6 Miles - Minnesota River Bluffs Trail

I had ever intention of running this morning before work.  Thank goodness I didn't, because I had a great run tonight!  I woke up in the middle of the night because of a neighbor's television and that just threw everything out of whack.  I wound up sleeping in a bit and saving the running for later in the day.  For those curious: yes.  Yes, I am still enjoying running in the heat.  I have no idea what's wrong with me but it's making summer training much more pleasant than in previous years.

The workout: I ran 6.2 miles, with a cool down of just under 1 mile for a total of  7.15 miles.  During the cool down I did some exercises including side steps, twists, and standing bicycles, and some dynamic stretching at the end.  Starting off I'd planned to do a five or six or seven mile run.  It was that kind of night.  I just kept feeling good, so I went all the way to where the path crosses this major road and used that as my turn around point.  I didn't have a heart rate monitor sigh but I kept things nice and easy.  Towards the end of the run, my legs started feeling heavy in a not-so-good way.  I picked up the pace just a bit and decided not to care if it jacked up my heart rate.  I know; I'm living on the edge. 

The trail: I ran on the River Bluffs Trail in Hopkins.  I have a special place in my heart for this trail.  Except for the first .75 miles and the bridge over 62, it's all crushed limestone trail.  It's soft like trail or a dirt road, but solid and predictable enough footing that it's just a beautiful experience all around.  I first met this trail back in March and ran on it a few times, but really hadn't been back since this beast of a workout.  The trail is apparently experiencing some flooding, but I definitely didn't make it far enough south to hit the portion of the trail that was closed.

The people: Oh my gosh the people.  This must be a really popular trail because it was packed.  In a mostly good way.  There were more bikers than anything else.  They all tend to have mountain bikes, which is the kind of tires that you'd need on a bike for that trail.  The number of runners was probably equal to the number of walkers, but we were definitely in the minority.  I saw a couple people on roller blades, but they could only use the little part of the trail that was paved.  It was actually more crowded coming back into Hopkins.  I assume people were getting off work and getting on their bikes for a ride?  Most people on that trail are pretty friendly so I was happy for the company.