Run River Run

Ten miles along the Mississippi River. Although there are plenty of water fountains along the route, hydration was an issue because I use a sports drink. I could not bring myself to wear the back pack; my shoulders are still sore from Saturday! Fortunately I have lots of water bottles, so I filled two of them with sport drink. I parked my car at Lake St. and put one of the bottles in my belt. Then I ran north for 2.5 miles, then turned around and headed south. By the time I got back to my car, I had 5 miles. I quickly exchanged my empty bottle for the full one, then continued south for another 2.5 miles.

The weather was humid and rain threatened but never materialized. It felt great to run and the trail wasn't crowded. The river isn't as popular as the city lakes, so it's a great place to run. It's very pretty and I discovered some new things, such as this waterfall.



As I got to the turn around point at mile 7.5, I came across the Ford Dam--a lock for the river traffic. This is where my club has done it's "Dam Hill" workout--hill repeats with various calisthentics our sadistic coaches came up with. :-)



Near Ford Dam is the Ford Bridge, which I crossed many times last year when I was training for Grandma's Marathon. I was trying to take a picture of it but I couldn't get a clear view. Although I had reached the turn-around point, I ran down the Dam Hill for old time's sake. (I'm just a sentimental fool.) I was rewarded with a clear view of the Ford Bridge.



Ford Dam and Ford Bridge are near Ford Parkway. The reason for all these Ford's is the Ford Motor plant, located on the east side of the river, in St. Paul. Built in 1925, it was the home of the Ford Ranger. Now it is doomed: Ford is closing the plant and one can only speculate as to the future of the land. I'm guessing retail and condos, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

As I headed north back towards my car, I took the road never traveled (by me). There is a trail that runs below the bike path, which apparently was an old Indian trail. Those who know me, either in person or through this blog, know I'm not very adventurous. I've always avoided this trail because it was too isolated and I was afraid of the bad guys. About 18 years ago I read of a woman who had been assaulted on that trail (she had been walking her dog) and so I avoided it like a kid with a cough. Today I ran down that trail for about a mile. It was a beautiful trail and it's always nice to face your fears, even if it's just for a little while.



I'm have to go get ready to meet my running club for dinner. It's a goodbye dinner--for me! I'll tell you about it tomorrow.