Diarrhea and running don't mix

I had a very interesting experience during my running today. My wakeup HR was 55, so I knew I was tired. However, I felt about the same as I did on Wednesday, so I went running for my 10 miles. The temperature was in the mid 40s, the sky was cloudy, and there was a cold 20 mph headwind when I left.

I did fine for the first four miles. Then I had an attack of diarrhea, fortunately a small attack! It didn't run down my legs, but it did get all over my underwear and all over the skin in my groin and crotch. I tried to keep it in, but it slowly came out. There wasn't anywhere I could go to relieve myself and not be in sight of a house. I should have turned around and headed for home, but I was only a mile from my turn-around, so I kept on going. After I had turned around and gone about a mile towards home, I ran out of energy and walked the remaining four miles. I only had on a thick T-shirt and a nylon jacket and a baseball cap, sufficient for running, but not sufficient for walking. I got really cold on the way back, although I didn't get into the first stage of hypothermia, which was surprising since my normal body temperature is 96+, only two degrees above the threshold for hypothermia.

As soon as I got home I headed for a hot shower to warm up and wash off. My skin that had contact with the feces was sore, and I learned the lesson that all new parents learn: change diapers ASAP so the baby doesn't get sore skin.

Another sign from my body that I ignored in going out running today was that I didn't sleep very well last night. And, to make matters worse I developed a cough and sore throat during the run.

Training Graphs

Tired today but made the 10

I could tell during my situps that my body was tired. However, my wakeup HR was 51, and that was a good sign. I left home realizing that I might abort the run due to being tired. I ran at a slower pace than I did on Monday and made it through the 10.2 miles without walking. It took me about 16 minutes longer than on Monday. The temperature was in the mid 40s F, but there was a 10-15 mph headwind on the way out. I was looking forward to a tailwind on the way back, but the wind had mostly died down by the time I turned around.

Training Graphs

Nice 10 miles today

My wakeup HR was 52 again this morning. I ran 10.2 miles and felt fine. No stopping except one time to take off my wind breaker and tie it around my waist. The temperature was in the high 40s, and it was a cloudy and nice day for running. I finished the 10 miles in 2 hours 8 minutes, about 5 minutes longer than I did the 9 miles on Saturday.

I can tell my body is getting stronger, because my comfortable pace is faster, and I'm beginning to feel like I did 25 years ago during my marathon training -- going mile after mile and feeling great. I plan to run my 3 x 10 miles during January, and then in February and March extending my Saturday long run up to 15 miles. That will give me two 10 miles and one 15 miles per week. I'm thinking of running a half-marathon in May or June. By then I will have run my weekly 15 milers for a couple of months, and I should be able to do the 13.1 miles ok. It would be great if I could do it under 2 1/2 hours...

Training Graphs

Finished a nice week of 9

I ran the 9 miles again, running the canal road. We're having daytime temperatures in to 50s, and that has dried up the road. I've had good sleep for the past several days, and that really is making a difference in my performance. My wakeup HR was 52 on Saturday, and I ran a bit faster due to feeling more energetic.

Training Graphs

Continued with the 9 miles

I ran the 9 miles again. I just ran along a city street due to the canal road being muddy. I felt about the same that I did on Tuesday.

Training Graphs

Doing 9 this week as a recovery

I ran 9.2 miles this morning. During the run out, I felt pretty good and ran a bit faster. On the way back, I started getting tired but made it with no walking. The canal road was muddy from melted snow and rain, and I ran out and back on a city street. My legs didn't tighten up and felt fine.

Training Graphs

Bad week for sleep

Today was another ok run for 8 miles. I felt a little stronger than I did on Wednesday, even though this week was a terrible week for sleep. I got home late from work (around midnight) and didn't get to bed immediately after arriving home. I wake up around 7-7:30 regardless of the time I go to sleep.

My wakeup HR was 57. The temperature was in the mid 20s when I left and was 30F when I returned after an hour 54 minutes. This has been my first week of running since my surgery, and it has been a fine week.

Training Graphs

My body likes 8

I just returned from another ok 8 mile run. I was a bit more tired than I was on Monday. I didn't get enough sleep the past two nights, and that always reduces my energy level. My wakeup HR, though, was down to 55.

I left later in the morning, and the temperature when I left was 35F. Another nice, sunny day.

It's been interesting to run the canal trail with snow on it and to see the human, dog, and bird tracks in the snow. It brought back memories of my childhood. My parents gave me a 22 single shot rifle for my 12th birthday, and I did a lot of rabbit hunting during my teenage years. My dad and his brothers had a farm outside of town, and I used to walk there with my 22 and hunt rabbits. I had to walk through the local airport, across the runway, with my rifle. If I did that today, I'd be in jail, but back then, no big deal.

I remember one winter Saturday. I hunted for several hours on the farm, walking through a foot of snow. Back then, we didn't have insulated winter boots, only thin rubber galoshes over our gym shoes. On the way home, I met a friend who had his rifle, so I turned around and went hunting with him. I was in the snow for about 8 hours. When I got home, my big toe on my right foot was all blue, and a few days later the toenail came off. I was too dumb to know about frost bite, but I had a good case of it. No permanent damage was done, and my toenail grew back.

Training Graphs

Doing 8 this week as a recovery

I ran 8 miles this morning and felt fine. Not a great run but an ok run. My wakeup HR was 57 -- still high, indicating I'm not fully recovered from my gall bladder surgery. I felt better today after the 8 than I did on Saturday after the 8. So that is a good sign.

The temperature when I left was 17F, a nice, sunny day.

Training Graphs

Started 10 finished 8 and walked 2

I has been two weeks plus two days since I came home from my gall bladder operation. I ran 8 miles this morning and walked the last 2 miles for a total of 10 miles.

On Wednesday I had my two-week checkup from the doctor who removed my gall bladder, and he said I was cleared to do anything I wanted, i.e. no restrictions. My wakeup HR went up to 60 after the surgery, and it has been up there ever since. This morning it was 58. I could tell from that and from my situps this morning (I did 20 instead of my usual 30) that my body was tired. After 4.3 miles into the run, I had my first faint indication that I was getting tired, so I went to 5 miles and then turned around. I felt ok until 8 miles, and by then I could tell I was getting tired and was slowing down, so I walked the last 2 miles. I think that next week I will run 8 miles three times. If that goes ok, I'll add a mile the week after and another mile the week after that. If my body doesn't handle that very well, I'll reduce the miles or go for two weeks before I increase, depending how I feel at the beginning of each week.

There was about 2 inches of powdery snow on the canal road, but the snow didn't make it harder to run. Snow mobilers had used most of the road, and I ran in the wide track left by the machines. I saw lots of dog tracks in the snow (and human tracks accompaning the dogs) and a few bird tracks.

The temperature was 19F when I left and was in the mid 20s when I returned. I wore 3 layers for most of the run, two layers for part of the run in the middle. The picture of me in my profile, with the orange knit hat, was taken this morning after I returned from the run. My three layers were a regular T-shirt, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and my wind breaker jacket.

