New year, new beginnings

Not really conducive to the tone of
my blog post, but I figured my readers
would enjoy a little Calvin & Hobbes.

Well Mankato, it's been fun.

After 3 1/2 years of biking on the Red Jacket Trail and doing training runs up Glenwood Avenue, my residency in the scenic Minnesota River town came to an end yesterday. I am now *mostly* moved in at my new apartment in Faribault and I'll be starting my new job as a page designer for the Faribault Daily News and Northfield News on Jan. 9.

I have mixed emotions about moving away from Kato. I'm obviously not thrilled about leaving the city's blossoming bike culture, as it was a big part of what got me interested in cycling in the first place. I'm also a little downtrodden about moving away from the downtown location I was previously located at. Loud noise from the bars notwithstanding, it was pretty nice to be within walking distance of work, the post office, the grocery store, the library and several decent restaurants.

On a larger scale, it's also a little unnerving to be moving away from a place I've become so accustomed to over the years. I know it's not a good idea to get overly complacent with a situation, particularly in a career as volatile as journalism. But it's hard to avoid when you find so many things to enjoy about a community, which was definitely the case with me in Mankato.

On the other hand, as George Harrison once said: "All things must pass." Despite being nervous about the unknown, I'm excited for the change that comes with a new town and a new job. I don't know much about Faribault aside from its association with the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail, but I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with the community and seeing what the town has to offer. I'm also anxious to continue my career in journalism and get back into a routine that includes work (sorry, but eight weeks of being unemployed is more than enough).

I suppose it's only fitting that the new job and new town would come about at this time of year. New Years has always been a time of new beginnings and resolutions to better yourself in the coming year.

It's too early to tell if I'll grow fond of Faribault like I did with Mankato, but my resolution for 2012 is to make the best of the situation and put forth my best effort at my new job.

Happy New Years everyone!

***Note: With my new location, the focus of my blog will shift from being Mankato-centric to being more oriented toward Faribault readership. However, due to the two towns relative proximity to one another, I will be sure to keep my readers updated if any big news happens out of Mankato in the health & fitness realm.

Mankato city planners looking for bike route input

Even the most pessimistic cycling advocate would have a hard time denying the progress Mankato has made as a bike-friendly community in recent years.

In addition to adding several in-town bike paths, city planners built the Minneopa trail last year and the Greater Mankato Convention & Visitors Bureau released a trail map earlier this year complete with suggested area bike loops.

Aside from that, the Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocates verified cycling interest in the area with the successful Mankato River Ramble this past October. The inaugural tour ride drew more than 1,500 participants and drew rave reviews from all participants.

The League of American Cyclists recognized Mankato's efforts this past spring by awarding them with honorable mention status as a bike-friendly community. A prestigious honor no doubt, but Mankato city planners and bike advocates are looking for more next year.

"That really helped us assess where we're at as a bike-friendly community," Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocate founder Tom Engstrom said. "They told us what we need to improve on, and the city is taking steps to do that."

A big part of that step has been the city planners providing a large poster board map of Mankato for cyclists to draw out their regular bike routes with markers. According to Engstrom, the objective of the map is for city planners to get an idea of where cyclists regularly ride in Mankato. From there, the city will use the input to determine whether it's appropriate to label bike lanes on those routes.

Greater Mankato Multisport Club founder Chris Crocker said that local bike advocates are also looking into posting signs throughout the city directing cyclists to the various trail systems in town.

"We're hoping to go to the city with ideas of how to have better signage in Mankato and North Mankao," Crocker said. "The trail system infrastructure has already been built. But since the trails aren't all connected, there's no signage to help you find anything if you're not familiar with the area."

The poster board map had previously been available to cyclists at Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports and will be on hand at the Bike and Walk Street Film Festival, which will take place from 1-4 p.m. on January 14 at the Blue Earth County Library.

The festival, hosted by the Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocates, is open to the public and will feature about an hours worth of short videos on other bike-friendly communities. Engstrom hopes the viewing will help spark a brainstorming session from those in attendance.

"It'll be cool to watch them as a group," Engstrom said of the videos. "It'll help us learn how things work elsewhere and it might give us some ideas of things we can do here."

After the videos, an open forum will be held where those in attendance can make suggestions on how Mankato can make itself a better community for non-motorized commuters. Area cyclists will also have a chance to mark down some last-minute routes on the map, as Engstrom plans to present the map and the results of the forum to city officials shortly after the festival.

