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Warm out again today but glad to get some more miles in for…. Oh wait, I don’t have anything on my radar for running. Oh well, it is great me time so a win anyways.

No photo taken as it was hot and I kept telling myself to wait to stop as I feared if I did I would want to stop and then…. I was done 😔 🤷‍♂️

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It was a warm one out there tonight on this run. However, I did notice on this trail these signs look new almost like they might really be serious now. Well for another day as it makes no sense the other side of the tracks is the actual trail. 🛤️

A warning sign by active railroad tracks, cautioning against trespassing. Dense greenery is visible beyond the tracks.

Also found another looked like trail to this dead end. A peaceful, green meadow with lush grass and a dense tree line in the background under a clear, blue sky. Tree branches frame the top of the image.

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I am glad to have gotten this long run done today but not sure my legs and body were ready for it like my mind was. Besides that though it was nice out and only got misted on a little bit. Not to mention the scenery of this run is always a favorite for street running.

A serene lakeside scene with lush green trees and grass. A small dock with a yellow-and-white striped canopy extends into the calm water. The landscape is rich and verdant, conveying a peaceful, natural atmosphere.

A lush green field bordered by a wooden fence with trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

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Decided to get a short run in between the rain today as it is looking very rainy all weekend so not sure what that is going to mean for me.

A serene landscape featuring tall green and brown grasses in the foreground, a wide lake in the middle, and a lush forest in the background under a cloudy sky.

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While waiting for the kids to come back home tonight I decided after work to get a run in. Let’s just say my legs were talking to me from yesterday but I kept plodding along in the heat to grind out the miles.

A serene wetland landscape with a variety of lush green trees framing the scene. The foreground features dense foliage, while the background reveals an open field with sparse vegetation under a partly cloudy sky.

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Not going to lie I did not have learn to use Apple Configurator to perform a recovery of this Mac Mini M1 on my bingo card for tonight. The plan was to just reinstall the OS not get into the Device Firmware Update and mess with things. A computer screen showing the Apple Configurator application running, with a “Restoring System on device” progress window open. The background features a forest scene with tall trees.

However, it did work and I am mostly back and running.

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Decided to find some elevation and hit the trails today. Running at this location provides me with more elevation than I can normally get and out of the trails on the top you get some nice views even if it is from a “trail” you might have just followed that was not on the map.

A lush, green landscape with dense trees and bushes under a cloudy sky.

Cloudy sky over a lush green landscape with a river winding through.

A narrow, leaf-covered path winds through a lush, green forest. Tall trees with dense foliage frame the scene, and a small wooden footbridge crosses over a dry creek bed. Sunlight filters through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

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Decided to get out and enjoy the weather today with a short run to round off the day. We didn’t have much going on today so it made sense to do something.

A narrow wooden boardwalk leads through a lush, green forest. Tall grass and dense foliage surround the path under a cloudy sky.

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Was glad to fine some time to get out for a run today and actually I was able to extend it as I was feeling good and realized I had some more time to kill. I think, I need to have a little longer run during the weeks as it might help with my recovery of my long runs as they are fine but I have felt it for days after the last couple weeks.

Lush green meadow with tall grass and scattered trees under a cloudy sky. A small stream winds through the landscape.

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Figured I should get some miles in today since it was Global Running Day! 🏃‍♂️

Legs felt heavy at the start but loosened up along the run so it was a good idea to get out there.

A tranquil, tree-lined dirt path surrounded by lush greenery, extending into the distance under a clear sky.

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Been a long time since I have done a long run late in the evening. The goal was to start earlier but things pushed it back. When I finally started I decided to just go with it. Wasn’t bad overall air quality and temp was good, legs felt heavy in the last stretches and it was really dark.

Silhouette of trees surrounding a tranquil lake at sunset, with orange and blue hues in the sky reflecting on the water’s surface.

A tranquil pond surrounded by lush greenery and trees at dusk. A lit fountain in the center casts a warm glow, reflecting on the calm water.

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Happy 16th Birthday to this kid today! I can’t believe he is 16 years old and will now be out driving in the real world without his parents. So proud of him! A young person stands smiling in a kitchen with wooden floors. A “watch out driver” sign hangs in the background. A table is covered with gifts and a large, silver balloon shaped like a car.

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Decided to kill some time and ran some loops around these ponds in Maple Grove while waiting for my daughter at a birthday party. I haven’t spent much time up here but it is a really nice area with lots of walking, running, biking trails around this main area. Not sure you can tell from the photo but the sky is filled with smoke so I guess it helped keep me out of the sun.