Training Graphs

First run since gall bladder surgery

I ran 3/4 mile yesterday, the first running I've done since my gall bladder surgery. I felt fine during and afterwards. I could have gone farther, but I just wanted to get out and loosen up. I'll go farther later in the week.

Just had gall bladder surgery

Well, I'm off of running for a few days. During the past three weeks I've been having stomach cramps about 3-4 hours after eating. The cramps would go away after another 3-4 hours. The magnitude's of the pain slowly increased during the three weeks, and they began occurring more often. Last Friday evening the pain was very painful, and on Monday evening the pain was even worse.

I went to Cottonwood hospital and had my gall bladder removed. The doctor said it was in bad shape, all crusted, and he had a hard time getting it out. I spent last night in the hospital and came home today. I'm supposed to get a lot of rest during the next few days. I can walk but not run for a couple of weeks. I feel much better now, although I have some shoulder pain from the carbon dioxide gas they put in my stomach cavity to push the organs apart. I haven't had pain in the three small incisions that were made.

Training Graphs

Stomach pains and taking a rest week

This week is a rest week. I haven't felt very well all week. I took a sick day on Monday because I was weak with little energy. On Wednesday evening at work I started feeling cold. I put on a wool sweater but couldn't get warm. After my half-an-hour drive home, I had a sharp pain in my stomach. The next morning I took some oxygenated water to kill any germs that might be causing the stomach pain and went to work on Thursday and Friday. I've been taking the oxygenated water each day since then, and the pain is gone this morning. The pain was gone yesterday morning but came back in the afternoon. I took the oxy water last night and had no pain during the night. I took some this morning and have had no pain so far. Besides killing germs, the oxy water helps restore the body ph to a more neutral value.

My wakeup HR on Monday was 65+, but it came down to 55+ for the rest of the week. Yesterday is was 58, still higher than my normal 50.

I think my problem this week is that I've pushed too much in increasing my distance, and my body finally had to tell me to back off. I'm going to level off at 10 miles for a month or so to get used to that, and then I'll slowly increase my Saturday run up to 15 miles. I just have to give my body more time to adjust.

Training Graphs

Did 12 miles again

My wakeup HR was 52, and my body felt pretty good during and after the run. Earlier in the week, and also last week, both of my legs tightened up during the run. Today, however, only my right leg tightened up. I walked/jogged the last three miles to avoid the possibility of injury due to the tight muscles. The fact that my left leg didn't tighten is a good sign that my body is adjusting to the distance.

It had rained during the night, and when I left there was still a slight drizzle. However, after about half an hour the rain stopped. The sky, though, remained cloudy until the last half an hour of the run.

Training Graphs

Tired but finished 12

My wakeup HR was 53, and I felt a bit tired as I walked around the house. During my 30 situps I could tell I was tired a bit. I made a small reduction in my running and ran 12.4 miles instead of the 12.8 miles I ran on Monday. A contractor had dug a large trench across the canal road to put in a big pipe, and I had to backtrack a bit, probable about 1/4 mile extra due to that. I walked the last 1/3 mile to compensate for that extra quarter mile. The 1/3 mile was not part of the 12.4 miles that I ran. My pace going out was my normal 11+ and coming back was 13+ minutes/mile.

Training Graphs

Added distance and did 12.8

I increased my mileage to 12.8 and had a nice run. I felt about the same degree of "tiredness" and leg stiffness that I did on Sunday but ran 1.4 miles further. My wakeup HR was 52. The sky was cloudy for most of the run but no rain.

I saw a few ducks in a puddle in the canal, but most of them are gone.

Training Graphs

Ran 11.4 miles again

I just returned from running the 11.4 miles again. I felt stronger this time; last time, I walked/jogged quite a bit during the last 2 miles, but this time I only walked once for a couple hundred feet during the last 2 miles. That is a good sign that my body is adjusting to the longer mileage. Also, since I started running regularly after my last skin cancer operations in the first week of September, I've been adding 10-12% to my mileage each week, and I haven't had a cold (when I over train I get a cold). My body must think it is Superman....

My wakeup HR was 51. When I left the temperature was 43F with a light rain. I wore my nylon jacket for the first mile and then took it off and carried it. My body generates a lot of heat, and I felt fine running at that temperature in the rain. By the time I reached my turnaround point, I was beginning to feel the cold, and a short time later I put the jacket back on and tucked my hands in the sleeves. I didn't set a speed record today but just did a slow jog the whole distance.

Training Graphs

Ran 11.4 miles today

My goal was to run 10.5 miles, but I had to detour around a gate blocking the canal road and ended up with additional mileage. The property used by the canal road is owned by the local property owners -- the canal company only has a right of way. One farmer wants his cows to graze on both sides of the canal, and during the late fall, winter, and early spring when the canal has no water, he closes a gate so his cows can cross the canal. I was expecting this and had my detour all figured out.

I got pretty tired on the way back and walked/jogged the last two miles. I haven't run much during the past two weeks due to working on the ground for my new barn. The barn was installed yesterday, and I'm hoping to get back to my normal running. My wakeup HR was 52.

On the way back, I saw two big dogs in the middle of the road. I ran towards them and stopped when they were about 30 feet away. They didn't bark or wag their tail; they just looked at me, and I just looked at them. I thought to myself, "Now, what do I do?" I said, "Hello dog!", and the biggest of the two immediately started wagging his tail and walked to me. I let him sniff my hand (keeping my fist clenched so if he tried to bite me he would have to bite my whole fist instead of just my fingers)so he would know I was "ok", and then I petted him. As soon as I started petting him, the other dog started walking toward us. The big dog walked a few feet away, and the other dog immediately stopped. I whistled to the big dog, and he came back for more petting. When the other dog saw that, he walked to us and joined our petting fun. They were very friendly dogs. I was worried they might follow me home, but they didn't.

Did 10 but tired

My wakeup HR was 48, but I could tell during my situps that I was tired. That's not surprising considering the stressful week I've had. I'm having a TUFF barn installed in three days, and on this past Monday my wife and I moved 8 yards of dirt, and on Wednesday I moved 6 yards of road base (gravel & sand). In a few minutes I'm leaving to get another yard of gravel to finish the plot for the barn. The barn, 10' X 20', will be resting on 8 inches of gravel/sand.

I ran my 10 miles again this afternoon, along the canal trail. It had been raining but stopped just before I left. By the time I returned, it was sunny and just partly cloudy. The first part of the run went well, but on the way back I got tired and jog/walked the last two miles.

Training Graphs

Happy Birthday to me...

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday happy birthday, happy birthday to me. I'm 70 today and thus am in a slower category for racing. I don't expect to do any racing for a while, though.

I ran 10.1 miles today. This run was my birthday present to myself. My body felt ok, but my legs tightened up. I walked/jogged the last 2 miles to relieve the stress on my legs. I didn't run the canal road today but ran out and back on a city street. My wakeup HR was 53. This was my first 30 mile week in about 10 years.

