Turn your rut into a groove.

pm--4 Cholla and partway up the hill w/ Tom. Nice chat about life and his family.

pm--5 Heights w/ 5x hill sprints. Better turnout than the past few weeks. 
 

I finished a book about teaching composition by Steven T. Nelson, Teaching the Way: Using the Principles of The Art of War to Teach Composition.

pm--5 Anasazi to the creosote. Learned about Tolstoy and realized that consistency is more important than starting off with a bang.

pm--5.25 Halfway Wash w/ a good crew. I also finished Cultivating Communities of Practice by Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder. 

am--2 Lava Flow double w/ out the afternoon run because of a meeting.

pm--3.75 Warmup and cooldown w/ the cool kids. I need to find some consistency in a few areas of my life.

am--3 New morning loop w/ James and Tyler. Not quite as cold as yesterday.

pm--6 Measured the tempo loop and then ran through Dixie Downs w/ the dudes. Not bad after we got going.

pm--5 Anasazi to the creosote. I've missed the trails.

am--7.5 Met up and ran w/ Maura in Green Valley. The intention was Zen, but the darkness led to a hybrid run. It was nice catching up.

pm--6.5 Anasazi w/ lower graveyard. Felt heavy after a weekend of chowing down. I also, finished Running Up the Mountain by Matt Baxter and Ron Mann. It was a great, quick read.

am--3 The usual morning route w/ Tyler and James. Felt good.

pm--6 Threshold Intervals 7x 2:00 w/ :60 jog recovery. Felt good but was hard towards the end. I was trying to hang w/ Aspen who is fitter than I am.

am--3 Slow double this morning is all I got in today.

am--3 Morning loop w/ James and Tyler. Felt decent.

pm--4.5 Easy Heights run w/ 5x hill sprints. Good vibes w/ the group.

am--4 Sunbrook w/ my neighbor.

pm--5 Crosby Loops in the dark. I get the draw of turning off the mind and running. I also finished a book by Yukari Mitsuhashi called Ikigai. It's about the Japanese concept of everyday purpose. 

pm--6 Paradise w/ a 10-minute push up the hill and 10-minutes uptempo when we got back to flat ground. Slower and harder than expected on the way up. Aspen rocked it.

pm--5 Harmon's Trail w/ a few different groups. Got to hear Andee's opinions for a while. That was fun.

pm--6 Threshold work--6x 3:00 w/ 1:00 recovery. Felt decent, so it was pretty fun. It's fun to see some of these kids really excelling. 

am--3 Usual morning route w/ Tyler and Aspen.

pm--4.5 Canyons and back w/ Aspen and Emmy. Fun chat on dead legs. Running was hard this afternoon.

pm--7 Anasazi w/ the Lower Graveyard lead and some Radiohead analysis in the air. Felt heavy at the beginning but lightened up as I went.

pm--8.5 Anasazi and Chipmunk w/ Lower Graveyard intro and outro. More Radiohead analysis of In Rainbows. Really felt good today.

am--3 Usual morning loop w/ James and Tyler at a brisky pace.

pm--4.5 SC Drive and Sycamore Crossing. Maybe, a bit too close to dinner, but the pace was okay.

am--5 Usual morning route w/ a jog to and from the school. Nice running w/ Raymond and James.

am--6 Sunbrook in a light rain before my aunt's funeral. Nice day w/ family.

am--6.75 Muddy trail run w/ Lower Graveyard on Anasazi. Learned about Lowell Bennion.

pm--7.5 Some tempo work on the tempo loop. It was windy, and I was sluggish. All ended well.

am--3 Morning route w/ James and Emmy. Kind of struggled.

pm--5.25 Harmon's trail w/ mostly Aspen. Still struggling a bit. Aspen is in better shape than I am.

am--3 Usual morning route w/ James.

pm--3 A leisurely run w/ my neighbor on the high school grounds. 
 

