Run Derneld, Run!

Exploring the hilly suburbs of Beaverton, OR. A little too much ice on some steep slopes this morning, but I made it to the end unscathed! Also got a little lost, which is fun when you're running without a time limit.

More exploring in the hills of Beaverton. Found the hill of all hills (that I've seen on neighborhood streets) in Sexton. Just having fun on this in-law Christmas vacation :)

Today's exploring went into rural roads. I got truly lost today and the roads were all monster hills. Definitely a good place to train hills, but not to explore when you don't have a phone! I finally found a road I recognized and went until I got to Safeway. I went to the customer service desk, but they wouldn't let me use the phone for long-distance calls (ironic because my wife was less than 3 miles away). I did an easy jog back home, an hour later then planned. My wife figured I had gotten lost and didn't seem to be worried at all.

One last warm run. Almost 1500 ft elevation gain!

Back to Rexburg, and the treadmill. I will definitely miss Portland's winter running weather.

13.2 miles on the treadmill. Did 3x3miles at marathon pace with 1 mile easy rests.

Finished off the year right, with a great week balanced between vacation and training. The best part is that I feel great. This is the most mileage I've ever logged in a week. The last time I ran over 60 miles was two weeks before the Huntsville Marathon (2015). I spent a long time after that unable to return to my pre-Huntsville running performance. I finally feel like I'm getting back to where I left off and with a better understanding of some training principles, I am not worried about having another 18 months of sluggishness. I'm excited for a great new year of running!