I'm still not sleeping very well. I woke up after 5 hours sleep last night and was awake for over an hour before I drifted back to sleep. I'm beginning to wonder if my sleeping problem is due to over-training. I've had two months of great increases in my distance, going from 6 miles to 10 miles. I think it may be time to level off my distance and give my body some rest. So, I'm going to run 10 miles again next week.

Training Graphs

Still not sleeping well :(

I'm still having problems getting enough sleep; sorta like jet lag without the travel. My body gets used to a particular routine, and it wakes up at the same time even though I got to bed later. I got 6 hours sleep last night, and my wakeup HR was 53. I'm just leaving for my run and will be back in two hours.

I just returned from my run -- 2 hours 12 minutes for 10.7 miles. I was so close to the Bangater Highway that I went the last quarter mile to get there. Sure enough, the highway blocks the canal road. I looked at the Google satellite maps last night, and it looked like there was a dirt road that went east along the highway to 27th West. There is, but it is blocked by a chain-link fence that protects a large pond of water that is the water supply for the city of Riverton. The satellite maps also showed that a road called 3600 West might go under the highway. If that road is a dirt road, probably not. If it is a paved road, then yes. That road is only half a mile west of were I was standing next to the Bangater Highway, and I could see an underpass for 3600 West to go under Bangater. So, my new route will be the canal trail to 134th South, then west to 3600 West and south on that road. I probably won't be able to get back to the canal road, but that is ok. I'm near the end of the Salt Lake valley, in an area that hasn't been developed much. I should be able to go a number of miles with little traffic and few houses.

I ran my comfortable pace, but the pace changed with my body conditions. When I first left, I ran the first mile at a pace of 10+. Then I ran at 11+ until I turned around. On the way back I was getting tired and I ran at 12+, and at 13+ for the last mile. I enjoyed the run!

Training Graphs

Well, the canal water was turned off...

Today was a great run! I added distance and ran 9.8 miles. I felt stronger than I did last week. On Wednesday I hope to run 9.9 miles, and on Saturday I'll give myself a birthday present and run 10 miles.

In the past I've stopped frequently to pick up trash. During the last couple of weeks I haven't been picking up much trash, meaning that I'm running longer before I stop at a light or for traffic. At first I wasn't used to running without relatively frequent stops, but during the past week I could tell I was getting used to having fewer stops. Today I had no stops except for traffic/lights and a brief visit with a lady who was walking her dog to inquire about the condition of the canal road to the south (she said the canal road is blocked by a new highway that was built a few years ago, and I will have to detour to the city streets to get across the highway). I felt fine running mile after mile to get home!

The canal water was turned off over the weekend, and now there are large puddles in the canal. In a couple of weeks those puddles will be gone, and the canal will be dry. With a dry canal I might be able to use the canal itself to cross under that highway. I'll have to see how much room there is in the canal-bed under the highway.

Felt tired today but ran 8.7

I ran my 8.7 miles again. Even though my wakeup HR was 52, I felt tired. During the first 3 miles, I was running against a 15 or so mph head wind. Then the wind died down. I did some walking on the way back due to being tired. If I still feel tired on Monday I'll run the 8.8 miles again next week; otherwise, I'll add a mile to the course. I didn't have tightening of muscle that I had earlier this week. My new Mojo LOCO shoes are great! I've run 18 miles in them and have walked an additional 2-3 miles with no problems. The big question is will they prevent my supination as well as my Etonics do.

The temperature was in the mid 50s while I ran, and it is a beautiful day and a great time to be outside.

Ran in my new Mojo shoes

I ran my 8.7 miles again and felt stronger than I did on Monday. My wakeup HR was 52. I've slept well the past two nights. The muscle that tightened up on Monday tightened up on my way out, but it didn't last long, and I had no problems with it on the way back.

Yesterday, I received my new Mojo shoes from locorunning.com LOCO is a new shoe company in New Hampshire that was started by runners for runners. Their whole product line is four running shoes, the Mojo being their stabilizer shoe. I've been wearing Etonics Stabilizer Pro shoes for about 15 years and have had good success with them, as I mention in the shoe page of my site. My only complaint is that they seem a bit narrow for me. I need a new pair and thought I'd try the LOCO shoes. I wore them all day yesterday, including going to work and walking a mile round trip from the parking lot to the college library building where I work. They felt very comfortable and seem to be wider than the Etonics (locorunning.com says they are D-E in width). I wore them on my run today and had no problems.

Getting sleep depraved

I increased my mileage to 8.7 miles. I felt fine, but I was tired coming back. During the past week I haven't gotten enough sleep, due to making a DVD video of my visit on
Grandfathers Day to the school attended by my granddaughter. Lack of sleep is a quick way for me to be tired :) My wakeup HR was 48, which surprised me due to the lack of sleep. On the way back, I had a muscle near my knee tighten up. It was the area where the hamstrings connect near the knee. I stopped and walked a hundred feet or so each time it tightened. When I got home I stretched the hamstrings.

The water-level in the canal is back up, so they haven't turned it off yet.

Another great 7.8 mile run!

My wakeup HR was 54 (I haven't gotten enough sleep this week). I'm leaving for my 7.8 mile run and will finish this when I return.

Wow! I had a great run! I had a high energy level, and my comfortable pace seemed to be faster. On Monday I'm hoping to add 0.8 miles to give a 8.6 mile distance.

The canal still has water, so they haven't turned it off yet. It will go off sometime this month. All of the male ducklings in the canal are now full grown and have the beautiful Mallard color. It took about 5 months for them to mature.

Lost sleep due to installing new hard drives on computer

I ran my 7.8 miles again. I was more tired than on Monday due to only getting 5 hours of sleep Monday night. My hard drive have been having bad sectors, so I bought two new disks and installed them as a RAID 1. I was up until 3 am getting Windows installed on the new disk and copying my data files from my old disk. Yesterday was a rain day, but today is a nice, warm, sunny day. A great running day!

My wakeup HR this morning was 55, indicating my lack of sleep did affect my body. We had our first frost last night, very light. The water level in the canal is going down, so it looks like they have shut the water off for the winter.

Great 7.8 mile run!

I had a great 7.8 mile run. I felt fine during and after the run. Hope I feel fine on Wednesday so I can repeat it. I think I will! On the way back, I felt so good that I lengthened my stride a bit. When I run slow, I shuffle my feet a lot, but when I run faster I take longer steps and don't shuffle as much.

The temperature was about 51F when I left. A cloudy day and great for running. My wakeup HR was 53.

7 good miles today

I just returned from another good 7 mile run. My wakeup HR was 50, and I felt fine. There was a strong 15-20 mph headwind, but on my return trip the wind had mostly died down. This happens a lot -- wind in the morning and by 10 or 11 am it is on its way out. I need to get out earlier if I want the advantage of a tailwind :)

A great 7-mile run

I just returned from a great 7-mile run! The temperature was 50 when I left, and the sun was just peeping over the mountains. On the way back I stopped to talk with a friend who lives next to the canal about 0.8 miles from my home. He was picking apples and gave me one to eat on my way home. Boy, fresh apples sure taste better than the ones in the stores! He said he would have a sack of apples for me to take home when I pass by on Saturday.

