigolds - both leaf and flower buds; and nesting birds (more on that later).
In one stretch of trail on my way out to Hwy 1 I came upon the remains of a deer. Interesting to run through puddles lined with deer fur. Not much was left other than a leg or two and a ribcage - and the fur.
After running west to Hwy 1, then returning to the trail junction with the Wolf Ridge trails, I headed east towards another overlook on the SHT (overlook = steep ascent/descent), turned around and headed back to the trail junction. Got a bit confused here, headed down a trail I thought would take me back to Wolf Ridge, hit an intersection with the SHT that I had been through already, turned around, headed back - uphill - and got back onto the right trail up to the environmental learning center.
That is when the REAL excitement of the day began! I was nearing the end of my 10 mile run, heading up hill and had just turned a corner on the trail when I heard a screech. Looked up in an attempt to locate the bird and see if I could identify it. A greyish, large bird flew over. Hmm, hawk of some sort... stopped to see if I could get a better look. Bird flew over again, this time lower, and screeching the whole time. Hmm, think it wants me to move on, must be nesting in the area. So, up the hill I go, next thing I know, a third pass is being made! Lots of screeching and the bird is much closer. By this time I am ducking, apologizing (swearing) and heading up the trail as fast as I can go. Out of the corner of my eye I see the hawk diving on me again, and by now I am worrying about her talons and wondering how bad it hurts to get attacked by a hawk and if I will freak folks out when I show up with a head wound! The fourth and final pass came within 6 inches of my head (near as I could tell while ducking and running) and by then I must have gotten far enough away that she felt confident I was no longer a threat to her nest because the attacks stopped.
What kind of hawk did I piss off Saturday? A Northern Goshawk. For a picture follow this link:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/SPECIES/GOSHAWK/images/goshawknest.jpg
There has been a female nesting in the area of trail I was on for the past few years. Found that out after I got back to the ELC and spoke with staff. I was the only person that weekend to experience this unique sign of spring. Best adventure so far on a trail run!
OKC: not much knitting got done this past week. Long days spent at work and on board and family stuff. A little progress has been made on the Baby Surprise, no progress on the mittens or hat.
New Interweave Knits arrived while I was gone... just what I need more inspiration!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Thankfully the forecast was wrong
It was a beautiful day, if somewhat on the chilly side.
This weekend was to be another 16 mile long run (see Reality for what happened to the other 16 miler) . I had made arrangements with a friend to run on Saturday. Friday we talked and decided to delay the run to Sunday as the forecast was for "chance of rain" with less chance of snow and howling winds.
Saturday was nasty weather. Duluth did not get hit with the multiple inches of snow that got other parts of northern Minnesota, but it was very windy, alternating between snow and rain. Not even much fun to walk the dog in!
Today dawned sunny! Sunny! So nice to see the sun again. So what if it started out at 29 degrees F. Sun! By the time we headed out for the run it had warmed up into the low 30's and was still.... sunny. Can you tell it has been kind of gloomy this week (all made worse by the 70 degree day last Wednesday).
For a wonder we actually had the wind in our face on the way out. The course we chose was a mix of paved road, gravel road and paved biking trail. Lots of hills mixed in. Vernal ponds had ice on them this morning, so no frogs singing. Saw lots of birds including a "butterbutt" (yellow-rumped warbler), broad-winged hawk (saw it twice as it was hanging out in a tree along the trail), flicker, bluejays, robins, chickadees and heard the song of a white-throated sparrow and the call of a pileated woodpecker and a raven.
The aspen are all blooming as are the alders and the maples (harder to see their flowers as they are up a lot higher).
Run went pretty well. I was definitely pushing the heart rate up on this one. Usually I try to keep my heart rate between 142-162 on the long runs (avg. around 156 or so). Today the avg. was 168, with a peak of 183. I was talking with my running partner the whole time - not struggling to talk and run (except on the uphills) so may need to revise my max heart rate up, must be higher than 203.
