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.

Cried and cried while finishing Shardik. It was wonderful. I love crying at make believe.

The Stars My Destination is supposedly a top ten all time in sci-fi. I was not impressed. Excepting Vance, who doesn't count, I don't think sci-fi has ever really moved me.

In other news have my first race of the year tomorrow. My knee doesn't hurt. But it's not right. I doubt I'll break 8 minute pace tomorrow for this 10k but it will be a celebration of (more or less) good health. Have only been running 15 to 20 miles a week and not very fast. It doesn't hurt but it's not right and if I pushed it I know it would get worse. Might have to try forefoot running.

Today it was 50 outside and not supposed to get really cold next few days. Never have I wanted spring more. Ordered a cold hardy fig tree. Planted grapevines recently. Fish are starting to eat, even the koy a bit. The goldfish will eat whenever there's no ice.

In retrospect I killed a few trees not understanding that if the soil is hard clay with awful drainage, it's no good at all to dig a hole and use good soil in the hole. Just turns into a small pond and the roots rot. Have to use raised beds. Killed two trees this way. A third one I think will eventually die from deer antlers. The deer even eat the bamboo leaves.

Still there is D and S. How strange that is...

Things can stretch I think.

Played Handel's Largo today. The tune can't seem to stay in my head. It's just very different somehow. Want it to become ingrained. Not sure what it is about it.

I liked The Light is the Darkness by Laird Barron. The hero is like Rourke's character from Sin City yet with a much greater ace up his sleeve. The Croning was good for the Lovecraftian horror although not much really happened. Felt very padded. The Occultation had some stories that I thought descended towards the Stephen King level. Which isn't my thing, haven't finished it.

Thomas Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer had one story that hit too close to home. Smart guy. But don't care for the style of it. May not finish it most likely.

Loved The Plague Dogs movie off youtube (based on Richard Adams story). That last scene is the invention of religion/mysticism IMO. Unfortunate to hear he also had an alternative happy ending. But whatever. How I cried. Need to read more of him. Never finished Maia.

Stories I want to write:

A ghost, I suppose, invisible I guess. Such pain that like the chronic pain sufferers he's sort of zombiefied. And he's trying to return to the world. By some painstaking difficult process.

Damm, what was that other...............It has come and gone so many times.....

Maia by Richard Adams
He wrote Watership Downs which I vaguely recall was some great book. Been so long though, might have to glance at it again... This one is about a very high priced prostitute. Goes into great detail about how great a dancer and looker, etc she is. Seemed extremely different from Watership Downs. I didn't make it to the end of this 1000 page book though. If the hero was going to change this medieval dystopia there really wasn't any indication. And I didn't really like her anyway.