Turn your rut into a groove.

am--13.5 I hit ~4.25 w/ neighbor Greg this morning and then ran long w/ the kids. We hit the Coral Canyon hill both ways. It felt better than I was expecting, but I was beat when we got to striders. I stopped 2 short. 

am--3 A warm-up and an 800 w/ the girls. The body is beat. I'm going to try to hit a repeat workout this evening. 

pm--8.25 TM workout. 6 x 1 mile repeats @ 6:56 w/ .25 rest in between. The pace seemed sustainable, and I was able to focus mentally. I know this is the TM, but it builds confidence and helps w/ turnover. And the legs still feel it in the end. I wasn't able to cool down because the TM began to clank. 

am--5.5 Barefoot warm-up, 4 towards Grapevine, and 8 barefoot striders. Felt beat up after yesterday's workout. 

pm--6.25 Evening run w/ old pal Kimball. Chatted about soccer and enjoyed the run. 

am--3.5 A little jaunt in the mid-90's heat before the race tomorrow. 

Well, I signed up for this race last week because the XC girls were setting goals. I set a goal to run under 1:40:00 in this race. Well, that didn't happen. My stomach was sloshing and was about to explode w/ gas pains. It might have been the Indian food I ate the night before--It's a Utah valley tradition for my wife and me. 

Anyway, the race. I'm not sure how I felt about it. It's 1 of the first races I haven't hit a PR in a while. My stomach told me how things were going to be a few miles in. So I decided to just gut this 1 out. Here are some +s and -s fromt the race:

+) The course was beautiful. The new shoes worked well. It was fun to get out and run a race again and realize that it takes all shapes and sizes and speeds to make up a race. 13 miles seemed shorter for some reason, even w/ the struggle. The body doesn't ache much after the race probably because I wasn't able to push it. The weather was beautiful.

-) The gut. The fact that I really don't know where I'm at fitness-wise. Half marathons are proving to be my bogey race--I'm still not sure how to run a half. I know that I'm in for a pretty big PR at the distance but can't seem to line it up. Last thing. The race, for the most part, was a joke. (There was a big turn-out. Everyone seemed ignorant of the start time and starting line. There wasn't much of a chance to slip up through the masses in the pre-race confusion and because of this I found myself working hard to move past runners. 2 notable passes were the girls @ mile 3ish chatting about how fast a 9-minute mile is and @ mile 4ish the guy in Air Jordans, basketball shorts, and possibly a ciggy in his mouth.)

 In the end, a few miles were amassed and in there somewhere a few MP miles. Probably won't be running this again.

pm--3 w/ the kids to Hot Nails. The girls ran together well. I had a pit stop. Need to figure out my stomach issues. 

pm--8 Anasazi Trail w/ Tom. Twas a good climb for the legs. Good to get out in the desert again even in the heat. 

It's been a busy weird week already. School's starting. 1st XC meet is tomorrow. And the hound dog just returned home after an emergency landscape-rockectomy. It will be good to get back into the swing of things. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg and the Bishop. 

pm--3 In the heat after school. 

am--17.5 Ran from mile 21 down the course to the church w/ Baggs. At times it was a struggle for me. I went with just a 20-ounce water bottle. Baggs was rocking. After he supplied me w/ a Tangy Tropical Power Bar and a ice cold Gatorade. Twas probably the best tasting treat I've had in a while. The weather was great, and there were lots of folk out today. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg and a few others. Greg has organized a morning running group, so we all headed out together. But Greg, being the 1-pace ace he is, pulled me on out ahead of everybody else. I told him the group would be over if he keeps blazing out front like he does. I actually felt pretty good this morning. We hit a pace a little more ambitious than easy, and I was able to really drive into the hills. Good start to the week.

pm--7.5 A hot, hot run over Foremaster w/ barefoot striders afterwards.

pm--6.25 I didn't end up running w/ the kids because of the time trial. Got home and had a light and tasty vegetarian meal. (My wife must be going hippie.) I wasn't sure I was going to get out because the legs were heavy from the heat running yesterday. But I got out and ran the old Swiss Days course w/ a little extension. Once I got going I felt pretty steady. I had a choice encounter w/ a little red and black snake--actually not much more than a big worm. 

pm--6 w/ the kids up into Green Springs. It started out overcast and ended up close to what the last 2 days were--hot.

pm--4 Tis my mom's b-day, so we went to their house for a bbq. Ate a few tasty burgers and hoped that the stomach would be efficient enough to let me run home. It did a fine job. I was able to roll on home. 

am--3.75 Ran w/ neighbor Greg and the Bishop. The pace is always stout w/ Greg, so about halfway through the run I decided to pick it up a bit and hit a few MP miles if not a little faster. It actually felt good. Maybe I do have some race ambition left. 

pm--5.5 Dog pound w/ the girls and barefoot striders after.

am--8 Wasn't really planning on getting early to run, so I ate a whole boatload of cheese and mayo and other tasty treats. Needless to say, when I did end up running this morning, my gut was in shambles. In fact, I had my 1st experience going in the bushes. Still my stomach didn't settle down. So Jeff G., my running partner for the morning, ran ahead and got his vehicle, and I tried to walk it off. This was 8 miles in to a 12 miler. This morning wasn't totally disheartening. It just happened. And to top it all off, I missed the XC bus to Hurricane. Ended up driving out and watching the girls' team totally rock it. May or may not get out later. 

pm--6 Foremaster w/ Baggs and the girls. The girls are running awesomely right now. I'm excited about their season. 

am--6.25 Met up w/ the LRC for some MP miles. Started w/ a bit of a warm-up and hit the first 3 miles at a decent pace--7:28, 7:10, and 7:06. Stopped for a quick drink and hit 1 more mile @ 7:07 then cooled down for a mile. Runs like this give me great confidence, and I actually enjoy them quite a bit. I need to be running something like this every week w/ bigger chunks. 

pm--3.5 Warm-up and cool-down w/ the girls. The left heel--PF?--is a little sore after the quicker run this morning.

3.25 Easy recovery miles w/ the wif. She's trying to get back into it after having another little one. The heel didn't give me any problems.

pm--4 Kids did a workout again, so I warmed-up and cooled-down w/ them. 

pm--5.5 Ran to 2450 to barefoot and hit some striders. 

3.5 From my nephew's bday party. The heel is hurting.

pm--4 Run into Green Springs and back w/ Baggs. 

am--3 I slept in longer than I wanted to but not so long that I didn't get out this morning. And, boy, am I glad. It would be a shame to waste such an autumn-like morning w/ a few minutes of sleep. The heel is feeling better. I found some stretches to help w/ convalescence. 

pm--3.5 Warm-up and cool-down w/ the kids to sandwich their speedwork. 

pm--8.25 Didn't run w/ the kids today. Had some errands to do and started college again. So after my teleconference, I headed out to the Canyons and beyond at a moderate pace. I never really pushed it, but the legs were feeling a bit frisky. The heel feels all right for now. A little ice, massage, and stretching ought to do it good.