Yesterday I tried something that apparently I’ve missed out on for the past 25 years – winter indoor running at the Metrodome, sponsored by the Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA).

Aside from the hard concrete surface, this is a great opportunity to continue training during the harsh Minnesota winter. For only $1 per session, you can run from 5:00PM to 8:00PM most Tuesdays and Thursdays from now until March 12th. Parking is free outside gate D (which is also where you enter).

Participants use the upper concourse, with slower runners and walkers on the outside and sub-seven-minute-mile runners on the inside. The outside flow goes counter-clockwise, while the inside runners head the other direction.

The outside wall distance is 0.40 mile, so two and a half loops will give you one mile. I ran 18 loops (7.12 miles) and encountered perhaps 50 people there the first hour – definitely not crowded with plenty of room to maneuver.

Bathrooms are open for men and women and serve as ad-hoc changing areas. Water fountains are also available and people just leave jackets and bags along the wall. I did not see any posted rules against headphones, but it seemed most people did not have them.

For more information on this program, contact Rick Recker at 612-375-0805.