Probably last ride before I race on Sunday. It was cool 63 but humid when I left. I was going to do the Plymouth- Cedar Lake loop but decided to add in the Greenway. I cut over on the LRT trail. I was amazed at the amount of people living in tents along the Greenway. I wonder how many of them were living in the encampment before it was closed down.
It was overcast and unexciting.
13 miles.
I was able to bike commute again today. It was a cool morning, in the upper 40’s! I didn’t want to overdress, but definitely didn’t want to get cold. I ended up wearing a t-shirt under a vest with arm sleeves and riding gloves and shorts. The tips of my fingers got a little chilly, but otherwise it was the perfect kit for the day. I took a different route than normal too, I just went straight up Upton all the way to Victory Memorial. It wasn’t as scenic as the parkway, but cut off about a half mile and didn’t really add any time. There was a train blocking Humboldt, but not Fremont so that worked out ok.
The ride home was in the mid-70’s so just warm enough to work up a sweat in my t-shirt and shorts. I rode home on the parkway. Nothing exciting.
Total for the day is around 10.5
I had some time in the afternoon after my chiropractor appointment before the family would be home so I went out for a little ride. When I started out I completely forgot about the LRT construction and detours on the trail. So I headed west on the Cedar Lake Trail riding with a strong headwind before it finally veers more south. When I got to Hopkins and the Depot the trail heading back east to Minneapolis was closed. I followed the detour for a little bit and then decided that I could try and beat it, without looking at a map! Oops. I managed fairly okay but could have probably found a better route. I ended up on Excelsior Blvd which is fairly busy road during rush hour! I used the sidewalk for a bit to beat the standing still traffic. I finally stopped and looked at Google Maps and found a way to get back onto a trail. I caught back up to the detour and got to Dean Parkway off the Midtown Greenway and made it home. I stopped briefly at the Trailhead to catch up with a friend who had just finished the Weds CX races.
My total ride was 18.8 miles in about 84 minutes.
A quick run this morning to start the day. It was still dark outside at 5:30am which was a little bit of a surprise. I’ve enjoyed sleeping in for too long! I took a fairly random route that included the 45 North trails and running the boardwalk across Wirth Lake. I stopped to take a picture of the sunrise and noticed a deer standing in the water! It was cool, just under 60 for the run.
4 miles in 42:52.
Finishing up the Cuyuna solo weekend. I had planned to run and swim today, but was feeling nervous about the swim. I woke up and ran the Yawkey trails. They were a little wet and I thought they might be busy since the other big unit was closed for the races. I liked being able to run from the campsite and straight onto the trails. I ran the Man Cage, Manuel Drive, Tugger, and Trout, plus the access trail. This totaled 3.5 miles in 42 minutes. My legs were definitely tired from yesterday’s riding. It took a little bit for my legs to loosen up and then the hills. It was a cool morning so that felt great.
I got back to the campsite and packed up. I kept going back and forth about swimming. The water is cool and super deep (that’s a mental thing) and pretty much no one was around that would even noticed if I was struggling. I knew that I would be fin, but it’s a mental thing. I could swim across to the “beach” and decide to either swim back or walk the short little bit back barefoot. Or I could walk to the “beach” and swim back to the campground. So many options and things to think about.
I finally decided to just do it. When I got to the dock, someone was there and I jumped in. I started swimming and got about 1/2 way across and just felt weird. I know half way I could have just finished, but again mentally it felt better to just turn around and swim back. So I did. My watch said 270 yards in 5:16. Not really what I was hoping for but I’ll take it. The water is so clear and it was fun to see so far down in the water. A different time maybe I’ll plan to snorkel or something.
I almost decided to go for a ride, but decided not to do the Yawkey unit. I hung out for a little bit longer so I could refill the growler at Cuyuna Brewing and then headed home.