13.75 miles
franklin / ford / the confluence
53 degrees
cloudy, some drizzle
The weather was wonderfully cool, which made a big difference. Everything felt easier, and I felt stronger. My 3/1 plan was working well. It was great until my kneecap skipped (or slipped? or stuttered?) around mile 8. It didn’t slide out so far that I had to pop it back into my place (with my hand, or by walking up stairs), but it was enough to make my tendons angry and to shake my confidence. I stopped to walk briefly, then started again. Another stutter. For 2 or 3 seconds I panicked, then I started running, this time more deliberately, lifting my knees. No more stutters — at least, I think there were no more stutters. For the rest of the run, I was weary and distracted. But, I still did it, and I’m choosing to believe that the kneecap skips were an aberration, and I’m choosing to remember how good (relaxed, strong, steady, fast enough) I felt for the first half of the run.
I have two ideas about how to prevent the skips from happening again:
- more stretching and warm-up before I begin, especially exercises to get my glutes firing
- wear my compression socks
My route involved a figure 8 with the lake street, franklin, and ford bridges, then a (mostly) straight shot to the confluence and back. In the first hour, I saw (and heard the oars of) rowers on the river. Also encountered some sort of bike event — not a race, but a fun ride around the city. I wanted to ask someone what it was, but I didn’t want to stop. Just looked it up: St. Paul Classic Bike Tour. My route was part of the bike tour route — well, not exactly — I was on the path, they were on the road.
a few things overheard by bikers:
- one biker: look at the Halloween decorations! another: Halloween? Too soon!
- I forgot you went to River Falls (University of Wisconsin, River Falls)
- and she was completely naked, except for the towel!
- one biker: did you finish all of your projects at the cabin? another biker: nope
- I think I just tasted some rain drops! / the weatherman was wrong!
- oh, it’s so beautiful here (one biker to another, on the trail between hidden falls and the confluence)
13+ Things
- about a dozen wild turkeys spread out over the lawns of some big houses
- a dark sky, bright white bike lights cutting through
- cheers from people leaning over the franklin bridge for the rowers below — a race? not that I could find online
- cheeseburger cheeseburger — a carolina wren
- the sound of water falling fast out of a crack in the limestone
- stopping to fill my water at the monument — waiting in a short, fast line behind 2 other runners
- more fall color on the trees — red and yellow on the trees just above the railing near marshall
- at least one roller skier — click clack click clack of their poles
- the bike tour had a pit stop at the parking lot and overlook closest to the ford bridge — port a potties, dozens of bikers, music — as I passed by, one biker called out: have a great run! / thank you! have a great bike ride!
- a small building on the edge of the trail, part of the ford power plant, is gone — where and when did it go? a gap and a view that hadn’t been there before
- the voices of kids playing at a house across the road, hidden by big fir trees
- a short drizzle, both refreshing and chilly
- studying the river’s surface from the ford bridge: flat, smooth, a thin sliver of bright blue cutting through grayish-blue reflecting the clouds and the small bit of blue sky trying to peek through
- a woman emerging from the woods with a dog, her dog running hard into her knee, the woman staggering and calling out in pain — me: are you okay? her: yes, my dog ran into me
For most of the run (the first 12 miles), I listened to the bikers and the birds. For the last 2 miles, I put in my “Hello, Goodbye” playlist.