Gateway Trail Bridge over Manning

Sunday, Sep 20, 2009:

We three all went to the Gateway Trail. I ran a little farther, perhaps an extra mile, and then went back to pick them up and finish their run with them. Mileage was difficult to track, but I ran about an hour and seven minutes, and think that was about six miles. In the beginning I ran two minutes and walked one, but that broke down later and I just ran whenever I could and walked the rest.

This was a low-energy day. When I go down to Mayo every month for the cancer checkup, they always ask if I felt unusually tired, and I always say "no," but once in a while there is a day when I do feel tired. This is one of those days. I’ll feel better tomorrow - I just took my weekly dose of DEX, which has an effect like three cups of coffee all the next day.

It was a great day for running, though. Cool with a slight breeze, plenty of sun but the Gateway Trail is mostly shaded. We all went northeast from the Hwy 96 bridge up to Manning, where the signs say the trail is closed but it really isn’t. LOTS of people were on the trail today, including the part that is "closed."

They’re making progress on the bridge over Manning (Washington County 15). The bypass trail is laid out, fenced off, and "paved" with a deep layer of pea-gravel sand. Skinny-tire bikes can’t navigate it, but that part is only a tenth of a mile, so people pushed their bikes through it and got back on. I didn’t see whether a fat-wheel bike could ride through. Skaters and skiiers would no doubt have to carry their wheels too. Runners, walkers, and horses - no problem. I’m hoping that they pave over that sand surface with something. Crushed limestone makes sense for a temporary bypass, but not with that sand underneath. I suppose the sand will eventually support a layer of blacktop.

Saturday, Sep 19, 2009:

St Croix Valley Runners Five Miles. Every Saturday at 7:00 am sharp you can find the St Croix Valley Runners at Northland Tennis Courts in Stillwater. There is ALWAYS someone there to run with, even in a rainstorm, even in a blizzard. Just don't be late. We three show up fairly often.

Today I started out with George and Charley, but went a little faster then they did and wound up running by myself much of the way. I ran most of the way, but walked up a few little hills. Five miles in exactly 45:00, pace 9:00. Good enough! I used the Brooks Launch shoes, which were just fine.

Thursday, Sep 17, 2009:

This was a warm evening run in the park. We three returned from Mayo Clinic, where I got some slightly disappointing news, then ran after dinner. The grass is dry in the evening - that’s nice. I finished five miles in 50:55, for a pace of 10:11, which is not bad considering that I ran two minutes and walked one, the whole way. That’s working out pretty well for me.

I used the Nike Lunarglide shoes, which felt a little clumpy but were otherwise fine. I wish they were smoother - I’m going to try a different Nike model when these are worn out.

Wonderful sunset, I love watching the geese training for their winter trek, flying into the sunset.

33 Miles and a Dog Bite

Saturday, Aug 16:

Saturday, if there is not a race, it’s time to run with the St Croix Valley Runners, who assemble at Northland Tennis Courts in Stillwater at 7:00 am. This morning I ran from home to Northland, then ran with the group, then back, for a total of 17.8 miles. I didn’t feel too energetic for some reason, and the 9:59 pace showed it, but the run went OK with no pains of any kind. Charlie and I ran with George today, who was alternating seven minutes of running with one of walking, and we were more than happy to accommodate him on the walks. I walked other times on the solo portions of my run too, whenever I felt like it. Gels three times, water every mile or two.

This was the first really long run with the new Brooks Ghost shoes - they were OK but I still like the Burn better. There’s a little foot-slapping, and one toe hurt more than usual. The Ghosts will do, but they don’t quite delight me. Too bad Brooks stopped making the Burn. Maybe I’ll look around for another shoe brand.

Thursday, Aug 14:

Dog bite - sort of. Again my sweeties and I went to the Gateway, though in separate cars because we had different goals. I started at the Hwy 96 horse bridge and went south first, intending to run just to milepost 13 and then reverse up to milepost 18 and back. On the way to 13, I was intercepted by an unattended, playful, but powerful pit bull dog, which thought of my arm as a chew toy until a few stern words calmed it. The dog didn’t really clamp down, but its sharp teeth did scrape some skin off, with enough blood to drip a little. The dog had a collar but no nearby owner.

Concerned for the many children that use the trail, I called 911 and officer Joel came, but the dog was gone. The next day we three trolled the nearby neighborhood for a young calico-colored pit bull, coming up empty. One of the residents said that a dog can get on that trail and go for miles, and of course that could have been the case with my happy-go-lucky friend.

I also called my doctor, to discover that he takes Fridays off. A nurse called back, but had no useful advice: "Well, if you want to have the rabies shots, you can go to the hospital to get them." She seemed less knowledgable than I about WHETHER to get them, which is hard to imagine. I’m assuming that a rabid dog would not be happy and playful as this youngster was, so I’ll skip the shots and take my chances - I’m sure there is a risk to the shots too. Meantime the injury is not at all inflamed.

I’ve considered bringing a weapon (knife with locking blade) on future Gateway trips, but I suppose I won’t. Even a pepper spray would teach a dog the wrong lesson. As always the real problem is not the dog but the owner, and this is the first trouble I’ve had on the Gateway in hundreds of miles of running.

Otherwise the run was a complete success. Ten miles in 1:35:25, for a pace of 9:33, which is comparable to other recent runs. No pains! Splits: 9:36, 18:08 (2 mi), 9:03, 10:30, 8:37, 9:11, 9:24, 10:17, 10:40.

Wednesday, Aug 13:

My sweeties and I went to the park and I just ran for 25 minutes, then came back. By the time, 49:29, I assume that I ran at least 5 miles, so that’s what goes in the log. This was a warm run, but no problems of any kind. I did walk occasionally, which seems to be normal these days.

		Lunch: Two low-fat bison bratwursts with organic mustard on a bed of organic lettuce, organic mixed vegetables, and an organic nectarine.
Salad: Organic romaine, hydroponic cucumber, giant stuffed olives, organic strawberries, blue cheese, and organic red wine vinegar.
		Dinner: Grass-fed bison, spinach quiche with lots of organic spinach, sweet potato, organic strawberries. I went back for seconds.