Fall Weekend Fun

This past weekend's weather was fall-a-rific. I know I've mentioned this before, but I love running in the fall, and my two runs this weekend were some of the best. Saturday morning, I got a nice eight mile run through the beautiful city of Norfolk, Neb. on a new paved trail. It runs along a canal and through public land with high grass, stands of oak trees, and the sweet smells of the poultry processing plant. There's something tranquil about running next to water, trees bursting with fall colors on a cloudless day, and the savory aroma of "Chicken In a Biskit" in the air.

I was down in Nebraska to visit my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. Laura hasn't met the new nephew yet, so we got lots of quality baby Bentley time.

Enjoying the fall weather with a walk

 I also got to do a little fishing with my dad. We often make a $3 bet—a dollar each for the first fish, the most fish, and the biggest fish. I'm pretty sure I'm leading the all-time series, but this weekend he beat me on most and biggest fish, and I beat him on first fish by a minute. The final score was 10 bass to 8. Dad won the largest fish with by half-an-inch (although my dad measured his fish with reeds, then I measured the reeds with a tape measure, so I'm not sure his 16" fish was legitimate).

One of our 18 fish

After making the six hour drive back to Eagan on Sunday, I put in 18 miles—the longest I'll run until the St. Louis Marathon on October 27th. My run went through the beautiful trails of Lebanon Hills Regional Park. The miles flew by with vibrant fall colors, a barred owl sighting, and lots of people walking their dogs.

I had to take it a little easier than I was planning last week—I'm still feeling the 10 mile race in my legs, so I cut back the mileage and intensity a little from what I had planned. I still have no idea what to expect for the marathon.

Happy Running!