Black Coffee Macchiato

A less than stellar Macchiato this morning from Black Coffee on Marshall and Cretin in St Paul.
I am not certain if there was too much milk or if the beans were weak. I usually do not leave anything in the cup.
Very nice atmosphere, though. Bright, open windows. Clean space. Nice music.
They do not serve bacon.

Black Sheep.Macchiato

Deep, rich, bitter. Nice balance of foam vs espresso. 

Does not make my top 5. 

It did not knock my socks off.

They roast their own beans.

Bachelor Farmer Machiatto

I had opportunity to visit this coffee shop this morning.
Machiatto is creamy, strongly milky. Has a slight taste of steel.
Not one of my favorite drinks.

River Run. Stillwater. Sunday afternoon.

It is Wet!

 

Sunday, January 22      3:45pm Stillwater

 Full Moon Frozen River Run

The FMFR Run is on, but it is different this year. 

• not during a full moon

• not at night, although bring a headlamp

• on a not-so-frozen river

• a very short run, about 2.3 miles (see the reason for a short, short distance below)

 

Kyle Palmer and i just returned from running on the river from the Boom Site into downtown Stillwater. We tried to get on the river in Marine, but there is open water all along the MN side of the river. If we could get across to the WI side, I'm sure we could run from Marine to Stillwater on mostly solid ice. We did not even check out the Arcola access to the river, knowing from past experience that even when Marine is frozen, there is almost always open water at Arcola. Instead, we got on the ice at the Boom Site. However, even here, as we started to cross the river to the WI side, there are patches of open water. We decided to follow an old snowmobile track, thinking that the most compact snow/ice would be more frozen.  We ran all the way into Stillwater. The river ice is good here.  However,...

There is 3-5 inches of water and slush on top of the ice. The entire distance, every single step of the way, we stepped into water or slush, causing splashes of slush up to our waist at times, and always up onto the calves.  It was very enjoyable and easy to run.  Nothing like running through snow, the consistency of mashed potatoes, as in past years.  But...we had both put plastic grocery bags over our socks and inside our shoes, as a hedge against the likelihood that we would get wet.  This did not help one bit. Our feet were wet within the first minute.  After  10 minutes, I thought I was going to lose my toes. We walked off the river after 25 minutes. If we had to go 10 more minutes, it would have been 10 minutes too long.

The river will be just as wet/slushy from Hudson to Stillwater. But this is too long to run with wet feet. So, we are going to start at the Boom Site and run into Stillwater. It is 2.3 miles. It will probably be light the entire time. 

So, why you might still join us:

Bring some food to share afterward.

Because it is short, we will all get done at the same time.

There will still be most of the evening left when we finish.

The river and surroundings are beautiful.

You get bragging rights to say you ran on a not-so-frozen river!

Details:

Meet at my office: 421 Main St S, Stillwater

In the Brick Alley Building. Parking lot on back side. Same parking lot as the silver, grain elevator. Come in back door and go up to the 1.5 floor  - make noise, yell for us. We'll find you.

 

My Cell: 612-805-6861 

Kyle's Cell: 612-751-7167

Bring warm clothes to run in, prepare to get wet

Bring clothes to change in to: restrooms in our building. Shower in our office for those who want to shower.

 

 

 Full Moon Frozen River Run

January 22, 2017

3:45pm - 9pm

 

There are a few changes to this year’s run:
• not on a full moon night (one must run on the river when the river can be run on.)
• not in the dead of night (the colors of sunset are so incredible, and what one can see in the daylight is so stunning, that this year, we will start running before sunset in order to see some of this)
• No half-way Aid station.

If you are interested in running this year, please send you interest and questions to joelbutton@mac.com



Weather:
The week before this run, the temperatures are supposed to be in the mid-30s. The day before and the day of this run, the temperatures are supposed to be in the 40s. This will likely open up large patches of water on the river. While there are usually patches of open water all along the river even during the coldest periods, this may cause us to postpone the run. Watch for details.

Start Time: 3:45pm
Meet at law offices of Rollins, Martin & Button
421 Main Street South
Joel's cell phone: 612-805-6861
Kyle's cell phone: 612-751-7167

My office is in the Brick Alley Building, the brick building on the east side of Main Street, just south of Nelson Street. There is a restaurant inside called Smalleys.

Course:
• Marine on St Croix to Stillwater, on the frozen St. Croix River; 16 miles. One way.
• We’ll run north for the first two miles, then return south toward Stillwater.
• Running Surface: the river usually has snow on it. There is a wide snow mobile highway on the river.  Snow mobile tracks are well-worn and 90% hard-packed.  The snow mobile tracks provide a wide variety of textures so runners can find the track that suits their desire.
• Plenty of opportunity to jump out of snowmobile tracks and try running in fresh snow.

Pace:
Average pace of 8 min/miles to 15 min/miles.
Runners end up spread out along the river by mile 5


Requirements:
Self-sustained run. Bring your own water and food.
Cold weather running gear.
Light source(s)

We are looking for someone interested in crewing for the runners by driving and running the half-way aid station   

6th Annual Full Moon Frozen River Run. January 21, 2017

Sunday, January 22, 2017
6th Annual Full Moon Frozen River Run
3:45pm
Meeting Location: RMB Offices, Stillwater

Kyle Palmer and I would like to invite you to join us for another annual run on the frozen St. Croix River.

Meeting Time & Place: 

3:45pm, RMB Offices in Stillwater 

Start time: 

3:45-8:30pm. Course begins in Marine, about 15 minutes from my house. We will car pool to the start. The time it takes to complete this course is dependent upon the conditions of the river. 

Course:
Marine on the St. Croix (about 13 miles north of Stillwater) to Stillwater on the St. Croix River- mostly on the river, some jaunts onto islands as the spirit moves 

Distance:
approx. 15 miles

 Terrain:
snow covered, snowmobile trails, some choppy ice 

Duration:
3-3.5 hours. 12-15min/mile pace. Very casual, significant amounts of walking. 

Supplies:
self-supported, carry all your own food and liquids 

Why:
not sure, but running on the river is absolutely beautiful. We are changing the run this year to begin during sunlight and not be on a Full Moon Evening. We want to experience the incredible colors of sunset on the river, and the river is in almost ideal conditions right now. In light of this warmer winter, there is no guarantee that the river will be frozen when the moon is full in February. 

You will:
run under the iron High Bridge,

see ice falls flowing out of limestone cliffs,



see the 100 ft ice fall near Stillwater,

and end by running into the beautifully lit, downtown Stillwater.

Let us know before Wednesday, January 18 if you are interested in joining us. Email me at joelbutton@mac.com
If the weather turns warm, and the river is not safe, the venue will change to a shorter run from Hudson to Stillwater.

Afton 50K

Some random thoughts from this weekend's 50K at Afton:

• Shannon ran the entire 50K with Ananda, who was running her first ultra. This embodies the spirit of the ultra community: bringing someone along. It involves sacrifice. It involve incorporating the preferences of someone else.
• Running the first half slowly is better than running it fast.
• I can never do enough hill work. For me right now, that means the Stillwater stairs. There has never be a point on the Superior 100 when I wished I had done fewer stairs in training.
• John manages races very well and in a manner that causes people to love being a part of the event: setting up, during the race and afterward.
• Saying nice things to people as I pass them is better than being silent.
• It is actually really nice when someone says something nice to me when they pass me.
• More people say nice things to me than I say nice things to other people.
• My running without a shirt may not be pleasant for others but it is really nice for me.