Turn your rut into a groove.

pm--5 Light Tempo. I started with 2 slower building miles and then ran a 20-minute tempo, starting ~7:30 pace and finishing just below 7:00 pace. Amazingly, the legs were responsive. 

pm--7 Solo Trail Tuesday on the Rim Circuit. I tried really hard to keep the heart rate in a certain zone. I did much better today. It's difficult, though, on the trails with all of the ups and downs. But all of that is secondary when the day and the temperature are so beautiful. On another note, I'm thinking about really nerding out and giving all the SCRR trails Dune-themed names. RHR--52.

pm--10 My double-digit run for the week. Half of my goals for the week are done. I don't know how the rest of the week will go. I'll be travelling Friday and Saturday. RHR--54.

pm--8 Canyons Kidney Loop. The evening was perfect. I love running through the cold spots near the river. RHR--53.

pm--5+ Sidewinder w/ an extra loop on top. It was a nice day running on the trails while the dentists did their mountain biking. Quite a few people out in the middle of the day on a Friday. RHR--55.

am--3 Junky treadmill miles in a hotel before a funeral. Glad to get a run. 

pm--Easy 3 before reggae band practice. 

pm--7 Paradise Rim/Turtle Wall w/ the kiddos. I'm glad I got out w/ them. It was a beautiful day once the breeze came. RHR--53.

pm--7 Ran up and around Lava Flow and Tuweap w/ my bro-in-law and then added a few more down to the roundabout. RHR--55.

am--7.5 My old running buddy is in town, so we did a modified version of the old morning route. I'm glad it was a little cooler this morning. RHR--54.

am--5.5 Truncated morning route w/ the old running buddy. Had a nice soccer chat. On another note, I took a late afternoon nap, and that about crippled my circadian rhythm. RHR--54.

am--11 Anasazi from home. I hit the trails early and actually did a bit of pre-dawn darkness, which was beautiful. This route has roughly 2 miles of pavement on the way to the trails. It's not bad on the way out, but the trail-to-road transition is a drag. Good to get this run in. I went and did some watch work for the Mr. PVHS 5K after. Lots of folks came. 

pm--6 Anasazi backwards w/ my neighbor. I didn't go all the way across the trail. I did see an old xc runner (on a date maybe) sitting on the rocks, looking at the river. It was a nice day today. We also did a little family hike earlier. 

pm--7 Usual evening route w/ possible variation. It was beautiful out, and I really felt smooth. That was good. Reggae practice after. RHR--51.

pm--6 Truncated Canyons w/ my neighbor. Had a good chat and enjoyed the stellar evening temps. RHR--50.

pm--5 Up and around Warrior Way w/ my neighbor. Decent run on a fullish stomach. RHR--53.

pm--3 Lower Graveyard loop. I haven't done this one for a long time. RHR--54.

am--12.5 Headed out this morning w/ my sweetheart to Page, AZ to run Ultra Endurance's first event of the year. I checked in and, just to get the full experience, used the Eco Comode. Lovely. 

The race started w/ about 30 of us gathered in a bunch around the campfire, and George said, "Go." So I went. The first mile was a slow trudge through dunish sand, ending up a steep incline. Subsequently, the Page Rim Trail was heavenly. I would recommend it to anyone looking to kill an hour or two in Page, AZ. There's nothing else to do near there. By the time I came out of the sand, I fell in w/ runners that were rocking a kind pace. So I trail stalked a few folks, trying to initiate awkward conversation and actually made a few trail buddies. 

At the halfway mark, Bobby, a Dakota from Minnesota, and I ran together for a few miles. It was his first race longer than a 5k. What a stud. He started to fall back about 8 miles in. 

I was feeling ok at this point, working hard to keep a good pace. The elevation profile for the course was something like a v, so the second half was a long, slow climb.

I could see the guy I thought was 3rd--I had lost the lead pack, bottlenecking through the sand, so I had no clue my place throughout the race--and kept sneaking up on him. I got to within 15 yards or so before he saw me and really started to push. I didn't drop off pace but couldn't match what he was doing. It stayed that way for the remainder. I ended up 5th. 

I haven't raced in a long time and went into this with a mindset to take what the day offered and have a good time. Accomplished both. I loved the distance and the atmosphere. Matt and his homies put on a great race. I hope they keep doing some of these shorter trail races. Much Grass, Mr. Matt. 

pm--6 Nice, slow recovery run w/ my neighbor after having a little fever and a bout of the chills last night. Hope I'm not coming down w/ something. 

pm--8 The Canyons Kidney loop, up Lava Cove and down Serenity. My body is still struggling a little from the fever, but oh well. On a side note, I saw the UPS guy for 4 straight miles. We must be on the same route. 

pm--4 To Jake's house and back w/ some neighbors. This week has been a slog runningwise. RHR--53.

pm--5.5 A run. Not much more.