Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Workout Wednesday: A Bucket List Run

I know that it is technically still summer, but like I said in my post on Monday, it's really starting to feel like fall (especially this week as the temps will dip into the 30s at night - what in the what?).  The humidity went away last Friday and the temperature dropped which means I woke up on Saturday morning to a perfect day for running.  My club was meeting in a different spot than usual in an area I wasn't familiar with.  I had gotten kind of lost on some trails the weekend before so when I saw there was a high likelihood that I'd spend much of the run lost or feeling on the verge of being lost, I decided to do my long run alone on a familiar path.

I decided to run around 3 Minneapolis lakes, which are referred to as the "Chain of Lakes."  This just so happened to be on my summer bucket list, so I was able to cross another thing off (side note:  I have not accomplished as much as I thought I would!). 

It was in the upper 50s when I started and I was a little bit cool in my shorts and t-shirt, but I quickly warmed up.  The skies were blue and the lakes were like glass; it was a picture perfect day to run.  Here are some (not-so-great) iPhone photos that I snapped along the way!


Lake of the Isles, which is the lake that is the closest to downtown Minneapolis.

Lake Calhoun, which is probably the most popular Minneapolis lake, but is actually my least favorite of the three.

Lastly, Lake Harriet, which is definitely my favorite of the three lakes!  I love the bandshell and marina area which you can see in the distance in this photo.
I have had some tough runs this summer as the workouts that the run club coaches plan are tough and some of them have been done in pouring rain, heat, and/or ridiculously high humidity.  Those tough runs have made me question if I am in as good of shape as I thought I was, but on Saturday I was reminded how much of a difference cooler temps make as my average pace for my 12 mile run was 8:53/mile, which is almost 40 seconds faster than my usual pace!  The best part is that I was able to maintain that pace without feeling like I was really working hard.

I definitely felt on top of the world when I finished this run.  Being able to run in such a beautiful area is something I really missed last summer.  Minneapolis is such a beautiful place to run as we have miles upon miles of running paths, many of which are alongside water.  It's no wonder that Minneapolis makes the 10 Best Running Cities list!  I've always appreciated the beauty of Minneapolis, but after being away, I appreciate it even more.

Life is not perfect right now (it never is, right?), but I'm thankful that I'm back in a city I love, logging miles upon trails with great views.

16 comments:

missris said...

Wow those photos are gorgeous! Pittsburgh doesn't have nearly as many nice running spots as Chicago did so that's something I really miss. I'm going to live vicariously through your beautiful photos instead :)

Gracie said...

What a beautiful run! If I lived there, that would probably be my standard long-run route: it's just so pretty.

Nora said...

way to go on that pace! that's awesome. And I agree with Ris, I think the photos are gorgeous :)

Emilie said...

What an incredible place to run! You could work for the Minneapolis tourism industry - your posts truly make me want to visit the city. I am loving the change in weather as well. I had a fantastic 4.5 mile run yesterday. I just hope the super cold and snowy weather holds off until Christmas or later - this is my absolute favorite time of year to run!

Crissy Rae said...

What beautiful areas to run around...I haven't been down that way yet but it's definitely in my plans. What running club do you belong to?

Anonymous said...

So beautiful. Maybe someday I'll be an ok enough runner that I will actually enjoy the view as I run along the water.

Leigh said...

You live really close to some beautiful lakes! Can you swim in them?

Anonymous said...

Isn't living near the water the absolute best? Three cheers for the midwest!

Stephany said...

Oh, gosh, I can't believe it was in the FIFTIES for your run. It hasn't dropped below 85 here. HA. That sounds kinda nice, but eek, I am not ready for cold weather just yet!

I'm so glad you're back in the place that makes you so happy. :)

Jeanie said...

It's beautiful running country -- nice photos, Lisa! so glad you can run again!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Wow, absolutely gorgeous views. No wonder you loved this run! I'm so glad you are back home :)

Marlys said...

Nothing beats the view of a body of water and those photos prove my point! I'm so glad you are back "home" where you can enjoy these views! It is cold now but I hear that the temps will actually get back up in the 70's and 80's soon! Yeah! I'm not ready to pack my sandals and fit flops away! Maybe life isn't perfect, but it never is! Hang in there!

Charis Faith said...

Love that you got pictures!!! Such an awesome pace!!! I think running in those crazy conditions actually improves you for these type runs!!!

Abby said...

Such a gorgeous running area. I loved running those lakes that summer when I lived in MSP. The views never ever got old!!

I hope cooler temps will make me faster - as my pace has been kind of sad lately. But the temps have been quite uncomfortable! It will feel amazing to run in northern CA next week!!!

Amber said...

So beautiful! So glad you had such a wonderful run last weekend. Cooler temps really do make a world of difference!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

What a beautiful place to run :-)