I'll finish Anna Karenina in a few minutes. It's fun to live w/ big Russian tomes once in a while. This novel is interesting because every character has notable flaws but is presented in a way that paints them in a sympathetic light. Kudos, Tolstoy.

pm--5.5 Anasazi in some weather. Mostly just overcast and dreary on the way out. It started to pour more consistently on the way back.

pm--6.25 Anasazi w/ Lower Graveyard on the way out. Beautiful day after some dreary days. Lots of people hiking today. 
 

I also finished 2 churchy books--Original Grace by Adam S. Miller and Not My Will, But Thine by Neal A. Maxwell. I'm often drawn to the spiritual.

pm--4.5 Tready run. I was late getting ready for practice and didn't run w/ the kids. They seemed to have a great time. I also finished Understanding the Scriptures by Lowell L. Bennion. Quick and insightful read. ThriftBooks.com is great for picking niche books at low prices. And often the books have thoughtful inscriptions in the inside cover or handwritten notes tucked in the pages.

am--3 Morning loop w/ Austin, James, and Tyler. Good run. Good company.

pm--6 Vineyard w/ a mixed group. I was a little hyper and, also, need to get over being the pace police.

am--3 Nice and easy recovery loop.

pm--7 Threshold ladder reps w/ Aspen, Katie, Emmy, April, and Andee. Lots of good stuff this afternoon.

am--3 Nice morning loop w/ James.

pm--6.25 Anasazi and Lower Graveyard w/ Abigail. It was nice catching up even if we raised the ire of some biker because we just ran on the shoulder of the trail as we passed.

am--5 Anasazi w/ Tom. Nice to hear about his family and his sweat lodge experience.

am--10.75 Annual Suicidal Tendencies Prez Dayz run even though it ended up being only me and Aspen. I love that trail, but the climb is no joke. I also finished 2 books: On Mental Toughness from HBR's 10 Must Reads and The Things That Matter Most by Lowell L. Bennion.

pm--5.25 Hills and strides w/ a warm and cool.

am--3 Usual morning route w/ James. Didn't make it on the run this afternoon.

am--3 James and the morning loop.

pm--4 New bridge run w/ my neighbor. Nice chat about PEDs.

pm--7.25 Anasazi w/ Lower Graveyard and Chipmunk. Nice day but tired.

pm--5.25 Anasazi w/ Lower Graveyard w/ my neighbor. Nice weather.

pm--7 Paradise w/ some tempo and strides. Stetson and Boston rocked it.

am--3 Usual morning w/ James, Jonathan, and Tyler. I also finished The Quality of Mercy by Eugene England. He pushes the reader to be bold in his application of mercy.

am--3 Usual morning route w/ James. Rough week for running.

pm--7 Anasazi w/ Lower Graveyard. I listened to an interesting podcast about dolorology, the study of pain.

am--9 Run-a-thon. The miles came in 2 runs separated by about an hour. Nice catching up w/ some people.

am--3 Usual w/ James.

am--3 Usual w/ James.

am--3 Usual w/ James.

am--5 Heights at a decent clip.

am--4 Serenity loop at a decent clip.

am--6.5 Jacob Hamblin loop w/ 5x strides at the track. Beautiful morning. I also finished The Second Mountain by David Brooks. It's a good rumination on how to find greater purpose in life.

am--6 Threshold--20 minutes--in 3-minute intervals w/ :60 jog recovery and a 2 minute to finish. 

pm--5 Double threshold--10x :60 w/ equal recovery and a barefoot cooldown. Kids looked good.
 

am--5 Recovery run that turned into a progression run thanks to Aspen. Feeling pretty beat.

pm--7.5 Anasazi w/ Lower Graveyard out and back. Draggy but good. It's nice to be in the dirt again.

am--6 Hill Circuits x 2. Felt hard. Must be getting old or weak or both. Still fun to get after it a bit. 

