Another warm day for Illinois, 62 degrees with a slight cloud cover. I planned to do an easy 4 miles, but after the first half mile I realized I had a large amount of energy in my legs, so I decided to pick up the pace, and ended up doing a 3.5 mile tempo run. I ran to the arboretum and looped back to Carle Park. The trees along the damp streets were arresting - half full of yellow and orange, and a big circle of color at the base of each tree. Perhaps it is the beauty of the season which is inspiring me to run harder each time out. The last half mile I still had control so I pushed harder, and sprinted the final 400 meters. I then did 3 sets of strength exercises, stretched, and walked 20 minutes home. | 