Learning To Lock Up Early

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runnings

Zoo-Filled

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This past weekend was a zoo-filled weekend. A friend of mine and I have the coveted (apparently) standing room only passes for the Music In The Zoo concert series. Friday night we saw Chris Isaak. We made our way up front to the little dancing area and were easily six feet from him. My friend pointed out that not only is he a good singer, but he also has great arms.
Saturday I took my parents to the Squirrel Nut Zippers. We first had a gourmet picnic in the zoo parking lot, which is a necessary part of the zoo tradition. I think my parents really enjoyed the food, wine (necessary to the necessary zoo picnic) and music.

runnings

Music and Movies

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Although I’ve been in the Twin Cities for several years, and living within quick biking or walking distance of Loring Park, I made it to Summer Music and Movies for the first time last night. Because I still had cleaning left to do for my parents visit this week, I didn’t stay the whole time, but I was there long enough to want to go back. It's worth going just for people watching and to see all the creative ways to lock up a bike. Of course, the schedule is also a good draw.

runnings

Number One Volunteer City

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According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Minneapolis is the number one city for volunteer rate. More that 40% of the Twin Cities population volunteers. Thirty six percent of those volunteering are doing so in religious activities. I hadn’t thought of it as such, but this is where my volunteering falls. For the past several years I have served on my church council. Analysis of the study also state the shorter commute time enjoyed by Minnesotans is a contributing factor to the high amount of Twin Cities volunteers. Although I just commute through town to work, I suppose this short commute partially allows me to go across town to St. Paul for my volunteer activities.

runnings

1776

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Last week I went to 1776 at the Guthrie. I knew it had to do with the Declaration of Independence and that it was a musical. But that’s about it. I didn’t know it would also be filled with humor and speckled with insight. It was also more a smattering of songs within a play than a fully sung musical. I’m a fan of male voices, so I really enjoyed the music and I felt it was a good balance of dialog and song. The characters were distinctly portrayed, providing the audience with a feeling of intimacy with these historical characters. Overall, I enjoyed the production and left a bit more educated yet curious about the history of the Declaration of Independence.

runnings
The weather has forced me to get into running in the mornings. Our group at work has shifted from running at noon to meeting in the mornings. As I’ve said before, I wasn’t always a fan of running with people, but this group has been good motivation, especially in the heat. Sometimes people back out, including me, but I’ve also occasionally found myself getting up and running even when the group cancels. I then appreciate the time alone, yet look forward to running with others again.

Minneapolis Transportation in 10 Years

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The Minneapolis City Council has approved the Downtown Transportation Action Plan. This is a ten year plan for improvement to transportation, including pedestrians, bicycles, transit and automobiles, in the downtown Minneapolis area. I haven’t gotten through (nor perhaps will I) the whole document, but what I've read is interesting. One statement in the article says “Both the City and the Metropolitan Council project that by 2030 the downtown area will experience a 50 percent increase in residential population and an additional 40,000 jobs, which generate 150,000 more trips a day.” There are also several interesting maps within the document, including one showing bicycle gaps on downtown streets and another showing the intersections within downtown with more than 10 crashes per year.

runnings

Some Sprints

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runnings
This weekend it wasn’t another attempt at hills, but sprints instead. My friend and I first ran a 5K and then made our way to a track. We ran a series of 100s which felt completely different than the 5k. My quadriceps were almost immediately fatigued, but the bursts of energy still felt invigorating. Looking at a variety of half marathon and 10 mile training programs, I noticed several include speed training, but of 400s and 800s. The 100s were pretty challenging, but perhaps I can convince my friend to try the 400s next time.