pm--7 Anasazi w/ LG and partial Chipmunk. Slow but nice.

pm--7.5 Anasazi w/ some LG. Tired but good.

am--3 Morning loop w/ James.

pm--6 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out. Learned more about Andrew Hickey and finished The Finnish Way by Katja Pantzar. The Finns seem to have life figured out.

pm--5 Golf course and Vineyard. Good run w/ a mixed group.

am--6 To and from w/ the usual morning route. Also had some great things happen at the JV meet. I finished Jesus, The Master Teacher by Lowell L. Bennion. Quick, insightful read.

am--3 Morning route w/ James and Raymond. 
 

pm--5 Anasazi in a funky fatigue. 

pm--7 Anasazi w/ Lower Graveyard. Life and track meets are getting to me, zapping the will and fitness out of me. 
 

On another note, I finished Lila by Marilynne Robinson. This is part of the group of Gilead books. I really enjoy Robinson's writing and perspective.

am--6.25 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out. I pushed it a bit today and felt okay.

pm--8.5 Anasazi and LG w/ Chipmunk. 'Twas good to cruise in the dirt. I also finished a wacky book called Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor. True southern gothic.

am--3 Morning route w/ James. Now, all I hear about is how low his heart rate was on the run.

am--3 Usual morning route w/ James and Raymond.

pm--5 Harmon's Trail w/ the boys until I flipped. Finished w/ Aspen and Emmy.

am--5 Usual morning route w/ James and Raymond. Added a bit before w/ James.

pm--6.25 Anasazi and LG w/ some 90's hip hop after suffering the chilly winds of Hurricane.

pm--6 SC Parkway rhythm run w/ Renstrom and Neri. Felt good to do something progressive. I also finished Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata.

am--3 Morning run.

am--4.25 Morning run w/ James.

pm--4 Sone running while kids did their workout.

am--3 Morning run.

pm--5 Heights run.

am--3 Morning run w/ James and Raymond.

pm--4.25 Warm and cool w/ some running while kids did pace work.

pm--5.5 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out.

am--5.5 Ran to the school for the usual w/ James and Raymond. Good stuff at the JV meet.

am--6.75 Anasazi w/ LG. Stopped to chat w/ a retiree near the turnaround. Felt flat until I was nearly done.

pm--6 Anasazi w/ LG both ways. Got some nuggets from Leonard Cohen.

am--5.5 Usual morning w/ James w/ the to and from. 

pm--6 Anasazi w/ LG both ways while listening to Rick Rubin chat w/ Golden Harper. 
 

I finished a book recommended by a colleague--The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. More spiritual memoir than Holocaust book, but that's not a bad thing.

am--3 Usual morning route w/ James and Raymond. 
 

pm--4.5 Towards Halfway Wash w/ a nice group. I also finished The Old Man and the Sea w/ my classes again.

am--5 Heights w/ a sluggish start. Ended up quicker than expected. I'm feeling pretty beat lately.

pm--4 Sycamore Bridge loop w/ my neighbor. Finally felt okay by the end.

am--5.5 Usual morning route w/ James and Raymond w/ run to and from the school.

am--3 Usual morning route w/ James. Felt crappy but went a bit quicker.

pm--5 Part of Anasazi w/ LG.

am--7 Rim Trails listening to Duncan Trussell and Will Oldham converse on esoteric things before my oldest daughter's wedding. Very nice day even though I feel beat.

pm--6.75 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out. Turned around near the petroglyphs. I also finished a great Japanese book in translation: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. The main character can feel the rhythm and hear the voice of the store. It's both sad and funny.

pm--6 Threshold work and hill sprints w/ some barefoot laps on the turf. Felt surprisingly decent. 

am--3 Usual morning loop w/ James, Tyler, and Raymond. A bit chilly out.

pm--4.5 Vineyard via downtown. Flushed some of the leg gunk.

