The annual City of lakes loppet in Minneapolis held the popular luminary loppet again this year. The event was a walk through the wood this year, compared to last year, when it was a snowshoe/ski event. The location also changed, as it was held in Theodore Wirth park, instead of on lake of the isles.
Despite the change in location and activity, the event felt quite similar to last year. The luminaries, the real star of the show, were lining the course There were some neat designs, like an ice pyramid and tall cylinders.
During the day the temperatures got in the upper 30s, melting some of the ice luminaries down a bit prior to the event, and melting some of the snow on the trail through the woods. The trail was a bit slippery in spots, causing a bottleneck when walking down a small hill. Even with a bit of ice on the trail, though, it was a fun 1.5 mile walk through the woods.
While I preferred the location on Lake of the Isles, Theodore wirth park mad for a nice location as well. One problem, though: I still am waiting to use my snowshoes, and its February!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
group fitness classes
I used to be of the attitude that I could easily get a better workout on my own and didn't need group fitness classes. While it is true that I've gone on many long runs and have exhausted myself, I find a strong value in group fitness classes now that I am not training for anything specific.
I have participated in 3 different classes: bootcamp, tabata, and abs.
Bootcamp is a tough class, and may involve some running (though not very far), core exercises, lifting light weights quickly, and general muscle burnout. This class has made me sweat hard every time, and has even made me dizzy a couple times when I was ill-prepared. I often feel the after effects of this class the next day.
Tabata is similar to bootcamp, but every move is only done for 20 seconds, then you get a 10 second break (usually just to do an easier exercise). You repeat this over and over, and it doesn't take long before it becomes very tough. With enough repetition, any move is tough, and that is what this class is all about.
Abs class is pretty straightforward. We perform movements to engage the core muscles. The class goes for 10-15 minutes, so its never easy.
Another benefit of group fitness classes is the fact that you are doing the workout with others. I find that I will push myself a little harder when others are around.
If you are on the fence over a group fitness class, give it a try.
I have participated in 3 different classes: bootcamp, tabata, and abs.
Bootcamp is a tough class, and may involve some running (though not very far), core exercises, lifting light weights quickly, and general muscle burnout. This class has made me sweat hard every time, and has even made me dizzy a couple times when I was ill-prepared. I often feel the after effects of this class the next day.
Tabata is similar to bootcamp, but every move is only done for 20 seconds, then you get a 10 second break (usually just to do an easier exercise). You repeat this over and over, and it doesn't take long before it becomes very tough. With enough repetition, any move is tough, and that is what this class is all about.
Abs class is pretty straightforward. We perform movements to engage the core muscles. The class goes for 10-15 minutes, so its never easy.
Another benefit of group fitness classes is the fact that you are doing the workout with others. I find that I will push myself a little harder when others are around.
If you are on the fence over a group fitness class, give it a try.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Red bull "Crashed Ice" in Saint Paul
Near the Cathedral in St. Paul, there was a lot more going on than usual from the 12-14th of January. Red Bull cae to town with another one of it's extreme events. Attracting thousands of people to watch skaters go down a track of ice with jumps and other obstacles, it was fun to watch. I didn't see too many crazy wipeouts, but there certainly were a few.
The biggest surprise to me was just how big the ice track was. It stretched from the cathedral down a couple of blocks. It took them a couple of weeks to put up, and I know it took some serious generators to keep the track frozen. You could hear them humming the days before the event. They have since cleaned it all up, but it certainly created a lot of temporary jobs for the building ad take down.
I know the event was filmed, so I'm sure there are plenty of highlights on red bull's website. Check it out if you want to see an action packed sport that you doesn't take long to understand.
The biggest surprise to me was just how big the ice track was. It stretched from the cathedral down a couple of blocks. It took them a couple of weeks to put up, and I know it took some serious generators to keep the track frozen. You could hear them humming the days before the event. They have since cleaned it all up, but it certainly created a lot of temporary jobs for the building ad take down.
I know the event was filmed, so I'm sure there are plenty of highlights on red bull's website. Check it out if you want to see an action packed sport that you doesn't take long to understand.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
No Snow in Minnesota-Yet
January in Minnesota- usually not the most comfortable place to go, has been unseasonably warm and snow-free this year.
I recently went "winter camping", though, it didn't get much below about 25 degrees outside, not exactly your cold adventure. We've seen temperatures over 40 several days already. As far as the snow goes? Nothing worth noting, especially when you compare this year to last, where I went snowshoeing several times already by this time.
