MN Running

Thanks for all the comments and condolences about the loss of Jerry's grandfather. It was a nice service yesterday, and then afterward, the whole family came back to Jerry's dad's house for the afternoon and we got to visit with some relatives that we haven't seen in years. So, in its own way, it was a good thing to bring us together with family that Jerry and I rarely see, and who we probably wouldn't have seen on our trip otherwise.

So, yesterday was a busy day with the funeral, but today was quieter and I got out for another run -- this time I went a little further (according to Map My Run, it was 4.5 miles) and that was nice. So now that I have two runs here in MN under my belt, I feel as though I can offer the following assesment of the pros and cons of running here:

Pros:

• Perfect weather right now -- warm but not hot, low humidity, gentle breezes.
• Good smelling air. Sounds weird, but it's true -- it just smells good here right now!
• Friendly drivers. They don't seem as though they are aiming to run me down -- definitely a plus, and every driver gives me a friendly little wave, very nice.
• Lots of new areas to run wth new scenery for me. (I think tomorrow I am headed over to some nearby trails.) A change of place is always refreshing.

Cons:

• Friendly drivers. It throws me off. In FL, I run with the assumption that cars are gonna plow me down at any opportunity, so I am always guarded with traffic, but here, with such friendly drivers, I don't know what the hell they're doing! Giving me the right of way? WTF?
• Hills. South FL is flat, flat, flat, and even though I wouldn't normally characterize MN as "hilly," there is definitely a big difference between the rolling farmland around here and the flat, filled-in-swampland of South FL. I actually kinda like the challenge of hills, but I run a mile uphill and I am done.
• No sidewalks. Jerry's dad's house is 1.5 miles from town, so there are no sidewalks here (but today, I ran into town so I did a little sidewalk running there). So that means running on the shoulder of the road, which makes me nervous. It's fine since I'm running by myself, but it would certainly make me leery if I were pushing Norah in the jogging stroller.

So, that's my current assesment. I plan tomorrow to drive over to some trails at Carlton College (we're in Northfield, MN right now). I've never runs trails before so we'll see what kind of adventure that will be. And on Saturday morning, I think I may tackle this giant hill that's nearby that I have been avoiding. It is scary steep to me, but I think I may be up for the challenge!