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...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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....
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Temptation got the best of me...
The KnitPicks Gloss won. I gave in. But, really I had to, it wasn't my fault! The only knitting I have available requires charts and concentration. Lots of both. What tipped me over the edge was a bus ride home on Thursday. Idle hands and all that. Plus I seem to have lost one of my silky-wool mittens (favorites for running) and need a replacement. The washer, dryer or someones clothing "ate" one of the mittens (oh yeah, if I have not mentioned this before, Elsbeth Lavold silky-wool does just fine in the laundry).
So, the Gloss got wound into a center pull ball Thursday night (Thanks Jon for holding the yarn!) and a pair of mittens was cast on. This stuff is NICE!!! Soft, soft, soft. It is almost a shame to think of what use it will end up being put to (mittens double as kleenex on the run, which is why soft mittens are especially nice).
I promise not to forget the Bird Mittens entirely. I have cast on and started the cuff of the second one, really I have. They just aren't very portable and I needed a portable project.
Needle review:
I have been using the KnitPicks wooden double-points while working on the mittens. Size 0's for the Bird Mittens and Size 1(2.25mm) for the Gloss. Very nice. So far I haven't snapped one. Interesting flavor. Knitting needles have flavor!? These do. I'll call it "Taste of India". Not sure what I am tasting: the wood; the stuff used to laminate it, or the oil used to finish the needles. Kindof spicy though. The reason I know is that needles occasionally end up in my mouth when I need to set one aside for a second (my hair is not long enough to stash a needle in). The colors of the needles are a nice too: natural, purple and green in my set.
On the running front:
Temps are much warmer now, started a run in the mid-20's, ended it near 40 degrees F. Strong wind blowing from the south-east to south. Big improvement over many of my runs this winter. Today my schedule said to run 14 miles.
Normally on Saturdays I meet a group in Proctor and run 5 miles, then get breakfast. With my long runs needing to happen on Saturdays I have been either arriving early and doing some extra miles or - my favorite - getting dropped off in Proctor, running the loop with my friends and then running home, tacking on additional miles as needed.
I had mapped out a route home that would be 9 miles long, ending above my house with a nice cool-down walk to the house on the Superior Hiking Trail (www.shta.org). Then I found out my trusty driver would be unavailable. Hmmm. I didn't want to leave my car in Proctor all day, so I started looking at my options.
I am not a huge fan of multiple loop courses (easily bored), but that was what I resigned myself to doing. I sat down with gmaps-pedometer and figured out how to cut the five mile loop into four miles. Sounds easy, but Proctor is fairly rural and the "blocks" can be a mile long. Three loops would end up giving me a 14.2 mile run. Nice and hilly too! Exactly what I need for the upcoming race.
To break things up I ran the second loop in reverse. Interesting perspective. You never really notice the gradual descents until you run them in reverse ;-> It was nice to have company the first five miles, the second five were taken up with the novelty of seeing all the hills in reverse, and the third loop... well, lets just say I concentrated on form a lot.
Remember the wind? I ended my run with over a mile into the wind. Uphill. Lets just say the split for the third loop, not so impressive. I had run the second loop in the exact same time as the first, so was optimistic about finishing in around 2:10. I finished in 2:15. Not bad really for a long training run. Last week I ran 12.5 in 2:00. I did take a break between the second and third loops to drink some juice and water. It was a nice change to run without a lumbar pack - one huge benefit of multiple loop courses.
I have reached the point in my long runs where I need to get fuel into me while running. I have not figured out what I should try yet, hence the juice. I need to find out what the race will be serving as far as electrolyte replacement and give it a try on my long runs to be sure I can tolerate it, otherwise I will need to bring my own. Generally I have done all of my longer runs without eating (and it may be showing). I have a little over a month to experiment with food and drink before the race. I am expecting to be out on the course for around 4 hours. Depending on who you read/talk to, that is long enough to require some fuel intake.
Any thoughts?
So, the Gloss got wound into a center pull ball Thursday night (Thanks Jon for holding the yarn!) and a pair of mittens was cast on. This stuff is NICE!!! Soft, soft, soft. It is almost a shame to think of what use it will end up being put to (mittens double as kleenex on the run, which is why soft mittens are especially nice).
