Turn your rut into a groove.

pm--6.25 Ran to Mathis Park and did 10 x 100m striders. Felt peppy on the warm-up but less than on the cool-down. 

am--4 Truncated morning run. Many of these morning runs turn into heated "discussions" w/ my running buddy. Time for some soul searching. 

pm--5.75 Finally got a run in. It was a kinda sorta progressive run even though I didn't build to a great speed. I'm just glad I got a run in. I have been getting headaches in the afternoons, but after dinner and a bit of unwinding, I usually feel better. Tonight was about the same. I'll see if I can fix the headache thing. It will definitely help the running thing. 

pm--5 Ran up to the high school to do a rough VO2 Max field test. I did the Cooper 12-minute run. I made it 3025 meters in 12 minutes. According to McMillan, my VO2 Max pace is 6:19 per mile. As much as I would feel cool if it was faster, it's good to know where I'm at currently, so I can train to improve. 

pm--5 Another 5 spot. The goal for this week is to run everyday--5-8 miles--and get ready to jump into a base-building mode. 

pm--5 Another 5 spot. I've been getting my runs in a bit later and have noticed that my stomach is a slow digestor. Perhaps I need an after-dinner walk. 

am--6 Usual morning route in warmer-than-expected weather. The legs are tight and tired for some reason. Maybe the faster stuff on Monday. 

pm--4 Just a run. Twas a success to get the legs moving. I'm shedding the funk, step-by-step. 

pm--6 A nice run w/ 20 minutes of ~7:20 pace, sandwiched by a warm-up and cool-down. 

pm--9 Ran to the mall w/ the girls to look for prizes for the eggnog mile and added some warm-up loops to make it 5. After, I met Tom at Chuckawalla and did the Paradise loop. The desert is beautiful this time of year, especially at dusk. 

am--6 Did a little Fartlek session this morning in the aftermath of rain. I opened things up 6 or 7 times at a decent pace--not sprinting but not jogging. It feels good to get up and get some miles in early. 

pm--3 I didn't get out to run as soon as I would have expected. Cooking chili and line dancing took precedent tonight. But I did finally get a few miles. 

pm--3.5 Too much dancing lately. Not enough running. Nevertheless, I'm not sure I'm human. I might be dancer. 

pm--7.75 Ended up being at school a little longer today due to kiddos getting in late work, so I didn't get out w/ the girls. I ran after dinner up past the high school and around the barrio. Felt pretty smooth and strong nearly the whole run. Really a nice run for me. 

am--10.5 Nice longish run for me up past the cemetery and on to SC Parkway and back home via Tuweap. Chilly, beautiful morning. 

am--10 Santa Clara Hill trail w/ Thomas in the rain, sleet, and snow. It was actually a bit warmer than it has been and was quite peaceful. The black brush was resplendent. Merry Christmas Eve. 

pm--7 I ran around in Green Valley w/ some mid-7 pick-ups. The pick-ups weren't speedy but the rest in between was still at a fairly moderate pace. Good run. 

am--7.75 Ran up to SCHS to run mile repeats on a grass loop that is ~800 meters. Ultimately, I want to build to 6 x mile. Today, I did 4 x mile @ 80%--7:30, or at least that was the goal. The splits ended up being 7:20, 7:22, 7:24, and 7:24. The pace wasn't killer, but the grass makes you work a bit harder and the effort increases w/ each interval. This kind of run, building to a faster pace over the course of a training cycle, will be super beneficial. 

pm--3.25 Nice, easy recovery run to kill the shoes. 

pm--5 A nice run w/ some AT--between 7:15-7:20 pace--in the middle. Didn't run yesterday. I had some weird stomach going on. 33 is a nice number for the week. 

am--5.25 Truncated morning run after sleeping in just a little bit.