Weekly Summary: Jul. 8-14

07-08-13
Mon-AM: 4 mi (:42) // Upper Mississippi loop
Lake St. (1x), Franklin St. (1x)
Easy shakeout run with Ashley & Sam along the riverfront. Quads still pretty sore from the race, but everything else feels relatively intact. Maybe the best I've felt following an ultra, all things considered! Feeling much less beat up than after the marathon in May, interestingly enough.

07-09-13
Tue-PM: 6 mi (:59) // Upper Mississippi loop
Lake St. (1x), Franklin St. (1x)
Still taking it easy. Excited to spot a bald eagle for the first time in a couple months. I think they're much better at hiding in the summer.

07-10-13
Wed-AM: 6 mi (1:01) // Greenway
Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x)
From the house, to the Greenway, to the river trails. Really mild out considering it's almost mid-July. I still remember the few +100F day stretches last summer.

07-11-13
Thu-AM: 9 mi (1:20) // Upper Mississippi loop
Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x), Franklin St. (1x), Lake St. (1x)
From the house. Still loving this cool summer weather; still taking it easy.

07-12-13
Fri-PM: 12 mi (1:57) // Mississippi trails
Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (2x)
Front door to the river trails. Happy to see the trails have dried out from all the heavy summer rains. Temps pretty warm near +90F, though a bit cooler under the trail canopy. Legs haven't quite bounced all the way back yet, but pretty close. Enjoyed a brief stop at one of the river beaches on the way back to watch a train cross high above the Mississippi -- one bridge I'll probably never get to cross, I guess.

07-13-13
Sat-AM: 22 mi (3:37) // Hyland State Park
A later start than I was shooting (waited out some early morning thunderstorms), but ended up over at Hyland. Did two big loops around the park: first half of the loop on the steeper climbs of the ski resort side, the second half on the more gradual, rolling ones of the park side. The storms left some pretty deep puddles, but nothing a little fun couldn't handle:

One way to determine if you've had a good day on the trails.

Was also my first run testing out the S-Lab something something 5 (a kind of running-specific hydration pack I'm thinking about using at the Superior 100 in a couple months). General thoughts: not as bad as I thought having something strapped on your back would be. I still think I prefer the simplicity of handhelds (when possible), but this is a good option to have when you need to carry more for longer. I was actually surprised at how comfortable it was for 3+ hours. Only complaint so far is the mouthpiece, which may just take a few more outings to get used to.

07-14-13
Sun-PM: 6 mi (:55) // Mississippi riverfront
Bridge Which Must Not Be Named (1x), Lake St. (1x), Franklin St. (1x)
Easy, recovery miles. Planned on going a bit further, but found Ashley & Sam at the river and decided to call it a day and catch a ride home.

Totals: 65.0 mi (10:30, 15 bridges)