I promise not to forget the Bird Mittens entirely. I have cast on and started the cuff of the second one, really I have. They just aren't very portable and I needed a portable project.
Needle review:
I have been using the KnitPicks wooden double-points while working on the mittens. Size 0's for the Bird Mittens and Size 1(2.25mm) for the Gloss. Very nice. So far I haven't snapped one. Interesting flavor. Knitting needles have flavor!? These do. I'll call it "Taste of India". Not sure what I am tasting: the wood; the stuff used to laminate it, or the oil used to finish the needles. Kindof spicy though. The reason I know is that needles occasionally end up in my mouth when I need to set one aside for a second (my hair is not long enough to stash a needle in). The colors of the needles are a nice too: natural, purple and green in my set.
On the running front:
Temps are much warmer now, started a run in the mid-20's, ended it near 40 degrees F. Strong wind blowing from the south-east to south. Big improvement over many of my runs this winter. Today my schedule said to run 14 miles.
Normally on Saturdays I meet a group in Proctor and run 5 miles, then get breakfast. With my long runs needing to happen on Saturdays I have been either arriving early and doing some extra miles or - my favorite - getting dropped off in Proctor, running the loop with my friends and then running home, tacking on additional miles as needed.
I had mapped out a route home that would be 9 miles long, ending above my house with a nice cool-down walk to the house on the Superior Hiking Trail (www.shta.org). Then I found out my trusty driver would be unavailable. Hmmm. I didn't want to leave my car in Proctor all day, so I started looking at my options.
I am not a huge fan of multiple loop courses (easily bored), but that was what I resigned myself to doing. I sat down with gmaps-pedometer and figured out how to cut the five mile loop into four miles. Sounds easy, but Proctor is fairly rural and the "blocks" can be a mile long. Three loops would end up giving me a 14.2 mile run. Nice and hilly too! Exactly what I need for the upcoming race.
To break things up I ran the second loop in reverse. Interesting perspective. You never really notice the gradual descents until you run them in reverse ;-> It was nice to have company the first five miles, the second five were taken up with the novelty of seeing all the hills in reverse, and the third loop... well, lets just say I concentrated on form a lot.
Remember the wind? I ended my run with over a mile into the wind. Uphill. Lets just say the split for the third loop, not so impressive. I had run the second loop in the exact same time as the first, so was optimistic about finishing in around 2:10. I finished in 2:15. Not bad really for a long training run. Last week I ran 12.5 in 2:00. I did take a break between the second and third loops to drink some juice and water. It was a nice change to run without a lumbar pack - one huge benefit of multiple loop courses.
I have reached the point in my long runs where I need to get fuel into me while running. I have not figured out what I should try yet, hence the juice. I need to find out what the race will be serving as far as electrolyte replacement and give it a try on my long runs to be sure I can tolerate it, otherwise I will need to bring my own. Generally I have done all of my longer runs without eating (and it may be showing). I have a little over a month to experiment with food and drink before the race. I am expecting to be out on the course for around 4 hours. Depending on who you read/talk to, that is long enough to require some fuel intake.
Any thoughts?
Monday, March 24, 2008
I am fighting...
the urge to start a new project (with the Knitpicks Gloss) rather than finishing up the mittens for Sarah. She is starting to wonder if there will ever be a pair or, really, if they will be finished before summer. Good thing we live in northern Minnesota next to nature's icebox!
I had this idea that I would snap a picture of the mittens I am making so you all (okay - really my one loyal reader) could see my progress. Then I attempted to slice the tip of my thumb off. Not on purpose, mind you; and not so badly that stitches are needed (though I may have thought about applying them myself after the amount of money I - a healthy person - have spent on healthcare this year alone).
Lesson: brand new, really good bread knives are overkill for dinner rolls!
So, no pictures for right now. I did discover as I worked my way up the thumb tonight that I should have looked at the originals more closely. I was just about to start the second bird. Unlike the pattern, I have only one bird on each thumb. The bird on the right-hand thumb faces left and vice versa. Out came three rows of 28 sts each (not quite sure how many stitches to the inch I am getting right now - but you can probably guess that it is close to double digits as I have small hands) and I picked up all those stitches and started incorporating the needed decreases for the top of the thumb.
