TC Marathon Training – Week 17

As I type, we’re one week from Twin Cities Marathon! It’s actually kind of hard to believe — it felt so far away when I started this journey.

The past week has been more tapering to continue resting and recovering before the big day.

Monday – rest

Tuesday – 6.02 mile run (10:04/mile pace)

I wanted to get this 6 mile run in earlier in the week since I knew I had some evening plans later in the week.

Wednesday – rest

Had a lovely visit catching up with a couple of friends — even though we had to wait a really long time for our pizza to arrive. Luckily, we got free pizzas out of it to use another time.

Thursday – 35 minute elliptical

I made myself get up early to get in a workout before work. It was a gloomy morning and I was ok with swapping a run for cross-training during the week, so I opted for the elliptical.

Thursday evening I headed to the MN Twins game. I hadn’t been to a game since early in the summer so it was fun to go. Would’ve been better if they’d won, but oh well. 🙂

Friday – 3 mile run (10:08/mile pace)

I ran a quick errand after work and then headed out for a 3 mile run. It was a gorgeous evening to run along the river.

Saturday – 30 minute elliptical, 32 minute walk 

I did my cross-training in the morning so I could get some stuff done and prep for a costume/birthday party that night. Some friends through an annual Halloween party, but they moved it up a couple of weeks this year to coincide with celebrating a birthday. I had been Googling easy costume ideas because I didn’t want to just fall back on cowgirl — I’ve done that too many times. I landed on Rosie the Riveter and it turned out really well!

Since the weather was still nice, we were able to grill out, play some yard games and get a bonfire going.

Sunday – 8.05 mile run (10:02/mile pace)

I headed over to Lake Nokomis for my last long run before the marathon. I haven’t been able to get to Lake Nokomis at all this summer, so I was excited for a nice day to do this run.

I did 3 loops around the lake to get in 8 miles. Nothing too spectacular about this run. My calf started to get a bit tight around mile 6, which was a little uncomfortable, but finished strong.

I’ve already started laying out some of the gear I know I’ll need on race day. I’m keeping an eye on the forecast, though I know it’ll change about 100 times between now and next Sunday. The day is almost here, and I’m amazingly feeling pretty ready for this!

What are some things you do the week before a race?

TC Marathon Training – Week 13

Made it through another big run! Can check 18 miles off! Was a little nervous going into this run because my left Achilles has been bugging me on and off the last couple of weeks. I switched up a couple things last week because of it, but I think it paid off.

Not a ton to say (or show) about my workouts early in the week. Pretty standard and some great weather for running.

Monday – rest

Tuesday – 5.03 miles (9:58/mile pace)

It was a gorgeous day for a run – 72 degrees and not a could in the sky!

Wednesday – 4.03 miles (9:56/mile pace)

Thursday – 9 miles 38 minute elliptical and 21 minute walk

So 9 miles was on the training plan, but with my Achilles acting up, I decided to skip the run and do cross-training instead. This decision was also helped by the fact that I had about a 10 hour work day and running 9 miles did not sound fun at all.

This is the first training run I’ve missed. It was hard to skip it as I get into these peak weeks, but I figured this is really the time to skip that run if I need to. I still have 5 weeks before the marathon and I don’t want to make what could be a small injury a big one by overdoing it.

Friday – rest

I took advantage of the rest day by running a bunch of errands after work and then having dinner with a friend.

Saturday – MN State Fair walking

I’m counting walking around the MN State Fair all afternoon as my cross-training for the week. I wore my good tennis shoes to have extra support.

We ate lots of food and wandered into a bunch of different buildings.

While I did get to eat something on a stick…

…I didn’t do a ride. I had put that on my Summer Bucket List. Not sure I’ll be going back to the fair, so that may have to wait til next year. I had a lot of fun hanging with my sister and friends though, so it was definitely another good year at the fair!