We did walk several times; at the turn around, a steep hill or two. Good opportunity to eat and drink. Temps by the time we were done had hit the low to mid-40's.
On the knitting front:
Bird mittens - no progress made,
Bobble cable hat - cable strap cast on, three repeats done, set aside
Baby Surprise - yeah, I have a commitment issue right now. Cast on this morning using fingering weight main color held with some varigated sock yarn. Needed something to work on that didn't require a chart. Not sure who this is for, but I am sure it will become clear it all good time.
This weekend was to be another 16 mile long run (see Reality for what happened to the other 16 miler) . I had made arrangements with a friend to run on Saturday. Friday we talked and decided to delay the run to Sunday as the forecast was for "chance of rain" with less chance of snow and howling winds.
Saturday was nasty weather. Duluth did not get hit with the multiple inches of snow that got other parts of northern Minnesota, but it was very windy, alternating between snow and rain. Not even much fun to walk the dog in!
Today dawned sunny! Sunny! So nice to see the sun again. So what if it started out at 29 degrees F. Sun! By the time we headed out for the run it had warmed up into the low 30's and was still.... sunny. Can you tell it has been kind of gloomy this week (all made worse by the 70 degree day last Wednesday).
For a wonder we actually had the wind in our face on the way out. The course we chose was a mix of paved road, gravel road and paved biking trail. Lots of hills mixed in. Vernal ponds had ice on them this morning, so no frogs singing. Saw lots of birds including a "butterbutt" (yellow-rumped warbler), broad-winged hawk (saw it twice as it was hanging out in a tree along the trail), flicker, bluejays, robins, chickadees and heard the song of a white-throated sparrow and the call of a pileated woodpecker and a raven.
The aspen are all blooming as are the alders and the maples (harder to see their flowers as they are up a lot higher).
Run went pretty well. I was definitely pushing the heart rate up on this one. Usually I try to keep my heart rate between 142-162 on the long runs (avg. around 156 or so). Today the avg. was 168, with a peak of 183. I was talking with my running partner the whole time - not struggling to talk and run (except on the uphills) so may need to revise my max heart rate up, must be higher than 203.
We did walk several times; at the turn around, a steep hill or two. Good opportunity to eat and drink. Temps by the time we were done had hit the low to mid-40's.
On the knitting front:
Bird mittens - no progress made,
Bobble cable hat - cable strap cast on, three repeats done, set aside
Baby Surprise - yeah, I have a commitment issue right now. Cast on this morning using fingering weight main color held with some varigated sock yarn. Needed something to work on that didn't require a chart. Not sure who this is for, but I am sure it will become clear it all good time.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Quick Post - II
Try again... last version lost to a freeze.
Yesterday it was raining and in the mid to upper 30's F, despite a forecast that predicted only a 30% chance of rain. Oh yeah, and as is usual this close to the Big Lake, an east wind. Combined with only 4 hours of sleep and an evening obligation I decided to scratch the long run and move it to Sunday, when the forecast was for sun and temps hitting the low 60's away from the Lake. Sounds much nicer for a 16 mile run, doesn't it?
Here is today's weather observation:
Location Time(cdt) Sky/Weather Temp.(ºF) Wind(mph)
Duluth International Airport 14:55 Fog 38 E 16 G 25
The fog was so thick climbing out of Duluth that you couldn't see more than a 100 feet or so. Had to use my windshield wipers to see due to the drizzle/fog combo. Good thing I had woken up to an email inviting me to a 15 mile run with a couple of friends! These type of weather conditions make it too easy to delay/skip a run.
Headed out to Esko and we ran on the Munger Trail (Rails to Trails paved path) for 7.5 miles and then turned around and headed back - into the wind. At times there are some straight stretches heading due east.... Company makes all the difference.
As is typical of Rails to Trails paths (and railroad grades in general) this was a fairly flat course. My legs were tired of it after a bit, but having someone to chat with really helped.
