Turn your rut into a groove.

am--5 A nice little jaunt on the usual morning route. I want to try to hit a 70-mile week this month. We'll see what happens.

pm--6 Old Swiss Days course from my house and back. 8:33/mile pace. 

am--3 Easy 3 without the watch. Looped around the barrio.

pm--8 Reverse loop around Clary w/ 6x800s. Here are the times:

1--3:21.73

2--3:22.93 some uphill at the end.

3--3:16.69

4--3:20.06

5--3:20.94

6--3:17.88 

OK, not the fastest times but a pretty good pace for me and pretty consistent. Now for some ice so the legs won't hate me in the morning. 

am--6.25 Got out with my neighbor for a nice run through Sunbrook.

pm--4.25 I had to shake the legs out and get 10 for the day. That's my goal everyday this week. Ran up Lava Flow, down Lava Cove, and back through the barrio.

am--3 Got out for a watchless run on the barrio 5k route as the full moon hung just out of reach of the jaws of dawn.

pm--7 Headed out from the house, halfway up the parkway, and back with a tempo mile in there somewhere. 

pm--12.50 This is my long run for the week. I ran out on the SCRR and did the Barrel Roll clockwise. I'm not going to lie. It was hard. My legs are really, really knackered. Tomorrow, I'm going to try the Red Mountain Trail.

am--12.25 There is that common culture question: "What do they eat there?" Well, in Kiribati they eat fish and rice and the next day rice and fish. This thought kept coming to me this morning as I ran the Red Mountain trail because the terrain is rocks and sand then sand and rocks. And when I say rocks, I mean rocks covering the trail, being the trail. Not slick rock but ankle-breakers. And when I say sand, I mean sand like at the dunes. The stuff you sink into. So I realized early into the run that pace wouldn't be a consideration. I also realized that the low-land trails that I'm used to provide an opportunity to run on trails. This trail to day doesn't allow for a lot of running. Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself. As I reached the top, the rain started to really come down. The summit was wrapped in clouds, and the visibility was low. I realized how small I was then. It was God's country or, at least, not mine. I'm just grateful that I get a chance to play there. Even though the run this morning wasn't quality with a capital q, I worked the legs and enjoyed the solitude of a Southern Utah icon. I'll definitely hit this trail again but not with the pretense of running it.