pm--5.5 Snuck to Anasazi before region this afternoon. 'Twas beautiful weather.

am--4.5 Double around Tuweap in the pleasant morning temps.

pm--5 Anasazi after school. Beautiful day after the wind died down.

pm--6 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out in between dance recitals. Nondescript anniversary.

pm--5 Halfway Wash w/ 5x :10 hill sprints. It was a bit rough for me today, but I survived. I also finished a ponderous book of essays by Brian Doyle called One Long River of Song. It's a good one to pick up here and there for a few minutes if you any to be struck by wonder.

pm--5 Partial Anasazi before heading to state track. 

am--6 Provo w/ Jody Benson. It was fun to explore some new running territory and chat w/ a fellow coach.

am--5 Freedom Blvd by my lonesome before the final day at state track. Had some great performances. James' was a standout even if he got nipped at the line.

pm--6.25 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out. Still trying to feel fresh and strong.

pm--3.75 Easy tready miles before bed. I really need to carve out some running time that doesn't impinge others and my relationships because without the physical release, I'm ornery.

pm--6 Barrel Roll in the early-afternoon heat. Worked into it nicely while learning about training from Jan Olbrecht. I also finished a great book about a nuanced LDS thinker called Lowell L. Bennion: A Mormon Educator by George B. Handley.

am--5.25 Heights run w/ some threshold bursts in the middle before my first learning-coach meeting. Feeling funky in a bad way.

am--4 Lower Anasazi exploration w/ Tom.

pm--5 Anasazi and LG by my lonesome. Today was a good running day.

am--5.5 Beginning of 5k training? My neighbor and I got a run in early. I also finished one of the best music books I've read: Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad.

am--5.75 Chipmunk lollipop in the mid morning. Decent run. I feel like I need a decent amount of not worrying about pace to build the bottom end of aerobic fitness. Anywho.

am--6 Small loop around Santa Clara w/ my neighbor. Felt good and enjoying running at the moment.

am--5 Halfway Wash w/ my neighbor. Building the lower aerobic capacity. I finished a cool graphic novel about a '70s Native American band, Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler, Sonia Paolini, and Thibault Balahy. 

am--7.25 Anasazi variations w/ Decker. Nice catching up. 

am--5.5 Rhythm run in the Harmon's Trail. Ended at the right pace but wasn't as organic as desired. I also finished The Essential 25 by Marilee Sprenger, a great book on essential school vocab and how to teach it.

am--4.25 Sunbrook w/ 5x strides. Slow pickups today and a long afternoon in a PD. I did, however, finish Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. It's an interview w/ a man who was on the last slave ship from West Africa. 

am--5 Swiss Days route w/ 10x threshold intervals w/ :60 recovery and 3x strides after. Felt good and was fun.

am--6 SC Parkway w/ my neighbor. Eased into it and had an enjoyable run.

am--5.25 Anasazi w/ LG on the way back. I slept in and had to sweat through the hotter temps. Good to get a run in.

am--5 Ran on Lake Shore Drive at Lake Powell. Felt beat after a week of running and resorted to walking a few times. Maybe heat? 

am--7 Nice hour-plus run w/ each mile a little quicker. Also finished A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Interesting novel w/ multiple narrators.

am--5 Easy heights run w/ 5x strides at the end. Also, read a picture book--The Mighty Lalouche by Matthew Oldham and Sophie Blackall--for summer reading bingo.

am--9 Threshold work--13 minutes worth--and then some running w/ former runners. Ended up being a bit longer than plan, but I'm happy after the fact. Also, finished a great book on Kenyan running, focusing mostly on Patrick Sang--We Share the Sun by Sarah Gearhart.

am--6.25 Anasazi w/ my neighbor. Felt good to be in the dirt again. 

am--6 Anasazi variation w/ Weyes Blood. I love the desert.

am--5 Sunbrook w/ 5x strides at the end. I finished a novel in verse, Clap When You Landby Elizabeth Acevedo. Engaging read.

