Superior Spring 50k Big Block 2019

Superior Spring 50k Big Block 2019

Superior 50k is coming fast, now less than two weeks away.  I felt I needed to get in one good size block and this weekend was my last chance before Superior.  

Block Run 1 - Thursday at French

Every morning I drop my kids off at school and this day I headed straight over to one of the Three Rivers Park Reserves.  I know this course well as I've spent many hours on these trails but I rarely know how it's all going to go down once I get there.  I don't like running French that much only because of the geese.  It may be more of an issue later in the year and I only had to confront one goose.  It didn't chase me but did hiss.  

This was a good start to my block.  I wasn't sure how it would all unfold as there were still a lot of things that had to happen besides logging miles this weekend.  After  I finished I headed home then to Target Field to catch a ball game. 

Wednesday night I saw Berrios was pitching for the Twins and the Astros were in town series tied one a piece.  Stubhub has good prices to I went for it.  The game was great even though I didn't get there until the 3rd inning just in time to see Buxton make a great catch robbing extra bases.  Then, the Twin's bats woke up and they strung a nice rally together.  I watched until the bullpen door opened for the top of the 8th and I headed home.  Twin's win! 

Block Run 2 - Saturday at Hyland

Saturday morning took a bit more planning as I was out the door before 6am.  It was foggy on my drive down from Maple Grove and Elli had a basketball game in Bloomington at 9:10 so I went to Hyland, just a few minutes from the gym.  

I haven't done many hills this spring, at least in long runs and Superior is one hill after another so I wanted to run a few hills.  Hyland has great hills and it was close to the bball game so it worked out just perfect.  I love the picture above as the fog was lifting and the sun was penetrating the trees allowing just pockets of light through.  

At Hyland there are two main hills that I use in training.  There's the ski hill which is one of the longest trail hills here in the Twin Cities and there is the ski jump hill which is less runnable and the footing is more technical.  Both hills prepare you for Superior in different ways.  I often do sling repeats when I go to Hyland.  I run the ski hill, run to the ski jump hill, climb the ski jump hill and head back to the ski hill.  I'm not sure how many times I looped it Saturday but three or four times anyway.

My legs got a bit heavy towards the end and the fatigue set in later on in the day.  Caden had baseball practice and I hit about an hours worth of fungo flys (I like doing this as it was a big part of my Texas life).  My left hip and shoulder were sore from stopping the rotation of the swing.

Block Run 3 - Sunday at Elm Creek

Of all three parks I ran this past weekend I've spent the most miles and hours at Elm Creek.  We used to live very close so it was always easy for me to get out there and log miles.  I drove there today.  Temps were in the 60's and the bugs haven't yet arrived in full force, not to mention the trail is quite dry.  These factors all made for a very enjoyable afternoon into evening on the trail.  I walked and ran but mostly ran and was able to finish the last few miles pretty quickly.

This picture is from my favorite spot in the park.  It's a little maple corridor between the chalet and the nature center about in the middle of the park.  In the fall the leaves are very colorful and it's in this space the seasons really stick out to me.  I'll sit in this spot sometimes and just soak in the beauty and solitude of nature.

After finishing my legs were shot.  They still are actually as I write this on Monday morning.  A quick trip the chiropractor and a good night sleep have helped but I'll focus on recovery for the next couple of days before building to Superior.  There will be at least one nap today.

They had a sale on cereal at Hyvee this weekend.  We rarely have cereal at our house, except for St. Patrick's Day when we have lucky charms, so this was a treat.  I'm sure I'll have another bowl of chocolaty goodness before these Cocoa Puffs disappear :).

One last thing here... I will be running a performance workout on the West side of Maple Grove on Memorial Day from 10-12 for male and female athletes ages 10-13.  This workout is limited to 10 participants and the cost is $50 per.  Athlete's will be on the clock from 10-12 and we'll focus on toughness and endurance.  Equipment will include battle ropes, ViPR, medicine balls, speed ladders, Penalty Boxes, mini bands and more.  Go to ​https://www.trainingedgesports.com/memorial-day-2019.html to reserve your spot!