“There is no peace more wonderful than the peace we enjoy when faith shows us God in all created things.”
Today's scheduled running workout was a tempo hill run.
Lucky for me I live close to the Morton Arboretum where I have the pleasure of running hills on some of the prettiest grounds in the midwest. A chill was in the air when I started, 28 degrees and the wind dropped it down to a crisp 25 degrees. I have been spending a lot of time working on my pace on a treadmill so I was anxious to get out and feel the street under my feet. There were quite a few other runners out there so at least I wasn't going to brave the chill myself. There are two loops at the Arboretum, an East and West. The East Loop is 4.5 miles and the West Loop is 2.9 miles. There is a nice straight away between the loops that adds some extra distance to the route. I usually start on the East Loop but something told me to begin my workout on the West Side. Boy, was I glad that I did. As I was making my way up the first hill, I saw this cool looking animal coming out from behind the trees. It was making its way to the road, and if I was lucky, I would be able to get a good look at it before it scampered off. Pushing myself as hard as I could, I came close enough to get a good look of this beautiful coyote. And then when he saw me....he took off. Wow, it was so cool and gave me a big lift at the start of my run. I've seen deer here and have run with hawks flying over my head, but never a coyote. That little glimpse of one of God's creations powered me through my first 10 minute tempo. I knew this was going to be a long workout, but it was a necessary one. This time I remembered to strap my HR watch to the outside of my coat so I could monitor how my beats throughout the run. Before I knew it, I had finished the West Loop but still had a long way to go. The East Side has more hills and they are steeper than on the other side. It was time to put forth a strong effort and battle the rest of these hills and tempo sets. As I ran, my eyes darted up and down the sides of the path in search of wildlife but I came up empty. The frozen trees and ponds were pretty, but the patches of ice I could have done without. One of them at the bottom of a hill was tricky but nothing that I couldn't handle. As I approached the final hill of the route, I still had a 2 minute tempo to complete. By this time, I was getting tired but worked through it and pushed myself as hard as I could to try and hit the 152 mark. Aaaargh, 151 and holding. 
Just shy of where I needed to be but I gave it everything I had. My tank was empty, time to finish the 8 miles and head home. Good bye coyote Hope to see you again soon.
Second Workout for today was on the Bike. Went to the Courts to bike inside on the training bike. A full day of photo work and workouts. I should sleep well tonight.
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