Turn your rut into a groove.

am--8 A nice run along the pier and the surrounding area in Oceanside w/ Craig and Aubree. It was fun to chat w/ them. The weather is great, and the run felt good. 

am--7 Sockless miles in Oceanside before heading home. The weather was perfect. In the past I was a California hater, but now I think it's  great place. The running at the end of the week was great. Goals for this year: run more miles that last year--hopefully, 3,000, get weight below 150, run a marathon @ 3:10, and love running more. We'll see how it goes. 2 and 4 are absolutely essential. 

am--5.5 A nice morning run w/ some Coldplay and U2. Just took it easy and pondered some races that I want to run this year: Painter's 5K, Spectrum 10K, Hurricane Half, Utah Valley Marathon, Waunakee Fest 5K, Swiss Days 5K, and St. George Marathon. 

pm--6 Went for a sluggish run after school. I actually didn't eat lunch until 2:30 or 3:00, so the belly was stuffed. Then it was running and had to have  a pit stop in the middle. 

pm--8 I'll call this a quality workout. I wanted to get in a bigger fartlek workout. So I was shooting for 12x1 minute strides at faster than 5K pace--6:1Xs--w/ 1 minute jog in between. After a 3 mile warm-up, I hit it pretty good, although I did rest for a minute or so in the middle to get a drink and walked for a few seconds in between strides. Finished w/ a 2 mile cool-down. Here are the paces for my fartleks: 6:18, 6:24, 6:35, 6:30, 6:12, 6:03, 6:02, 6:15, 6:07, 6:10, 6:02, and 6:09. Feels pretty good other than those 3 near the beginning. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. This was a hard run. The pace was probably a bit rigorous for the legs the day after. But seeing the miles pile up is great. 

pm--4.75 Sockless miles on the Sidewinder trail w/ Tom. It's good to get back in the weekly habit of heading out in the dirt. The only downside is that the 100s rub a little. I've got to get that figured out. I'm not sure if it's just a matter of toughening up the skin like caulouses for a guitar player or if it will be a constant problem. Time will tell. 

pm--8 Ran w/ the XC boys on the albino run. Not going to lie. It was hard, but I hung in there w/ them. Great runners they are.

pm--9.5 Tom and I went out on the Cove Wash West Trail and connected back to the road that runs parallel to Stucki Springs. Fun run. This ended up being around 90 minutes. 1 week down 51 to go. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. Nice run. Feel like I'm getting back into it.

pm--11 Nearly let the headache I brought home talk me out of running, but got back to my running roots a bit. Threw on the music--Sufjan (Songs of the day are "Chicago" and the one about UFOs).--and went out after dark. Initially, I planned on 5 or 6, so I went out on the Canyons loop and ended up feeling good. Added a Green Valley loop. 

pm--8 Went running w/ Chandis and Sierra after school. It was a great run. I'm very impressed by these girls and how they get out and run everyday. 

pm--6.25 Sockless miles on the Anasazi Trail w/ Tom. We had a nice conversation about harmony. 

am--4 Albertson's loop w/ neighbor Greg. 

pm--6 Started out w/ a pretty good group but ended up chatting w/ Kaylee. Nice weather out. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook Loop w/ neighbor Greg. Just beat the rain. Then came home and trimmed the roses. 

pm--6.25 Went out on the old Lava Cove morning run in the rain. I really had one of those blissful running moments w/ this equation going through my head--movement + breathing + pace + terrain = running enjoyment or pure drudgery. When you're able to find a collaborative balance between these variables, it's almost like being in water that is attuned to the body's temperature. You melt into your surroundings and become part of it. This is the eternal bliss of running. One needs moments like this every so often to remember the real reason for running. 

pm--7.5 Miles in the rain. I had to take a Burt stop about halfway through the run. After that everything was better. Got home soaked. 

am--4 Short Albertson's loop w/ neighbor Greg. 

pm--8 Run to Kimzey's and back w/ the PVXC boys and Kaylee. Nice run at a moderate pace.  Was a little cold out.

pm--7.5 Reverse loop around Clary. The rain scared inside last night, and this morning didn't find me like it should have, so I didn't get out this morning w/ Greg. But, no worries. As I headed up the hill past the graveyard, Greg was dumping rocks out of his shoes. We brought it on home together. He and I keep a pretty good pace together. 

am--10.25 Long run w/ Greg. We took this one at a pedestrian pace, and it was still tough. Building up endurance for long runs is one of the hardest things about running. I'm glad that Painter's was full when I tried to sign up because I would have struggled. 

pm--4.25 Went out, sockless, for a few more miles por el barrio. I tried to find any dirt or mud I could just to keep it real. Pushed it at a moderate pace. The legs feel decent after a good week. 

am--5.75 Sunbrook loop to the water cooler w/ neighbor Greg. A little cooler this morning than it has been. 

pm--6.25 Old Swiss Days course w/ extension to and from mi casa. Threw in a 7-minute mile just for funsies. 

pm--8 A run up to the Canyons and down into Green Valley to the In-law's. Moderate pace. The body felt good. 

pm--11 A nice bout of LSD up through Santa Clara, into Ivins, and back home. I kept the pace where the body wanted it and just enjoyed a longer run, an aspect of running that I haven't had in my repertoire as much as I should. 

am--4 A peaceful morning run just to let the legs know that they are going to work a little harder this week. 

pm--7 Testing some new kicks. Headed out to the Anasazi Trail and just farted around for 7. It was a little saturated from the rain last night. 

am--4 Albertson's loop w/ Neighbor Greg. I was worried that the legs wouldn't be up to it. But they felt good. Kept the pace under 8. 

pm--8.25 Did an A/T run w/ the XC kids--2.5-3miles at 6:35-6:40 pace. It felt pretty good. It's definitely easier to run these w/ other people. After I took the new trail kicks out for a loop on the Chuckawalla/Turtle Wall loop. Kept running the whole time. 400-500 feet of elevation gain in 4 miles. Looking for a long run tomorrow. Maybe Barrel Roll 2x. 

am--12.25 Still testing the kicks, so I headed out to the Barrel Roll Trail and added a Sidewinder extension. Then I ate a bit of PBH at the car and washed it down w/ chia fresca. Finally headed out on the BR again but hit the Elusion trail to cut it in half. This is my 2nd run of the week over 90 minutes. Won't lie. My legs are tired.