Weather - 29 degrees, cloudy, snowing, no wind. Felt strong today, but I have lost my energy for writing a running blog entry. I will repeat here what I wrote on my photo blog : I had to make up some work at the park district for missing Thursday and Friday so I went in this morning for a few hours.
As
I walked home I recalled walking home from work when I lived in
Chicago. One particular day remains vivid in my mind. I had a 1 mile
walk from the elevated train station to my apartment on Broadway. As I
walked in the late afternoon summer light, surrounded by hundreds of
people and cars, I felt an energy kick up inside of me, and I could not
wait to change into my running shoes and start my Lake Michigan 5 miler.
Today I felt similar, the energy high and the desire to use it for running hills and the South Farms loop.
A
beautiful, gentle snow fell from the gray sky, and the wind was very
light. I got snug into my gear and started the loop, feeling strong and
ready to work.
I ran to Busey Woods, did my mini loop, turned back and went through town, got to the arboretum
and ran 15 x 100m hills like it was nothing, kept going and hit the
South Farms going at a pretty good clip. When I got to the corn fields
I was still moving strong. This is usually where I start to feel some
fatigue from the wind, but the wind was not there today!
When I got to MBK I stopped to gaze at the female statue looking out over the snow covered field.
MBK
is usually the hardest part of the loop for me because I feel I am
furthest from home, and halfway through the park I have to change
direction and head south again, which makes it seem like I am going
backwards.
But today I ran MBK like I was on a 5 mile run - legs fresh, moving easily, breathing freely.
I eventually returned to the arboretum
and began another set of 15 x 100m hill repeats. 3 people were sledding
on the east side of the hill, which did not interfere with my running.
My legs started to get a bit fatigued at hills 13-15, but I finished
those off without a problem, and the final mile I went at hard,
sprinting the final 800m, for a total of 16 miles with 30 hills.
I
am low on cash this week, so I sadly passed Jimmy John's without
stopping in, but I had a smile on my face on my walk home. The sun had
vanished, the light now dreary and covered in shadow, which made a nice
contrast with the fresh snow at my feet.
I still can't comprehend how I am going to run 50 miles at McNaughton in April..... #422
When
I got home I enjoyed a hot bath, ate some pasta, garlic bread, and
veggies, followed by working on a photograph as I relaxed and listened
to music. 
Halfway to the Zendo
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