Mankato East Senior High School
Run Time: 62:15 + 2-minute kick
A beautiful, sunny day in South Central Minnesota. High 60s. I ran in shorts and a t-shirt, which was a pleasant surprise. The route from the hotel to the school was short but hazardous. I sometimes get the feeling that GPS mapping routes vehicles through sections of towns that were not designed to accommodate heavy traffic. The local citizenry might be thinking the same thing, although the increase was probably gradual and therefore insidiously normalized.
Various sports teams were practicing on and around the school track, so I ran on a path around the park next door instead, which was better. You know I prefer trail running to track running, if the conditions are safe. The turf alongside the asphalt path was flat and not slippery, and some of the trail was actual trail, which was ideal.
I felt fortunate to hit good weather in Minnesota this late in the year. I have had some dicey trips across Minnesota in late fall and early spring. I heard that this winter in the North Central U.S. is supposed to be mild — an effect of El Nino. I’m all for it. I do not want to drive in snow and ice for work. It is an unnecessary risk. If Tennessee and Texas have to get the freak ice storms so that I can drive care-free through South Dakota in January, so be it. Blame the Weatherman, not the Rational.
Really, it is silly to drive in frightening weather when you don’t have to. No work is that important. What we need is better planning, to get all of the driving done in clement weather. Can’t all of the chips and sodas and meat sticks be delivered to the Dollar stores before and after the snow? Can’t all the packages be delivered by drone when the roads get bad? Can’t hockey be played in the summer? Let’s all plan efficiently for 10 months of the year and then hunker for 2.
Don't Make It a Habit. Make It a Ritual. 