Roughly a month ago I ran 5 miles in 7:54. Then I spent two weeks doing intervals and did a 5 mile run in 7:44. Then about a week of hill intervals and I did 4 miles in 7:35. Then I did hill intervals for a bit less than a week and did 4 miles in 7:27. With doing the intervals up hill (7% incline), I can hopefully keep my knee decent while still running fast enough/with enough of a short burst of intensity to improve. So far, yes. Feels great. Definitely prefer working out this way at least aside from what actually works best. Obviously in the short term it works better.....

Lately trying to do 45 minutes, 5 or 6 days a week. Only going 6.5 mph or 6.6. Can go faster, but not day after day for 45 minutes.

Those first two weeks I was doing 3 minute intervals on roads. When I switched to hills on the treadmill I switched to 2 minute and 90 secs. It seems likely that the shorter intervals explains the faster improvement. While the hills are simply a necessity to hopefully avoid injury.

If I'm getting close to breaking 7 minute miles in a month or so, I'll be very happy.

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Kind of seems like I've been writing, although I still don't really know what it is I really most want to write. Wandering. But at least doing something. If only I knew what I wanted most to write, then I think I could really get down to it. I should perhaps just choose something, and put my head down and get to it. Something relatively unoriginal. Not something that is going to change people. What I've instead been waiting for, just isn't happening.

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Moved by Paul Hoffman's Left Hand of God. Like the idea of a torturous life for this kid. Living in a dark ages, religious extremism. What is funny is that the castle or fortress is really not described well. And just what the children spend their days doing, isn't all that well explained either. I guess learning to be amazing soldiers...? But it's very vague. Only explained far far after the fact. In fact only two other students have any real role, and I think maybe only one single other is ever even mentioned at all.

If it were me doing the writing, I'd find it way too pitiful vague, but I enjoyed reading it.

But no, I'd chuck it, if I were the one writing it.

I could see bothering to write Gormenghast. (Though strangely I never even read the third book, in part because of Peake's dying, but only in part......) Possibly Shardik. I think. And that's a hell of improvement from the past. I seem to recall that there was nothing at all I could say that of. Possibly I've changed. I am improving in my attitude of just doing things; doing them simply as opposed to doing nothing. I need to do better at applying this idea to story writing. As that is The Thing. The Thing that has eluded me. No matter it's possibly my too high standards that stand in the way.

I have been working on Bach's famous Prelude on the cello, but not practicing adequately lately. If I manage to really get into writing, it's going to be hard to manage all these others things.

Extending my garden so I can grow more blackberries. I've grown to like the taste more. And they're so very easy to take care of.