Immediately following the festival, Engstrom and other cyclists plan on going on a short bike ride through town that will likely end at Pub 500 for drinks and social hour.

Both Engstrom and Crocker expect a good turnout for the event and also expect the community's input to have a major impact on city planning in the near future.

"You have to give the city a lot of credit," Crocker said. "People want the community to be more friendly to bikers and pedestrians and the officials are listening."

For more information, contact Tom Engstrom at tje1947@gmail.com.

It's beginning to look a lot like...mid October?

Like most Minnesotans, I enjoy seeing a little snow around the holiday season.

Snow has always been a symbol of transition for me; the point where fall definitively ends and winter definitively begins. It's the time of year when road bikes and light parkas get traded in for sleds and snowshoes. Besides, poor road conditions be damned, it's nice to look gaze upon some snowy scenery while listening to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."

But that transition hasn't been nearly as definite this year. Despite a sizable snowstorm earlier this month, the landscape is most predominantly brown with Christmas less than two weeks away. Temperatures are projected to hover around the mid-30's for the rest of the week and the only precipitation in the forecast is (gasp!) rain. The calendar may read "December 13," but as far as weather conditions go, it may as well read "October 13."

The holiday purist in me is aggravated by this decidedly wimpy winter weather. Brown Christmases are meant for palm tree lovers in Florida, not Minnesotans who grew up on snow and hockey.

However, the exercise fanatic in me couldn't be happier with the weather. Instead of workouts taking place exclusively within the confines of a gym, I'm still able to hop on my bike or go for a run if I please. Instead of having to bundle up like this just to go outside, a light jacket or a sweatshirt are still proving to be sufficient. Aside from exercise, it's also nice being able to drive on the road without having to worry the snow and ice that are synonymous with holiday season car accidents.

I can't say that I want the weather to stay like this all winter. But considering how many months there are until spring, I'm ok with this for the time being.

Just for fun, here's a Calvin and Hobbes comic to encapsulate the mood of snow-loving Minnesotans:

Mankato duathlon in the works

Give Final Stretch's Mark Bongers some credit: The ever-busy race organizer has certainly made his mark on the Mankato area.

Last year, Bongers and Final Stretch introduced the Mankato Marathon to south central Minnesota. Despite being a first-time race, the marathon drew more than 2,000 participants and the admiration of many (myself included) for being a well-ran, first-class event. This past spring, Bongers also brought a trail run to the area, with the inaugural 7 @ 7 race bringing in a respectable 200 competitors.

Next year, Bongers will look to add to that list with the Mankato Duathlon. And if last week's forum at Nicollet South Bike Shop is any indication, it will be every bit as well organized as the other races Final Stretch has brought to the area.

Similar to the forum held during the early planning stages of the Mankato Marathon, the duathlon meeting was open to the public. The turnout was relatively small (about 10-15 people) and the meeting structure was pretty laid back compared to the marathon forum (It was really more of an open discussion instead of attendees being divided up into topic groups), but Bongers was encouraged by the amount of brainstorming in the group.

"These people know a lot more about the city than I do and what will work best for a race," Bongers said of the meeting attendees. "Even if it's just a few people in the room, it's good to get some ideas from local people about what they want to see with the race."

The informal meeting structure can also be attributed to the different type of race Bongers envisions the duathlon being. Unlike the sizable turnout of the marathon, Bongers' goal is to have about 300-400 participants in the duathlon next. The run-bike-run structure of the race also means that the race organizers and city will have more to take into account in terms of course safety.

"It's a very different event when you're comparing a marathon to a multi-sport race," Bongers said. "The process we go about to plan for it is a lot different."

