iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Do what matters most to you and make a difference doing that. Germany Kent Carcamped to get up early to help at Firetower trail races. Today I ran/walked runners at mile 24.8 at the Twin Cities Marathon. "If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon." Katherine Switzer

Brilliant pink sunrise at Saturday trail races.

My friend's first Twin City 10 mile today. Twin Cities Marathon is a beautiful fall event!

Elm Creek at the old stone bridge. Ran 6 miles on my way home from the marathon.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

When I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy. Hamlin Garland Started at 4:15am due to having stuff to do. Last long run before event in 2 weeks. Coyotes howled in the dark. An owl who'd, birds chirped. Kickass sunrise. All is right in my world.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure. Petrarch 2 loops on and near the horse trail. 1st one started in the dark and rain on paved. 2nd one on muddy trails. 14 soggy miles capped off by a deep tissue massage. Ahhhhh. #running #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

My fastest times may be behind me, but my best self is yet to come. Deena Kastor I did something different today. A half marathon on paved trails. Through my usual park. I wasn't fast, but I wasn't last and it was a perfect morning. Felt good to switch it up. #running #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Susan Jeffers 8 very tired, humid, vigilant miles at Elm Creek this morning. Decided to not let someone keep me from my park. Several undercovers were around. Grateful for them. Was able to relax and enjoy it eventually. #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Minnesota State Fair does not disappoint. Crop Art surprised me with it's political commentary, as did more than one scarecrow. The 8647 crop art was taken down after complaints. By a butt-hurt MAGA no doubt. #Minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

In the midst of darkness, light persists. Mahatma Gandhi 13 miles mostly in the dark with a mist to keep me fairly cool. Was able to quiet my mind and not think about the woman runner who was assaulted in my park or worry about bears. Took the win. #trailrunning

Running across the new bridge toward the road lights.

Looking back at where I ran from on the bridge

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Most turkeys taste better the day after, my mother's tasted better the day before. Rita Rudner So many turkeys wandering about. One tried to suicide in front of my car, another did the same to another car. Truly stupid. Deer and Heron are way smarter. 7+ enjoyable dam miles. #trailrunning #running

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Good things come slow—especially in distance running Bill Dellinger Started in the rain. Wet feet & mud shouldn't stop a trail run on long run Saturday. I misjudged how long my route would take. Of course. 12 soul-lifting miles ended in breath sucking humidity & happiness. #trailrunning

Seeing a tiny bit of fall. Yellow leaves on a trail surrounded by a cathedral of mostly green trees.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Ride as much or as little... But ride. Eddy Merckx Crosstraining day. Bike ride on the paved trails at my favorite park. Much like trail running, I am happy to report no falls, no wrong turns, plenty of hills, and a happy time. Ride until the cold comes. Run all year. #trailrunning #Minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life. George A. Sheehan Foggy, cooler morning run with a friend. I wait all week to run long on Saturdays. Trails, fog, filtered sunlight, birds singing. 8 miles of paradise. #running #trailrunning #minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet. Rachel Wolchin 9+ miles of adventure at Lake Rebecca with a friend. Sprinkles, wrong turns. Total happiness. #running #trailrunning #minnesota

Deer on the roadside. Staring. Like deer do.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Life is one long process of getting tired. Samuel Butler I finally finished an event today. Baby Backyard/50k. 33 miles. Typical run - pain cave, mini meltdown, great tunes at the end got me to the finish line. What a relief. And now happiness. Emotional roller-coaster indeed.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Take a walk with a turtle. And behold the world in pause. Bruce Feiler I was thinking how I had not seen a turtle this year and voila! Big snapping turtle. 🥰 Cooler today and deer fly are waning. This is the summer I love! 7+ trail miles. The hummingbird is bonus. #running #Minnesota #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar Has given you the call Grace Slick Throwback to my youth. 18 rabbits today on what must be Rabbit Runway. Singletrack I haven't been on all summer. Wanted to keep going. A good sign. 5 humid miles.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

We don't own the planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife. Steve Irwin Saw a fat toad as big as the palm of my hand & was startled by a raccoon today. Many rabbits; one was the Jabba the Hut of rabbits. 8.5 sweaty miles. Lingering concussions issues. I'll take it.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change. Jesse Jackson Sweaty speed fartleks today. We've been under a heat dome and heading for our 4th day in the 90s. And humidity to go with it. Early runs for me. Bonus- sunrise photos! #running #trailrunning #Minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Better run through the jungle John Fogerty This song popped into my head when I explored a singletrack trail with weeds at my height at one point. Lovely Sunday morning 5 easy mile run. #running #trailrunning #minnesota

A little bridge over a creek in the middle of nowhere.

A jungle of weeds alongside a singletrack trail

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Birds are the eyes of heaven, and flies are the spies of hell. Suzy Kassem Swarmed by deer flies, mosquitos, black flies. Good thing I had sprayed & patched. Why do deer stare at you? 8 miles. #running #minnesota #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Trail running is the antidote to a world addicted to speed Christopher McDougall Wonderful trail runs this weekend. Got 20 miles in for my upcoming trail marathon. Helped out at Afton Trail Races yesterday. If you haven't been an aid station volunteer, try it. Running weekend. #running #giveback

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. Ralph Waldo Emerson Already hot this morning. Ran in the light rain, no one else was out. Can't start a day any better. I got rewarded by the sky. Enjoy the day! #running #trailrunning #minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Wisdom is letting go of something every day. Zen Proverb Running allows me to let go of everything but what's around me at that point in time. Healing. I get my peace and serenity back. Beautiful trails this past weekend. #running #trailrunning #minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

When you quiet your mind, you can enter a world of clarity, peace and understanding. Alice Coltrane 5 mile run today after falling during my race last weekend and finding out how a concussion feels. Fogginess is lifting. Paved and non-paved today, trees down after storms. #trailrunning #running.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Serena serving up aces. My heart is happy. #queen #goat

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Heading out to somewhere Won't be back for a while. Dreamboat Annie - Heart Early run with pickups to avoid the 90s later and air quality alert. 12 rabbits, 4 lakes, and 2 swans not swimming. #running #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Cloudy days make soft moods. Unknown Got sprinkled on and the clouds were so thick my Garmin satellite only halfway worked. Good thing Google Maps did. Still took wrong turns. 15 miles, around a lake I had not explored. Adventures.