One more 16 mile run and then the taper begins :->
Yesterday it was raining and in the mid to upper 30's F, despite a forecast that predicted only a 30% chance of rain. Oh yeah, and as is usual this close to the Big Lake, an east wind. Combined with only 4 hours of sleep and an evening obligation I decided to scratch the long run and move it to Sunday, when the forecast was for sun and temps hitting the low 60's away from the Lake. Sounds much nicer for a 16 mile run, doesn't it?
Here is today's weather observation:
Location Time(cdt) Sky/Weather Temp.(ºF) Wind(mph)
Duluth International Airport 14:55 Fog 38 E 16 G 25
The fog was so thick climbing out of Duluth that you couldn't see more than a 100 feet or so. Had to use my windshield wipers to see due to the drizzle/fog combo. Good thing I had woken up to an email inviting me to a 15 mile run with a couple of friends! These type of weather conditions make it too easy to delay/skip a run.
Headed out to Esko and we ran on the Munger Trail (Rails to Trails paved path) for 7.5 miles and then turned around and headed back - into the wind. At times there are some straight stretches heading due east.... Company makes all the difference.
As is typical of Rails to Trails paths (and railroad grades in general) this was a fairly flat course. My legs were tired of it after a bit, but having someone to chat with really helped.
One more 16 mile run and then the taper begins :->
Friday, April 18, 2008
Signs of Spring
Photos from yesterday's hike on "my" section of the Superior Hiking Trail, starting in my yard where the rhubarb and daffodils are up:
Trail conditions yesterday (a bit dryer today):
Trees are starting to bloom:
Can you guess what these are?
Sunset at Sky Harbor:
Trail conditions yesterday (a bit dryer today):
Trees are starting to bloom:
Can you guess what these are?
Sunset at Sky Harbor:
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spring!!
Yesterday it was sunny and 59 degrees F. as I prepared to leave work. "Blizzard" just 5 days ago. It was still quite windy, but other than that, hard to tell the city had shut down just a few days ago due to a snow storm.
The wind was out of the south, gusting into the mid 20's mph. Where to run?? Headed for Skyline and it's curves and hills, started at the end that had me headed somewhat towards the south and took off. In shorts and a t-shirt! And I was warm enough during the run to contemplate losing the shirt ;->
Quads were a bit stiff at first, just more proof that 13 flat miles is harder than a similar amount on varied terrain - at least for me. New shoes are still causing pain and issues with my right heel, which is a drag as I think my long runs would feel better in new shoes. Able to run a negative split and took about 3 minutes off my return trip on this out and back course. Wind aided?!? Maybe - though I had the wind in my face at least part of the time on the way back also - nature of a curvy road.
Lots of water is running down the hillside! This is good as I believe Duluth is still a bit low on water from last summer's drought. Probably not a lot is making it into the soil at this point, but lake levels are low so this should help a little.
Saw my first caterpillar of the year! Wooly Bear (Isabella Moth). Creeping across the road. Usually my first sighting is of the caterpillar creeping across some snow.
Also saw an osprey! Of course it flew over as I was just heading out after my run - down a very steep, curvy road! My birding skills are quite rusty so I was dividing my time between memorizing the birds markings and keeping the car on the road as there is nowhere to pull over on this stretch - think mountain pass. I didn't get a chance to confirm my initial ID until this morning when I could look it up. Obviously the bird books and binocs need to come out again!
This morning it is still sunny, winds seem to have died down and it is already 48 degrees. The birds are singing away outside - including the cardinals (common to the south, still enough of a rarity up here that folks get excited). The trees are starting to bloom - aspens, maples and who knows what else. Can't wait to see which flower in my yard is first to bloom.
PS - the chipmunks are awake and feisty - making lots of noise too.