My wakeup HR was 50 this morning, a great sign that my body is recovering from my last surgeries and resulting layoff from running for a week.

A great running day

My wakeup HR was 51, and I felt pretty good! I've slept well the past couple of weeks, and that helps my HR to come down. I sleep until I wake up naturally. Normally, I get 7 hours of sleep. However, after my surgeries, my sleep has gone up to 8-9 hours, and then as I recovered it has come back to the 7 hours. After my last two surgeries three weeks ago, I went through two weeks of 8 hours sleep, and now I'm back to 7 hours. Interesting how our bodies adjust conditions to give them the rest they need.

I added 0.6 miles to my route for a total of 7 miles. I was out early, and the temperature was in the mid 40s when I left -- a great running day, and a great run! The canal water was low on Saturday, and I was worried they might have turned it off for the winter. However, it was back up this morning.

My body is starting to recover from my last skin cancer surgery

This morning my wakeup HR was down to 53, a good sign that my body is recovering from my last two skin-cancer surgeries two weeks ago. I ran the 6.4 route again and felt pretty good. When I had about half a mile left, I saw my wife and grandson, Eric, walking along the canal road. They came out to see Grandpa. I walked home with them. We stopped to get some plums from a tree growing next to the canal road. It was nice to see them!

My body is still tired

My wakeup HR was 55. I ran my 6.4 route along the canal and felt ok but a bit more tired than on Tuesday.

A nice 6.4 mile run today

My wakeup HR was high today, 57, but I ran my 6.4 mile stretch along the canal. I felt pretty good. The last two times I ran, I only ran 5.9 miles because I started getting tired (recovery from my 7.8 mile run). I didn't get tired today, even though my HR was high. I had a pretty good recovery from my last two skin-cancer surgeries two weeks ago, and I would have run last week but I had a busy schedule and chose to take rest days instead of running in the evening when I was tired.

Today, when I had about a mile left, I could feel my legs starting to tighten up a bit, but the tightening didn't increase (in fact it went away) so I continued running. It wasn't much, just enough that I could feel it a little bit. It felt good to get back on the canal road again.

My pace varies from 10 min/mile to 12. I'm running at my comfortable pace and am concentrating on distance not speed. I'll run 6.4 miles this week and then if I feel good, I'll try 7.0 miles next week. It's getting cooler, and that helps a lot. It was about 58 or 59F when I left home for the run. Lots of shade along the road.

I saw several families of ducks along the canal. The ducklings are now fully grown and fly away when I approach, but they seem to be staying together as a group. I guess they will stay on the canal until instinct tells them to go south for the winter. I saw two ducks that were beginning to get color on their head and wings, while the third duck was all brown. So, I guess the beautiful mallard color takes a couple of years to develop.

Family hike today, skin cancer surgery tomorrow...

Today was Labor Day, and we had a family outing up Big Cottonwood Canyon to hike up to Lake Mary. The trail is only 1 mile each way, but it is all uphill. In the 1 mile, we increased in elevation by 700 feet, which is about a 13% grade! I was pretty tired when we got down. No running today. Not much of a rest day, either. Tomorrow at 7:15 am I report to the doctor for removal of two skin cancers.

Still Tired today

My wakeup HR was 53 again. I still felt tired, so I ran the 5.9 miles again. I'm going to be taking off next week due to skin cancer surgeries, so I wanted to get a few miles in. After I recover from the surgery, I'll have to work up to the 6.4 miles that I've been running and then do smaller increments to get back up to the 7.8 miles.

Very tired today, but I didn't listen to my body :(

My wakeup HR was 53. I ran this morning, but I felt tired and aborted and came home. My distance was 5.9 miles. I should have rested today. I could tell when I left home that I was tired, but I ignored my body and went out. Fortunately, after 2.9 miles I heeded my body's call for rest and turned around. Violating the 10% rule last Tuesday was a poor idea :(

22% Increase in my run :(

Ops... I forgot to post to this blog last week. I ran on Thursday, August 25 and completed my 6.4 mile run. I felt tired but was glad to complete the distance. I didn't run on Saturday because of a busy schedule, and I figured the extra rest would be helpful.

I felt great this morning! My wakeup HR was 51. I decided to add to my distance, and I ran to the next major intersection of the canal and a city street. The major intersections are about every mile as the crow flies and about 1.1 mile or so as the canal flows. My run ended up being 7.8 miles. It was a longer distance than I had expected, because the canal turned and intersected the street at an angle instead of coming straight into the street. I ran the whole distance and felt fine at the end. I was out earlier, and the temperature was in the low 60s and that helped.

The 1.4 miles that I added today was an increase of 22%, a bigger increase than I should have taken. I had five days off with no running, and that helped my body to feel rested. It will be interesting to see how I feel on Thursday. I'm hoping I can do the 7.8 miles on Thursday and Saturday of this week, because I won't get much running next week due to having my last two skin cancer surgeries on Monday (two small ones on my nose).

Feeling tired

I felt tired all last week, but I was able to complete my runs and feel fine. I felt tired this morning, my wakeup HR was 53, so I decided to do a rest run of 4.2 miles instead of my normal 6.4 miles. If I continue to feel tired this week I'll continue to do rest runs. I've had good running this past month, and I'm not surprised my body needs a rest. I remember reading many years ago an article by a world-class runner who recommended a rest week each month.

Finished picking up litter!

Today was the day I've been waiting for for a number of months. I'm running out and back 3.2 miles for a total of 6.4 miles. I finished today my picking up of litter. The whole 3.2 miles is clean and looks great! Maybe I should get one of those "Highway cleaned by..." signs. :) It is nice to run on a dirt road and not have it look like a town dump. There was an awfully lot of trash from houses being built. Contractors are starting additional subdivisions, so I'll have more trash to police, but it looks nice for a while.

My run was great! My wakeup HR was 54 and I felt fine. I'm getting out earlier in the morning so there is more shade along the road.

Another great 6.4 mile run!

Another great 6.4 mile run! My wakeup HR was 53.

I saw a pheasant. It was in bushes next to the road, and as I approached it flew about 100 yards to a field. I also saw two hawks looking for food. They were about 20 feet high and about 20 feet away from me.

I had my GPS with me to measure my pace. The pace varied from 10+ to 12+ minutes. In past months it has varied from 11+ to 13+ minutes. So, my body is getting stronger.

A great 6.4 mile run!

I had a great 6.4 mile run today! My wakeup HR was 53 and I felt strong. The temperature was in the 60s with a cloudy sky. If fact, there was a 5-minute warm summer shower that felt great!

I practiced pushing off with my toes. I could hear the difference--distinct foot strikes with less scraping. It seemed that I was running faster, but I didn't have my GPS and couldn't measure my pace.

Still have quote a few ducks in the pond. Wonder when they will fly away...

