Turn your rut into a groove.

am--6.25 Dirt-Mile Progression run w/ striders after. I really like the striders after. Although, today, I was beat. I had the privelege of running w/ a great group of girls. It was nice glimpse of what these girls can accomplish. RHR--58 (I knew before it told me).

am--5 Parkwayish loop. I felt better than I thought I would, but out group wasn't quite as cohesive as could be for an easy run. RHR--53

pm--3.5 Serenity loop. I got out a bit later because a buddy came to town, and he wanted to get out. We went at dusk. It was nice to catch up a bit. 

am--7 Bloomington Hills Park loops and some exploring on and around the river trail. It was a sweater out there, but I felt decent. It was also nice to catch up w/ Ryan. The real highlight, though, was Meskerem and her crazy Cuban personality. RHR--58.

am--5.5 A decent run w/ 5 x 1 min. pickups every 4 minutes w/ a strong 10-minute finish. I felt good this morning. Nice week overall. 

am--5 Hotel in Bountiful, watching the depressing news. 

am--5 Up to the Bountiful Temple, almost, and back to the hotel. Once you get near the temple the incline is heinous. 

am--5.5 Nice loop through Bountiful. There are some interesting homes up here. 

am--5.5 Same loop as yesterday. The morning was beautiful after a crazy rainstorm last night. 

pm--6 A nice run w/ 6 x 1 min. pickups every 4 minutes. It's been a good week, even w/ the lower miles. 

pm--4.25 Truncated run around the neighborhood. I've been Mr. Mom the last few days, so it's harder to get out. Nevertheless, the week has treated me well. 

am--8.25 Long Run w/ 4 x striders. We looped up on the Highland Mesa and looped back around to the school. I felt decent until we came up Telegraph, then my legs really flattened out. I was reduced to a few bouts of walking. Then I tapped out at the minimum on striders. It seems like something like this happens every year. I'm not sure if it's dehydration or the low-mileage week last week. We had some good discussions about visualization and mindset prior to my collapse. Now I feel like I need more than anyone else. 

pm--2.25 A nice short run. The legs felt better but not profoundly better. I picked up a Gatorade that I've been nursing all day. 

am--3.5 Grass Loops w/ kid's club. Felt decent. The girls really do have a little quicker pace on the easy days than they have in the past. Didn't get in an afternoon run because I drove to Vegas to pick up my wife at the airport. 

am--6.5 Dirt-Mile Progression w/ 8x Striders. We had a smaller group today, but the girls stuck together really well. We had some girls really fight to get back w/ the pack, and others who led strongly for the duration. That being said, they were toasted and cut after 3 today. RHR--54. 

pm--3.5 Got back later from the lake and got a little run in. Another tough week for me, running-wise. I've had trouble getting my head in the game. We did do some hiking at the lake--Rainbow Bridge--totally beautiful--and the giant sand hill. Good to be back home. 

am--9 Long Run w/ Striders. It was a nice, rainy run. We had a great group today, lots of girls pushing themselves, running w/ each other and having fun. On a personal note, I felt much better than last week's long run. RHR--48.

pm--3 Front loop of Barrel Roll. It felt great out. Had a nice little chat about Steinbeck and soccer w/ a buddy.

am--4 Grass Loops and course set-up for the kids' club races. Nice races from many kids. I am really proud of my girls; they ran hard. We'll see about a double today. RHR--50.

am--7 Dirt-Mile Progression run w/ 8x striders. The group--basically the kids who weren't here last week--ran well together. After 2 miles, I jumped out to see how the kids would work together. They held strong, the boys and girls working together. I latched back on to the kids their last .5 and then helped Josie on another .5. These kids keep me hanging on. RHR--52.

pm--3 Frontside of Barrel Roll, counter clockwise. Another nice run in the dirt at a chatty pace. Talked quite a bit about Sacred Hoops w/ my buddy before he heads back home. 

am--7.25 We ran from VW Park up the highway, past chuckwalla. Jo's & I had a nice chat on the way back. RHR--53.

pm--5.75 Stayed up late, hanging w/ the family, so I didn't get a run in until afternoon. I threw in  1 min. pickups every 4 minutes. I felt ok. Pumped to see how well the kids ran today all over the county. 

pm--3 Easy run to round out the week. Good mileage for me, considering that my last 2 weeks have been in the 30s. RHR--60.

am--5.5 Parkway Run via Maverick w/ 8x striders after. Felt good to get back w/ the kids and run a bit before we head off to camp. Camp is always an opportunity to get to know kids better, and usually a personality or 2 really rises to the top. RHR--56.

pm--3.5 A nice little jaunt down the road from the our camp ground at Pine Lake. 

am--7.5 Long run on the Great American Trail from our camp ground in Pine Lake w/ a pretty good group of girls, pushing hard in the high altitude. 

pm--3.5 Afternoon run around Pine Lake and out on some random trail. We had some good discussions about the binder pages and a team identity. 

am--6 Long Hill Run. I was dreading this one going into it because I know how tough some of our kids are. Josie and Meskerem made it farther up the hill than any PVXC girl ever, and 4 more--Ellie, Alli, Jacey, and Caroline made it to the previous spot, which was Josie's from last year. Tough kids. 

pm--4.75 We took some team pictures near Powell Point and ran out toward the trail head. We were gasping like it was a tempo run because of the elevation. But by the end, we had a great group of girls together, singing and chanting and having the time of their lives. 

am--4.75 Last run at Pine Lake. It was a good run to cap off a great week. Our team feels closer than any I've exeprienced. I'm excited for the season. 

am--5 Nice, early tready run while my younger girls slept. My wife and oldest daughter are camping, so it's tough for me to get out on the roads or in the hills. Nonetheless, the run felt good this morning. Maybe it's that 6500' cushion after coming off the mountain. RHR--60.