Turn your rut into a groove.

am—5 Solid morning run in the visibly cold air. I actually like running in the cold. RHR—48.

pm—4 Easy miles to try and get some juice back.

pm—7 Nice run through the hood and under the super moon. RHR—54.

I just finished Foundation by Isaac Asimov. It was an intriguing read. Not sure if i’m a sci-go nut or have just found the high-level stuff right off the bat.

pm--7 Harmons out-and-back. I decided to take a few days off this week to heal up and not think about running. The first was more successful than the second. Monday or Tuesday, I came across a journal from NAU's championship run this year. Here's a link: https://view.publitas.com/p222-16027/back-to-back-a-season-with-the-nau-mens-cross-country-team/page/1. It really it an interesting read and, surely, it got me out the door this afternoon. It's funny how a few days off can make the first mile or two back feel like work, but I eventually got into a groove. Good to be back. RHR--48. 

pm—6 Tready miles, progressing a tad bit until the end. Felt good. The thing I like about the treadmill is that it’s easier to hold form at slightly slower paces. RHR—59.

pm—3.25 I intended on running more, but my calf/knee and heel were more painful than the’ve been in months. So I opted out at 3.

am--8 Variation on the morning route. I was privileged to run in the winter garb--gloves, beanie, tights, etc.--and loved it. My aches felt better today, at least back to normal. Peppyish by the end. RHR--52. 

pm--6.25 Green Valley Loop. Nice chill in the air. I felt like I got into a nice flow. The pace was a little slower than I thought it was, but I always have a steady rise in pace as the run progresses. That's good. RHR--52. 

Yesterday, I finished another book—Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher-Ulrich. It was recommended by one of my most masculine friends. The author works wonders with seemingly small stories. This book is framed around three historical women and their questions about a woman’s place in the world. Side note, the author is a Mormon Feminist. 

pm--6.5 Some easy running to build something aerobically. I remember that I love moving for and finding a slow rhythm. RHR--52. 

pm--9 Big Looping up by The Canyons and over by my gpa's old corrals--there's a park there now. I've been trying to ease into runs and go by feel throughout the run. Tonight felt nice. On a side note, the fitbit claims that 100% of my run is at peak heart rate. Whatevs. The thing is jacked. RHR--52. 

I finished the 2nd installment of the Foundation series--Foundation and Empire. Isaac Asimov is topnotch sci-fi. These authors have amazing minds, and I get a kick out of sci-fi. It's a win-win. I'll probably dive into the final book in the original series in the next week or so. 

pm--6.5 Tready Work. After a 20-min. warm-up, I did some pick-ups--7x 1 min. from light tempo down to tempo, 4x 90 sec. at tempo for :60 and mid-6's for :30, and, finally 4x 30 sec. from mid-6's down to low-6's. Cooled for about a mile. It was nice to get the legs moving. My breathing wasn't forced, and I was able to stay pretty calm and loose at those paces. Nice stuff. RHR--53. 

pm—6.25 Full Green Valley loop. I try to keep the gait smooth, but the pace wasn’t there.  No worries. It’s an easy run just building miles again. RHR—54.

pm—5.75 Good run w/ 1k on the erg after. Decent weekly mileage for singles.

pm—5 An easy run to start the week. I missed practice due to a long meeting. It’s ok. I was able to erg 2k after. RHR—53.

I finished a great book tonight. The Red Rose Crew: A True Story of Women, Winning, and the Water, by Daniel J. Boyne, is full of heart and grit. It’s tempting to say that it is the counterpart to that other crew book, but the stakes are different. The book also highlighted their coach Harry Parker. I found myself reading some archived SI articles about him. Recommended read.

pm--5 A good run, mostly around the grass, w/ the girls. I had a good chat w/ Josie. The weather was beautiful. RHR--52. 

am--5 First run of Winter. Easy stuff, feeling fluid. I'll get out later because the dischord of life got to me yesterday. RHR--52. 

pm--5 Around the neighborhoods near the high school in some winter gear. Nice run w/ Van in the head. Picked it up a little towards the end. 

am—5 Chuckwalla Loop. I almost bailed on the run because the little Arthur had a rough night. Glad I didn’t because it was a fun group this morning. I haven’t hit the trails much over the last year, so that was fun also. I’m looking forward to having Addi run more that 6 minutes before she flips.(: RHR—55.

pm—8 Good run w/ pickups of 3, 4, 4, 4, and 3 minutes at and around 7-min. pace w/ equal recovery. I felt peppy. RHR—53.

I finished the final installment of Asimov’s Foundation trilogy—Second Foundation. It’s basically the story of hard science vs. soft (social) science. Good, fun stuff.

pm—3 I was late getting a run in, and it wasn’t much of a run. The aches never subsided. 

On another note, I plowed through The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. What a read. It’s about a man who left civilization and camped in the woods, virtually undiscovered, for 27 years, surviving on burgled goods and solitude. Reminded me a little of the book about Daniel Suelo.

pm--8 SC Parkway to the Ivins sign and back. I didn't feel great at all but was still able to keep a steady pace and survive without too much fanfare. RHR--50. 

Also, I bowled for the first time in a year or so and rolled a 149. I was impressed w/ myself. 

pm—6 Easy miles. For some reason, I’m feeling pretty unmotivated lately. A real break probably would do some good. I tend to make 3-4 days the big break. Maybe, not enough. Motivation is high, however, to take down the bangers and mash that’s cooking as I type.

pm--8 JW out-and-back. I was going to loop, but there is road work going on. The run felt good once I flipped. Lately, I've been trying to keep it easy for the first mile or so. It's not that simple. Nonetheless, I've discovered the perfect run. It starts around 9-10-min. pace and works down to ~7-min. pace by the end and is 8 miles total. RHR--53. 

I finished C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It scratches a certain itch; I'm a bit of an anglophile. Plus, I've never read the whole series. 

am--6 Mustang Pass w/ 6x striders after. Good group this morning, not quite Ellie's 15, but whatever. I like running on the trails because pace isn't such a concern. Even w/ the climbing, trails give some recovery to the body and soul. Good luck getting to the trail btw. RHR--55. 

pm—4 A few miles, watching the Badgers. I limped to the finish line at the end of the year but ended up with my biggest mileage year ever. The next week might be down time for me. A few aches and pains have nagged and nagged.