Coyote Nasty?

5.01 miles. 39:21 minutes. A 7:51 min./mile pace. Today was a lot cooler than yesterday's 96 degrees, especially when I started jogging at around 10:15 p.m. Less humid, too. I didn't get as far as I wanted, but I found a good pace and stuck with it, even after debating with myself about whether I should quit after two miles and walk the other three back. I'm glad I didn't do that.

Last night, on Iowa Ave. at about 4:15 a.m., I spotted a large animal trotting down the median of the road. Because I thought it was a dog, I stopped to get a better look and see if I could talk to him. When I got about five feet from him (or her), I realized that this was definitely not a dog. The extremely bushy tail, smaller face, pointy ears, and it's relatively curious demeanor helped me to realize that it was instead a coyote. Not what I expected near downtown Iowa City. I got back on my bike out of fear, and we both took different paths down the street. When I got home, I immediately searched for coyotes on Wikipedia (the most legitimate non-legitimate source on Planet Earth), and I have no doubt that this was the type of animal I encountered. I also read online that they have been known to track joggers and walkers in urban areas. Every time I saw something--a biker, a leaf, a shadow--in my peripheral vision while jogging tonight, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that a Wile E. Coyote was tailing me.

Also, don't search the term "Coyote Nasty" on Google Images without your filter on. I was looking for a nasty picture of coyotes, mainly some incredibly sharp teeth. What I ended up getting was a little less coyote and a lot more nasty.