am--Threshold work--7x 2:00 in the 7s. Felt good. I love these workouts. Was planning on a 2nd run but was beat after a full day of class.

am--7.5 SC Parkway long run. Nice to get a few more minutes this morning. Although, I am feeling beat after these all day classes.

am--5.25 Vineyard out to the river subdivision and back w/ 5x strides.

am--6.5 Anasazi w/ LG on the way out. Slept in a bit but got going before it was too hot.

am--6 Old School Anasazi to the Homestead. Good week for me.

am--5 Heights w/ 5x strides w/ Tyler. It was above 80 degrees this morning.

am--5 Swiss Days course w/ 7x 2:00 threshold pickups. That's mid-7s for current fitness. I also finished a Beehive Nominee book--Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel. It was a fun read and makes me want to visit Canada.

am--6 Canyons and back w/ the pace increasing a bit towards the end.

am--6 Reverse Heights w/ increasing pace. Thought about strides but, for some reason, feeling a bit trashed. I also finished The Selected Poems of James Tate. Some of the poems really hit, and others are a bit absurd.

am--8 Anasazi w/ Chipmunk loop and LG both ways. Nice morning. I listened to a book about some of Nick Offerman's favorite Americans.

am--5.5 Halfway Wash w/ a few changes of pace thrown in the middle. Saw some of the xc crew. 

pm--5 Some chill tready miles. Glad I got some movement today.

am--6.25 To River Road w/ each mile getting a tad bit faster. I was beat by the end. Not sure why some runs feel like this. I also finished a great YA book called Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. It's center around a mysterious meth ring on a reservation in northern Michigan. 

am--6 Anasazi old school on a nice US birthday morning. I always love the dirt.

am--4 Dirt improve w/ Tom after a weird veg day. I also finished a book by Eugene England, a Utah author: Why the Church Is As True As the Gospel.

am--5.75 Progressive run that, according to my aching legs, was a bit more intense than I would've thought. It's okay. We're working towards fitness.

am--5 Old school route into Green Valley w/ 5x strides. I also finished my first book by a new, to me, crime/detective writer: Keigo Higashino and his book Silent Parade.

pm--6.25 Tready run. My sleep schedule is all out of whack. Glad to get a run in. 

am--6.75 Messing around on Anasazi. Got out a bit later, and the heat coupled with being a little beat made for a slog. It's always good to be in the desert regardless.

pm--6.25 Tready miles after sleeping in because of a headache. My body has been feeling like I need a bit more of the easy-paced aerobic stuff, and this run got the bill.

am--5 Green Valley and back. I'm learning that eating out can't be late and in large quantities. It just hits different. I also listened to Gumption by Nick Offerman, an examination of 21 great Americans.

am--5 Heights run w/ a bit of progression. I felt better than expected but still not peppy. I also finished Faust, Part I by Goethe. Fun and quirky read.

am--7.5 Anasazi and LG run before it got too hot. Not much to report except that I feel beat. 

am--6.5 Another Anasazi run w/ a Weyes Blood interview. I also finished a translated book for summer reading bingo, Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. 

pm--4.5 Easy tready miles. 

am--6.5 Anasazi variation. I love the desert. One of God's wonders. 

am--6.5 Anasazi variation w/ a listen to a Chris Chelios interview. I don't know a ton about hockey, but listening to this made me think that most endeavors have a magic about them.

am--6.5 From my parents' cabin into the park, above the reservoir, and back. Felt so much nicer at 6k elevation.

am--6 Anasazi w/ Chipmunk. I took pretty easy and felt as good as I have in a week or two. Nice but smoky morning. Not sure where the fire is.

pm--4 Late night tready. Glad I talked myself into it.

am--5 Heights run on a beautiful morning. 

am--6 Canyons w/ light progression on the way back. Felt good on a beautiful morning--60s.

am--5 5x 3:00 @ edge of heavy breathing w/ :60 jog recovery and 5x strides after. It was hardish but left me feeling empowered. I need to do stuff like this more often.

