my commute to work

West River Parkway, a geological wonder: the Mississippi River Gorge along the West and East River Parkways where you can view dramatic Autumn colors, vistas from bluff tops and river flats. Search for the Winchell Trail, an ancient Native American path. All this right out my back door.

Now that Minneapolis was voted the Best Bike City in 2010 by Bicycling magazine the paved trail along West River Road is immaculate, though I still search for any stretch of dirt I can find to save the legs.

My commute to work as of December brings me from my home near the Lake Street Bridge along the river past the UofM, Mill City Museum and Stone Arch Bridge. Turning at the 3rd Ave bridge I head to the tallest building in Mpls - the Capella Tower. The 4.5 mile run can take between 30 and 34 minutes dep on winter vs summer conditions, fitness level and load (I typically carry my backpack filled with lunch, clothes and a towel.)

While I was not working the day the 35W Bridge collapsed, August 1st 2007 6:05 pm, my commute would have brought me so close to being under or near the bridge that day I often think of how my life could have changed had I been any where near the disaster. Note the coincidences: I moved to New York City 12 days prior to 911, and on May 23, 2004 hours before a section of terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle Collapsed... guess where I had been sitting! But I digress.

I can't put into words the true energizing lift running or biking to and from work along the river brings. The scenery alone is enough to stop you in your tracks and well, make you want to take a photo. So that's what I did this day. I figure if I ride or run 9 miles to and from work 4 days a week and drive once a week then I"m putting in about 36 miles per week or over 144 miles per month. And saving a minimum of $6 per day in parking (not counting gas) so that's between $120 to $155 per month. You can extrapolate that out as far as you like but that's a bucket'o money per year and the fitness gains...Not to mention I just saved $60-$80 per month on a fitness membership.

As you can see by the pics I'm running in the winter. The coldest I've endured is -5 deg with a -20 deg windshield. It's all about the right clothes. But no matter what you're wearing most running shoes do not have much in the way of warmth as they're built more for breathing and cooling - so kinda screwed there. I've had to make a few emergency stops in Bobby and Steves Auto World on Washington @ 35W. "Hello boss, I can't feel my feet right now so I'm going be coming in to work a bit late today!"

The best part though about winter running is the quiet solitude. Use to be no one else was out biking or running come winter so you'd have the entire trail to yourself.  Now a days, it's caught on that they plow the path and there are just "MORE CRAZY's" out there. More people like me? That's a good thing...isn't it?

Race Report: Buffalo Tri - Olympic distance with a twist

Sunday June 5th - It was perfect weather for a season opener, though some might call it hot. But my perfect bubble was about to take a hit right at the starting line. Both my good training buddy Karl A. and I were put in the wrong wave (a sprint wave - which started long after the last Olympic wave) so by the time we hit the water we were in for a mad game of catch up!

The bonus to early season racing is typically no seaweed which rang true today. But it was the throngs of scissor kicks I dreaded wading through. I was able to manage only being slight grazed once or twice and it was out of the water in a blisteringly so-so time for me of 24 minutes, but having caught two waves.

Any triathlete will tell you the most dangerous leg is actually the bike. Especially when you're passing folks with traffic on the road, now add rumble strips and it's a slightly more complicated game. Still I made up time and started seeing more and more 35-39 markings on peoples legs so I was back in the race.

I was determined to pull out a steady run, which is my strongest leg of the three, so getting into a high cadence turnover as quickly as possible has become my mantra. The heat was going to be the biggest factor now. One thing with coming from behind is you are always getting energy from passing people, the down side is you feel like your going faster than you actually are. Here is where that pain threshold needs to be welcomed and overcome, a difficult task but one that if not accomplished I'll be laying in bed tonight regretting.

I'm feeling good but not quite feeling strong. Everyone's cheering me on as I pass by, "nice pace", "go get'em", "good work", but that extra gear is just not happening. I don't fight it, just keep pushing what you can and if you feel good then pick it up.

The last mile is always a welcome one for obvious reasons; food, see the family cheering me on, and of course to be done. So I pick it up enough to feel I'm tapping my reserves. Then for last 400 and I hear a good friend Matt Haugen yell "one more lap around the track - kick it in" and that's what I needed, a little slap in the back of the head.

I don't quite go into 5th gear which I'll later regret as I miss an overall place by 2 seconds but more importantly I miss third place in my age group by 20 seconds! I could have made that up easily had I just pushed it a little more on the run!!! I'll not forget that come the next race. Good effort all around and I'm happy with my time considering I didn't have anyone pushing me but myself.

Rank Swim 100yd Trn.1 Rank Bike Rate Trn.2 Rank Run Pace Finish
93 24:32 1:33 2:07 58 1:07:09 22.8 1:11 14 38:24 6:11 2:13:20

Guess what I'll be thinking about as I lay in bed tonight... 20 seconds.

Good times,
~A