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Gravity still works

My wakeup HR was 53 and I felt great when I left for my 6.4 mile run. I had a very good run until I got into the last mile. I have a bad habit in running, in that I shuffle my feet. I tripped on a small rock and fell on the canal road. I had abrasions on my face, both hands, right arm and left knee. Blood, mixed with sweat, was trickling down my face and onto my nose. I had no water or tissue to clean myself, so I ran home and headed for the shower. That part of the trail was full of fine asphalt powder and small pieces from the olden days when the road was paved. I washed as much of it off as I could in the shower and then spent an hour cleaning more off with hydrogen peroxide. Some of the abrasions have a gray color instead of the normal flesh color. I need to learn to push off with my toes and quit shuffling.... This injury happened during my run but was not due to my run.

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My one-year anniversary!

Today is the one-year anniversary of my return to running after my auto accident on May 19, 2004. One year ago I ran 1/8 mile. Now I'm running 6.4 miles. It's been a nice year!

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Tired today...

My wakeup HR was 53 this morning. I ran my 6.4 miles this morning, but I was still tired from Saturday. It would have been better if I had taken today off to get extra rest. I will take Wednesday off for that reason. I was out running by 8:15, and the temperature was in the low 70s. A nice morning for running.

I saw a flock of geese foraging in a field. They are beautiful birds.

During the afternoon I had a check-up visit to my skin cancer surgeon and received bad news. The skin graft on my nose isn't taking very well, and I'll have to have another graft done. The new graft will be done in September during the visit I'll make to have the last two cancers removed. Oh well, someday I'll be finished with them. I'm making sure I put sun screen on my exposed flesh while I run, and I'm wearing my Legion hat that comes down over my neck and ears. The hat is hot but gives more protection against the sun.

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Tried a night run...it didn't work

I had a very busy schedule today and couldn't run until about 9 pm. After a mile and a quarter, I could tell I was too tired to continue, and I aborted and went home. I had spent two hours rototilling my garden and mowing lawns just before I went running. Also, it was dark and I ran without a flashlight. The canal road is relatively smooth but does have uneven spots, and that hindered my pace.

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An enjoyable 6.4 mile run

I had a good 6.4 mile run this morning. Not quite as good as the run on Monday due to my becoming a bit tired during the last mile, but it was an enjoyable run.

I saw a large flock of birds browsing in an alfalfa field. There were about the size of two pigeons and had long wings. They looked like miniature cranes with a long beak, thin, long head, a very long neck, and long legs. They were black or dark gray in color. I don't know what bird they are, but I've seen them in past years.

My wakeup HR was 52.

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Great run today; bit faster too

I had a great 6.4 mile run today! My wakeup HR was 52, and my comfortable pace was 1-2 minutes/mile faster than last week. The sky was cloudy, and that helped, too. My only walking was carrying an armload of litter to the dumpster that is next to the canal road.

Food, what's that?

I learned a lesson this morning. Yesterday I was late in getting to work, so I skipped breakfast. I went directly to a meeting, planning to eat afterwards. I became engrossed in revising my software per the decisions at the meeting, and I forgot about eating. I finally had a light supper about 7:30 pm. I also didn't drink much water during the day.

My wakeup HR was 55, and I felt pretty good when I got up. I ran my 6.4 miles and felt fine on the way out. In fact, I ran about a minute/mile faster than I did on Wednesday (I ran my "comfortable" pace, so the faster pace was due to my feeling stronger, not because I pushed myself to go faster). But, on the way back, I had no energy, and the last mile felt like the last mile of a marathon. So, it pays to eat well, because the energy I needed this morning should have come from my meals yesterday. I didn't eat much yesterday and didn't have much energy this morning. :(

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Tired, but OK run

My wakeup HR was 55 this morning, and I ran my 6.4 miles again. I ran a minute/mile faster on the way back than I did on the way out. My only walking was in the longer stretches of shade on the way back. I only got about 5 hours sleep last night, and I was tired when I first got up and also throughout the day. Still, it was an ok run. It's nice to see my HR coming down. I didn't like it to be up at 60+.

I got an answer to my question about male mallard ducks getting their colorful feathers. I saw a few male ducklings in the canal that were starting to get their colorful feathers. These ducklings are older and larger than most of the ones I've seen, but they are still smaller than their mothers.

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Wakeup HR down to 52

I had a nice surprise this morning -- my wakeup HR was 52. That indicates I had a good recovery from my run on Saturday in which I added 1.4 miles to the distance I ran the week before. It also indicates by body is starting to recover from the stress of my skin cancer operations (my wakeup HR has been 59-60 or more with an occasional drop to 56). If it is 56 or below in the morning, I'll run my 6.3 miles again.

Wakeup HR down to 56

My wakeup HR was down to 56 and I felt pretty good. I ran 6.4 miles and only walked a bit picking up litter and some walk/jogging during the last half mile. When I left home the shade temperature was 69F, but it was much hotter in the open sun. There were a couple of places were there were 200-300 feet of shade (large Cottonwood trees lined up along the canal), and that shade felt great!

There are still quite a few ducklings in the canal. They are getting large (still smaller than their mother) and are learning to flap their wings and get some lift as they "run" along the surface of the water. The ducklings are all brown, like their mother, and I'm wondering when the males will get the beautiful color of the male Mallards.

I'm still running on an empty stomach, but I do drink water before I leave.

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Ran 5 miles & carried big piece of plywood

I had a great run today! My wakeup HR was 55 (a new low, I think, for my running during and after my skin cancer surgeries)and I felt fine. I ran 5 miles and only walked a quarter mile while I carried a heavy piece of old plywood and a bunch of tar paper to a dumpster. I was out earlier (8:15 am) and it wasn't as hot as it was on Saturday.

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Getting stronger -- yea!

Starting with yesterday I'm feeling stronger, so I ran 4 miles today. It was hot (89F when I left and 91F when I returned) and the sun felt like an oven. I took it easy and did a lot of walking on the way back. I saw quite a few ducklings in the canal. They are still smaller than their mothers, but they are getting pretty big.

My wakeup HR was 57 yesterday and 59 today. Still high but not in the 60s as it has been the past couple of weeks. I've been on an antibiotic for the past week (had to swallow a pill four times a day for a week, and I think that tired me out a lot. Last Monday my surgery involved a skin graft (an extra hole in my body to provide the skin), and the antibiotic was for that and the pig-skin graft that I had the week before. I finished the antibiotic on Thursday and started feeling stronger on Friday. I've had 8 surgeries for skin cancer and have two more that are scheduled for the first two weeks in August. I'm getting there!

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1st run in three weeks

It's been three weeks since my last run. I've been having weekly surgeries for my basal cell skin cancers, and my body wasn't in a condition to handle running. I had surgery at the base of my nose, between my two eyes, and that surgery caused a headache. That head ache remained until I had surgery on my forehead. The headache continued after the forehead surgery, and I still have it.

During the past three weeks my wakeup HR was 59-60, but Saturday and today it was down to 57. Not much of a change but a bit better. I went running this morning and ran 4.6 miles. A nice way to celebrate the birthday of the USA. I started getting tired and turned around and came home, walking some of the distance. I have more surgery on Wednesday to do a skin graft on a big hole that isn't filling in like it should, so my next opportunity for a run will be Friday or Saturday if I feel ok. Otherwise, I'll rest until I do feel better. I have surgery next Monday, too. Then I'm taking a break from surgery until the first part of August. I've had 6 skin cancers removed and have three more to go (one next Monday and two in August).