In the process I did finally get the new wooden knitpicks needles out and in use. Very nice! So far they are holding up well (tempting the knitting gods and goddesses by saying that). I am using the size 0's BTW.
Tonight I worked on the mittens while listening to Sarah's harp lesson. The thought crossed my mind that listening to Celtic music on a Scottish harp is a nice way to spend a half hour knitting Fair Isle ( well, in this case Norwegian-inspired stranded knitting). Need to get her to practice harp more when I have time to knit.
The pressure is on for me to get off the computer so that the modem can travel to another computer.
I promise pictures will appear soon.
Spring Watch: last Thursday (3/20/08) pussy willows spotted along the snowmobile trail I was running on; broke through the snow and ice into water - brrr - on the same run; cardinals are singing; eagles are all over the place as are the deer and rabbits (grrrr); grass is greening up when the snow isn't covering it; ice is accumulating on the sidewalk and steps overnight; and I have heard the sap is starting to run. Can't be long until the tulips and crocuses start emerging.
Training update: 12.5 miles in 2 hours. Heartrate in the 65 - 75% zone for at least half of the run. Pretty good with the hills that were involved. No walking!!!
the urge to start a new project (with the Knitpicks Gloss) rather than finishing up the mittens for Sarah. She is starting to wonder if there will ever be a pair or, really, if they will be finished before summer. Good thing we live in northern Minnesota next to nature's icebox!
I had this idea that I would snap a picture of the mittens I am making so you all (okay - really my one loyal reader) could see my progress. Then I attempted to slice the tip of my thumb off. Not on purpose, mind you; and not so badly that stitches are needed (though I may have thought about applying them myself after the amount of money I - a healthy person - have spent on healthcare this year alone).
Lesson: brand new, really good bread knives are overkill for dinner rolls!
So, no pictures for right now. I did discover as I worked my way up the thumb tonight that I should have looked at the originals more closely. I was just about to start the second bird. Unlike the pattern, I have only one bird on each thumb. The bird on the right-hand thumb faces left and vice versa. Out came three rows of 28 sts each (not quite sure how many stitches to the inch I am getting right now - but you can probably guess that it is close to double digits as I have small hands) and I picked up all those stitches and started incorporating the needed decreases for the top of the thumb.
In the process I did finally get the new wooden knitpicks needles out and in use. Very nice! So far they are holding up well (tempting the knitting gods and goddesses by saying that). I am using the size 0's BTW.
Tonight I worked on the mittens while listening to Sarah's harp lesson. The thought crossed my mind that listening to Celtic music on a Scottish harp is a nice way to spend a half hour knitting Fair Isle ( well, in this case Norwegian-inspired stranded knitting). Need to get her to practice harp more when I have time to knit.
The pressure is on for me to get off the computer so that the modem can travel to another computer.
I promise pictures will appear soon.
Spring Watch: last Thursday (3/20/08) pussy willows spotted along the snowmobile trail I was running on; broke through the snow and ice into water - brrr - on the same run; cardinals are singing; eagles are all over the place as are the deer and rabbits (grrrr); grass is greening up when the snow isn't covering it; ice is accumulating on the sidewalk and steps overnight; and I have heard the sap is starting to run. Can't be long until the tulips and crocuses start emerging.
Training update: 12.5 miles in 2 hours. Heartrate in the 65 - 75% zone for at least half of the run. Pretty good with the hills that were involved. No walking!!!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Consistency pays off
First race of the season: 5k; 25:02; good for 2nd place in my age group ( F 40 - 49 yoa). www.chadwick5k.com
I have run in this race off and on for many years. It used to be held in December and then was moved to March to coincide with the Fitgers Bockfest. Unfortunately, this weekend seems to be a popular one for events in the Duluth area and I have had to miss the last few races due to other obligations. Glad to be back! Need to thank my running buddies for getting me out the door this year so regularly as it certainly paid off today. It has been many years since I have run so well in a race.
