Minnesota North Shore Road Trip

 This was my 3^rd visit to Minnesota and my 2^nd race attempt.  The 2018 Red White and Boom race in Minneapolis was shortened due to a freak heat wave.  A May race 150 miles further north in Duluth would not be a problem.  The weather was a perfect 55 degrees.  The flight was direct from Atlanta to Minneapolis, which meant a lot of extra driving.  The advantage was that it was a lot cheaper with no chance of a missed connection. 

I got into Minneapolis by early afternoon on Thursday 5/13 and it was a tougher than expected drive up to Duluth with gently rolling terrain.  I just relaxed for a while in my hotel then crossed over the border into Wisconsin for a sunset walk on a beach with red tinted sand near the town of Superior.

The next day was a full one with a stop on the Minnesota Park Point beach with views of the Duluth skyline.  Next, it was partly up the North Shore on Hwy 61 up to Silver Bay.  I would have to get back to Duluth before 6 PM for the packet pick up so that meant the North Shore would be a 2 day affair.  Stops along the way would be Gooseberry Falls and Tettegouche State Park.  The weather was crystal clear with comfortable temps as I was treated to high waterfalls and cliffside lake scenery.  Another cool spot was Black Beach, so named for its grey rocky sand that turned black when wet.  Not as awesome as Hawaii but still worth a look even if it was much too cold for a swim. 

I’m not going to say much about the race.  It was a rolling course with some flat spots and few views of the nearby lake.  As usual, a pace in the 8:50s to 9:00 felt pretty comfortable in the first half but the wheels came off shortly thereafter.  This time, the pace began to fall off in Mile 7 and I never recovered from a tough hill.  Normally, in Mile 11-12, it gets REAL ugly (12 minute pace) but this time, I did a little better at holding the pace and never had to walk.  I managed to keep it in the 10:30-11:00 range at the worst and finished in 2:05:17 officially for a 9:34 pace overall.  That’s 3.5 minutes better than Maryland last month and done on a harder course but still a very hollow victory.  I only have Maine and Hawaii to go then it’s probably 10 milers and shorter thereafter. 

After the race, it was a 2+ hour drive up to but not across the Canadian border at Grand Portage State Park, where I would see the best waterfalls of the trip.  Heading south, I caught Cascade River, Sugarloaf Cove, Split Rock and Jay Cooke.  The flight back from Minneapolis went off after a short delay so it was a late night getting back.  Where to next?  I’m thinking either Indiana or New Jersey after I visit my parents in 2 weeks.