i used to think of the twin cities as a big place... a really big place in fact. that was of course back when i first moved here from sodak and i couldn't see the end of town anymore just by looking in any direction. it was very exciting to take in all the different places you could go, things to do, people & places to see...

after more than ten years here though, i've decided that the Cities just aren't all that big anymore - at least to me. i feel like i maybe have discovered all the nooks & crannies, that I know all the ins & outs, and that there are very few interesting surprises left to be discovered here. i can still recall my first summer here, exploring Minneapolis by bicycle and going to all the different places that the trails could take you and enjoying every minute of the new experiences. every once in awhile i still get a new one, like last summer - meeting friends at Sibley House for morning runs through Ft Snelling State Park on trails that I had no idea existed and aren't on any maps that I know of.

I think this is one of several reasons that I haven't gotten out much this year in terms of biking or running. it's hard to want to get out and run on trails that you've run hundreds of times over the past four or five years. now that i'm downtown, i do find myself missing the lakes now and again, but not for running or biking - just for a nice place to hang out. i really feel like if i never ran around Lake Calhoun again, I would not be that upset. Still, I've been wasting way too much of my life recently hanging out inside - and I need some new places to run and/or bike. visiting my client's new digs the other day, i found a map of some interesting trails around their new building - so that might be some enticement to get out and enjoy a bit of running when we are moved there in a couple weeks. that, and what looks like a much better locker room setup than in the current building.