Sunday – 18.1 miles (10:06/mile pace)

My allergies kicked in hard-core on Saturday night after being outside and around dust, animals, etc. It took me a long time to fall asleep with a stuffed up nose, so getting up on Sunday to run was a little tough, but I made it to the lakes about 8 a.m.

Doing cross-training on Thursday meant I’d had 3 days of no running. I had been stretching and icing in the previous days as well. I was hoping that rest would help my Achilles and that I’d be able to get through this 18 mile run, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. One other thing I tried was some kinesiology tape. I’ve never used it before, but I know some people swear by it and I had a sample pack. I watched a video for how to put it on and figured I could always take it off it if bugged me. (Luckily it didn’t.)

I mentally prepared myself to start out slow with a lap around Lake Harriet and see how I was feeling. If it got around and it was really bad, I was gonna stop. I felt a little soreness/tightness as I got started but it went away fairly quick. My legs were a bit tired from walking a lot the day before, so the slow pace to begin was good. I got around the lake and was feeling good, so I made my way to Lake Calhoun to continue on. After eating a couple chomps around mile 4.5, my pace started to pick up.

I got back to Lake Harriet to finish up the last 5 miles. I did a loop (about 3 miles) and needed to just do part of the lake to finish. Those last 2 miles felt like they took twice as long as they really did. My legs were tired, but I powered through to finish the just over 3 hour run. Can’t believe I made it 18 miles!

As I walked back to my car, I took note of any odd aches or pains. I had the usual soreness, but my Achilles was actually doing ok.

I don’t know if it was the rest, the icing, the tape, or a combination of everything that helped it feel better. My plan this week is to continue to take it easy if I need to. Not sure yet if I’ll swap a run for cross-training or take an extra rest day, but I will if I have to. I’m aiming to do my 20 mile run this weekend, which is a week earlier than on the training plan, but I’ll be out of town the following week and didn’t really want to do 20 while on vacation. I will if I need to postpone it though – kind of nice to have that cushion, actually.

Can’t believe I’m in these peak weeks and it’s almost time to taper!

Have you ever dealt with Achilles issues? What’s your favorite thing to do/eat/see at a state or county fair?

TC Marathon Training – Week 11

Another milestone week! I’ll definitely have more of those as training goes on, but it never gets old. I not only had a milestone for longest mileage, but a pretty good accomplishment with my pace for my long run.

The weather was pretty hot and humid all week, but I’m looking forward to this week when it’s supposed to be cooler.

I had a good week of training, but did end up skipping one of my 4 mile runs with other things going on. Not a bad thing and still got a shorter workout in to replace it.

Monday – rest

Tuesday – 4.02 miles (9:58/mile pace)

On Monday I got a new pair of running shoes, so I wanted to start slowly breaking them in. They’re the newest version of the same shoe I’ve been training in, and if all goes well these will be the shoes I run the marathon in!

Wednesday – 4.96 mile walk

I met a friend at one of the lakes for a walk. I thought I might do my 4 mile run after, but we ended up doing two laps around the lake for an almost 5 mile walk. After that, it was getting dark and my legs were tired, so I called it a night. I counted this as my cross-training for the week.

Thursday – 8.03 miles (9:59/mile pace)

It was a fairly steamy evening but cloudy, so that helped for a slightly longer run. There’s a bridge crossing the Mississippi that I’d been wanting to run for a while, and this was the perfect distance to add it in my route. The hazy clouds makes it hard to see, but downtown St. Paul is in the distance.

Friday – rest

I met some friends for happy hour at Hola Arepa. We’d been wanting to get there for a while, and finally made it — when it was open. 🙂

The black bean & queso fresco arepa was really good! I will definitely be back to try more!

Saturday – 1.15 mile run (10:30/mile pace) and 12 minute walk

I got up early so I could volunteer for Ragnar. I don’t know how the teams managed to run the 200+ mile relay race this year — it was hot! Friday and Saturday were in the 90s with high humidity. The heat definitely slowed teams down, so it was slow at our exchange throughout the morning. But, I did get to see my friends come through and they rocked it!

