Turn your rut into a groove.

am--7.25 Canyons Kidney Loop before the meet. I felt good, and the morning was beautiful. The meet went well. Some cool things happened.RHR--56.

I finished another book--Ego is the Enemy. Ryan Holiday has cool ideas to share, and I need some humility. This book came at a good time. It's full of interesting anecdotes about famous and not so famous people and is a quick read.

am--10 Long Run w/ 2x 15-min. tempo sections. We did a big loop onto the River Trail. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but it went well. I felt strong. We got progressively stronger, and the group split a bit. RHR--57. 

pm--2.5 Ran in the school because of lightning. Should be the worst of runs, but hearing a big group of girls sing High School Musical songs brings joy to the soul. I have the coolest job ever. Erged 2k (8:45.1) after.

I also finished another small book--Speed Work for Distance Training by Bob Schul. He offers a training method based off Mihaly Igloi's interval/effort workouts. I'm intrigued by the idea of many short reps to stave off any anaerobic detriment while keeping the heart rate up. This is something to look into more. Schul, an Olympic champion in the 5k, also wrote a biography that is in my queue. 

am--3.5 DI/weights/Harts. Nearly freezing morning but a good run. RHR--49.

pm--1.5 We had Panther Relays today. I didn't get much running but did throw down a 2:42 anchor 800. I've never raced an 800, but that time feels about right for the shape I'm in. Brianna held me off and cost me doughnuts.

am--4.25 Reverse Costco Loop via Biolife/Zions/Costco Loop w/ Sportsman's parking lot extension. Nice morning to run. My heel was stiff and hurting this morning, but once it loosened, I felt good at a steady pace. RHR--51. 

pm--5.75 Green Springs. I was dragging a bit on the way out but felt peppy on the way back. Beautiful afternoon. Erged 3k when I got home. 

am--3.5 DI/Weights/Harts. Good morning. Working on my back kick while running on my lonesome gets me moving. RHR--52. 

pm--6 Reverse Middleton w/ Sandburg's extension w/ 6x barefoot striders. Felt decent throughout.

am--6 DI/Bank/Reverse DI. I woke up gunky in the nose but felt ok otherwise. No afternoon run because of the meet at DH. RHR--52.

pm--7 Nice, easy progressive run. I woke up sick, full of off-colored mucus, and went so far as to dress in my running clothes for an early run but decided to cash in and get another hour of sleep. Meet went well. Things seem to be turning a corner for the team. I got home, took a nap, and then ran. Erged a hard 1k after (4:05). 

am--9 Long run w/ LT work and 5x hills. The workout pushed into a zone that requires mental focus. I did love the hills though. RHR--53.

pm--2.25 Usual Monday w/ some barefooting at Sandstone. 

am--3 Harts x 2 and weights. Nice run this morning. RHR--51.

pm--6 Hospital out-and-back. Felt flat at the beginning but loosened up by the time we flipped. Love running with the crew.

am--5.75 Reverse fire station w/ 6x fast striders. The striders felt awesome, strong and fast, other than the cold, damp grass. RHR--53.

pm--2 Nice run with some of the girls I don't get to run with as much. It was fun to chat with them.

am--4 Lutheran sign/Weights/Harts. I got a tiny bit more this morning because I won't be running tonight with the meet. This morning's run was nice. I went with some push. That always feels good. RHR--53. 

am--7.5 Kidney Loop at a progressive place. I felt good after I got going. The meet went well, also. RHR--53. 

I also finished another book--No Bugles No Drums by Peter Snell and Garth Gilmour. This is an autobiography of the famous NZ 800m and 1500m runner. I was hoping to get some kind of insight into the practices of Arthur Lydiard--it did mention him a bit--but learned more about the tenacity and confidence of Peter Snell. Over and over in the book, he runs time trials and races in the 1:4xs and low 1:5xs and miles under 4:00. He makes it seem so easy. This guy had grit. I mean he was mostly an 800 runner--880 actually--running upwards of 100 miles a week. Here's my favorite quote:

"I treasure a great deal the background I received as a youth in many sports, coupled with the knowledge I have of training in one particular sport and the confidence stemming from success in achieving the very pinnacle therein. I know now that this confidence can be applied to just about any other phase of life. The principles of anything you do are basically the same. It now makes sense to me when someone sets out with the decision that he is going to be, say, a great painter. I know that, if he has required the ability to begin with, he can achieve that ambition. Once you have acquired the knowledge of what a human being can make himself do, it becomes a powerful force in anything you aim to accomplish" (233-234). 