One thing I'm learning in life is that trials pass, and things get better. I'm always telling people that patience is a great virtue, and now I'm learning that through my experiences with surgery....

Ran 6 miles today

My wakeup HR was 53, high by normal standards but low since I've been having surgery for basal cell skin cancers. I ran my 6 miles along the canal trail and felt pretty good; I really enjoyed the run. The only walking I did was stopping to pick up litter that had blown from housing construction sites and put it in a dumpster near the construction.

I haven't run for the past couple of weeks because I've been having surgery each week. I still have four or five more to go, but they are the smaller ones and hopefully won't impact my energy level as much as the past ones. The surgeries are out-patient in the doctor's office. My next surgery is in two days (Monday morning).

The temperature was 84F when I returned. A nice, sunny day, especially nice since we've had so much rain lately.

Ran 6 miles yesterday

I ran my 6 miles yesterday. We had a lot of rain during the night before the run, and it was still sprinkling when I left home. The drizzle stopped after I'd gone a couple of miles, and I removed my rain jacket. I felt pretty good during most of the run. I started getting tired during the last mile. I should have stopped at that point, but I had my brain in the driver's seat, and it kept telling me, "You've gotta make your goal of 6 miles". I took it slow during that last mile. You have to be careful when you let your brain do the driving, because it's easy to push yourself too much. The good news is that I'm not tracking my pace. If I get tired but decide to continue, I slow down and many times jog/walk to finish my run. By doing this, I'm always running at my comfortable pace, where my comfortable pace yesterday was around 12 minutes when I started and probably 14-15 minutes when I ended.

I had another surgery today for skin cancer. This one, and the one two weeks ago were for big cancers. If I feel ok in the morning, I'll go for a run; otherwise, I'll take a rest day.

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Canal water is in!

The farmer I talked to on Monday was right, our canal water came in yesterday. The wild ducks are really enjoying the water. I ran 3 miles along the canal. My wakeup HR was 57, indicating I'm still recovering from my sleepless nights after the surgery nine days ago. If I feel ok on Saturday, I'll run 4 1/2 miles on Saturday and 6 on Monday. If I don't feel quite that energetic, I'll take a bit more time getting my distance back. I slept well last night.

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Wakeup HR was 59 due to surgery

My surgery last Tuesday for a large skin cancer affected me more than I had expected. I didn't sleep very well last week. I did get a lot of sleep Saturday night, a long nap on Sunday, and Sunday night. My HR was 59 this morning, and I just ran 1.68 miles to loosen up my muscles.

While on the run, I talked with a local farmer, and he said our canal will have water on Wednesday. That is about two weeks later than normal due to all of the rain we've been having.

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Nice run on Monday, surgery the next day

I had a nice run this past Monday. I didn't do any walking and felt ok at the end. Still no water in the canal. There are three canals in the valley. I drive past another of the canals, and it is full of water. A year ago, in mid summer, there was an earth slide that blocked the canal. They fixed the blockage, but by then it was time to stop the water. I'm starting to think that there might be a problem again with the canal.

On Tuesday I had a big skin cancer (Basal Cell) removed. When the doc was finished there was a hole 3 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch deep. The doc was able to stretch the skin over most of the hole, and he ended up with a hole about the size of a nickel. My head has a lot of pain and I'm not sleeping very well. So, it will be a few days before I run again.

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Saw a hawk today, motionless in the sky

I just returned from my 6 mile run. I started to get tired during the last half mile, but not as much as I did on Monday. My wakeup HR was 50.

I saw three sets of ducklings swimming with their mother. The canal water hasn't come in yet, and the ducklings were swimming in runoff pools from the rain we've been having. There were 10 or so ducklings in each set.

Last week I saw a hawk flying stationary above the canal. It was facing into a 6 or so mph headwind, and it would flap its wings every 8-10 seconds, just enough to keep itself stationary above the canal. I guess it was waiting for a mouse or something to run across the dirt bottom of the canal. It was about 50 feet above the ground.

I saw the herd of buffalo again. Those guys are big.

I'm thinking I'll run the 6 mile course for another month, maybe two months, until I feel comfortable with it. Then I'll start to add distance again. I'd like to be up to 10 miles by Christmas, three times per week.

The sky was sunny with a few clouds when I left on my run. The temperature was in the 50s. A great day!

My grandkids are here visiting, and we're thinking of taking them to Thanksgiving Point and walk around the gardens. If we do that, I'll get another couple miles walking.

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My father-in-law passed away

I ran my 6 miles again. I was tired from lack of sleep last week, and I walked about half of the last mile. My father-in-law passed away Saturday evening, and I was up late visiting with family members and helping plan the funeral. He was 87 and had a good life. He was the ideal father-in-law, not controlling but available when needed.

My wakeup HR was 53.

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Playing catch-up with this blog

I forgot to post my running on Monday and Wednesday of last week, so I'm doing that in my posting for yesterday.

I ran my 6 miles on all three days last week. I didn't do any walking, and I can tell my strength is returning. During my Saturday run, I felt as strong as I did before the hernia surgery.

While out on Saturday, I saw a red winged blackbird in a tree. A beautiful bird, dark black with a bright red blotch on its wing. The canal water isn't flowing yet, but there are a lot of rain drainage puddles in the canal, and wild ducks are enjoying that. We're really getting a lot of rain this spring.

Earlier in the week, my wakeup HR was 51, and on Saturday it was 53.

Need more sleep

I did about a half mile of walking during my 6 mile run. My wakeup PR was down to 51 and I felt good at the beginning but became tired on the way back, hence the walking. I've only been getting 5-6 hours of sleep this week, and it's finally catching up with me.

No water in the canal yet, but a lot of big puddles of runoff from rain. Lots of wild ducks in the canal. I saw so many of them on Wednesday that it was like running through a city park with ducks at the city pond.

One of the fields I run by has a herd of buffalo. The animals are usually at the far end of the field, and I don't see them. On Wednesday and today they were at the near end of the field, and I had good views of them. Boy, are they big! They make a low, snorting noise, sorta like someone snoring.

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No walking today!

I ran my six mile course and didn't do any walking or stopping to talk. I felt tired like I did on Monday, but since I didn't walk or talk, I did better. I'm slowly getting my energy back. My wakeup HR was 53.

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6 Miles again today

I ran 6 miles again this morning. I still walked a bit, but not as much as on Saturday. My wakeup HR was down to 52. The lower HR and the reduced walking indicate that my strength is returning. Over the years, I've observed that when I'm out of running for a period of time, it takes me about the same time to build back up as I was off. From that viewpoint, by the end of next week I should be back to my pre-surgery running level.

It was a nice day to be out. Comfortable temperature in the 50s, beautiful clouds. It's great to be alive!

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I did it! 6 miles

I did it! I did 6 miles this morning. About half way through I started getting tired, so I jogged/walked the rest of the distance. My walking was about 1 1/2 miles of the total distance. I should feel stronger this week as I do the 6 miles on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

My wakeup HR was 55 again.

