I haven’t been posting enough picture posts!! Problem, solved. 
I thought it would be fun to do a post on the route we run the most which has come to be called the “Usual Loop” in the Dahle-house. It’s 3.8 miles long and we run mostly on the North Cedar Lake Trail in St. Louis Park. It has a nice variety of hills and flat sections (along with slow inclines) so that I always feel quite accomplished, even though it’s not a terribly long loop.
We went out last Saturday for a run because it was gorgeous outside – nothing makes me happier than wintry days in MN where there’s not a cloud in the sky. Everything seems to sparkle and the air smells so fresh – I wish I could capture the scent and share with everyone! I missed it tons when we lived in Ohio.
It was nice enough I was able to take my new Saucony Virratas out for their first outdoor run, and they responded well (as I assumed they would). I’ll do a post on them later…but, in the meantime, if you’re in the market for more minimal shoes, check them out!
The trails were still pretty icy, but the ice has melted down lots in the past week or two (believe it or not). I still walk like a penguin over the ice, as I’m too paranoid at this point in the season to let myself get injured RIGHT before nicer weather arrives!
After running through the ice, we come upon a cute little park overlooking a small lake that is so pretty in the summer and fall. There are always kiddos playing at the park and it’s just a fun area to run through.
After we cross into the park, we run up a big hill that I always force myself to run up (even when my legs feel like jelly). Something about that hill makes me not want to let it win, ever! At the top of the hill, you can barely make out the Minneapolis skyline which is one of my favorite parts of the run (you can’t really see it in the picture below, but it’s right above the apartment building the sun is lighting).
From this hill, we enter yet another park (have I mentioned that I live in St. Louis Park, right? 
) and from this park, we are almost home. In this final park, the city puts Christmas lights on all of the trees so it’s a winter wonderland from November – February. I’ll have to remember to take a picture of it next year, because it’s SO PRETTY.
The weather is expected to be in the 40s this weekend (woo-hoo!) so, hopefully all the snow in the pictures will be disappearing quickly!!
Happy running, everyone!
Do you have a “usual” route? If so, what do you love about it?
running&singinginthepark 