I have spent everyday since Tuesday coughing, so am happy I could do so well. Don't think I have the virus that has been going around, attributing it to an unfortunate exposure to allergens Tuesday night and an asthma flare. Other than the cough and some fatigue I have been feeling fine, running hasn't made it worse, so can't be illness, right? Am going to forgo the long run scheduled for today as I got in half the distance already and figure a race effort counts for the rest (runners - we can rationalize anything).
Oh yeah, race conditions: 30 F (or so) at the start, overcast, wind from the north/northeast, with the sun emerging mid-race and a finish with the wind at my back. Lakewalk completely clear of ice, so footing was excellent. Thank you race volunteers!!!
On the knitting front:
Finished
Lace scarf -just need to weave in the ends and block. It will be donated to the Superior Hiking Trail Association for the Silent Auction at their annual meeting.
Healing Shawl - again, ends to be woven in, no blocking needed. I think I know who it is going to finally, wished I could have finished it a bit sooner but this week has not been good for getting things done.
Bird mittens are now calling my name. The need to follow a chart is the only barrier to their completion. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow and a kid with a permit, so there may be time.... that is if the Gloss does not get wound up into balls today and joins in with the new needles to insist on being knit up.
I am starting to see a lot of green around the house. The snow has been melting rapidly from our southeast facing sloped yard. Makes for tricky walking in the morning - all the meltwalter finds our sidewalk the perfect route down the hill - but it is nice to see bits of green again. It will be interesting to see when the first green shoot appears. Will it be the chives at the front of the house? The tulips or daffodils in the gardens? I don't have any spring crocuses, but the autumn ones usually send their greens up pretty early. Depending on how the melt goes there may be scilla blooming within a month.
Of course the melt doesn't just expose new greenery. Time to clean up the yard. Amazing what got buried in the first snowfall and then forgotten - or what has been deposited and covered up ;->
Get out and enjoy the nice weather and sunshine while it lasts!
First race of the season: 5k; 25:02; good for 2nd place in my age group ( F 40 - 49 yoa). www.chadwick5k.com
I have run in this race off and on for many years. It used to be held in December and then was moved to March to coincide with the Fitgers Bockfest. Unfortunately, this weekend seems to be a popular one for events in the Duluth area and I have had to miss the last few races due to other obligations. Glad to be back! Need to thank my running buddies for getting me out the door this year so regularly as it certainly paid off today. It has been many years since I have run so well in a race.
I have spent everyday since Tuesday coughing, so am happy I could do so well. Don't think I have the virus that has been going around, attributing it to an unfortunate exposure to allergens Tuesday night and an asthma flare. Other than the cough and some fatigue I have been feeling fine, running hasn't made it worse, so can't be illness, right? Am going to forgo the long run scheduled for today as I got in half the distance already and figure a race effort counts for the rest (runners - we can rationalize anything).
Oh yeah, race conditions: 30 F (or so) at the start, overcast, wind from the north/northeast, with the sun emerging mid-race and a finish with the wind at my back. Lakewalk completely clear of ice, so footing was excellent. Thank you race volunteers!!!
On the knitting front:
Finished
Lace scarf -just need to weave in the ends and block. It will be donated to the Superior Hiking Trail Association for the Silent Auction at their annual meeting.
Healing Shawl - again, ends to be woven in, no blocking needed. I think I know who it is going to finally, wished I could have finished it a bit sooner but this week has not been good for getting things done.
Bird mittens are now calling my name. The need to follow a chart is the only barrier to their completion. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow and a kid with a permit, so there may be time.... that is if the Gloss does not get wound up into balls today and joins in with the new needles to insist on being knit up.
I am starting to see a lot of green around the house. The snow has been melting rapidly from our southeast facing sloped yard. Makes for tricky walking in the morning - all the meltwalter finds our sidewalk the perfect route down the hill - but it is nice to see bits of green again. It will be interesting to see when the first green shoot appears. Will it be the chives at the front of the house? The tulips or daffodils in the gardens? I don't have any spring crocuses, but the autumn ones usually send their greens up pretty early. Depending on how the melt goes there may be scilla blooming within a month.
Of course the melt doesn't just expose new greenery. Time to clean up the yard. Amazing what got buried in the first snowfall and then forgotten - or what has been deposited and covered up ;->
Get out and enjoy the nice weather and sunshine while it lasts!
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