Running kind of went off the rails at the end of the week. Nonetheless, this summer has been a good one for reading. This weekend, I finished Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey and The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels. Both are rereads from years past but enlightening as ever.

am--5.5 Heights light progression run. Good to get back to running and back to school.

am--5 Green Valley lollipop. Good to get a few days in a row.

am--5 SC Drive w/ James and my neighbor. Flipped to get back to work. Felt real sluggish today.

am--6 Canyons light progressive run.

am--3.5 Gubler Park barefoot w/ 4x strides. Felt better than expected after a day full of burgers. 

am--6.5 Anasazi for 6 straight days of running. Decent week.

am--5 Heights Loop w/ a light progression. 1st day back w/ students.

am--5 Green Valley loop on a warm morning. Got to meet the rest of my students today.

am--5.25 Run through Dixie Downs to take the tour of Tyler's old neighborhood. 

am--5 Old town Santa Clara w/ 4x striders after. Beautiful morning.

am--5.5 Snake Hollow bike path for 7x 2:00 threshold intervals w/ :60 jog recovery. It's amazing how invigorating and strengthening this type of work is. I need to do it more often. I also finished Bucky: A Guided Tour of Buckminster Fuller by Hugh Kenner. Not sure I understood everything, but Bucky had some intriguing ideas.

am--7.5 Anasazi w/ LG. Nice pace-free jaunt on a drizzly morn. I love summer rain.

am--5 Green Valley loop to belatedly start the week.

am--5 Heights loop w/ a decent progression.

pm--6.5 Anasazi on a abnormally cool August day after a big rain.

pm--5 Half Anasazi in the "cooler" temps. I had to will myself but was happy I went.

am--4.5 Explored the trails around Anasazi w/ Tom on a beautiful morning. I also finished Negative Blue, a poetry collection by Charles Wright, and Shiloh and Other Stories, a short-story collection about folks in complex relationships in rural Kentucky from Bobbie Ann Mason.

am--5 Green Valley Loop in reverse. My body is feeling better this week.

am--5 Heights Loop on a beautiful morn.

am--5 Canyons w/ a couple tempo miles on the way home.

am--5 SC Drive just chillin'. The mornings are beautiful.

pm--4.5 LG and most of the way up the hill on Anasazi in the afternoon heat.

am--5.75 Trad Barrel Roll by my lonesome. It was warm and I was sweaty by the end.

am--5 Heights run after a few sluggish days. I also finished a perspective-shifting book by Martin E. P. Seligman, Flourish.
 

am--4 SC Drive on a bit of a shorter run. Saw Steve out there.

am--5 Canyons loop w a bit of a progression at the end.

am--7 Rim Trails. 'Twas a beautiful morning, and I learned a lot about Dinosaur Jr. 

pm--3.25 A little scamper on Anasazi in the 104-degree temperatures. I also finished 2 books today: Purple Hibiscus by Chinamanda Ngozi Adichie and Tattoo by Manuel Vazquez Montalban. Both nice reads.

am--5 Heights feeling okay. 

am--5 Green Valley loop on a beautiful morning. The air seemed quite a bit better than last night. 
 

pm--4 Partial Anasazi w/ LG in a mere 90 degrees. Felt okay even though I'm trying to make up miles.

am--5 SC Drive on a down week. Adjusting to new kinds of work is fatiguing. 

pm--5.75 Anasazi w/ Chipmunk loop. The whole PV bike team was out there.

pm--6.75 Anasazi w/ LG intro. Listened to some songwriter interviews w/ Craig Finn from The Hold Steady.

am--5 Canyons w/ my neighbor. Slow burn.

pm--4 Anasazi w/ Tom. 'Twas nice to catch up.