Speaking truth. 

am--10 Big loop around the cemetery and back into Green Valley. I just tried to keep calm and smooth. And, although I was a bit beat from being in the sun yesterday, the run was a cleanser. RHR--54. 

am--10 Suicidal Tendencies. I figured I better hit this trail sometime over the weekend because I may not have the chance for a while. The run was good. Hit my best time on the out-and-back, not saying much. RHR--53.

Finished another book, an AP text, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. From what I gather, this is the easiest of Joyce's books. That being said, I wouldn't have got as much out of the book without the copious end notes. He claims that his purpose in life is "to discover the mode of life or of art whereby your spirit could express itself in unfettered freedom." Sounds like a description of running to me.

pm--6 Green Springs w/ striders. I missed the morning run because my wife thought the little guy was on his way, but things settled down. I had fun running w/ the girls. What a crew. RHR--53. 

am--5 Ran around before, during, and after the girls' workout. They rocked it in the perfect morning temps. RHR--53. 

pm--2.5 DI+. Had a a good chat w/ Alli. 

am--3 Harts (2x). Good run w/ sprinkler fun. RHR--53

pm--5.5 2450 w/ 6x striders. We had to canvas a neighborhood w/ info sheets for a race this weekend. Felt tired but good. I also erged 2k. It's been a few days.

am--6 Weird Loop/Wells Fargo/Reverse Lutheran Loop. It was a beautiful morning, and, although my achilles was hurting at the beginning, the run was just as beautiful. No run later w/ the track meet going on. RHR--50. 

am--7.5 Progression Run before the meet. Once the Achilles gets warm, everything is good. I love runs like this where, regardless of ups or downs, the pace continually gets stronger. Put the 2 days of the meet together, the kids performed pretty well. RHR--49.

am--9.75 Parkway w/ pick-ups around 8k pace. Really nice run this morning. The pick-ups felt great. My body feels like it was meant to run smooth and fast. We had a slight crew this morning w/ student-body posters going up in the a.m. I did get to run about 10 minutes w/ Addi and Ellie at the end. RHR--50. 

pm--2.25 Grass run at Sandstone. My achilles is pretty tender. I erged 3k when I got home. 

One more book to the list--Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. I really find myself nodding as I read this guy's ideas. This book is more varied than Start With Why and extrapolates the ideas he shares in the "Millenials in the Workplace" video you can find on YouTube. The book is a quick read that sheds some light on building culture in an organization. 

am--3.5 DI/Weights/Harts. Beautiful morning after the wind died down. My heel took a second to get going, but, once again, it really loosens up nicely. RHR--46.

pm--5.5 Middleton to the secret park. We found out who that J. Rog is not the shortest on the team, and word on the street is she's still growing. 6x striders to end things. I kept my shoes on because of the gnarly stickers and my achilles. 

am--5 Not totally sure about the mileage, but I ran everything but the intervals w/ the girls. They had another great workout. RHR--50

pm--2.5 Lutheran Loop. Felt decent this afternoon. Folks are in pretty good spirits. Also, it looks like I'll be going to Cedar instead of Orem. I was excited about Orem, but kids will be doing great things in Cedar, as well. Erged 1k (4:15) w/ some Fartlek. 

am--3.5 DI/Wieghts/Harts. Really nice morning. RHR--49.

pm--5.5 Green Springs w/ 6x barefoot striders. The run was pretty chill. Everybody's legs are coming back to them. Note: avoid barefoot striders for a few days. My lower leg felt pretty good most of the day until striders. 

am--6 Harts/Wells Fargo w/ Lutheran Loop. Seeing some improvement in the Achilles after icing--boy, that hurt--and eccentric calf drops. The weather was perfect this morning. I've decided that I could deal w/ the monotony of 50-degree days everyday. RHR--51. 

pm--6.5 Easy, progressive run. I worked into things and got to a decent pace. I'm noticing that my lungs handle this kind of running better than they ever have. I'd like to think that's because of some fitness gains. Who knows? Erged 2k (8:28). Other than that, another track weekend checked off. This meet, although cold to the bone, ended w/ the team wtinessing a thrower hit her state-qualifying jav mark. RHR--50.