Later in the afternoon, I got on the treadmill for a very short workout in my new shoes to keep breaking them in.

Sunday – 16.14 mile run (9:55/mile pace)

Sunday run day at its finest! I woke up early to beat the heat and hopefully some potential rain. Thankfully, it was cloudy but never rained. No sun was great, but it was still humid.

I started to make my way around Lake Harriet. My legs were feeling pretty good after almost two days of rest, but I could feel that I was starting out slow. After a mile or two, I had resolved that this might be a slower run. But, as I got going my legs warmed up and I kept a pretty steady pace. Actually, it was a faster pace than I anticipated. Around mile 13 I realized that I was consistently keeping a sub 10 minute per mile average pace. That kind of lit a fire under me to see how long I could keep that going. I wasn’t sure if I could get through all 16 at that pace given how my legs felt during mile 14 and 15 of my run the previous week.

The last three miles were my final lap around Lake Harriet. I comfortably made it through mile 14 in 9:48. Miles 15 and 16 were tougher as my legs felt the fatigue, but I still managed to knock them out in 9:51 and 9:54 respectively. In the end, I had a sub-10 average pace for my 16 mile run!

It felt great to not only hit a new distance milestone, but to do it faster than I thought I’d be able to!

The next week is a step-back week, so I’ll focus on getting in all of my runs and recovering before tackling 18 miles in two weeks!

TC Marathon Training – Week 10

I had an awesome running milestone this week! Keep reading to see what it was. 🙂

Week 10 was another great training week. Some solid runs and lots of non-running activities to keep me busy.

Monday – rest

Tuesday – 4.03 miles (9:58/mile pace)

Wednesday – 7.05 miles (9:57/mile pace)

I finally had a good weekday longer run! The heat and tired legs have made that last couple of weeks a bit rough. It wasn’t crazy hot after work on Wednesday, but I wanted to test out my fuel belt, so I wore it anyway. It was kind of annoying at first, but then I got used to it and it wasn’t too bad. It was actually nice to have the water with me whenever I wanted it instead of having to wait for a water fountain. I have my hand-held bottle, but the belt is good for being able to carry more.

Thursday – rest

I took my rest day on Thursday because meeting a friend’s new baby was way more important than running!

Friday – 3.05 miles (9:54/mile pace)

I headed out for a quick 3 mile run after work and then hopped in the shower to get ready for an evening out. My sister, two of our friends, and I did a patio tour in St. Paul. We made it to four patios, and it was great weather to enjoy some time outside with food and drinks!

Saturday – 36 minute elliptical 

I was planning to do my long run on Sunday, so I got up to do some cross-training on the elliptical before running a couple of errands. My parents were in town for the weekend, so I met them in the afternoon to explore the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Artist-Designed Mini Golf, and the Walker Art Museum.

Sunday – 15.08 miles (10:04/mile pace)

On Sunday morning I got up a little earlier than normal to start my long run. I headed over to the lakes again — they’ve become my favorite long-run spot this summer.

I had 15 miles on the training plan. The air was cool and it was cloudy, so I was feeling good about getting started. As I started to make my way around the lake I could feel the humidity, though.

I made a loop around Lake Harriet and then over to Calhoun, then broke off to head to Lake of the Isles.

After Isles, I made my way back to Calhoun to finish that loop and head back to Harriet. That three-lake route got me to just over 10 miles. I made another loop around Harriet to get to 13.

I’ve done half marathons and did a 13.1 mile training run a couple of weeks ago, but this time I kept going. I continued around the lake keeping an eye on my watch for it to hit 14 miles. At that point, I turned around to finish up the last mile. In front of the Lake Harriet Bandshell, I hit 15 miles — the farthest I’ve ever run!

