A major part of a person’s training for a sport has everything to do with the environment that they are in. Most often a venue such as a gym or sporting facility is the common place in which an athlete practices and enhances their discipline. For triathletes, their venue is being outside. While during the colder months triathletes in Minnesota train indoors for the most part, but when spring hits and summer is in full swing they are outside with the elements.
In this article, I will go over why Hastings, MN is a great place to practice ALL three triathlon disciplines; swim, bike, run.
The Swim.
Open water:
Finding a good place to practice open water swimming can be difficult. What I think is necessary is safety from other boats, a beach to enter from, and somewhat clear water. Remember that clear water is rare in Minnesota to begin with. The place I use with my friends is Point Douglas Park on the St. Croix River. Here you will find a sandy beach that is buoyed-off from boaters, and additional outside buoys where you’ll find triathletes swimming.
For my friends and I, we also use the buoys along the beach as well as the marina buoys adjacent to the beach. Combining both buoy areas; along the marina and outside the beach it creates an “L” shape. And each lap of the “L” comes out to be roughly 1,000 yards. Both areas are safe for swimmers from boaters while I would still recommend using a swim buoy for added safety. Also, the only time I’ve swam or seen others’, was in the early mornings before boat traffic even starts.
You will find not just Hastings triathletes here, but many others’ from surrounding communities as well.
For my friends and I, we also use the buoys along the beach as well as the marina buoys adjacent to the beach. Combining both buoy areas; along the marina and outside the beach it creates an “L” shape. And each lap of the “L” comes out to be roughly 1,000 yards. Both areas are safe for swimmers from boaters while I would still recommend using a swim buoy for added safety. Also, the only time I’ve swam or seen others’, was in the early mornings before boat traffic even starts.
You will find not just Hastings triathletes here, but many others’ from surrounding communities as well.
Pool availability:
If it’s during the colder months or you’re interested in getting quality yardage to better your swim. There is a local masters swim program that practices year round 6:10am – 7:10am on Tuesdays and Thursdays in a 25 yard pool. When the outdoor pool opens, practices shift outdoors to the Hastings Family Aquatic Center for the same time and days, and it’s a 25 meter pool.
Becoming a part of the masters program offers workouts and coaching, as well as accountability from being part of a swimming community. The first week is free to try.
The Bike.
What I think is important for a good bike workout should include roads with large shoulders that are clear of debris, paths that are smooth, long and only for bikers. Hastings is fortunate enough to be in the suburbs or the country; it depends on who you ask. Say you wanted to bike out of town and put some miles on; you’d find me south of Hastings off County Road 46/160th St E, County Road 47/Northfield Blvd, County Road 62/190th St E, County Road 85/Goodwin Ave or Hogan Ave into Cannon Falls, MN.
If you were to look up these roads on a map you’ll see they make up a square with a straight line south to Cannon Falls. This is a great area that has huge shoulders and rarely for the most part encounters traffic. Some days I rarely see vehicles on these country roads. Using these roads, I’ve easily been able to get 20 – 50+ miles.
If you wanted more of a challenge, I’d recommend highway 35/Great River Road from Prescott, WI to Hager City, WI. Here you’ll find HUGE hills with 2,300 ft. of elevation and a trip distance of 41 miles for there and back. People park in the Point Douglas Park parking lot and go from there. I’ve met cyclists and triathletes from all over the metro area, and even west metro like Eden Prairie and Minnetonka to battle this area. The road is smooth, the hills are grueling, and the shoulder is large.
If road biking isn’t safe enough for you, I would suggest the Cannon Valley Trail just south of Hastings. For a small summer fee, this trail is only for cyclists. You may see some people running, but it’s rare. While there are some bumps from roots and occasional gravel road crossings, this is a fun place to bike. You can enter the trail system from Cannon Falls, Red Wing, or in Welch. There are water stations, bathrooms, bike pumps with allen wrenches. I prefer to start in Welch, and stop at The Blue Dog for fuel afterwards. With Welch being in the middle; Red Wing to Cannon Falls is roughly 20 miles. This is a great trail to train on.
The Run.
Hastings prides itself on the 30-miles of trail system it has around town. You can run along the Mississippi River or Vermillion River and see the Vermillion Falls, and even encounter prairies as you loop your way around town. It’s easy to find a trail from your front door and start racking up the miles.
If you are interested in running on a longer trail system there is Spring Lake Park Reserve just outside of town. Here, there are longer stretches of perfectly paved trails and a few trail running options. I’ve used this area many times to quickly get away from town for a solid run workout.
For your trail running pleasure and cross-training there is Afton State Park. Along the St. Croix River and only 15-minutes from Hastings, this is a great place to enjoy nature, demolish some hills, and find a route that is perfect for you. There are many trails to choose from and the park is really well taken care of for you and others’ to enjoy.
That was a lot. Training for a triathlon is a lot. But, after you get acquainted with areas to train it’ll make training that much easier and enjoyable for you to do. Getting outside to exercise has been a great tool to keep myself motivated and it has made me a happier person than just training indoors all the time. I hope this article helped you identify useful areas to train outside.
See you out there.
Nice job Elliot. I think you captured the essence of the area well as it can relates to triathlon training.