There was a big owl convention going on at 5AM in Algonkian Park today. I do a lot of my running out there as it's flat and has few cars. There are no street lights and it meanders through the woods, so it's pitch black in the wee hours of the morning. I'm accustomed to seeing deer, fox, skunks, raccoons, and snakes, but the cacophony of owls was something new. Love is in the air, perhaps?

After running a few warmup miles through the park, I started my tempo run. Plan called for 6 miles at 6:20 pace. I could tell within 30 seconds that it wasn't going to be my day. My legs felt like jello, and I'll bet I could have gone to sleep within 30 seconds had I brought a sleeping bag.

I hit the first mile in 6:25, and started getting a little life in my legs. I ran the next few miles under 6:20 pace, with the last mile in 5:55. Total time was 37:32. Should have felt easier, but I'll take it. I'm happy that I didn't shut it down early like I really wanted to do. With warmup and cooldown logged 10 miles for the day.