Those last couple of miles were definitely a mental challenge. My legs were tired and heavy. It was tempting to stop and walk, but I knew I would not start again and I just wanted to get the run done. That’s the other thing, those last 2 miles felt like they took forever. But, with all that, I powered through! It felt so good to be done and to set a new running milestone for distance!

Tired, but happy legs!

After my run, I headed home to get cleaned up and met my family for some fun at the Irish Fair. We saw some Irish dancing, pet some cute Irish dogs, and ate some Irish-inspired food. I had a Guinness pulled pork sandwich.

It was a fun, but tiring weekend! I could feel the soreness in my legs the rest of the day and on Monday.

What’s your latest running milestone?

TC Marathon Training – Week 9

It was a busy week! Lots of fun stuff packed into another week of marathon training. But I’ve made it halfway through training! Excited for the second half of training to kick off and jump into uncharted territory when it comes to mileage.

Week 9 of marathon training looked like this.

Monday – rest

Tuesday – 4 mile run (10:00/mile pace)

I got up for a morning run. Storms were going to be rolling through, so I opted for the treadmill. Time moves sooooo slow on the treadmill! I’m so used to running outside that 4 miles felt like 8. At least I had an episode of Friday Night Lights to keep me distracted.

Tuesday night was about Shania Twain and Gavin DeGraw! It’s a bit of an odd pairing since Gavin DeGraw isn’t a country artist, but he is one of my favorite artists, so I jumped at the chance to see him live again.

   

I had a blast listening to all of Shania’s hits! I forgot how many good songs she has. She still looks and sounds great, so it was a really fun show.

Wednesday – 1.55 mile walk (33:37 minutes)

This was kind of an active rest day. I met Hyedi for a bite to eat after work and then we took a walk to enjoy the nice summer evening.

Thursday – 7.03 mile run (10:03/mile pace)

Ugh. that’s pretty much the only word that can explain this run. I was expecting my legs to feel great after not running the day before, but the busy week had apparently taken its toll because my legs felt super tired and heavy. I kept expecting them to loosen up, but it never really happened. They felt a little better after a couple miles, but it was still a struggle.

Friday – 3.02 mile run (10:03/mile pace)

I still needed to get in a 3 mile run for the week, so I did a nice, leisurely run after work.

Saturday – 10.22 mile run (9:59/mile pace)

It was another step-back week, so I had 10 miles on the schedule. I had planned to go to Lake Nokomis to run, but got there to find an event going on which was closing roads and made parking a mess. I decided to just head over to Lake Harriet again to make things easier.

I started out with a loop around Harriet and then made my way to Lake Calhoun. I got part way around and saw the sign for the trail that goes to Lake of the Isles. I’ve never added that lake in before, so I decided to explore. I made my way over to Lake of the Isles and did a lap around. It’s a nice lake (a bit smaller than the other two) but not as much shade. I headed back to Calhoun to finish running around the lake and ended up finding a $20 on the path! See, it pays to work out 😉

I kind of feel like an official Twin Cities runner now that I’ve done the full Harriet, Calhoun, Isles route!

Sunday – 1.9 mile walk (1.25 hours)

I got up really early to head to the start line of Fifteen’s 5K to volunteer with CCFA. We directed the runners/walkers along the course. It was a nice, cool morning and fun to get to cheer on some racers.

Later in the morning I met a couple friends to explore Open Streets. They close down the street so people can walk, bike, skateboard, etc. and explore the shops and restaurants and a lot of them had tents/booths outside for people to stop at. There were also some performances and other activities.

Walking up and down Lake St. exploring was my main source of cross-training for the day.

When we were done, I headed over to the Walker Art Museum to play mini gold on their artist-designed course. It was a lot of fun! Each hole was different with various obstacles. I managed to get 2 hole-in-ones and can cross this off my summer bucket list!

Did anyone else have a packed weekend? Have you ever run the chain of lakes?

