The Old Brewery Loop

I grabbed the trail shoes and headed out to Lime Creek hoping for some true running mileage, only to find the trail conditions to be absolutely crappy.  Frozen slush, glare ice, snow, bare dirt...I might have had better luck trying the route on snowshoes.  But I had committed to the workout and had the time with plenty of podcasts along for entertainment so I trudged onward, albeit a lot of walking to be safe!

At the junction near the old brewery, I was surprised to find that the recent mild weather has allowed the county employees to open up the view of the old place that had been slowly become hidden amongst vegetation.

There is info in the kiosk near the site that explains a bit of the history of the brewery and even some reference to my ancestors that originally did some greenhouse and truck-farming on what is now part of Lime Creek Nature Center property.  I have slipped into the woods to find the old foundations of the greenhouses and the house where my great-grandparents and grandparents had lived with my dad and siblings.  Perhaps I can post photos of the old place sometime before spring .

(Sorry for the reflection of my Dion Snowshoe jacket in the photos!  It is high-vis which is a good idea when winter running but not so good for taking photos with reflective surfaces.)  I remember my father telling a story about taking refuge in the brewery one night during a tornadic rainstorm.

Further down the trail, where I had previously seen (and even heard one night) evidence of river otter activity, I found where an otter or two had feasted on a fish...scales and blood in the snow beside the bank.

River Otter on display in the Nature center

The tracks out in the snow on the ice are unique in the way the otters step and then body-glide to form the tell-tale trail.

10 miles total but had to mix running and walking to match the trail conditions.

Road Trip...Not To Run But For Beer

The morning was supposed to be foggy but dawned sunny and quite nice.  So my wife convinced me it would be fun to head to Minneapolis on a quick shopping trip.  I enjoy the Twin Cities and it's where I've been able to run most of my marathons so...off we went.  Unfortunately, there was fog as we approached Faribault and we saw fog the rest of the day.  It did clear up during the drive home after dark.  Best thing that happened today...I scored some brews that I can't buy in Iowa!

0 running today but tomorrow looms big...as I've decided to commit to a 50 miler in June...Black Hills here I come!

And So It Goes

I guess my posts for the past few days have been whining about the "good" weather.  The local paper even printed an article and photo about the winter that isn't winter with a couple of bicyclists (whom I also know to be snowshoers) biking out on the road yesterday. Today continued the snow loss and melting...with associated fog!

The afternoon traffic yesterday and continued slush conditions on the trail made for more difficult running today.

I did find the run/walk today to work well for additional learning about running form and the current trend of information regarding minimalist footwear. Listened to another podcast and the referring website leads to more form videos.

5 miles

Losing Snow Again

Temperatures held rather high overnight and it was already in the low 40s by the time I got out to the quarry trails. The snow was still holding sufficiently in the shade and in the woods, although it was very wet and continuing to melt.  Any area that was exposed to direct sun was very questionable for snow shoeing.

The conditions were a concern to me but I was surprised at how quick the snow was for running.  I got around the majority of my loops at faster than average pace. It turned out to be a good day.  If I'll be able to keep running on snowshoes the rest of this week is not looking too hopeful unless we get some fresh snow.

7 miles

Running Drills

The weather continues to be a bit atypical with temps in the 40s today.  Booo... for those of us depending on a good snow base for our winter passions like snowshoeing or sking.  The snow was melting for the most part when I got out.  I did remember to spray my snowshoes before hitting the trails so there was less packing beneath my Dions today.

I found some very interesting information on running form and drills.  There is some discussion during this that may help explain why the snowshoeing has been less painful than road and trail running for me.  The placement of my foot during the stride and how I use my knees.  There may be hope, yet, for me to improve again on my running form for continued running and racing in the future.

Additional evidence as to the validity of the discussion with Graeme Turner is to watch the running form of Anton Krupicka in the Running Times video.  Very efficient and smooth leg turnover.

6 miles for me today with a combo of running and walking while I worked on my running form based on the podcast.

Experience!

A couple of easy days and a good night's sleep resulted in a quick recovery from the lateral knee pain I had been worried about.  This is somewhat due to the experience from past injuries...when I would likely push the workouts regardless of the pain.  Funny how it takes several injuries over the years to learn the lesson.

Parking at the trail-head for the Quarry Trails

The weather turned out great today.  A light dusting of snow and temps in the low 20s but with beautiful sunshine.  The running was crisp and fast when out for the morning.  I needed to finish in time to be back as the volunteer at the nature center.  I swung through the main lot to check the condition of the xc skating trails and saw a couple skiers that had been around the loops...said the snow was fast today!

Prairie skate ski loop

 8 miles for me today and the time out on the trail was much faster than earlier in the week...43 miles for the week.

Field Trip Saturday

Another Saturday consumed with indoor track.  A nice bus drive up to Minnesota State University - Mankato and some good performances by our athletes.  Felt as if I should have planned better to have clothes and shoes along for a workout. Just walked and stood a lot today...good training for time on your feet!

Women's 1 mile; Emma Pogreba in blurred, blue uniform by pole vault pit

0 miles