Exploring the Story of Glory: Weekly Summary: Jan. 14-20

1.21.2013

Weekly Summary: Jan. 14-20

01-14-13
Mon-PM: 18 mi (2:41)
Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x)
Greenway down to Fort Snelling, and back (same route as last Monday; 2 gels today -- though the second one I took was nearly frozen solid!). Left in the daylight, came back in the dark. Planned to use the Visitor Center as an aid station / warming area again, but missed open hours by an hour or so. (4pm closing, noted.) The "backdoor" entrance into Snelling is getting to be more of an ice chute than a hiking or ski trail . . . even though the path is wide (reducing the risk of sliding off the side), falling down in general seems inevitable without some fresh snow for more traction. May need to find another way into the park if I want to keep the turnaround point of the long run at the FS VS.

On an unrelated note: I guess rabbits are nocturnal . . . don't think I've ever seen a rabbit along the Greenway, but tonight as I was shuffling back in the dark I saw four of them hopping around, darting this way and that. (I actually wondered if I was losing it for a second.) A quick search on the internet informed me that rabbits are actually "crepuscular" (new word of the day) -- meaning that they are most active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk.

Other notable crepuscular animals:

the lightening bug (a.k.a. "firefly")
house cats

Mona, active during this morning's twilight hours.

the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger
deer
red pandas

A red panda, obviously outside of twilight hours.

01-15-13
Tue-PM: 6 mi (:54)

Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x), Sabo (2x)

Greenway, easy recovery run to the river.

01-16-13
Wed-PM: 8 mi (1:12)

Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x), Sabo (2x), Lake St. (2x)

Greenway, another easy out and back to the Mississippi. Pleasantly warm (+35F) and overcast for the first few miles -- even saw a mailman in shorts, but a miserable combination of snow flurries and wind moved in around the turnaround. Needed to run blind (eyes closed) on the way back every now and then. So it goes . . . still happy to be outside, running, in January.

01-17-13

Thu-AM: 10 mi (1:30)

Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x), Lake St. (1x), Franklin St. (1x)

Modified upper Mississippi loop from the house. Started off in some light snow and some light gray skies, but the sun woke up soon thereafter and cheered the soul nicely. Thought about some speedwork, but the footing's still a little sketchy. Maybe tomorrow. Would like to get on a schedule of sorts heading into the semester . . . maybe have a long-run Monday + speed session Thursday? . . . but winter weather doesn't seem to support schedules.

01-18-13

Fri-PM: 12 mi (1:31)

Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x)

Greenway, from the house down to Minnehaha Falls, and back: 2 mile warm-up, 8 mile tempo (6:53 avg; splits: 6:58, 6:52, 6:49, 7:01, 6:53, 6:43, 6:53, 6:55; no gels -- forgot them, actually), 2 mile cool-down. A warm, very spring-like day near +40F . . . wish it would stay a little while. Legs felt a bit sluggish, but that's to be expected with the early mileage build-up.

01-19-13

Sat-AM: 7 mi (1:06)

Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x), Sabo (2x)

Greenway, easy recovery run out to the river and back. Kept it pretty relaxed, but did mix in a 50m sprint to across the train tracks and ahead of the train. When the train and I are headed in the same direction, it does an inconspicuous job of blocking traffic for me at the major intersections all the way down to the river . . .