There have been some positives, though. I'm getting the feeling a few more people are actually sticking to their new years resolutions! People are still running and walking all over the place outside. I've also seen many people out riding their bikes and rollerblading on the trails in Minneapolis. Of course, it also makes for a more mild walk to work in the morning.
I'm looking forward to skiing, snowshoeing, and more winter camping, but we'll need some more snow!
I recently went "winter camping", though, it didn't get much below about 25 degrees outside, not exactly your cold adventure. We've seen temperatures over 40 several days already. As far as the snow goes? Nothing worth noting, especially when you compare this year to last, where I went snowshoeing several times already by this time.
There have been some positives, though. I'm getting the feeling a few more people are actually sticking to their new years resolutions! People are still running and walking all over the place outside. I've also seen many people out riding their bikes and rollerblading on the trails in Minneapolis. Of course, it also makes for a more mild walk to work in the morning.
I'm looking forward to skiing, snowshoeing, and more winter camping, but we'll need some more snow!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
2011 in review
Looking back, 2011 has been a great year, with plenty of adventures and great moments.
Starting with January/February, I went snowshoeing several times, once in Duluth, and the most special time had to have been at the Luminary Loppet, a large skiing/snowshoeing event on Lake of the Isles. It was a wonderful event for people of all ages and abilities. I played on a broomball team, which was a fun excuse to get outside on some cold nights. I also began indoor climbing, which is something I've continued to do. This was pretty significant, as it has become something I've done roughly 1-2 times per week since then.
Getting into March, I made a trip to San Diego, California. It was nice to go to a warmer climate and get a taste of Southern California. My favorite part was going on a run in Torrey Pines reserve. The weather was great and the trail i ran on definitely kept me on my toes. There were switchbacks, rocks, and many tree roots. I ran down to the ocean, touched it, and just took in the moment.
As the weather began to warm up in April and May, I began to run and bike outside, in addition to climbing indoors. I went on a couple of short camping trips, including Interstate State Park in Wisconsin.
Once the summer came along, I was busy trying out several ice cream shops in the twin cities (though I never did a formal review on here), which was a tasty challenge. I think I ended up trying 8 different shops over the course of the summer. I also spent a lot of time outside, including checking out Minnehaha falls. The most unique event I went to was the antiques roadshow, which will be airing on PBS in January. It fun to volunteer and see what goes into the production of a TV show.
Later into the summer was my biggest adventure of the year: Backpacking in Yosemite National Park. I really enjoyed the challenge, and the rewards were obvious. I am already very nostalgic for the trip, and hope to go back there again, even if it means taking a long road trip like we did this summer.
As the fall came around, I continued to get outside, making my way to a few state parks for day hikes, including spending a night at Frontenac State park. I did some pretty good running too, enjoying the twin cities ten miler, and even won a 5k race (1 second off my PR) that I ran in! That was a great feeling, as I've never won a race before.
Getting into the colder weather, I've tried to keep myself busy as to not get depressed by the long winter. I've been successful at going to the climbing gym more often, and even going on a few short runs. I went winter camping at Afton State Park as well, which was a good way to test out my winter gear, including a new pair of boots.
It has been a great year, with so many activities and adventures. Through all of my new adventures I have learned something, and I hope to have just as many great experiences in 2012! Happy holidays!
Starting with January/February, I went snowshoeing several times, once in Duluth, and the most special time had to have been at the Luminary Loppet, a large skiing/snowshoeing event on Lake of the Isles. It was a wonderful event for people of all ages and abilities. I played on a broomball team, which was a fun excuse to get outside on some cold nights. I also began indoor climbing, which is something I've continued to do. This was pretty significant, as it has become something I've done roughly 1-2 times per week since then.
Getting into March, I made a trip to San Diego, California. It was nice to go to a warmer climate and get a taste of Southern California. My favorite part was going on a run in Torrey Pines reserve. The weather was great and the trail i ran on definitely kept me on my toes. There were switchbacks, rocks, and many tree roots. I ran down to the ocean, touched it, and just took in the moment.
As the weather began to warm up in April and May, I began to run and bike outside, in addition to climbing indoors. I went on a couple of short camping trips, including Interstate State Park in Wisconsin.