A circular stone labyrinth with red paths is set in a garden surrounded by benches and trees. A walkway extends from the labyrinth into the distance.

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Setup Change - Computer Swap

I have been spending more time than I like to admit making small (but big to me changes) in some setups I have. I was going to put all of the changes in just this post but relized after writing the first one might have gone into too much detail so I will break it out as I probably need more time to polish how to describe the other setup changes.

The first and easiest one was my beloved MacBook Air M2 16GB RAM and 500GB storage. It’s such a great machine, and when I bought it, I was actually able to use it for my day job instead of the Windows machine they gave me. That worked well for about nine months, but then (like companies do) security got ratcheted up and I couldn’t access our Google Suite of things (e.g., email specifically) so it became less than ideal to keep using it.

That didn’t stop me from using the MacBook Air though, I would use it for everything non-work-related. However, after a while I just started leaving it connected to an extra USB-C docking station I had near my work setup, and honestly, it probably hasn’t left that dock in the last six months.

Meanwhile, my wife, who works for the public school system, has an old Intel-based MacBook Air (not even sure which version) with only 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, barely enough to do anything. She’s constantly running out of space, and it’s painfully slow. So it felt like a no-brainer to give my MacBook Air M2 a new home.

That said, I still liked the idea of being able to remote into a personal computer, since I’ve been doing other projects from it and enjoy the separation between work and personal machines. I ended up finding a great deal on a Mac Mini M1, 16GB RAM, 1TB storage for just $350, and that was the extra push I needed so I jumped on it.

It arrived the other day, and for the first time ever, I used Time Machine to get the new-to-me machine up and running. I was really impressed after some time (maybe my only gripe is not knowing how long it would take) everything was loaded on there. And as far as I can tell, it feels exactly like my previous computer, just now as a desktop.

This setup is a win overall. I’ve got a machine I can sit in front of like I’m doing now, or just remote into as needed from my work computer or iPad. And as for the laptop, it’s now going to be used by my wife for schoolwork and photo editing. The photo editing is something she couldn’t really do on her work computer (way too slow). So she used to carry around our child’s iMac, which she claims is portable, but let’s be honest it’s really not.

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I had a little gap in meetings and work today before the afternoon so I decided to make it a short run to check out how the setup of Schooner Days was coming along. Seems like they are ready for the crowds this weekend!

A park with a grass field in the foreground and a skateboarding area. In the background, there are carnival rides, including a Ferris wheel, and colorful tents.

A covered wagon with “Eden Prairie Lions Club” written on it is parked on a road near a sign for Round Lake Park. An American flag is mounted on the wagon. The background features green trees and grass.

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Decided to get a run in at Hyland Park Reserve as overall it was a nice evening out. It was so nice to get out into the woods away from city streets as I was able to be in nature and it paid off by seeing a good handful of deer while on the trails.

Calm lake reflecting a cloudy sky and surrounding green trees at dusk, with a sandy shoreline in the foreground.

A deer with antlers stands amidst lush green grass and foliage, surrounded by tall trees.

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Tried to loosen the legs up on this run. It was nice out there even with the mist the whole time. Not to mention was great catching up with my running friend again now that he is starting to build back miles again.

A narrow wooden bridge crosses a body of water surrounded by greenery, with a sign in the foreground that reads “No Fishing From Bridge.

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Finally, my Obsidian Plugin Status.lol Publisher got accepted to be out in the wild now and can be found in the community plugin section. 🥳 Now that it is approved I can make some other updates I had been waiting on as I didn’t want to muddy the water during the approval and fixing what they wanted.

Alt text: “Screenshot of the Status.lol Publisher app information, showing it’s installed. Created by Eric Walker, it mentions options to post statuses to status.lol, log notes, and mobile compatibility.

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Decided to make it a long run day on the LRT with an out and back. Felt good, but the last mile reminded me of a hot, waterless run a year ago 😅. Luckily, I had just enough today and found a working fountain at the end.

A serene lake view framed by lush green trees on either side, with a clear blue sky and scattered fluffy clouds above.

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Had a great time exploring Sunfish Lake Park after getting something checked on my vehicle. Wasn’t really the plan but glad I had some running gear to go check out this out of the way park. Honestly, when on the trails I felt like I was no where near anything as I was all alone.

A serene pond surrounded by lush greenery and trees, with a clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds reflected in the water.

A narrow dirt path winds through a lush, green forest with tall trees and dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.

A scenic view of a lush green meadow bordered by dense trees, with power lines stretching into the distance under a bright blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds.