Turn your rut into a groove.

am--8 A nice run along the pier and the surrounding area in Oceanside w/ Craig and Aubree. It was fun to chat w/ them. The weather is great, and the run felt good. 

am--7 Sockless miles in Oceanside before heading home. The weather was perfect. In the past I was a California hater, but now I think it's  great place. The running at the end of the week was great. Goals for this year: run more miles that last year--hopefully, 3,000, get weight below 150, run a marathon @ 3:10, and love running more. We'll see how it goes. 2 and 4 are absolutely essential. 

am--5.5 A nice morning run w/ some Coldplay and U2. Just took it easy and pondered some races that I want to run this year: Painter's 5K, Spectrum 10K, Hurricane Half, Utah Valley Marathon, Waunakee Fest 5K, Swiss Days 5K, and St. George Marathon. 

pm--6 Went for a sluggish run after school. I actually didn't eat lunch until 2:30 or 3:00, so the belly was stuffed. Then it was running and had to have  a pit stop in the middle. 

pm--8 I'll call this a quality workout. I wanted to get in a bigger fartlek workout. So I was shooting for 12x1 minute strides at faster than 5K pace--6:1Xs--w/ 1 minute jog in between. After a 3 mile warm-up, I hit it pretty good, although I did rest for a minute or so in the middle to get a drink and walked for a few seconds in between strides. Finished w/ a 2 mile cool-down. Here are the paces for my fartleks: 6:18, 6:24, 6:35, 6:30, 6:12, 6:03, 6:02, 6:15, 6:07, 6:10, 6:02, and 6:09. Feels pretty good other than those 3 near the beginning. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. This was a hard run. The pace was probably a bit rigorous for the legs the day after. But seeing the miles pile up is great. 

pm--4.75 Sockless miles on the Sidewinder trail w/ Tom. It's good to get back in the weekly habit of heading out in the dirt. The only downside is that the 100s rub a little. I've got to get that figured out. I'm not sure if it's just a matter of toughening up the skin like caulouses for a guitar player or if it will be a constant problem. Time will tell. 

pm--8 Ran w/ the XC boys on the albino run. Not going to lie. It was hard, but I hung in there w/ them. Great runners they are.

pm--9.5 Tom and I went out on the Cove Wash West Trail and connected back to the road that runs parallel to Stucki Springs. Fun run. This ended up being around 90 minutes. 1 week down 51 to go. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. Nice run. Feel like I'm getting back into it.

pm--11 Nearly let the headache I brought home talk me out of running, but got back to my running roots a bit. Threw on the music--Sufjan (Songs of the day are "Chicago" and the one about UFOs).--and went out after dark. Initially, I planned on 5 or 6, so I went out on the Canyons loop and ended up feeling good. Added a Green Valley loop. 

pm--8 Went running w/ Chandis and Sierra after school. It was a great run. I'm very impressed by these girls and how they get out and run everyday. 

pm--6.25 Sockless miles on the Anasazi Trail w/ Tom. We had a nice conversation about harmony. 

am--4 Albertson's loop w/ neighbor Greg. 

pm--6 Started out w/ a pretty good group but ended up chatting w/ Kaylee. Nice weather out. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook Loop w/ neighbor Greg. Just beat the rain. Then came home and trimmed the roses. 

pm--6.25 Went out on the old Lava Cove morning run in the rain. I really had one of those blissful running moments w/ this equation going through my head--movement + breathing + pace + terrain = running enjoyment or pure drudgery. When you're able to find a collaborative balance between these variables, it's almost like being in water that is attuned to the body's temperature. You melt into your surroundings and become part of it. This is the eternal bliss of running. One needs moments like this every so often to remember the real reason for running. 

pm--7.5 Miles in the rain. I had to take a Burt stop about halfway through the run. After that everything was better. Got home soaked. 

am--4 Short Albertson's loop w/ neighbor Greg. 

pm--8 Run to Kimzey's and back w/ the PVXC boys and Kaylee. Nice run at a moderate pace.  Was a little cold out.

pm--7.5 Reverse loop around Clary. The rain scared inside last night, and this morning didn't find me like it should have, so I didn't get out this morning w/ Greg. But, no worries. As I headed up the hill past the graveyard, Greg was dumping rocks out of his shoes. We brought it on home together. He and I keep a pretty good pace together. 

am--10.25 Long run w/ Greg. We took this one at a pedestrian pace, and it was still tough. Building up endurance for long runs is one of the hardest things about running. I'm glad that Painter's was full when I tried to sign up because I would have struggled. 

pm--4.25 Went out, sockless, for a few more miles por el barrio. I tried to find any dirt or mud I could just to keep it real. Pushed it at a moderate pace. The legs feel decent after a good week. 

am--5.75 Sunbrook loop to the water cooler w/ neighbor Greg. A little cooler this morning than it has been. 

pm--6.25 Old Swiss Days course w/ extension to and from mi casa. Threw in a 7-minute mile just for funsies. 

pm--8 A run up to the Canyons and down into Green Valley to the In-law's. Moderate pace. The body felt good. 

pm--11 A nice bout of LSD up through Santa Clara, into Ivins, and back home. I kept the pace where the body wanted it and just enjoyed a longer run, an aspect of running that I haven't had in my repertoire as much as I should. 

am--4 A peaceful morning run just to let the legs know that they are going to work a little harder this week. 

pm--7 Testing some new kicks. Headed out to the Anasazi Trail and just farted around for 7. It was a little saturated from the rain last night. 

am--4 Albertson's loop w/ Neighbor Greg. I was worried that the legs wouldn't be up to it. But they felt good. Kept the pace under 8. 

pm--8.25 Did an A/T run w/ the XC kids--2.5-3miles at 6:35-6:40 pace. It felt pretty good. It's definitely easier to run these w/ other people. After I took the new trail kicks out for a loop on the Chuckawalla/Turtle Wall loop. Kept running the whole time. 400-500 feet of elevation gain in 4 miles. Looking for a long run tomorrow. Maybe Barrel Roll 2x. 

am--12.25 Still testing the kicks, so I headed out to the Barrel Roll Trail and added a Sidewinder extension. Then I ate a bit of PBH at the car and washed it down w/ chia fresca. Finally headed out on the BR again but hit the Elusion trail to cut it in half. This is my 2nd run of the week over 90 minutes. Won't lie. My legs are tired. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. 

pm--7.25 Ran the Chuckwalla/Turtle Wall loop and then drove on out to the backside of Land Hill and did some more running. Took some pictures. Maybe I'll post them someday. 

pm--6.25 Anasazi Trail to the homestead w/ Tom, talking about numbers, techno, and physics. 

am--4 SC heights loop w/ neighbor Greg. Last run for the wear test. 

pm--6.25 Night run up to the Canyons and back home. AC and Arcade Fire on the buds. 

pm--4 Weird day. Found out the boy was a false alarm. I'm destined to be surrounded by women. And the ankle/tendon is still pretty sore. But I promised myself I would get out everyday but Sunday. So I strapped on the minimals and headed out for a short jaunt. 

pm--6 Green Springs w/ the kids. Got lots of stares, being in the presence of Timmy. 

pm--15 LSD in the rain, nuthin' like it. The rain is pretty peaceful and saturating. Hoping Jon, Crockett, and James have good weekends. 

am--6.25 Politics and running w/ neighbor Greg on the Sunbrook loop. 

pm--8.5 Up toward the canyon w/ 3 GMP miles--7:1Xs--thrown in.

am--6.25 Braved the morning fog w/ neighbor Greg. He wanted to push below 8-min. pace for the run, so we did. The run was humid and foggy and nice. 

pm--8 River run w/ the XC kids. Great runners. Great fun.

pm--9 Tried the hunderds w/ socks. Turned out nice. Great shoes. I farted around in the dirt on the sidewinder and barrel roll before dusk. 

pm--7 Run into Green Springs w/ some XC kids then barefoot striders after. 

am--15 Sockless miles from home out to the far end of the Anasazi Trail and back. Ended up being a little over 10 miles in the dirt. The feet held up pretty well in less shoe. Had Joanna Newsom, Bon Iver, and Iron & Wine for company. 

am--11 Rode out to Kayenta w/ my mom, Ann, and Jody. Ran a few miles w/ Jody into Ivins then I went down the Parkway. Hit 4X 1 mile @ sub-7:00 pace w/ .5 recovery jog in between. Never felt like I was pushing pushing but felt it in the legs. Nice run. 

pm--6 Easy night run. The temps were perfect. Ran up on the short Canyons loop. 

pm--5.25 Try as I might, I couldn't talk myself out of running. It happens every once in a while. I don't want to run, but I can say that I've yet to regret a run afterward. The temps were, once again, perfect. The calves were a little tight. Other than that, felt pretty great. 

pm--8 Nice run w/ the Track kids. Pushed a pretty decent pace. 

pm--4 For the run of it. 

pm--9.75 Took my fatigued legs out into the hills. Climbed about 600 ft. in the first 4 miles. Tough on the legs. 

pm--6 Easy on the Canyons loop. Ran past the game. It looked packed. Beautiful evening. 

pm--6 Scout Cave to Summit w/ Tom. Great run/speed hike. 

pm--7.5 Farted around up on the heights, struggling with the breathing and the legs after taking a week off for a sinus infection and what I'll call life. 

am--6.25 w/ neighbor Greg on the Sunbrook loop. He's coming off of an ankle injury, and, for me, it's just like starting over.

pm--6.25 Nothing like a trail run to get back into the mood. Went out on the Anasazi Trail to the Homestead and back. The 3 days back have brought some interesting aches and pains. 

am--6.25 Morning run w/ neighbor Greg up into Dixie Downs. Beautiful morning. 

pm--5 Ran over to my parents' in the (NB)STS--nearly-barefoot super trendy shoes--to give their new incline trainer a shot. Did 2.5 on that w/ a simulated 1000+ elevation gain. When the treadmill hits a 40-degree incline, it's quite a chore. 

am--15.5 Ran from my house out to Barrel Roll and added Sidewinder to it. Nice meditative run. I even hit a 7:30 mile at the end just to make sure that I had it in me.

pm--5 Out-and-back up the bike path in a drizzle. Calves are tight. I'm thankful for the rain but hopeful that it won't last all week.

am--10 Up by the Canyons, on the parkway, and back down through Santa Clara. I was dragging today. 

am--5 Warm-up around the neighborhood. Then I ran 6x1-minute fartleks, at around 6:00 pace, w/ 30-second recovery jog on the grass field at the elementary school. This felt good. Better mentally than physically. I was starting to wonder if I could drop it below 8:00 pace. 

am--8 Up and over the Anasazi Trail and back. The morning was beautiful, so the hikers were out. The run felt good. There's a little climbing in this run, about 100 ft. per mile. Not a ton but enough to do some work. 

am--10.5 Barrel Roll w/ Sidewinder extension and a bit extra. I saw 5 other trail runners, shoes and all. One even had some gaiters on. This is my third 90-minute run this week. Nice. 

pm--5 These half days are hard. I generally eat like crap and tend to think I have more time to run than I really do. Nevertheless, I got out for an Albertson's loop. Perfect temps. 

pm--6.25 Anasazi trail w/ Tom. A little warmer today. 

pm--3.75 Miles for the sake of running. Rough week so far mentally. 

pm--5.5 Chuckwalla w/ Tom. Nice even run. 

pm--10 An evening jaunt right after a nap, following dinner. Needless to say, the tummy wasn't so yummy. It's nice to get out and the enjoy the weather. 

pm--8 Sockless miles up and over the Anasazi trail w/ Tom. Nice windy run. 

pm--6.5 Warm-up and Foremaster w/ the kids. 

pm--3.5 A few more night miles close to the road after dinner.

pm--4.5 Went to my parents and used the treadmill while watching some bball. I did a little uphill challenge at 10% for 15 minutes--~1.5 miles--and then finished off with some smokin' pace.

am--6 First morning run in a while. Waking up has been very difficult for me lately. Neighbor Greg and I did the Sunbrook look w/ out the little extension at the end. The temperatures were nice, but the blustery wind wasn't. Hope things clear up a little for the PV Invitational this weekend. 

pm--10 A nice run up to the Canyons and beyond then back down Tuweap into Green Valley. It's always nice to start off a week with a double-digit day. 

pm--6.5 Easy jaunt on  the Rim trails w/ Thomas. 

pm--5 Ducked the wind and ran on my parents' treadmill. Warmed up and then hit 10 x 1 min. fartleks @ 6:00 / mile pace w/ 30 seconds at 8:30 for recovery between each. Felt really nice on the treadmill. Finished w/ a cool down. 

pm--11.75 It was the perfect day for running. Tom and I hit the Barrel Roll x 2. 1nce each way. It's a nice change to hit the hills from both sides. 

pm--6.75 Easy TM miles while watching Duke v. WV. 

am--6.75 An easy run that felt like crudola, maybe because I've eaten nothing but crudola this weekend. The breathing was difficult. 

pm--5.75 Treadmill miles due to the weather. In a way, I like the treadmill. It helps me keep an even pace and seems doable at more intense paces. Tonight, I did a warm-up and then 4 x 5 min. @ ~ 10k pace, for me around 6:40. Felt good. 

pm--7.5 Up to the Canyons and back around thru Santa Clara. Nice night despite the breeze. 

pm--6 Ran Paradise Rim and Turtle Wall w/ Tom and Josh?. Perfect weather out. 

am--18 My longest run since the single crossing of the GC in October. I hit the Barrel Roll 2x. 1x each direction. Counter clockwise 1st. Clockwise 2nd. ~1800 ft. of elevation gain. Total time--2:50:00.

am--6.25 Early morning Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. Felt a little labored.

pm--4.25 Short little workout on the treadmill. I warmed up for 15 minutes and then hit 6 x 2 min. @ 6:15 pace w/ 1 min. rest in between. I've got 1 more week on the fartlek cycle then I'll try it on the road.

pm--6.5 A nice, nearly-barefoot jaunt up Lava Flow and down Tuweap--my new favorite street--into Green Valley. Legs felt good until a little downhill at the end. 

pm--11 A run out on Barrel Roll w/ Sidewinder and little extension on the end. Chalk this up as running on tired legs. 

am--10.75 Struggled through a run out on the Anasazi Trail. The body just wasn't feeling it. I need to get a consistent week or 2 in in the near future. These unintentional 2-day tapers take me out of the groove. 

am--6 Out to the Dixie Downs park and back w/ neighbor Greg. Good run.

pm--6 Weekly fartlek run. 2 mile warm-up. 5 min. @ 7:40. 4 min. @ 7:15. 3 min. @ 6:45. 2 min. @ 6:15. 1 min. @ -6:00. 1 mile cool-down. Today was a good day.

pm--7.5 Recovery miles in the Clary wind. 

pm--5.25 I had all but talked myself out of a run today, but needed to wear test some new kicks--actually a slightly altered pair of the last I got--and felt a sense of responsibility. The run felt good, and I'm glad I went. I really want to get in a week w/ 6 days of running. Halfway there. 

pm--9.5 Earth Day, so I hit the rim trails w/ 2x loops on the top. The temps were cool--perfect--and the trails were appropriately dampened. No mud and no dust. And the animals were out--lots of rabbits and a screeching hawk. I felt good, and the pace dropped -9:00s. 

am--3.25 Short Albertson's loop w/ neighbor Greg at a moderate pace. 

pm--13.75 Track miles at the Relay for Life. I was able to chat w/ Scott H. and Aaron M. So it was fun. Of course hanging out w/ the fam is always great as well. 

am--3.5 Easy miles at Relay for Life. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. Twas perfect out. 

pm--5.75 Sidewinder w/ half of Barrel Roll. Uber windy. 

am-pm--9.5 Rim trails. Forgettable, crappy-feeling run on sweet trails. 

pm--4.5 Treadmill miles at 1%. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. 1 emergency pit stop.

pm--6.25 A sockless trail run was exactly what my stomach needed. I hit the Anasazi Trail to the Homestead and back. Accumulated elevation was 646 ft. 

Accumulated elevation on other regular trail runs:

Rim double loop--930 ft.

Sidewinder and near side of Barrel Roll--757 ft.

Nothing fancy but some fun climbing.

pm--5.75 Barrel Roll w/ Tom.

It' warming up outside. In fact, we came across a gila monster. I've never seen one in the wild. It wasn't aggressive but was more agile than expected. And the colors were vivid. It was pretty exciting seeing something like that. I felt like a little kid, brimming with enthusiasm and wanting to tell everyone.

The accumulated elevation on this run is 655 ft. 

pm--5.75 Bush-whacking mile near prospector. Varied terrain--nice single track, arroyos, sand, and slick rock. 

pm--11.5 From the corrals across from Jacob Hamblin all the way up Sidewinder and around Barrel Roll. Accumulated elevation--1364 ft. It's getting warm down here. 

pm--6 I guess you could call this a break from a break. Just wanted to get a little run in, so I went on the old Swiss Days loop from my house. Interesting happening on this run, a progressive pace--8:26, 8:14, 8:08, 8:02, 7:49, 7:41. Felt pretty good. 

pm--8 Anasazi Trail-trail head to trail head. 837 accumulated elevation. Perfect day for running. 

am--6.25 Sunbrook loop w/ neighbor Greg. 

pm--8.75 Up to the Ivins round-a-bout and back. Hit some nice miles at the beginning. The legs were feeling it. Got home and made a smoothie--bananas, peaches, lettuce, yogurt, carrot juice, celery, an apple, a brussels sprout, and some Magma Plus. I love healthy treats like that, but I also love greasy burgers and soda. Let's see if I can shift the balance of power to the healthy treats. 

pm-3 Treadmill miles just to get some running in, trying to get back into the habit. 

pm--9.5 Went out a little earlier and ran to the end of the heights and back down my new favorite stretch of road--Tuweap. Felt all right. It'll take me a week or 2 to really get back into a nice routine. 

am--4 Albertson's loop w/ neighbor Greg. He's doing the Grand Canyon on Monday. I'm jealous. 

pm--6.25 Anasazi Trail to Homestead and back w/ Tom. It's getting warm.

pm--5.25 Fat-bottom Tuweap figure 8. Life keeps getting in the way. Either that or I need to prioritize my life. 

pm--9.5 Rim trails w/ Tom. Nice endurance run w/ pretty and colorful wild flowers blooming all around. 

am--3 Speed hike up and down the Y w/ a mile added on the BST. If I were in a different place, mentally and physically, I would've gutted it out up the trail. As it was I was cruising past people the whole way. The elevation is ~1,000 feet in a mile. 

am--4.5 .5 barefoot warm-up and then a short run up to the turtle fence and back. After we had the 1st day of club camp. It was a great success. 

pm--5.5 Easy Hammer/Church loop. Starting a training program this week. I'm excited to see how it works.

am--6 Miles on the parkway w/ the kids. 

pm--5 A nice jaunt around the neighborhood into Green Valley. Twas a beautiful evening.  

am--4.5 w/ the kids up toward Grapevine and back. 

am--6 w/ the kids. Mostly barefoot on the grass. 

pm--8 w/ Tom over Anasazi in the heat. It was tough acclimating. In fact we walked a smidgin. 

am--6 A moderate pace over Anasazi to the homestead w/ Flint and his brother-in-law. Opened up the engine for a bit at the end. 

am--6 Ran up Telegraph to the river trail and followed that for a bit. Began and finished w/ some barefoot--about 2 miles in all. 

pm--4 Treadmill miles.

am--10 Did 5 before practice w/ Nick. He chatted about his Iron Man experience. Quite an accomplishment. .5 Barefoot warm-up and a jaunt up the dirt road w/ the XC kids. 

pm--5 Recovery run on the golf course w/ Tom.

am--5 Dog pound w/ the kids. Megan and Sierra are running great. 

pm--6 I've been feeling a little slow lately, so I decided to string together some marathon pace miles-- ~7:10/mile. Warmed-up on the treadmill at .5% incline, said to balance the lack of resistance one finds running on a tm, and then went for it. The body felt really good today. Gives me some confidence.

am--10.5 Farted around in Dixie Downs for 5.5 w/ Nick then went to practice. We ran around Sandburg's and back to the soccer field and did 2 barefoot. 

pm--8.25 A fumbling, bumbling loop on Dutchman's(?) out by Little Black Mountain w/ Tom. The weather was beautimous. 

am--5.5 Barefoot warm-up and Parkway the right way. We kept the pace pretty honest, and the weather was nice. 

am--7 Barefoot warm-up, then up into Green Springs, and finished w/ a mile on the track at the elementary. The pace was moderate. 

pm--5.25 Up through Santa Clara and Dixie Downs and back home. A beautiful jaunt. 

am--10 Did an Albertsons loop w/ neighbor Greg, went to practice and got in 1.5 barefoot, and then got in some miles w/ the kids. Ran w/ Sierra. She is working hard and running well. 

am--6 Barefoot warm-up, loop around Sandberg's, and more barefoot on the grass. I added just a bit extra to get 6 total. 

pm--6.25 I intended on going out and getting some tempo miles in, but a few moderate miles was all that I was able to do. I've really got to get my eating figured out. The stomach was rough. The suspicion is that there are 2 problems: the quantity and quality of my alimentation. I need to make 3 big meals into 4 or 5 smaller meals and then focus on lighter food. We'll see if we can get things turned around. 

pm--5 Easy treadmill miles, battling a sketchy stomach. Missed practice this morning because of a little bout w/ the stomach flu. 

pm--11 Barrel Roll w/ Sidewinder and another extension under the evening sun w/ Tom. Really nice run. I've missed the trails. 

am--6 Barefoot warm-up and then Hell's Hole. Trying to figure out how to keep the kids running together in a group. 

am--5.5 Barefoot warm-up then up to Grapevine and back. Ran w/ Sierra. 

am--4 Had to try some shoes I got for Father's Day. So I went around the block and through the woods, etc. I'd like to get out this evening, but life is busying up. 

I didn't get out again. I had someone to meet--Zora Jane, 5 lbs. 7 oz., 18.75". She's awesome.

pm--3.5 Dragged my brother-in-law out tonight after I nerded out all day on WS100 coverage. Pretty good race. I picked it up just a little in the middle. Felt good. 

am--7.5 Barefoot warm-up and run into Green Springs. Ran w/ Sierra and Megan. They are committed and working hard, and it shows. Sierra and I added a bit, backtracking for a few other girls. 

am--5.5 Tortoise run w/ the kids and some form drills after w/ the girls. Club went great. Races today. 

pm--8 Cove Wash West w/ Tom. Freakin' hot. Glad I took a water bottle. This run is a pretty steady incline out. In fact, my watch said the accumulated elevation was 1882 feet. I'm not sure it's that much climbing. Maybe time to troubleshoot the watch. Good run to have done. BTW, we saw a big effin' rattlesnake--standard western diamondback. He must've been ~3.5 feet long.

am--11.5 Before practice I ran 5 w/ neighbor Greg. At practice, after the warm-up, we ran up to City Wells. It was a terrible run for me. My legs had nothing in them. I even had to resort to walking a handful of times. Depressing. I'm not sure what my deal is. The suspicion is that the triple-digit temperatures last night and fairly warm temperatures this morning have just zapped me. I'll rest the remainder of the day and see what happens. 

pm--3.5 I had to get my confidence back, so I eased into it. Treadmill miles--1 warm, 2 @ MP, and .5 cool. Felt pretty good despite the pit stop at the beginning. 

I was pretty dehydtrated yesterday. 1 maybe 2 trips to the WC to get rid of something the color of apple juice. 

am--6.5 Ran up into the desert from Middleton park. Twas fun. Ran up w/ Willie and Casey then back w/ the girls. Felt a ton better today. Note to self: stay hydrated during the hot summer training. 

pm--6.5 I basicaly suck. Slept through the alarm. Missed practice. Felt like a heel. But I tried to make up for it w/ a speed workout. Warm-up--1 mile--followed by 12 x 400 @ 1:29 w/ 1:00 (pretty much 200 meters) for recovery between and 1-mile cool-down. Ended up being right around 50 minutes. Tough workout.

This is my first firm commitment to my marathon plan. We'll see how it works.

am--6 Barefoot warm-up and parkway run. The run felt pretty good, and the pace was pretty steady. My hamstrings are a little tight from the hamster running yesterday. Practice was sparsely attended. Perhaps it's the holiday weekend. 

am--7 Barefoot warm-up, run into Hell's Hole w/ Rob and Cowboy, barefoot striders. The pace was moderate for most of the run. Some of the boys are working for varsity spots. 

am--6 Ran to Sandburg's Pond and then to the soccer field for some barefoot miles on the grass. I really love these days at practice. 

pm--9 Hit the TM @ .5 % incline to run some MP miles. Started with 1-mile warm-up, hit 7 miles @ 7:19 per mile pace, then cooled down for 1 mile. This run gave me some great confidence. The pace required focus but was groovable. The tv images for just over an hour were LeBron, LeBron, LeBron.

am--6.25 Mustang Pass out, Power Line back. Love the trail. 

am--11.75 A few neighbors and I drove out to Kolob this morning to run the Wildcat Canyon Trail. This is the same trail you use to access The Subway. It also connects to the West Rim Trail. We ran from the trail head to the West Rim Trail and back. The trail is beautiful single track and is very runnable. It begins in the pines and works its way into the oaks. The temperature was perfect, probably due to the elevation. We started at ~6550 and hit a high point at ~7000. It took me a minute to get used to the slightly thinner air. The highest I've hit down home is ~3850. Accummulated elevation ~1300. I would definitely run this again. The only downside is the drive. Great way to end a week. 

pm--5.5 A long day after a longer day. I was ~15 "en route" from home to Madison, WI. First flight was canceled, so I connected to Detroit. Silver lining--I got to watch Fabregas pass Iniesta into the World Cup winner. He should've played more. He made Spain dangerous. Anyway, back to Madison. Today was the first full day of my summer residency. I got to the dorms around 5:30 and decided to hit my old faithful. 

I can honestly say that I would fly to Madison just to run this loop for a week. From the dorms, I followed the shoreline of Lake Mendota to Picnic Point, extended it to Raymer's Cove, then follwed Lake Mendota Drive back to the Lake Shore Path. I triple love this run. All but about 1/2 mile of it is runnable on dirt. The Lake Shore path and much of the road around Madison has a worn dirt shoulder, perfect for running. Utah take note. The rest of the trail through the trees seems to be covered in a light mulch made of soil and wood chips. It's golden. I'm going to try and hit this run every day I'm out here.

pm--6.75 WiSCONsin is hot. (The emphasis is for other phonetically slow folks like myself). When the sun is out and the humidity is above 50%, it gets toasty. Not like 105 in the desert but toasty. The humidity, however, is a new variable for me. I would take it over the high desert heat any day.

Yesterday I didn't get out. Sleep caught up w/ me. But today, walking home w/ a headache, I saw UW's nationally ranked crew rowing on Mendota and just had to get out. So i medicated and took off. 

The route was from the western barricade at the boathouse to Raymer's Cove, via Picnic point. Mostly beautiful single track. Pure heaven. The only down side was the amount of perspiration that I built up on the run. My clothes must've weighed 5-6 pounds. Good run. This should be the 1 I hit at least once a day while I'm out here.

am--13.5 Went w/ a classmate who is training for a half marathon. We went down through the UW Arboretum and looped around to Lake Monona, up to the terrace, which I've heard was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, down State and back home. The pace was easy, and the run felt good. This week has been weird. I've had a hard time adjusting my sleep patterns and also difficulty juggling school, school work, socializing, and running. I might get out to the heavenly single track this evening. We'll see. 

It's my daughters birthday today, and I'm missing her. 

pm--8 Headed out w/ every intention of running my dream trail along the shores of Lake Mendota but ended up running into a couple of old-school trail runners--Al, Tom, and Louis, the dog. They took me exploring into the Eagle Heights Woods. I'd never been there before. It was a nice chatty run at an ultra pace. Tom is heading out this weekend to do some 50 in Minnesota. Runners are the coolest. 

pm--7 Did some more exploring in the Lake Shore Preserve. I actually found some nice climbs in the Eagle Heights Woods up to the Indian Mounds. 

pm--7 Interesting run tonight. Last night, my cohort had a parting dinner and get-together at music at the square. It was Beatles night, so that was cool. Needless, to say my run suffered to non-existence. When I woke up this morning it was pouring rain. So I hoped that it would calm down, so a later run would be possible. 

It did calm down, and I went out on the heavenly Lake Shore Preserve. A few miles in, I realized I might be running in the middle of a good old-fashion midwest thunder storm. Then I was. Soon it turned into a crazy downpour. And something strange happened. 

The last 2 weeks I have succumbed to the suspect habit of using shampoo as a body wash, and, every few days, it tripled as a laundry soup in the shower. I would wash my running garb to save a few bucks. (The washers and dryers are pay-as-you-go). Well. long story short, apparently, I hadn't been rinsing out my clothes well enough because about 15 minutes into the downpour my shoes started to sud. Suddenly, I was running on bubbles. Kind of funny.

I finished up the run with a quicker mile. The combination of rain and foliage reminded me a lot of Fiji. That was nice. I was saturated at the end of the run, but I realized that the folks back home would trade a run like this in a heartbeat for the hot summer runs they're hitting at this point in the year.

pm--8.25 Some TM miles w/ ~4 @ MP. The power went out for a minute in the middle, so I got a quick drink. Working on recovering from a few weeks of tired legs and overeating. 

am--4 It's good to get back and run w/ the kids. Warmed-up w/ .5 barefoot then ran 3 x 1 min. and 4 x 30 sec. hills. Felt pretty good. 

pm--5.75 Easy recovery miles on the TM. 

pm--3 XC camp @ Pine Lake. I really, really struggled on this one. Too soon after dinner. 

am--5 Out around Pine Lake and back. 

pm--3 Up the Powell Point road and back. 

am--5 Out and back on the main road w/ the girls. They're great. 

pm--2 Around in Tevas and Levis.  Missed out on saving a horse.

am--13.5 Drove about 7 out on the Great Western Trail, ran back to camp, and then ran back out to the car w/ the kids. I wasn't expecting this, but it was great. 

pm--4.5 Every once in a while, my father-in-law decides to buy the fam running shoes. He bought me some new Brooks. I had to try them out, so I hit the TM. The shoes felt great, and I hit 2 MP miles @ 1% incline. 

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. 

pm--3.5 Warm-up and cool-down w/ the kids. 

pm--6 Nice run w/ Baggs and the kids. Hotter today. 

pm--6 while the kids were rocking the run-a-thon. 

am--20 Well that's done. Baggs and I ran from my house out to Kayenta and back. Just an easy pace. Good to get a long run in and to know that the heel can handle it. It's funny how a long run can salvage a mediocre week. 

am--10.25 Ran up into Ivins and down SC Parkway. Threw in 2 miles ~7:40 and 2 ~ 7:10. The quicker running brings back the heel pain a bit. 

pm--4 Ran from my parents in the 5fs. I've read contradictory things about shoes and PF. So I went w/ the minimalist bent this eve. The feet felt alright until I hit the roads that Santa Clara has decided to cover w/ road base but not seal. The legs were lively. 

am--4 Albertson's loop. Nice, steady pace on a beautiful morning. 

pm--6.5 After the meet, I went up to the Canyons and farted around in Dixie Downs then headed back home. Felt good other than the minor dull ache in the heel. Icing right now. Day 2 no soda. 

pm--7.5 Warm-up and Hospital run w/ Sierra, Meg, and Baggs. Not bad. Good to get it done. 

4 Nice run w/ a buddy from high school. He talks. I listen. The pace stays pretty steady.  Day 3 no soda.

pm--5.5 New run w/ the girls. The PF feels exacerbated. I might just have to give up the dream of double-digit days for the time being. Day 4 no soda.

pm--.75 Rumbled and stumbled for 3/4 of a mile at the Murray meet. The PF was devastating. 

pm--4 Went to the elementary school to train the kiddos for Swiss Days. My oldest ran 3 w/ out stopping. She's awesome. Got some KT tape and gave it a shot, but it ended up falling off. I'm not sure what to do. The PF is pretty sore. But more than that it's a mental let down. We'll see what happens. 

2 More about an hour later w/ a buddy. Icing w/ the frozen Coke bottle. 

am--3 Around Sugar House Park. The PF is settling down a little, especially when I warm up my calves w/ the stick before running. 

pm--4 Foot felt decent after the run this morning and Ihad an arch support waiting for me when I got home. So I strapped it on and headed out. The support helped me achieve a more natural gait, but the PF started to flare up a bit. I'm icing as I type. I'm thinking I'll have to keep the mileage rolled back if I want to continue to run through this. I'll continue to stick and stretch the calves and ice immediately after. Hope the support starts to help me tackle this.

pm--4 Easy miles up into Green Springs and back w/ the kids and Baggs. PF felt ok. 

pm--3 W/ ma buddy. Foot is feeling a little better. It still has an ache about it. But the insoles foe my everyday shoes seem to be helping. Day 15ish no soda. 1 day at a time.

pm--3 To Hot Nails and back w/ Sierra. Things seem to be gradually improving w/ the PF. (You can't see it, but my fingers are crossed.) 

It's official--Day 17 no soda. 

pm--5 W/ the kids down 2450 to the trail and back. Felt better than I've felt in a while. I may shoot for a double tomorrow and 8-10 on Sat. Day 18 no soda. 

am--12 Woke up and ran the first 8 of the upcoming Washington Half w/ Baggs then jogged to Swiss Days and had my 7-year-old daughter pace me to ~31:00 5K. She was awesome. She walked once to drink some water. Both of my older daughters won cowbells. It was fun although there was a little growl in my heart when I saw the front runners passing. Maybe, I still am a little competitive. So far so good w/ the PF today.

am--3 First real weekday morning run in quite a while. Felt decent. With my little roll back from the PF, I lost some fitness. So I'm going to try and spike the fitness a tiny bit this week. Also, I fell off the soda wagon this week, so here goes day 1 again. 

pm--5.25 A workout to quicken the legs a bit. 1 mile warm-up followed by 1 mile @ 10k pace w/ 5 min. recovery, .75 @ 2 seconds faster than 10k pace w/ 4 min. recovery, .5 @ 4 seconds faster than 10k pace, .25 @ 6 seconds faster than 10k pace. I adjusted the pace for what seems like my current fitness. Twas a hard workout. What seemed comfortably hard 3 weeks ago now seems downright hard. Hope the quicker pace doesn't irritate the PF. Icing as I type.

pm--3 Smooth run to test things out. Pretty sure Saturday's a no-go. I'll use this time as a chance to regroup.

pm--Easy 3 with the girls in the rain. Nice change in the weather.

pm--3 on the TM. Was a little leery to run in the elements this evening. 

pm--3 W/ a buddy in the cool, cool evening. Is fall really here? 

pm--3.75 An evening run from my parents. The foot is really starting to feel a lot better. Still have some aches, but they are going away day by day. 

am--3 Bottom half of Barrel Roll w/ Craig. Beautiful day. Twas nice to get out into the dirt again. 

pm--3 Evening run just to remember what it's like to run. 

pm--4.75 Long(?) run up to the Canyons and back. Foot's in the doldrums again. 

am--2.75 Ran up to the field below SC middle and did a bit of grass running. Trying to strengthen the feet and legs. 

am--12 Started at Wildcat Canyon and went down the West Rim Trail. The whole thing is ~20 miles, but after 12 my foot was aching and my buddy was lagging, so it turned into a hike. We live in a very beautiful part of the world. 

pm--4.25 Some grass loops around a school in Sandy about 24 hours before State. Ran and chatted w/ Kaylee. 

pm--4 Dog pound w/ Stoner, Sierra, and Megan. It's good to get out w/ the kids again. 

pm--6 Foremaster w/ Megan. All of the other girls had prior commitments. It's good to get out running a bit. 

pm--6.25 My daughter wanted to go for a run, so we went and did loops at her school. It was good to get 3 moderate days in a row this week. 

pm--5 Got out this evening in the crisp autumn weather. I love the smells this time of year. They seem to carry so much better on the cool air.

pm--6 Warm-up and cool-down w/ the kids, bookending their great workout today. Then went home and ran w/ my wife for a few. The temperature was great. 

pm--4.5 Dog Pound w/ the girls. Nice run w/ some good laughs. 

pm--3.5 Warm-up and cool-down w/ the kids. 

pm--6.5 Foremaster w/ the girls. It's been fun running w/ the varsity girls. 

am--6 Tried my darndest to talk myself out of running out in the hills but couldn't do it. Went up Sidewinder and back. Hit a nice strong pace coming down the hill.