The wind was out of the south, gusting into the mid 20's mph. Where to run?? Headed for Skyline and it's curves and hills, started at the end that had me headed somewhat towards the south and took off. In shorts and a t-shirt! And I was warm enough during the run to contemplate losing the shirt ;->
Quads were a bit stiff at first, just more proof that 13 flat miles is harder than a similar amount on varied terrain - at least for me. New shoes are still causing pain and issues with my right heel, which is a drag as I think my long runs would feel better in new shoes. Able to run a negative split and took about 3 minutes off my return trip on this out and back course. Wind aided?!? Maybe - though I had the wind in my face at least part of the time on the way back also - nature of a curvy road.
Lots of water is running down the hillside! This is good as I believe Duluth is still a bit low on water from last summer's drought. Probably not a lot is making it into the soil at this point, but lake levels are low so this should help a little.
Saw my first caterpillar of the year! Wooly Bear (Isabella Moth). Creeping across the road. Usually my first sighting is of the caterpillar creeping across some snow.
Also saw an osprey! Of course it flew over as I was just heading out after my run - down a very steep, curvy road! My birding skills are quite rusty so I was dividing my time between memorizing the birds markings and keeping the car on the road as there is nowhere to pull over on this stretch - think mountain pass. I didn't get a chance to confirm my initial ID until this morning when I could look it up. Obviously the bird books and binocs need to come out again!
This morning it is still sunny, winds seem to have died down and it is already 48 degrees. The birds are singing away outside - including the cardinals (common to the south, still enough of a rarity up here that folks get excited). The trees are starting to bloom - aspens, maples and who knows what else. Can't wait to see which flower in my yard is first to bloom.
PS - the chipmunks are awake and feisty - making lots of noise too.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Reality
Got to Burnsville yesterday (Saturday) in early afternoon after driving three hours in the snow. Nothing was really sticking, so the roads were fine, but with the winds it got tough to see at times. Greeted my sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew, double-checked the directions to the Regional Park, changed and headed out, with a promise from my sister to bring me back to my car if I decided to run home from the park.
Found my way to the park with only one mishap. Pulled into the parking lot for the horse/pet trails (13.9 miles) only to find it posted: Trails closed. Okay... drove on to the park headquarters. Trails closed. Hmmm. Every trail head along the way was also closed. I thought about heading out anyway, but decided against it as my bright blue car sitting for three hours outside a locked gate seemed a bit obvious. Besides, did I mention it was snowy, wet and windy? Yeah, made it easy to bail on that run.
Headed back to my sisters and spent the rest of the afternoon visiting, then after dinner headed out with Jenny to REI. Like a candy store. She was looking for a "purse" that could hold a couple of diapers, wipes and the other essentials of parenting young children as well as her license, debit card and some cash. After meandering around the store (big one in Bloomington) for an hour or so, we finally found something that was "just right". Turns out it is very similar to the bag I have at home. Mine fits a book and a small knitting project as well as wallet, checkbook and other essentials.
Also left the store with some clothes and the perfect little wallet/key holder thingy. Bit more expensive trip then I had planned.
Made it back to Duluth early this afternoon. Sunny skies, temps in the upper 30's and wind from the north at 5 mph. Where to run? Ended up meeting a friend and running 5 miles on the Lakewalk, oggling at the crib that had been moved at least a 1/4 mile onto the a new beach and already was half-buried, and dodging lots of people. Once that first 5 miles was over I planned to run the rest of the Lakewalk to the Aerial Lift Bridge, cross that and run down the point past the airport and on to the trail. If I ran all the way to the Wisconsin entry and back to my car it would have been over 17 miles. I planned on cutting some corners here and there, turning around before reaching the end of the point and walking once I got back to the bridge to cut the mileage back a bit towards 16. Had food (Cliff Shot Blocks) and water with so was all set, or so I thought.
Made it out to the old Lighthouse ("The 50 foot high tower was build in 1855, was the first high powered light beacon on Lake Superior and cost $13,835.00 to build. In operation for only 20 years its lens came from the Bordeau Company of Paris, France and it is still in use in the light on the west pierhead of the Superior Entry. In 1975 the lighthouse was designated a national historic monument and the base serves as the zero point for survey maps of Lake Superior." City of Duluth Parks and Recreation website). That served as my turn around point. Headed back and made it past Sky Harbor airport and onto the pavement for about one block before my legs protested and I took the easy out. Jon was at the airport and I had a ride back to my car.
