baslog

A dreaded sunny day, so I'll meet you at the lakes....

Minneapolis is playing some tricks on me. It is behaving really well, as if it wants to convince me to stay. Usually this period of year is marked by hot, humid, sticky weather, but this year our summer has been very tolerable. Hot days and cool nights and not too humid. Perfect. Last night was perfect running weather. I ran 10 miles around the Chain of Lakes, which I think is about the best running one can do anywhere. Three lakes connected by bike and running paths, surrounded by gorgeous mansions, lush trees, beaches, boat rentals... They are really fun to run around, as each lake has its own character. Lake of the Isles is the most upscale one, also the least busy one. Perhaps because there is no food place on it (this is america after all). It is my favorite lake, it has lots of twists and turns and you never quite know where you are at. The houses around it are stunning too. Lake Calhoun is the biggest one, one lap is exactly 5 K. It is the busiest lake with a lot of show-off runners. The ones that fly by you at the beginning but are "stretching" half a mile down the path. This is also the lake where you will find the most smokers, which really kills me when I am running. As far as I am concerned, not every bar or restaurant needs to be smoke free, but if you are smoking on a path where people go to run and enjoy the outdoors, you ought to be smacked in the head. Lake calhoun is the best lake to go to the beach and people watch. Lake Harriet is a really nice lake too, its 2.8 miles always seem less far to me for some reason. But it is the lake where the families go, strolers, unpredictable babies on the path as well as dogs on leaches make running somewhat hazardous there.

If one is tired of the lakes however, there are always the banks of the Mississippi to run along. It is no surprise then, that Minneapolis consistently ranks high in best running cities polls, and if wasn't for the winters that make outdoor running nearly impossible, it would rank even higher I think. I know Chicago also has a good reputation as a running city, as one can run along the shore of Lake Michigan, but I think I prefer the variety of the lakes here to run around. You can run in a circle around them, running around Lake Michigan may be a bit a tall order. And I always think that running from point A to B and then back to point A looks a bit goofy. I love the lakes and I will miss them, I think they make Minneapolis a very unique city to live in.

This is my absolute favorite spot along the chain of lakes: A little bridge along Lake of the Isles from which you have a great view on downtown Minneapolis. Especially at night it is spectacular. It is best on crisp fall nights when the first cold air from Canada announces the arrival of winter, on one of the first runs you can see your breath and no one else is out there but you, and you stand still for a couple of seconds to take in the view, this is for me the quintessential minneapolis moment.

Some more pics of the lakes:

The lakes also produce one of my favorite sounds in the world. In the spring, when the ice is almost gone from the lake, all the small pieces of ice float towards the shadowy bank of the lake and on its gentle waves, these pieces of ice sound like a thousand ice cubes in a glass. ("klotsen" in dutch - translation anyone?) I always thought I should record that sound for one of those "sounds of nature" sound machines that new agers use to calm down. It does not really calm me down, but it always makes me crave a nice gin & tonic.

Posted by vana0047 at July 16, 2007 12:09 AM