It's at Wirth park that I've hiked and ran many miles, skied a few times, mountain and road biked, ran a race, joined a run club, walked with my mom at the Wildflower Garden, seen deer, and more! It is a wonderful park, just a mile or two from downtown. It's been a lifesaver at times -- keeping me active and engaged.
I hadn't been to Wirth in nearly three weeks, as I've been trying to rest my feet and legs. After a bout with food poisoning and a fall down my back stairs, I'm getting pretty sick of not being outside and in my element. It can be hard to get motivated to get back out there though. With a warm house full of christmas cookies, why go outside? Because it's good for me, I suppose.
Laura encouraged me to go for a walk today. We walked a couple miles - went around the lake, along some trails. We saw a mother dear and her fawn. The water was open at Bassett Creek. The lake was covered in snow, with gaping holes throughout. We saw fat bike tire tracks on a small pond, just feet away from open water. People need to be smarter about that -- thin ice is no joke.
Bridge over Bassett Creek at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
When we returned home from our walk, my feet were tired, my hamstrings were tight, and my heart was full. I felt crummy and wonderful at the same time. Crummy because my body is achy, and wonderful because my heart and mind were fulfilled today.
My plan is to start running again come the start of the year. That will have been just about 4 weeks of no running. That's long enough. I went swimming once, in the meantime, and set a new personal record. 12+ minutes for 250 meters of swimming. Time for a lesson, obviously.
I'm hoping to go skiing this Monday. A friend/my bike coach from summer leads a skiing class on Monday evenings (not at Wirth), and we got a decent snow last night, so if I can get out of work at a reasonable time, the plan is to go explore! I'm hoping to get some skiing in at Wirth as well - once they groom their trails. If you (reading this) want to ski with me (and are extremely patient), give a shout!
So what's it all worth? To me, Wirth park is worth so much more than I ever imagined. It's been so influential to my physical and emotional health. I have learned so much about the natural world and myself during the countless hours I've spent there in the last couple of years. It's "Wirth" the world.