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Getting back into it: 4.8 miles today

My wakeup HR was 55, and I felt pretty good. I ran 4.8 miles along the canal road. I'm pleased with my running this week. I'd been three weeks with no running and was glad that I could run as far as I did. If I feel fine on Saturday I may do 6 miles, the distance I was running before my skin-cancer surgery. During the last part of the run I started getting tired and jogged/walked about 1/3 mile to my home.

We've had rain the past couple of days, and I saw several pairs of wild ducks swimming in the runoff water in the canal. The Utah Lake water isn't flowing in the canal yet.

I probably would have run a bit farther, but the canal road went into a large muddy area, and I turned around. The mud was from construction vehicles at a home building project. I walked about 100 feet into the mud and then realized the mud extended a lot further than I had thought. I turned around but somehow went at the wrong angle through the mud and missed the canal road. I walked through several hundred feet of mud and came to a road that took me down to the canal road. When I got back I took my shoes into the shower and cleaned them.

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Recovering from the surgery

I had a nice 3 mile run today! After 1.5 miles I started getting tired, and I turned around and came back. I felt fine during the run -- no pain in the incision area of my surgery. My wife and I then walked 1.35 miles around the neighborhood admiring the spring flowers.

On the way back from my run I saw several Canadian Geese foraging in a field. One goose was on the canal trail. I stopped running and slowly walked toward the goose. I was about 15 feet away from it when it flew away. The other geese were about 30 feet away, on the other side of the canal. My wife and I walked to the canal but didn't see the geese.

There is no water in the canal yet, but the water should come any day now. Once the canal has water, I'll start to see new ducklings swimming with their mother.

My wakeup HR is high (58). After the surgery my HR was about 55. Then I didn't do very well last week in getting sleep, and that pushed it up a bit. I got more sleep over the weekend and will focus on sleep this week.

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Doctor said I can run

It's been 15 days since my double hernia surgery. I was checked today by the surgeon, and he said I was making a great recovery and I could now do anything I wanted, as long as I listen to my body and act accordingly. I specifically asked him about running, and he said "yes". He suggested I start with walking and mix in some jogging. I'm planning on walking tomorrow and Saturday, and then on Monday starting some jogging. It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get back to my six miles three times a week.

Hernia operation coming up next week

Today was a cold rain day. When I left, the temperature was 39, it was raining, and a 10 mph wind was blowing. I need to get a can of silicone spray and spray my nylon running suit, because it didn't keep the rain out. After about two miles, the rain stopped, the wind died down to about 5 mph, and the sun tried to shine through clouds. I took of my nylon jacket and finished the run. I felt great at the beginning of the run but was tired at the end. I've run the 6 mile course 7 or 8 times, but I'm still not used to it. I will be able to run it two more times before my hernia surgery next week. The surgery will put me out of running for 2-6 weeks, I'm not sure exactly how long. My hernia operation in the early 80s kept me from running for 6 weeks.

My wakeup HR was 48.

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Beautiful day and I ran 6 miles using my new GPS

My wakeup HR was 50. It was a nice spring day. I didn't run the canal road, because it was wet from rain last night. Instead, I ran my old course through the nearby city streets, using my GPS to measure 6 miles.

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Ran the maiden voyage for my new GPS

I used my new Garmin Forerunner 101 GPS for the first time this morning. I checked the distance of my "6" mile course. The course is actually about 6 1/2 miles. No wonder I was so tired earlier this week. I had added about 20% instead of 10% to my run. I stopped today after 6 miles and felt pretty good.

The temperature was about 45F when I left. A strong 10-15 mph wind was blowing. It was hard to go South into the wind but was great when going North to have that tail wind. My wakeup HR was 50.

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Got tired and aborted last part of run

My wakeup HR was 51 again. I ran my 6 mile course but didn't do the whole thing. I was getting tired, so I stopped at my house instead of running the last part. About two weeks ago, my pedometer started giving inaccurate results. This happened when I first went to 6 miles. Thus, I'm not sure how long the "6" mile course is. I've purchased a Garmin Forerunner 101 GPS unit. It should come today, so I'll use it on my next run to measure the "6" mile course.

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Due to a messed up schedule, only got 3 miles

I was late leaving for my run this morning and didn't have time to do the 6 miles. I ran 3 miles and then got ready for work. Never hurts to take an extra rest day :)

My wakeup HR was down to 51.

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Getting used to 6 miles

I ran my 6 miles again and felt pretty good at the end. This is the fourth time I've run that distance, and I can tell I'm getting used to it. My wake HR was 52 again. There was trash along the canal road, and I picked up most of it. A lot of kids walk along the canal road, and they just dump their cups and candy wrappers on the ground. When I moved from Massachusetts to Utah, I brought the "New England hiking mentality" with me to keep the trail clean, and I like to pick up trash as I run.

I saw today the two wild ducks that I saw last week. The mud puddle they were in last week is dried up. I hope they figure out that they need to fly somewhere to find water, since it will be a couple of weeks before the canal has water from Utah Lake.

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Increasing my mileage at a higher rate than before my auto accident

I ran my 6 mile route along the canal road this morning and felt stronger than I did on Monday. My wakeup HR was down to 51 and that helped.

During the first five months of running after my accident, I was able to increase my mileage at a faster rate than I did before the accident. Before, I increased my distance after 6-7 runs. After the accident, I increased my distance after 3 runs. However, when I recently reached 5 miles, I could tell my body needed more time to adjust to the higher mileage. The tired feeling I've had during my 6 mile runs has confirmed that I should probably run that distance a few more times before I increase it. Also, I'll be going into surgery at the end of March for two hernias, and during April I'll have the first of 5 or 6 surgeries for skin cancer (basal cell). This means that I'll not be running for several weeks after the hernia operation and for a week after each skin cancer operation. Because of this, I think I'll use the rest of March to become better adjusted to my 6 miles. By being able to run 6 miles with less fatigue, I'll be stronger to handle and recover from the surgeries.

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County crew out cleaning the canal

My wakeup HR was 54. I ran 6 miles, most of it along the canal road. It was nice to get back to the road. The canals don't have water yet, but the County crew was out cleaning out the canals. Water should come in a couple of weeks. I saw two wild ducks in a mud puddle (rain runoff).

I was pretty tired when I finished. The last two miles was on city streets, and I could tell that I the dirt canal road takes more energy than the cement sidewalks. I had noticed this earlier this spring when I ran the canal road a couple of times. Before my accident I didn't notice any difference between the dirt road and sidewalks, so my energy level still isn't back to its pre-accident level.

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Ran 6 miles for the first time

I added 11% (0.6 mile) to my run to make the run 6.0 miles. I felt better than I did on Wednesday, but I was still tired a bit. My wakeup HR was down to 52. It was a beautiful day, 57F, and lots of sun. I've been feeding the two horses grass each run, and they are getting used to me and automatically come to the fence when they see me standing by it.

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Tired and aborted run

I was tired when I left for my run, and about 1/4 way through I realized I needed to abort. I turned around and went home, for a total distance of 2.8 miles instead of my planned 6 miles. My resting HR was 55, an increase of 6 points from yesterday.