I had forgotten how much running on Park Point's road (flat, flat, flat) beats up my legs. I had felt great on the trails but just couldn't face 4 more miles back to Canal Park and my car. Total mileage: 13.3
Did manage some quality time in the car working on the Bird Mittens while being chauffered north by my daughter.
Found my way to the park with only one mishap. Pulled into the parking lot for the horse/pet trails (13.9 miles) only to find it posted: Trails closed. Okay... drove on to the park headquarters. Trails closed. Hmmm. Every trail head along the way was also closed. I thought about heading out anyway, but decided against it as my bright blue car sitting for three hours outside a locked gate seemed a bit obvious. Besides, did I mention it was snowy, wet and windy? Yeah, made it easy to bail on that run.
Headed back to my sisters and spent the rest of the afternoon visiting, then after dinner headed out with Jenny to REI. Like a candy store. She was looking for a "purse" that could hold a couple of diapers, wipes and the other essentials of parenting young children as well as her license, debit card and some cash. After meandering around the store (big one in Bloomington) for an hour or so, we finally found something that was "just right". Turns out it is very similar to the bag I have at home. Mine fits a book and a small knitting project as well as wallet, checkbook and other essentials.
Also left the store with some clothes and the perfect little wallet/key holder thingy. Bit more expensive trip then I had planned.
Made it back to Duluth early this afternoon. Sunny skies, temps in the upper 30's and wind from the north at 5 mph. Where to run? Ended up meeting a friend and running 5 miles on the Lakewalk, oggling at the crib that had been moved at least a 1/4 mile onto the a new beach and already was half-buried, and dodging lots of people. Once that first 5 miles was over I planned to run the rest of the Lakewalk to the Aerial Lift Bridge, cross that and run down the point past the airport and on to the trail. If I ran all the way to the Wisconsin entry and back to my car it would have been over 17 miles. I planned on cutting some corners here and there, turning around before reaching the end of the point and walking once I got back to the bridge to cut the mileage back a bit towards 16. Had food (Cliff Shot Blocks) and water with so was all set, or so I thought.
Made it out to the old Lighthouse ("The 50 foot high tower was build in 1855, was the first high powered light beacon on Lake Superior and cost $13,835.00 to build. In operation for only 20 years its lens came from the Bordeau Company of Paris, France and it is still in use in the light on the west pierhead of the Superior Entry. In 1975 the lighthouse was designated a national historic monument and the base serves as the zero point for survey maps of Lake Superior." City of Duluth Parks and Recreation website). That served as my turn around point. Headed back and made it past Sky Harbor airport and onto the pavement for about one block before my legs protested and I took the easy out. Jon was at the airport and I had a ride back to my car.
I had forgotten how much running on Park Point's road (flat, flat, flat) beats up my legs. I had felt great on the trails but just couldn't face 4 more miles back to Canal Park and my car. Total mileage: 13.3
Did manage some quality time in the car working on the Bird Mittens while being chauffered north by my daughter.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Blizzard?!?!
Pictures from April 2008 "Blizzard"
Not a lot of snow, just a lot of wind. They were predicting a foot or more of snow, starting at 7:00 pm last night. We waited and waited... 10:00 pm and no snow, winds were picking up though. Radar showed an interesting development. There was a 'doughnut' over the head of the lake, no snow falling in Duluth/Superior. By midnight the snow had started to fall - finally! It was wet and heavy and combined with the winds led to this:
The following pictures were taken in Lincoln Park during our afternoon walk. Porter LOVES weather like this. He was acting like a puppy today, big improvement for a guy who has been moving pretty slowly of late.
