Turn your rut into a groove.

pm--4 Easy miles, listening to some Madvillain. I'm starting the year how I start most runs just working into it. 
 

Last year was one of my lowest mileage years since I began tracking mileage. Nonetheless, I finished the year w/ my biggest month in 2 years. Also, way more trail running. Feels like that helps keep a body healthy. 

am--6 Anasazi but not quite to the homestead. I'm not sure what kind of running goals I have this year. Maybe, something like an average of 5 miles a day throughout the year. I'd also like to have over 100 days on the trails. I've loved the dirt these last 9 months.

pm--3 Just tried to keep the ball rolling today. 

pm--7 Anasazi, basically, from trailhead-to-trailhead. First day back w/ kids at school. ''Twas good.

pm--6 Barrel Roll w/ Elusion belt x 2. Good run w/ some okay climbing. My lower hammy has felt a bit funky the last few days, but the trails seem to mitigate any irritation.

pm--4 Some easy running in the evening.

am--6 Up past the high school and around by the old race track. Showing some motivation the last 2 days.

pm--5 Heights loop w/ my neighbor. He was nice enough to let me chat most of the time about Philip K. Dick and his short stories.

pm--6.25 Anasazi to the homestead. Decent run. Seems like my body handles climbing on the trails much better 2-3 days in a row than after a 4-5 day break.

pm--3.75 Some easy stuff in the evening. Sometimes, it seems like life doesn't want me running.

pm--7 Rim Trails. Hit up my fav trails on my bday. Solo run--decent company most days. Lots of folks asked me if I'd do anything special for the day, and I realized my life is pretty good when all I want to do for the day is work, run, read, and hang w/ the fam. 

pm--7 Anasazi to the mesquite tree and back. Have it a decent push--~8 effort--and felt pretty good. 

am--6 Early run around the neighborhood w/ about 15 minutes of easy tempo at the end. In another note, I've been in the mood for Neil Young lately.

pm--7.5 Anasazi w/ Chipmunk and Cholla excursions. I felt good today. Beautiful day all around.

pm--5 Anasazi to the creosote. Another trail run but on limited time. I remembered, while running, that I passed a group of kids--mountain bike team?--and overheard them speculating about my age. Made me chuckle. The bit I heard was "not 30, closer to 50." 

pm--6 Barrel Roll w/ elusion x 2. Good run.

pm--4.5 Had to talk myself into it this evening, but I ran. Life is coming around.

am--6.5 Caught up w/ Tom on Anasazi and chatted about the draw of music.

pm--3.5 Some easy miles to start off the week and keep the ball rolling slowly. 

pm--8.25 Anasazi w/ an extension here and there. 

I also finished The Great Gatsby again. Nice writing, but I'm crawling farther into the sci-fi rabbit hole. 

pm--6.25 Anasazi w/ the chipmunk extension. The cold makes the desert look so crisp.

pm--8 Barrel Roll from below. There's a pretty good amount of climbing on this run, and I wasn't necessarily feeling it today. Nonetheless, I persevered. 
 

I finished Paycheck and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick. The stories are thought-provoking with humanity at a premium. He's quickly becoming one of my favorites. Seems like I like sci-fi more than I ever thought.

pm--4.5 Just a run, experimenting w/ how I feel while exercising w/ the sniffles. 
 

I finished Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. His books are wacky and paranoid and full of conspiracies. This one was neither hit nor miss for me.

pm--6.5 Anasazi to the end of the river view trail w/ the cholla extension. Saw some horsemen on the trail. My running this trail multiple times a week feels like me stamping my name on this trail in the midst of out-of-state encroachment.