Fall Running
Fall provides great conditions and places for running in the Keweenaw! The temperature is comfortable and the views with the changing leaves can be downright spectacular! The challenge on any given day is to decide exactly where you are going to go! I had one stretch during Covid when I ran 48 consecutive (58 out of 60) Saturdays of 10 miles or more in preparation for this year’s Back 9 Endurance Run at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. While a preponderance of these 10+ mile runs were on reliable routes spanning Houghton and Hancock, the remaining runs were spread all over the surrounding area. I have dialed back on my distance this summer and fall with most of my training confined to the Chassell to Houghton rail-trail and Wednesday evening trail runs at MTU with the Keweenaw Running Group.
The last week provides a nice sampling of where a runner can structure a week. I like doing tempo runs on the rail-trail between Chassell and Houghton. There is no real variance in the elevation on what is primarily a packed stamp sand surface. Given how close it is to Lake Superior, the fall color remains on this trail well into the fall.
The Keweenaw Running Group typically runs the single-track trails at Michigan Technological University, but every fall we run at least a couple of laps up/down the Mont Ripley Ski Area. Here are a couple of photos and a short video from last Wednesday’s run!
Finally, no fall is complete without at least a couple of runs on the Covered Road between Atlantic Mine and Freda! The tunnel effect coupled with the beautiful fall colors make for an outstanding out-and-back run of 6 miles! Here are a couple of photos from my run out there yesterday afternoon.
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