The walk wasn't too bad, despite winds gusting past 40 mph from the northeast until we started heading home and hit a stretch of trail with no protection. Then it was a bit of a struggle! The drifts were interesting, sometimes there was hardly any snow, other times I was in drifts that went past my knees.
Jon and I took it upon ourselves to free a few trees from their burden of snow - and sometimes other trees - while hiking up the Lincoln Park trail. It still amazes me that I live in the middle of the city and have areas like this within walking distance.
Miller Creek (the river in the above photos) is already roaring, and if the predicted temps become reality it will be in flood stage by early next week. Most of the streams in this area are "flashy". They don't have much in the way of headwaters, so rise and fall fast in response to precipitation.
Porter is jumping over Coffee Creek. Jon had to coax him over, then had to coax me over ;-> I was launching off of a piece of snow-covered ice and wasn't 100% convinced I could make the leap without landing in the creek (with the camera).
My feet are dry.
We headed down to Sky Harbor after dinner to ensure the airplanes were still tied down. The waves on Lake Superior could be seen crashing onto the shoreline from a block away. there is a reason they warn folks away from the Lakewalk and breakwaters in a nor'easter! Check out mnbicyclecommuter.blogspot.com to see some great photos of the lake and what it is capable of.
Finished the KnitPicks Gloss mittens and have even wore them on a run. Very nice. Contemplating a Bobble-cable hat with the remaining yarn.
So, I am supposed to be running my first 16 miler tomorrow/this weekend. Ummm, about that. It is still very windy in Duluth. By very windy I mean:
Tonight: Snow, mainly before 1am. Low around 22. Windy, with a northeast wind between 25 and 35 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 31. Blustery, with a north wind between 20 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
(From the National Weather Service)
On top of this I need to drive to the Twin Cities to pick up my daughter early Sunday morning at the train station.
I have some choices:
1. Run in Duluth on Saturday before I leave for the Cities, fighting the wind for at least half of the run or so, depending on how I arrange the loop.
2. Run on Sunday when I get back, (Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. North wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. ) when the winds will be lessened and the the sun will be out. Again, fighting the wind for part of the time at least.
Note: options 1 & 2 involve running on the roads as the trails are in a very fragile - and snowy - state right now.
3. Leave for the Cities early tomorrow (as soon as the roads are safe) and run down there at one of the regional parks on... trails!!!
I have been investigating option 3. I am tired of pavement and am concerned that I need to get my legs and feet and brain used to running long distances on trails. I have just over a month left to prep for the Superior 25K.
Any thoughts?
Not a lot of snow, just a lot of wind. They were predicting a foot or more of snow, starting at 7:00 pm last night. We waited and waited... 10:00 pm and no snow, winds were picking up though. Radar showed an interesting development. There was a 'doughnut' over the head of the lake, no snow falling in Duluth/Superior. By midnight the snow had started to fall - finally! It was wet and heavy and combined with the winds led to this:
The following pictures were taken in Lincoln Park during our afternoon walk. Porter LOVES weather like this. He was acting like a puppy today, big improvement for a guy who has been moving pretty slowly of late.
The walk wasn't too bad, despite winds gusting past 40 mph from the northeast until we started heading home and hit a stretch of trail with no protection. Then it was a bit of a struggle! The drifts were interesting, sometimes there was hardly any snow, other times I was in drifts that went past my knees.
Jon and I took it upon ourselves to free a few trees from their burden of snow - and sometimes other trees - while hiking up the Lincoln Park trail. It still amazes me that I live in the middle of the city and have areas like this within walking distance.
Miller Creek (the river in the above photos) is already roaring, and if the predicted temps become reality it will be in flood stage by early next week. Most of the streams in this area are "flashy". They don't have much in the way of headwaters, so rise and fall fast in response to precipitation.
Porter is jumping over Coffee Creek. Jon had to coax him over, then had to coax me over ;-> I was launching off of a piece of snow-covered ice and wasn't 100% convinced I could make the leap without landing in the creek (with the camera).
My feet are dry.