Here are some of the major topics discussed at the meeting:

• The date of the duathlon is still to be determined, but the third weekend in May of next year (May 19-20) is the most likely date. Bongers was adamant about the race not taking place at the same time as some of the other major races organized by Final Stretch. Other Final Stretch events scheduled around that time include 7 @ 7  on May 5 and the Cannon Falls Duathlon on April 28. Likewise, the local athletes in attendance also didn't want the race conflicting with some of their traditional races like the Minneapolis Marathon or the Land Between the Lakes Triathlon in Albert Lea.
• The race course has also not been finalized yet, but it will likely take place around the MSU area of town. Most in attendance agreed that a bike course in downtown Mankato would be difficult to achieve without causing some serious traffic concerns. The bike course used for the MSU Indoor/Outdoor Triathlon (basically a down-and-back course on Monks Ave) was suggested because the parking lot at MSU is considered to be an ideal transition area. However, Bongers and others in attendance agreed that they want the duathlon course to be unique.
• Bongers is less concerned about the traffic implications of the running portions of the course, as those would cover a much smaller area and be much easier to regulate. Both running legs of the race will likely take place on city streets with the both starting and ending at MSU. Bongers said the point of the running legs was to "draw a crowd" and have some good viewing spots, and urban routes will likely provide more of that.
• The prevailing thought was to have the race distances be 2-3 miles for the first run, 15-20 miles for the bike, and 2-3 miles for the second run. However, the distances could change depending on what course Bongers and Final Stretch decide on. The two themes that were brought up most often at the forum were to make the duathlon both "urban" and "family-friendly," and Bongers says a major part of the planning will be to mesh those two concepts.
• Like other aspects of the race, the entry fees are still very much up in the air. Some in attendance were advocating generous-sized gift bags with each participant getting a medal, while others felt a simple t-shirt would be sufficient. I personally thought a free beer with entry fee (like the Warrior Dash) would've been fun, but that would likely take away from the whole "family-friendly" theme they're going for. General thought was to keep entry fees in the $40-$60 range.
• One intriguing idea was to have the race finish with a lap around the running track at MSU, similar to ROTC 5K held there earlier this month. I've never participated in a race with that type of finish, but I'm guessing that would be quite a thrill for competitors.
• Another intriguing idea: Getting a local band to perform at the finish line area and possibly having local food vendors putting on a barbecue of some kind. Mankato Multisport leader Chris Crocker and others in attendance want the finish line to be like a party, and that sounds like a party I'd much rather go to as opposed to one serving bagels, bananas and granola bars (usual finish line fare).
• After much discussion, it was agreed that there would be no standalone 5K event taking place in conjunction with the duathlon. However, there will likely be a kid's duathlon.
• According to Bongers, the next step is to take some of the ideas from the idea and finalize a race day and location. After that, Final Stretch will be able to approach the city with an outline of the help they'll need (i.e. city officials and traffic regulation) on race day.

More information will likely be available on the duathlon in the coming weeks. You can keep up with it by checking either the Greater Mankato Multisport Club website, Final Stretch's website, or my blog.

Renewing old acquaintances

I consider myself to be a fairly adventurous person. I love new experiences, I embrace the unknown and I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone whenever possible.

It's the reason I decided to bike to Lanesboro this past summer instead of relaxing around my apartment with a few days off. It's also the reason I opted to run in the Warrior Dash instead of any of a number of 5Ks that were cheaper and closer to home.

However, as cool as it is to experience new things, it's also good to revisit old ones from time to time. Incidentally, this post represents a renewing of two old acquaintances for me: the Red Jacket trestle bridge and my blog in general.

As most of my regular readers have probably noticed, I've been relatively absent from the blogosphere lately. There's a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, I signed up for classes at Minnesota State University this fall and have been devoting much of my free time to schoolwork.

The other reason relates to employment status. The harsh economic times forced the Free Press to resort to layoffs recently and tragically, I was one of the casualties.

The Red Jacket trestle bridge is back!

Aside from going through the other processes related to being out of work (job searches, resume updating and applying for unemployment), I've also been grappling with the notion of continuing this blog. The original intent of it was to provide supplemental material for the health & fitness readership of the Free Press, and since I'm no longer an employee of the Free Press, that purpose is now moot. On the flip side of that, the blog does not run through the newspaper's website (it's through Blogger) and my readership has expanded to an audience well beyond the Mankato area (I got an email from a cyclist in Copenhagen this past summer about my experience of grocery shopping on a bike).

So in an effort to maintain my sanity during unemployment, I've decided to revive my blog. I figure there's a reason people enjoy reading it and I think the writing will be therapeutic as I contemplate my next step in life.

Therapeutic use of free time is also what led to reviving my relationship with the Red Jacket trestle bridge. I used to make a regular habit out of biking on the Red Jacket Trail. It's scenic, it's relatively flat and the Dam Store's delicious pies are mere minutes away from it.