TC Marathon Training – Week 8

Well, I can tell that my weekly mileage has increased to levels that I’ve never done before as I’ve experienced a common runner’s affliction — I have my first black toenail. Yes, gross to think about (and see, so use caution as you scroll down).

I felt a little pain in my right middle toe in the last week or two and saw the discoloration on my nail. I suspected it was a black toenail and did a little Googling just to make sure. Toenail issues are common for runners doing high-intensity workouts and those training for marathons.

It hurt a bit when I would touch the nail right after a run, but the pain would decrease as I rested. I was worried about my long run this week, but was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t bother me at all on my run and actually didn’t hurt afterwards either.

Now for the picture. Hey, trying to document all aspect of my first marathon training experience here folks!

Outside of the toenail stuff, it was another good week of training!

Monday – rest 

Tuesday – 6.07 mile run (9:55/mile pace)

The weather wasn’t as hot this week, so this 6 mile run was much better than last week’s.

Wednesday – 3.13 mile run (9:45/mile pace)

Thursday – 3.03 mile run (10:00/mile pace)

I dragged myself out of bed early for a good morning run before work.

After work I headed to a CherryBerry for a fundraiser for Camp Oasis – a summer camp put on by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for kids living with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. A portion of sales were getting donated to the camp so myself and other volunteers promoted the event to get as many people there as we could. I helped out the good cause by having some froyo for dinner!

Friday – rest

Saturday – 13.12 mile run (10:00/mile pace)

A half marathon was on the training schedule for this day. I was considering doing a half marathon race in a couple of weeks because I thought I’d want to do a race at some point during training. As this week approached, I realized I wasn’t missing races and was doing good in training mode. If I did the half marathon race, I would only need to do 10 miles this week. I figured I’d leave it up to how I felt once I hit 10 miles on this run. I could stop and register for the half, or continue on with the full 13.1 and just stick to the training plan instead of swapping weeks.

I made my way to the lakes for my long run again. I got there just before 8 a.m. The air was fairly cool, but I could feel the humidity already. I was thankful for the mostly shaded paths and the thin clouds that filtered out a bit of the sun.

I made it to 10 miles and despite the heat and humidity, I was feeling really good. I decided to do one more loop around Lake Harriet to finish up the 13.1 miles. When I got done, my shirt certainly showed evidence of the hot day, but I felt so good for completing the run!

  

Sunday – 35 minute elliptical; 25 minute walk

I let myself sleep in a little on Sunday morning and then met a couple of friends for brunch on a patio. I had the Quiche Lorraine and roasted potatoes – delicious!

I stopped at the grocery and ended up being in a very productive mood when I got home. I went through my dresser and closet to find stuff to donate, did laundry, organized some mail and got in my cross training workout.

With another hot day, I was totally ok with hitting the workout room. I hopped on the elliptical for a solid 35 minute workout and then walked on the treadmill for a bit to get in a full hour workout.

Have you ever had a black toenail from running?

TC Marathon Training – Week 7

Another week done! It was a fun and busy week filled with running and getting to hang with friends and family. Here’s a recap of the week.

Monday – rest

Tuesday – 6.01 mile run (10:09/mile pace)

I got home from work and it was about 85 degrees. Not crazy hot, but not awesome for running 6 miles either. I started my run and was feeling great. My legs were fresh and thing were going good. Then after a couple of miles, the heat and a slight stomach ache started to bug me. The last half of this run was a bit of a struggle. I made it, but was definitely happy when it was over!

Wednesday – 3.02 mile run (9:59/mile pace)

I got up for a morning run on Wednesday so I could meet some friends for dinner after work. The run in the cooler morning air was much better than the night before.

A friend from grad school was in town and staying with me for a couple days. I got together with her and another friend for dinner at Smack Shack for restaurant week. We got to try several different courses for a set price. I had the fried calamari, lobster guacamole, shrimp & grits, cornbread & honey butter, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Great meal, great conversation, and a great MN night to sit outside!