We headed down to Sky Harbor after dinner to ensure the airplanes were still tied down. The waves on Lake Superior could be seen crashing onto the shoreline from a block away. there is a reason they warn folks away from the Lakewalk and breakwaters in a nor'easter! Check out mnbicyclecommuter.blogspot.com to see some great photos of the lake and what it is capable of.
Finished the KnitPicks Gloss mittens and have even wore them on a run. Very nice. Contemplating a Bobble-cable hat with the remaining yarn.
So, I am supposed to be running my first 16 miler tomorrow/this weekend. Ummm, about that. It is still very windy in Duluth. By very windy I mean:
Tonight: Snow, mainly before 1am. Low around 22. Windy, with a northeast wind between 25 and 35 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 31. Blustery, with a north wind between 20 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
(From the National Weather Service)
On top of this I need to drive to the Twin Cities to pick up my daughter early Sunday morning at the train station.
I have some choices:
1. Run in Duluth on Saturday before I leave for the Cities, fighting the wind for at least half of the run or so, depending on how I arrange the loop.
2. Run on Sunday when I get back, (Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. North wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. ) when the winds will be lessened and the the sun will be out. Again, fighting the wind for part of the time at least.
Note: options 1 & 2 involve running on the roads as the trails are in a very fragile - and snowy - state right now.
3. Leave for the Cities early tomorrow (as soon as the roads are safe) and run down there at one of the regional parks on... trails!!!
I have been investigating option 3. I am tired of pavement and am concerned that I need to get my legs and feet and brain used to running long distances on trails. I have just over a month left to prep for the Superior 25K.
Any thoughts?
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Spring in Northern Minnesota
Gotta love it. One day the crocuses are blooming, the irises are poking green sword tips above the soil, grass is greening up along the sides of the house, nets are being put up on the tennis courts and then the next... depends on where you live. Parts of the Iron Range got hit with 20 - 30 inches of snow today. So far Duluth has less then an inch.
Winds have been stong today. Got out for a short run (3.5 miles) on the Lakewalk with a friend. Wind was out of the northeast blowing 24 mph. This meant there were some impressive waves rolling into the head of the Lake. I love watching the waves break over the barrier between the water and the Lakewalk. Not that many years ago a nasyy nor'easter took out parts of this path. Puts things into perspective about who is really the boss.
For a change, we were heading into the wind at the start of our run. A bit grueling at times, but the reward at the turn around was a nice tailwind on the way back. At one point we raced a set of waves coming in as we had recently watched a similar set break over the path and were not all that interested in a Lake Superior shower.
Yesterdays long run (12.5 miles - it's a step-back week) was warm. Forecast was for temps topping out in the mid-thirties and rain. Reality - it was in the upper 30's to low 40's at the start of the run, barely any wind, and sunny. And the temps went up from there. Good day to practice drinking and eating on the run! I had brought a holster-style pack along for my water so had no where to stash my hat, gloves and vest. Ended up with things tucked into the waist belt.
Saw my first turkey vultures of the season over the hills of Brewer's Park on the run home. Lots of robins are showing up and I've even heard male red-winged blackbirds singing. Pileated woodpecker was drumming out a number on a telephone pole along the edge of Proctor (or was I in Duluth by then, so confusing). Love is in the air (or at least the defense of breeding territory).
So far no wildflowers in bloom yet. Though I suppose those pussy willows I saw a week or two ago could count. I was looking for the first strawberries or violets on my walk down the SHT to the house. Still a little too soon, but the hillside does have a way of warming up quick. (Break here - imagine sudden darkness as the power suddenly goes out. No warning. Then, just as suddenly pops back on. Gotta love the electrical service in my part of town)
Trails are now entering that lovely time of year known as "mud season". And you thought there were only four seasons! Not only the trails are muddy, so are the roads (gravel by the house) and the yard. Probably should have taught Porter to wipe his feet before coming in the house. This means no trail running for a couple of weeks at least, depends on the weather. I miss the trails and can't wait to get off of the pavement again.