Once the summer came along, I was busy trying out several ice cream shops in the twin cities (though I never did a formal review on here), which was a tasty challenge. I think I ended up trying 8 different shops over the course of the summer. I also spent a lot of time outside, including checking out Minnehaha falls. The most unique event I went to was the antiques roadshow, which will be airing on PBS in January. It fun to volunteer and see what goes into the production of a TV show.
Later into the summer was my biggest adventure of the year: Backpacking in Yosemite National Park. I really enjoyed the challenge, and the rewards were obvious. I am already very nostalgic for the trip, and hope to go back there again, even if it means taking a long road trip like we did this summer.
As the fall came around, I continued to get outside, making my way to a few state parks for day hikes, including spending a night at Frontenac State park. I did some pretty good running too, enjoying the twin cities ten miler, and even won a 5k race (1 second off my PR) that I ran in! That was a great feeling, as I've never won a race before.
Getting into the colder weather, I've tried to keep myself busy as to not get depressed by the long winter. I've been successful at going to the climbing gym more often, and even going on a few short runs. I went winter camping at Afton State Park as well, which was a good way to test out my winter gear, including a new pair of boots.
It has been a great year, with so many activities and adventures. Through all of my new adventures I have learned something, and I hope to have just as many great experiences in 2012! Happy holidays!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Winter camping in Afton state park
This past weekend, I spent a night outside in Afton state park. Afton state park is located near the st. Croix river, just east of the twin cities.
We headed over to the park in the early afternoon, when we found out we were te only ones camping in their backpaking campsites. We traveled about 3/4 mile from where we parked the car to our eventual campsite. This included going up a pretty big hill. Our site was great, and with no one else out there, we had the park to ourselves.
We set up camp, got a nice fire going, and cooked some good food as it got dark outside. It was a windy day, but not incredibly cold. By the time we went to bed, it was somewhere just under 20 degres, I believe. My sleeping bag is rated to 20 degrees, and even though I hd a sleeping pad and a small blanket underneath, I was still a little cold, mostly in my feet.
The next morning, we got the fire going, cooked some pancakes, packed our stuff up, and got out of the park. It would have been nice to check out some of the snowshoe trails,but I didn't have my snowshoes with, and there really wasn't much snow.
I recommend afton state park to anyone who wants to camp a little distance away from their vehicle, but not too far. There are some great views of the st croix river as well.
We headed over to the park in the early afternoon, when we found out we were te only ones camping in their backpaking campsites. We traveled about 3/4 mile from where we parked the car to our eventual campsite. This included going up a pretty big hill. Our site was great, and with no one else out there, we had the park to ourselves.
We set up camp, got a nice fire going, and cooked some good food as it got dark outside. It was a windy day, but not incredibly cold. By the time we went to bed, it was somewhere just under 20 degres, I believe. My sleeping bag is rated to 20 degrees, and even though I hd a sleeping pad and a small blanket underneath, I was still a little cold, mostly in my feet.
The next morning, we got the fire going, cooked some pancakes, packed our stuff up, and got out of the park. It would have been nice to check out some of the snowshoe trails,but I didn't have my snowshoes with, and there really wasn't much snow.
I recommend afton state park to anyone who wants to camp a little distance away from their vehicle, but not too far. There are some great views of the st croix river as well.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Indoor Climbing in Minneapolis
Vertical Endeavors, a climbing gym in St. Paul, has recently opened a new location in Minneapolis. The new gym offers a variety of new routes for climbers to try.
I've been climbing at the St. Paul location for almost a year now, and have had fun trying bouldering, top-rope, and lead climbing there. The new Minneapolis location offers all of these, and to make it a little more interesting, the building is significantly taller. This makes for some seriously tiring routes. I tried two top rope routes, one of which I wasn't able to finish due to the difficulty combined with the distance. I was too tired!
In addition to many new climbing routes, there is a large "party room" for groups. There was a large birthday party when I was there, which made it quite busy.
All in all, it was a great experience, and I am happy that I now have two locations to check out, especially as it starts to get colder outside.
I've been climbing at the St. Paul location for almost a year now, and have had fun trying bouldering, top-rope, and lead climbing there. The new Minneapolis location offers all of these, and to make it a little more interesting, the building is significantly taller. This makes for some seriously tiring routes. I tried two top rope routes, one of which I wasn't able to finish due to the difficulty combined with the distance. I was too tired!
In addition to many new climbing routes, there is a large "party room" for groups. There was a large birthday party when I was there, which made it quite busy.
All in all, it was a great experience, and I am happy that I now have two locations to check out, especially as it starts to get colder outside.
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