Turn your rut into a groove.

am--6.25 Canyons Loop w/ Serenity. Love the chill in the air. I think I scared the something out of a female runner. She turned in front of me at a stop light, and I gradually gained on her. By the time I was about to pass her, she spooked. She must've finally heard my footsteps or my breath. I went wide around her as she spun and jumped, surely her hand tight on the pepper spray. "Sorry," I said. "Good morning." Hope I didn't scare her too much. RHR--51. 

pm--4.5 Nice, easy run around the PV hood w/ barefoot striders on the football field. Apparently, I have mid-4:00 pace in me somewhere, or so the watch said. 

am--5.5 Truncated morning run via Serenity. It was maybe a little colder this morning. Nevertheless, the run was fruitful. I enjoy the feel a cold run gives the body. I'm starting to get some kind of cruddy congestion. Hopefully, the chill burns it right out of me. RHR--52. 

pm--3.5 Easy tready. Had a meeting after school, and I ended up not jumping in w/ the kids. I've been chilled to the bone all day long, so I defaulted to the tready. 

pm--7 Rim Circuit. I saw a sweet red-tail hawk come out of the cliffs near the lip of the mesa. I love the desert. It's like a climber told me the other day, "The desert is patient." RHR--56.

am--6.25 Tuesday's Loop. It was a little warmer this morning, which was ok, but I ended up almost being overdressed in my winter garb. On another note, my resting heart rate confirms that I'm coming down w/ the gamboo. RHR--56. 

pm--11 Santa Clara/Ivins Loop. Watched some nice athletics this morning. Saw some kids from UT do some awesome things. After all of that, I headed out for a run w/ a nice steady build and climb. The last ~30 minutes were in the 7:00s. That's pretty stout for me. 

am--5.75 Serenity/Tuweap out-and-back. Really nice morning where I felt smooth and light and just went. RHR--49. 

pm--5 Anasazi. I parked at the cemetary and went from the East end to the top gate of the trail. It's tranquil out there this time of year. Some nice climbing on the way out. 

am--5.5 Variation on the morning loop via Coral Cliffs. Nice morning w/ some synthetic beats to complement the wintry weather. RHR--51.

pm--3 Real easy w/ deadlifts, presses, kettlebell swings, and arm swings after. Probably pulled something. 

am--5.5 Snow Canyon Parkway via Pioneer Parkway w/ Serenity thrown in. A little warmer than expected this morning, maybe due to the cloud cover. Without the cloud cover the last few days, I might possibly be a certified star gazer. RHR--55. 

pm--6 Barrel Roll Figure 8, counterclockwise. Good run. It was a little cooler than promised, and the sun sure does set early. Nevertheless, there's nowhere better than the trails. 

pm--5.5 One run today--a little 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1 pyramid w/ equal rest. I didn't hit it too hard because my legs are still feeling the lifting on Tuesday. I forget what my RHR was this morning. 

am--6 Morningish route w/ some extra roads here and there. It was windy out, so I dressed warm, but it ended all Kenyan and overwarm. RHR--56. 

pm--11.75 Sidewinder + Rim Circuit. I got out a little later, so the sun would dry the trails. It's always fun to be out in the hills even if the gun nuts are ubiquitous. 

Watched the FL finals. It was fun to watch kids push themselves. That being said, NXN is much more compelling for me. Maybe it's because I got into the XC thing in 2008 when NXN was already strong. I don't have enough history w/ running to be nostalgic about FL. 

am--5.75 Top of Tuweap out-and-back. I exercised some faith this morning and got up, even though it was supposed to be frizzing rain. Lo and behold, when I went outside, it was wet but no rain. Turned out to be a beautiful morning for a run. RHR--49. 

am--5.5 Out-and-back to SC Parkway. It was chiller, and that was nice. I've discovered that one of the great pleasures of running for me is seeking to coordinate movement and breath into something close to perfection. I'm way off but still encouraged. RHR--54. 

pm--5 Frontside loop of Barrel Roll, clockwise and counter clockwise. I am thinking about using this as a nice little circuit for fartleks and quicker stuff. 

pm--6.5 Easy, peasy run at a lovin'-life pace. I did some weight work after. I'm feeling more at home w/ the weights. Let's see if I can make multiple sessions this week. The run came later today because last night's sleep was disturbed by a sinus headache that took all day to go away. RHR--52. 

am--6 Tuweap out-and-back w/ some neighborhood extension. I can't say enough about these early morning runs in the 20s. Spectacular. The breath. The sparkle. The crisp edge. RHR--52. 

pm--4.25 Lava Cove Loop w/ my neighbor. It was good catching up w/ him.

am--5.75 Tuweap out-and-back. Nice cold one w/ the stars shining brightly. I can feel the last few weeks in the body. RHR--56. 

pm--3.5 Just some miles. Been thinking about how I can increase my stamina and aerobic capacity and, maybe, even race. 

am--8 Lava Ridge Loop. I wanted to hit some Tinman miles today but wasn't sure how it would go. My RHR was higher this morning, it took a while to get into a groove. I finally was able to get into the mid 7's for 4 miles. It's interesting how the body adapts to paces and then it's able to push a bit more. I can't help but think that this is just a  microcosm of the training cycle. RHR--57.

am--5.5 Snow Canyon Parkway and back via Serenity. Good first weekday run of the break. Took the Boss on this run. Tramps like us are born to run. RHR--55. 

pm--4.5 Easy stuff. Did some push-ups and planks to see if I can remedy the pain in the groin. :(

pm--4 Feeling fragile today. First, I didn't dare the light drizzle outside. Next, I nearly tweaked my back pulling the crockpot out of the lower cupboard. Man, I'm old. So I cringed around the house all day until I got my butt on a run. I had to test things out because I'm meeting some sweet folks for a run tomorrow. Felt better while I was running. 

am--3.25 Green Spring w/ some of the girls. It was a nice, foggy morning after a rough night. I just couldn't get comfortable w/ the back stuff. Good news though, the run was great.

am--6.75 An hour's worth of fun to strenghten the body and soul. I am feeling pretty good even though there is some real muscle tightness still lingering in my lower back. Getting old sucks. We'll see if the body is willing to salvage this week or not. I've been really pleased w/ my 50-mile weeks. 

am--5.5 Canyons short loop. I had hoped to run in some snow but to no avail. The ground was wet. Precipitation was a no-go.

pm--4.5 Some decent running w/ 15 minutes of light tempo pace. (Although, it didn't feel as easy as it should have.) Chalk it up to heavy eating & down time. 

Hit 2,000 miles today, something I wasn't sure I would achieve a few months back. My last 2,000-mile year was 2012.

am--3.5 Miles to finish an odd week.

am--7.25 Old Morning run w/ Serenity addition and Malaga extension. I got up and ran in the cold dark because I wanted to, and it was nice. Feeling better about things. RHR--52. 

pm--4 Some miles w/ a bit of uptempo stuff. Being out of a routine is hard for me. :(

am--4.75 Chuckawalla Loop w/ the girls. It was a chilly but fun run w/ a Stoner sighting. She seems to be happy and doing well. Makes me happy. 

pm--5 More miles to make the day more magnificent. Also cleaned the exterior windows and earned some points w/ my wife. 

pm--3 A few miles for miles' sake.