Turn your rut into a groove.

am--2.5 A nice out-and-back on the Virgin Rim Trail. It was cool to see a long single-file line of our kids enjoying life in the mountains. 

pm--4.5 A decent run on the roads around Navajo Lake. I got to chat quite a bit w/ Haley and Jason. I love getting to know what makes kids tick and trying to help them enjoy running. 

am--8 Long run on the Virgin River Trail. Lots of climbing and gasping for air. 

pm--2.5 Another out-and-back on the Virgin River Trail. Had a nice chat w/ Jada and cursed her to trip by complimenting her fleet feet over the rocks. 

am--6 Hellacious out-and-back on the back road to somewhere. It was awesome to see the top girls push back up the hill. It is a relentless hill and the breath goes quickly. It's hard to stay calm. I had a nice time chatting w/ Addi. 

am--8.5 Kidney Loop w/ Lava Cove extension w/ 8x barefoot striders. It is good to be at home elevation again even if I'm drenched in sweat by the end. It is also good to hit a smoother stride again. The striders felt great. RHR--52. 

am--7.5 Loop around Santa Clara w/ a fast finish. My achilles/heel felt ok most of the week, but when I got back to running a little faster, it started to bark at me a bit. Don't know how to handle the stiffness. It really gets me down. RHR--48. 

The next book: The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich. This is a book of connected essays from a writer who went to Wyoming to make a documentary and stayed. She is able to make the common engaging and the uncommon universal. I haven't had enough reading about the West in my life recently, and this was refreshing. A few quotes: 

"So much of in American life has had a corrupting influence on our requirements for social order. We live in a culture that has lost its memory. Very little in the specific shapes and traditions of our grandparents' pasts instructs us how to live today, or tells us who we are or what demands will be made on us as members of society . . . With our burgeoning careers and families, we want to join up, but it's difficult to know how or where. The changing conditions of life are no longer assimilated back into a common watering trough" (103). 

"Incongruity delights him as much as tradition. 'We assimilate a little this way, and a little that way. Life is only mutation'" (120). 

The book makes me want to move somewhere like Beaver. 

am--8.5 Hell Hole w/ 2x 10-min. tempo, 5-min. rest between. I felt decent on the tempo. My stomach muscles really work with the steady breathing. People were spread out, probably due to the crazy week last week. Things will normalize. RHR--53.

pm--2 Mathis Park loops w/ my buddy. He rocks on his "home" course.

am--4.5 Grass loops w/ 8x barefoot striders. Nice to chat with Heather and run through the sprinklers. RHR--49.

pm--2 Harts+ w/ weights and some chat about Elliott quotes. Erged 10 minutes (2.26k) after.

am--4.75 Nice out-and-back to Sullivan w/ some emergency drama. RHR--51. 

Decent stuff from the kids at the Cedar meet this evening.

am--5.75 Nice run, wandering around Green Springs. The girls were in good spirits, and Jenna ran with us.

pm--1.75 Weights and a run into the neighborhood. It felt toasty, and I was beat. After, we had team night at the St. George Running Center. The Hoopers are great folks.

am--9.5 Foremaster/River Trail Loop w/ some steady pace for the last half. I enjoyed the run this morning. Someone is always willing to push w/ me. Today, it was Jacey, and then Ellie came w/ us. RHR--52.

pm--2.25 2450 Park and back after the grass on the ball field was too soggy. 

am--1.5 Weights and Harts run. Nice morning. RHR--51. 

pm--5.75 Hell Hole Trailhead and back. It wasn't too hot, but this was really our first 30+ minute run of the season. We have some new kids out. That's fun. Plus, Decker loaned me some Hokas that don't work for him. I'm excited to try them. Erged 1k. 