Anyway, I think that just before the power cut out on me I was going to give a knitting update:
I am finishing up the third mitten in the Knitpicks Gloss. Third?! Yeah, well, somewhere during the first mitten I went from the "large" to the "medium" size. Didn't realize it until I had reached the decreases for the top and my stitch count was all wrong. finished them anyway, as I was only off two stitches and knitting stretches. Cast on the second mitten, kept to the right number of stitches, finished all but the thumb and decided that the fit was much better and I would fix the first mitten. Off to the frog pond I went, ripping back until I was at the cuff (the error was quite early on) and I proceeded to reknit that mitten (okay - so really it was a third attempt at a mitten). I am back to where I started earlier today. One mitten completed, one just missing a thumb.
I still have a goodly portion of the first skein of Gloss left after all of this knitting, ripping and reknitting. What to do with it and the second skein?!?! The bird mittens are peeking out of their bag, quietly reminding me of their presence....
Winds have been stong today. Got out for a short run (3.5 miles) on the Lakewalk with a friend. Wind was out of the northeast blowing 24 mph. This meant there were some impressive waves rolling into the head of the Lake. I love watching the waves break over the barrier between the water and the Lakewalk. Not that many years ago a nasyy nor'easter took out parts of this path. Puts things into perspective about who is really the boss.
For a change, we were heading into the wind at the start of our run. A bit grueling at times, but the reward at the turn around was a nice tailwind on the way back. At one point we raced a set of waves coming in as we had recently watched a similar set break over the path and were not all that interested in a Lake Superior shower.
Yesterdays long run (12.5 miles - it's a step-back week) was warm. Forecast was for temps topping out in the mid-thirties and rain. Reality - it was in the upper 30's to low 40's at the start of the run, barely any wind, and sunny. And the temps went up from there. Good day to practice drinking and eating on the run! I had brought a holster-style pack along for my water so had no where to stash my hat, gloves and vest. Ended up with things tucked into the waist belt.
Saw my first turkey vultures of the season over the hills of Brewer's Park on the run home. Lots of robins are showing up and I've even heard male red-winged blackbirds singing. Pileated woodpecker was drumming out a number on a telephone pole along the edge of Proctor (or was I in Duluth by then, so confusing). Love is in the air (or at least the defense of breeding territory).
So far no wildflowers in bloom yet. Though I suppose those pussy willows I saw a week or two ago could count. I was looking for the first strawberries or violets on my walk down the SHT to the house. Still a little too soon, but the hillside does have a way of warming up quick. (Break here - imagine sudden darkness as the power suddenly goes out. No warning. Then, just as suddenly pops back on. Gotta love the electrical service in my part of town)
Trails are now entering that lovely time of year known as "mud season". And you thought there were only four seasons! Not only the trails are muddy, so are the roads (gravel by the house) and the yard. Probably should have taught Porter to wipe his feet before coming in the house. This means no trail running for a couple of weeks at least, depends on the weather. I miss the trails and can't wait to get off of the pavement again.
Anyway, I think that just before the power cut out on me I was going to give a knitting update:
I am finishing up the third mitten in the Knitpicks Gloss. Third?! Yeah, well, somewhere during the first mitten I went from the "large" to the "medium" size. Didn't realize it until I had reached the decreases for the top and my stitch count was all wrong. finished them anyway, as I was only off two stitches and knitting stretches. Cast on the second mitten, kept to the right number of stitches, finished all but the thumb and decided that the fit was much better and I would fix the first mitten. Off to the frog pond I went, ripping back until I was at the cuff (the error was quite early on) and I proceeded to reknit that mitten (okay - so really it was a third attempt at a mitten). I am back to where I started earlier today. One mitten completed, one just missing a thumb.
I still have a goodly portion of the first skein of Gloss left after all of this knitting, ripping and reknitting. What to do with it and the second skein?!?! The bird mittens are peeking out of their bag, quietly reminding me of their presence....
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