The new support pillar of the trestle bridge 

was completed earlier this month. 

According to the Free Press, It will be

stained to look like the other pillars next spring

However, with the trestle bridge being out of commission due to last year's flood damage, like many cyclists, I turned to other routes for leisurely rides. Red Jacket users could still ride the rest of the trail by crossing the Le Sueur River on Highway 66, but it was inconvenient to do so (steep hills) and the historic trestle bridge was a major reason why the trail was so appealing to begin with.

I figured the trestle wouldn't be ready until next spring, but while getting my bike repaired yesterday, Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports owner Jon Anderson told me that the final deck boards have been installed and the bridge is up and running again. Ecstatic over the news, I rode the Red Jacket Trail this morning, stopped on the bridge and took a few minutes to admire the view.

I never used to stop on the bridge during bike rides. After being on it so many times, it simply became another part of the trail to me. However, after being without the bridge for so long, it felt good to bike across it again and feel those wooden planks clatter against my bike tires.

And after being absent from the blogosphere for so long, it feels good to be back.

40 days of beard-growing goodness

Race day is almost here for the Mankato Marathon.

Almost everyone participating in this year's race is probably in the midst of tapering and mentally preparing themselves for the big day. 

I definitely fit into that category as well, though my tapering had to begin early due a nagging Achilles injury. I've had difficulty going on sizable runs without feeling pain in that area, and most of my longer workouts have been confined to eliptical running machines. I'm not particularly thrilled about relying on elipticals, but I know they're good for maintaining the necessary cardiovascular endurance.

In terms of being ready for the race in a cardiovascular sense, I think I'm good to go. As for the nagging Achilles, we'll just have to wait and see.

Of course, tapering isn't the only thing I'm doing this week in regards to race day. As followers of my blog probably know, I also have a poll people can vote on for what type of facial hair I'll be sporting for the half marathon.

The photo at right was taken today to commemorate 40 days of growing a "runners beard." As it stands, the mutton chops option of the poll is winning by a nose, but voters still have until Friday morning to cast a vote.

Personally, I'm kind of hoping for the mustache to win the poll. I've never sported a mustache before and imagine it would an invigorating experience. However, I will adhere to whatever choice my readers.

Hopefully it will make for some interesting race day photos.

River Ramble photos

I think it's pretty safe to say that the inaugural Mankato River Ramble was an enormous success. Over 1,500 riders participated in it as they were treated to free food, live music and gorgeous river valley scenery throughout the day. Pretty much the only hitch in the plans was the fact that the two waterfalls along the route (Minneopa and Minnemishinona) were almost nonexistent thanks to the recent dry spell of weather.

Kudos to Tom Engstrom and the other organizers who went to great lengths to make sure this was a first-class event with some serious staying power in the area.

I'll write more about the experience when I have more time to collect my thoughts (busy with midterms this week), but for now here's the photos I took while doing the River Ramble. I couldn't figure out how to make a decent gallery of them, so they're just posted directly to the blog:

A few cyclists wait in line at the registration tent at Land of Memories Park.

Bagels, bananas, grapes and other goodies welcomed riders at the starting point of the River Ramble.

Organic Cowboys perform at Land of Memories Park.

Fabulous Fatheads perform at Minneopa Falls.

This River Ramble participant decided to bring a furry companion along for the ride.

The pie makers at the Dam Store in Rapidan were kept busy during the River Ramble. The Rapidan Dam Park was the second stop on the ride and the popular eatery provided free pie to riders throughout the day.

 A few riders enjoy their pie while resting at the Rapidan Dam.

 The Bockfest Duo performs at the Rapidan Dam.

A few River Ramble participants take a break from the ride to check out the Rapidan Dam.

Tandem bikes were a fairly regular sight on the River Ramble.

A father and daughter pedal their way to Lake Crystal on County Road 9 during the River Ramble

A caution sign warns oncoming motorists of the increased cycling traffic.

A group of riders take a break from the River Ramble to watch the Vikings game and have a few adult refreshments at Weggy's Bar & Grill in Lake Crystal.

A youthful River Ramble participant takes a break from the action at Minneopa Falls.

As you can see, my 6-week quest to grow a runners beard is going fairly well. However, my facial hair is mere stubble compared the ZZ Top-esque beard on my left.