I finished The Scarlet Letter for probably the 8th time. It still requires much focus, but the intro chapter was more rewarding this time around. We'll see how well the AP students did with their summer reading. 

am--5.5 Harts/Bank/Backwards DI. I knew I wasn't going to jump into the workout, so I wanted to get some mileage in this morning. RHR--49.

pm--4 Warm-up and Cool-down w/ the kiddos and the recoveries between intervals. Working on getting the pack back. 

am--1.5 Weights and Harts. We've had some beautiful mornings this week. RHR--54.

pm--6 Hospital out-and-back. We kept a solid pace. There is always someone willing to keep things honest. Stuck to the lower end of the minutes this afternoon. The Hokas worked pretty well even though my heel is beat up. Erged 2k.

am--4.5 Pizza Hut/Bank/Running Center. My heel was really cranky this morning, but once I got going, things loosened up. I added a few miles because who knows how many I'll get this afternoon. RHR--54. 

pm--2 I probably ran about that much at the Desert Relays. Another good showing from the kids.

am--8 Miles around the track during the run-a-thon. What a good time to see the kids having fun together. I had some nice chats. 

pm--10 Ivins out-and-back via Harmon's. I didn't make it to morning practice because a bad mix of Nyquil and an itchy trigger finger on the alarm. It sounds like everyone had one of those days at PVXC. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The run tonight was guided by Wilco. I wasn't sure I had much pep, but when the heart asks, the body responds. 

am--3 Harts/Weights/Harts. Decent morning. My legs were tired from last night. RHR--52. 

pm--7 Green Springs. Although I was fatigued and it was hot out, I was able to get a pretty good push through the run. It was good to see that the girls realize they need to buckle down even more if they want to accomplish big, big things this year. 

I finished an interesting book tonight--The Captain Class by Sam Walker. This is a nonfiction book that reads pretty quickly and has some useful information about dynasty organizations and what they have in common. I also learned about social loafing.

Walker outlines 7 characteristics of elite leaders and uses awesome examples. (Search Mireya Luis on YouTube.) If you're into sports and familiar with some of the great teams, this might interest you. 

am--6 Lutheran out-and-back/Bank/STG Running Center Loop. I ran a little more this morning because I knew I would get fewer miles this afternoon while the kids do their workout. RHR--52. 

pm--4 Just some chill miles around the Dirt Mile w/ Rylee. I was impressed w/ the pack and the Senior leadership. This weekend will be interesting. 

am--3 Harts x 2 w/ weights. We have had a nice crew to weights the last few sessions. It's awesome. Seeing kids work hard and improve makes coaching worth it. RHR--51. 

pm--5.25 Run to the hidden Forest Park via the underpass. It still feels hot, and my body is sore, but the crew is still fun. I got to write a little note to Mitch. What a great kid. Light erg for 10 minutes when I got home.

am--2.5 Neighborhood bushes w/ yoga after. The stretching part of yoga feels good, but the twisting scares me. RHR--50. 

pm--6.5 Quail Ridge Loop w/ 6x barefoot striders. I'm pretty tight and sore. This has been a sneaky big week for me. Time to roll. 

am--5.5 A nice run into Green Valley that induced mucha perspiracion. The SUU Invite was fun. We had some kids run well and others that learned something for the future. 

am--8.5 Foremaster and River Trail w/ 8x 100m hills. The kids pushed nicely on the hills, and Jacey and I were able to push the pace a bit on the way back. RHR--51. 

pm--1.5 A real scorcher. We hit some grass loops on the baseball field. Had a decent chat w/ Ellie. 

am--1.5 Harts +. I didn't lift this morning. My back is twinging. RHR--49.

pm--6.5 Turkey Road out-and-back. It was a scorcher today, and the run is a hill of a run, but I used some tips I got from the Pike Place Fish Market dudes to really enjoy my run today. Addi and I picked it up on the way back. Erged for 15 minutes w/ "Beast Epic."

am--6.5 DI/Bank/DI w/ Lutheran extension. I ran a bit more this morning because I'll be missing practice this afternoon. I'm bummed that I won't be able to watch the kids pack and push together. This evening may be a good time for another run. RHR--49. 

am--3.5 DI/Harts. No weights again. I'll row when I get home. It was warm this morning, but we did have a nice group. RHR--50. 

pm--6.25 Sullivan out-and-back. I wasn't feeling peppy, but I'm trying to keep things honest even when I'm tired. People take turns running w/ me. I hope the girls know I'm doing what I can to help them reach their goals. Erged for 10 minutes after.