A fairy village at the base of a tree somewhere along Rice Lake

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

The best run is the one where you leave the world behind and find yourself. Unknown Started my long run in the dark following a course I made in Garmin. Still took wrong turns. Good training for next month. Caught a deer in a field and a pair of coyotes crossing the trail. 16.5 miles. Good times.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Neale Donald Walsch Warm evening run, trying to heat and darkness acclimate for upcoming race. The heat is doable but I am bedeviled by the dark. Maybe comfort is not an option, but less fear is attainable. I hope. #trailrunning #running

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

For in the true nature of things... every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. Martin Luther Longest run before taper begins. Went to Afton State Park and ran/hiked many hills on a glorious day with a runner friend. Enjoy your day! #running #trailrunning

Glimmering creek in the wild surrounded by green grass and trees.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

There is no certainty; there is only adventure. Roberto Assagioli Adventured to an area I haven't visited for a couple years and made it to the Top of the World. Tried to find a new route today. There were wrong turns. Part of the adventure.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Win or lose, I'll feel good about myself. That's what is important. Mary Docter Dnf'd my 50k yesterday. 22.4 miles. I have issues with hydration and low salt. Bit me in the butt. Beautiful day on the trails regardless. Now I know what to tweak for next month's race.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

When you run, you run with the dreams of those who can’t. Unknown Weird starting a run in the afternoon. Spent the morning talking trail running with runners at a local trail race. ❤️ A good day doing all things running. Bonus - flowers seen on my run.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Like wildflowers you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would. Lorde Yay, wildflowers and trees are blooming in the woods! Sunny, cool afternoon trail run. Food for the soul.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks. John Muir Taper runs yesterday and today. Helped out at the Elm Creek Backyard Ultra Friday. Great fun! Badass runners, for sure. Found a flooded tour but we are finally seeing green!

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Life is so fragile and uncertain that every daybreak is a miracle, almost a triumph. Friedrich Nietzsche 15 mile run started in the freezing cold before daybreak. 2 days ago it was 82° and I was a sweaty mess. Whiplash. Very peaceful running by Goose Lake this morning. I heard Sandhill Cranes.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

I’m not always trail running, but when I am, I’m probably questioning all my life choices. Unknown Worked the Zumbro 100 50 34 17 mile trail races Fri-Sat. My friend made it 67 miles. Overnight was below freezing. Ran 3.5 hours today & was harassed by turkeys. 70° & humid. Whatever, weather.

Tom turkey all puffed up with feathers fanned out. Agressive stance.

Turkey hen being guarded. Move it along.

Yellow rubber ducky hanging out in the weeds.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary Mental toughness building day: Rain, snow, rain, snow. Just above freezing. The word, miserable, came to mind. Toughed out 25k on pavement with hills. Proud of myself for sticking with it. And another Christmas tree.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

I get a bit gloomy when it's gloomy. Catherine Zeta-Jones Rain all day yesterday and most of today. Chilly damp gloomy gray. Got my run in but no trails. At least it's not snow - what we all say in Minnesota.

Tulips, crocus, and daffodils have broken through.
I should just call it rabbit food.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Spring: the music of open windows. Terri Guillemets Hill day! Ladder workout. Bright blue skies, cool enough temp, and no mud! Still waiting for green. Snow on the menu tomorrow through Saturday. Of course. Spring in Minnesota.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

70° yesterday in the Twin Cities. A trip to St Anthony Main happened and it's kind of my thing to ALWAYS get a photo of the Stone Arch Bridge.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Resting is also a form of resilience. Unknown Spent all week feeling like crap. Finally ran today on paved. Trails would have made this a real short run. 9 miles and then coughed my ass off. Happened upon a Christmas tree. Love the cardinal. #running

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

As an athlete, you'd better laugh at yourself when you slip in the mud. Dwayne Johnson Adventure on trails day! One wrong turn, one deer trail, tons of mud, no falls. A blizzard last weekend, 70° today. Fun to see & talk to many trailrunners today. 13.1 miles. #running

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

We had discovered an accursed country. We had found the Home of the Blizzard. Douglas Mawson Blizzard starts later today. 10-16" expected. Helped out at a St Patrick's 5k/10k this morning. Lots of green, leprechauns & cute tights. Thawed out in my car & did 7 miles near home. #running

Lake Harriet bandshell, sliver of moon hanging low in the sky just before sunrise.

Lights from houses across Lake Harriet, moon sliver the only light in the sky.

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Lonely night in the park Oh, lonely night in the park Bruce Springsteen OK it was morning. This song came on at the end of speed intervals and it fit. Peaceful in the dark. Great way to start the day. #running #trailrunning

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train. Charles Barkley No trains in the tunnel. I did get to wait for one on my way home. 13 paved trail miles after all day rain yesterday. No muddy squish for me today. The snow was a surprise. #running #Minnesota

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Laura B @laurab914.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

I don't understand capri pants. They seem like neither here nor there. Jesse Eisenberg If you live in the north, you understand capris. 46°. Too warm for tights, too cool for shorts. For me. Capris today, 1 shirt. Wet muddy shoes. 4.4 miles on paved today. And I ran past, not with, the bulls!

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