 

Thursday – 3 mile run (10:00/mile pace)

A rainy day forced me inside for this quick 3 mile run.

After that, I got cleaned up and my friend and I headed out to Surly brewery to grab a drink and dinner. It was an hour and a half wait when we got there, so we ended up just getting the drink and having dinner elsewhere.

Friday – rest

I took Friday off of work to hang with my friend in the morning before she had to leave down. We grabbed breakfast at The Buttered Tin, and it was delicious! I’ve heard rave reviews of this place, and it had been on my list for a long time. So glad I got to go!

   

Saturday – 12.10 mile run (9:55/mile pace)

I got up early on Saturday to get out to Lake Harriet at 8 a.m. to start my long run. I knew the temp was supposed to get hot later in the day, so wanted to get it done. The air was fairly cool, and there’s a decent amount of shade around the lake. The breeze on certain sides of the lakes felt AMAZING, too.

I made two loops around Lake Harriet and then headed over for a loop around Lake Calhoun. I spotted Minne (Minneapolis’ version of the Loch Ness Monster)!

Then I made my way back to Harriet for one last loop around for a perfect 12 mile run. I was really happy with my pace again and am feeling pretty good about my progress with long run.

On Saturday afternoon I headed home to visit my family for the night. We went out to a baseball game and I scarfed down some classic ball park food (hot dog, chips, pasta salad). At one point the wind blew the last bit of my beer right in my lap. #baseballgamefail Needless to say, I had to wait a little bit for it to dry before I could get up to get another drink.

Sunday – 1 hour walk (2.96 miles)

Took a nice hour-long walk with my mom, sister and our dog in the morning and hung out with family through dinner before heading back to my apartment.

Anyone else ever spilled a drink on themselves at a ball game? Do you like running in the heat?

TC Marathon Training – Week 4

I was looking forward to kicking up the training a notch in week 4. Last week was a cut-back week and the first couple weeks of training had been distances that I was used to running. Nice for easing into training, but I’m actually excited for the longer runs to start! Here’s what week 4 of training looked like.

Monday – rest day

I met a friend for dinner on Monday night. We checked out a newer restaurant in Minneapolis called Nighthawks. I had the Monday blue plate special – fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a biscuit.  It was yummy! I’d definitely go back and try other stuff on the menu.

Tuesday – 3.18 mile run (9:46/mile pace)

I wasn’t planning for this run to be as fast as it was, but I felt good so I just went with it.

Wednesday – 3.02 mile run (10:03/mile pace)

I got up for a morning run since I had a work happy hour in the afternoon.

So pretty and peaceful

I was worried that my legs were going to be really tired after a tough run the night before, but they were surprisingly fresh when I started running. Got in a great 3 miles to start the day.

Thursday – 4.09 mile run (9:50/mile pace)

It was a little warm for this after-work run, but nothing too crazy. And I saw something on the river that I’d never seen before – a party barge! I’ve seen all kinds of boats cruising down the river, but never a true party barge. It was a good night for it, so I hope they had fun!

Friday – rest

I can cross the Twin Cities Jazz Fest off my summer bucket list! I got home from work and it started to rain. I had been hearing that a couple showers may roll through, but would clear quickly. I couldn’t help but be a little skeptical given that Jazz Fest was rained out the night I tried to go last year. But, by 7 p.m. the rain had passed and the weather was perfect.

   

Got to hang out in the park and listen to a nice variety of jazz music. I am by no means a jazz aficionado, but I can absolutely appreciate the music and it was a lot of fun. Gonna have to go back next year.

Saturday – 9.03 mile run (9:59/mile pace)

I set an alarm to get myself up and out for my long run early to beat the heat. I almost made it out when I wanted to (I hit snooze a couple times). The air was still cool, but the sun was rising so I could feel some heat.

I set out for my 9 miles. My legs were sluggish and tired at first, but after about 2 miles they loosened up and I felt great for the rest of the run. I even held a slightly faster pace than I was expecting.

The rest of the day was about catching up with friends and meeting some new ones. Oh, and a nap. 🙂

Sunday – 3.29 mile walk

I met my sister for a walk on Sunday morning for my cross training. We walked around a park/lake for a solid 1 hour walk.

On Sunday afternoon I met a friend for ice cream at Grand Ole Creamery and a stroll along Grand Ave. We walked about a mile and a half as we chatted and indulged in some delicious ice cream cones.

 

It was another great week of training. I feel ready for the double-digit miles to start next week. I’ll work that 10 mile run in around whatever 4th of July plans I come up with. Still don’t know what I’m doing!

Do you look forward to long runs? What are your 4th of July plans?

Summer Bucket List Updates and Edits

I can already cross one thing off my summer bucket list! I made it to a St. Paul Saints game last week and got to see their first game in their new stadium, CHS Field.

Everything is shiny and new in the stadium. It turned out to be great weather and the Saints pulled out a win!

I’m going back for another game in a couple weeks, and will have to try some more ballpark food.

In my effort to get my summer bucket list up, I realized I wanted to update one item and add something, so here’s the updated list:

• Listen to jazz at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Made a solid effort to go last year, but mother nature had other plans. Hope I get to see some jazz this year!

• Take in some music or a movie at one of the Minneapolis Music & Movies in the park locations. Kind of got to see some music in the park last year, but would love to give it another try and maybe check out a movie.

• Play mini golf. Hopefully at the Walker Art Center if they have their artist-designed course again this year.

• Spend a night at the drive-in.

• Run the Minneapolis lakes. Given that I’ll be marathon training, I figured this would help change up the scenery. I’ve run around a few of the chain of lakes, but not all of them. Whether I connect several on some long runs, or just hit one for a quick run, I wan to hit them all.

• Go to a St. Paul Saints baseball game at their new stadium. — Check!

• Eat something on a stick at the MN State Fair and ride the Ferris wheel! I always walk around and eat the food at the fair, but I’ve never done one of the rides, and I think it would be a fun fair experience. 🙂

• Go and explore Como Park Zoo and Conservatory.

Memorial Day weekend has been fun and relaxing despite the fact that it was mainly cloudy and rainy. The sun actually came out for a bit tonight, so I took the opportunity to get in a 3 mile run. Gonna be hard to get up for work in the morning, but looking forward to a fun, short week.

How did you spend Memorial Day weekend?

2015 Summer Bucket List

Memorial Day is just around the corner, a.k.a. the start of summer. So, I figured I’d brush off and update my summer bucket list. I made it through most of my list last year, but not everything. So this year’s list includes some stuff I didn’t do last year (or want to do again) and a couple new things.

2015 Summer Bucket List

• Listen to jazz at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Made a solid effort to go last year, but mother nature had other plans. Hope I get to see some jazz this year!

• Take in some music or a movie at one of the Minneapolis Music & Movies in the park locations. Kind of got to see some music in the park last year, but would love to give it another try and maybe check out a movie.

• Play mini golf. Hopefully at the Walker Art Center if they have their artist-designed course again this year.

• Spend a night at the drive-in.

• Run the Minneapolis lakes. Given that I’ll be marathon training, I figured this would help change up the scenery. I’ve run around a few of the chain of lakes, but not all of them. Whether I connect several on some long runs, or just hit one for a quick run, I wan to hit them all.

• Go to a St. Paul Saints baseball game at their new stadium.

• Eat something on a stick at the MN State Fair and ride the Ferris wheel! I always walk around and eat the food at the fair, but I’ve never done one of the rides, and I think it would be a fun fair experience. 🙂

• Go and explore Como Park Zoo and Conservatory.

What’s on your summer bucket list?