The temperature was 42F when I left, and there was lots of sun. A beautiful day. The two horses that I pass enjoyed the grass I fed them.

Getting close to 6 miles

I was able to run today and completed my 5.4 mile course. My wakeup HR was down to 53. I felt ok at the beginning but a bit tired at the end -- not bad for being off 9 days. The temperature was 40F when I left with a 6-8 mph head wind. By the time I finished the wind had gone down a bit.

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Wakeup HR zoomed up due to treatments for skin cancers

I haven't run at all during the past week. On Feb 17th I was treated for 31 skin blemishes. About 5-6 were scraped so a biopsy could be performed (the biopsy just came back and they were Basal Cell cancers, not the dangerous kind), and the rest were frozen with liquid nitrogen (like a steady stream for 4-8 seconds). My resting HR went up to 56-58 and has been there during the week (in mid-week it went up to 60). I've felt tired, so I've just rested this week. I'd like to run on Monday if I feel stronger.

Also contributing to the high HR during the week was a night of only 5 hours sleep due to a late night trip to the hospital ER to have two or three of the frozen blemishes treated -- they were getting infected, and we were worried the infection could spread through out my body (we learned that the infection was local and not much of a concern). And, I have a slight cold and cough that came after the treatment for the 31 blemishes.

The next few months won't be good for my running. On the 21st of March (may be changed to the 28th), I'll have surgery for two hernias. I had a hernia operation in the mid 80s and couldn't run for six weeks. Then during April I'll have surgery for the 5-6 skin cancers that were scraped. So, I'll just take it day by day and do the best I can; at least I'm still alive :)

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Rest day today due to reactions to skin cancer treatments

Oh Oh, my wakeup HR rate is up to 56 this morning. That is a big jump and is probably due to my skin cancer treatments last Thursday. Too bad, because I was looking forward to another good run this morning. Instead, I'm taking a rest day.

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Wakeup HR down to 49 :)

My wakeup HR was 49. Glad to see it go down after my 5.4 mile run yesterday!

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A great run today

A great 5.4 mile run today. I skipped my run on Wednesday and took an extra rest day. I felt a bit tired before and after my run on Monday and during the day on Tuesday, so I took the extra rest day Wednesday. I felt fine today. The temperature was 39F when I left, and the was about a 5 mph wind blowing. It rained during the night and the ground was wet.

My wakeup HR was 52.

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Finally back to my pre-accident mileage

Today is the day I've been waiting for for 6 months. Today I ran the distance I was running before my auto accident on May 19. Two months and three weeks off from running while I was in the hospital and receiving home therapy. Six months plus two days to build my mileage from 1/8 mile on August 12, 2004 to 5.4 miles today. I think that is pretty good for an old geezer who had to learn to walk after leaving intensive care.

I added 11% today to make my run 5.4 miles. I was a bit more tired today than last week, but I made it through the run and felt ok during and at the end. My wakeup HR was 52. The temperature was in the middle 40s. When I left there was a 10 mph wind, but when I finished there was only a 3 mph breeze.

A light snow during my run

It was snowing lightly during my run. The temperature was in the low 30s. The streets and sidewalks were warm, and the snow melted upon contact with the ground. I enjoyed the run, although I felt a bit more tired than I did on Thursday. My wakeup HR was 49 again.

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I run and the horses eat...

I did it! I finally remembered to take carrots to the two horses that I visit during my run. I usually pick a handful of grass, but the ground is covered with snow and I took carrots today.

Nice running day and nice 4.8 mile run. My wakeup HR was 52. It went up because two nights ago I only got 4-5 hours sleep due to waking up with a stomach ache. I usually don't get stomach aches, and I think it was something I ate.

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Snow last night

Today I added 14% to my run to make 4.8 miles. I had planned to run to 4.7 miles, but the corner of the block was close, and I ran to the corner. I felt fine during the run and afterwards (so far, at least). We had about 3" of snow last night, but the temperature during my run was in the high 30s and low 40s. A nice day to be out.

My wakeup HR was 52. I'm just about over my cold. My mucus is very thick and yellow

I'm really looking forward to next week's runs. If all goes well this week, I'll add another half mile on Monday of next week to put me up to 5.3 miles, my pre-accident mileage. On Wednesday of next week, I'll run that distance for the second time and be at the exact point in my distance where I was prior to the accident. Six months and a week of running to get back to where I was. I think that is pretty good progress for an old geezer...

If all continues to go well, I should be up to 7 miles in a month. At that point I'll level off for a month and then add a 4th day, starting at a half mile or so. I'll keep my heavy day at 7 miles and bring the light day up to 3.5 miles.

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What a day!

Today was the day to beat all days! 54F when I left on my run, a 5 mph breeze, lots of sun, beautiful clouds, and a horse that needed some grass. Great to be alive and outdoors.

It was a good running day, too. I ran my 3rd time for 4.2 miles. Next week if I feel good, I'll add half a mile. I checked my pace for the run and it was about 11.5 min/mile. That is just a bit slower than before my accident but faster than a month ago. In two weeks I'll have my distance up to my pre-accident distance. I've really had a good recovery during the past six months, and I'm grateful to the many people who were involved in caring for me, and to the Lord for giving me more time on this wonderful world!

I passed two kids about 7 or 8 years old. Both kids were on roller blades. The young had a dog on a leash that was pulling her. Her brother came along on his own power. When I got to them I said, "I'll race you to the corner". They laughed but didn't take me up on it (the corner was only 20 feet away).

My wakeup HR was 53 this morning (54 yesterday). I missed a run in the middle of the week because I had a slight cold. On Tuesday morning I was scheduled to report for jury duty. I woke up that morning after three hours sleep and couldn't get back to sleep (I do that when I'm under perceived stress due to an appointment in the morning). I was ok during the morning jury selection (I wasn't selected), but during the afternoon my nose started to drip. I took two days off work and rested. I was back to work yesterday, and my nose was almost dried up and was in the "thick" stage. I felt fine this morning.

Another great 4.2 mile run

I had a great 4.2 mile run tonight! My wakeup HR was 51 this morning. I left early for work and ran when I got home, about dusk. I felt great and ran a faster pace than I usually do. I do my LSD at a "comfortable" pace. I don't try to run at any particular pace, and I let my body determine how fast I run.

When I first start running, my breathing pattern is 4-4, 4 steps (LRLR) as I breath in and 4 steps as I breath out. After the first mile, my breathing pattern goes to a 2-2 pattern. As with my pace, I don't force this pattern; my body just goes to it. Once in a while, if I need more oxygen when going up a hill or something, I'll do a 1-1 pattern, but I don't do it more than just a few times. Tonight, I caught myself doing a 1-2 pattern, one step as I breath in and two steps as I breath out. That's a strange pattern since it isn't symmetrical.

Training Graphs

A great 4.2 mile run

I had a great run today, adding 13% for a 4.2 mile run. My wakeup HR was 54 again, but I felt pretty good. The temperature was 40F with no wind. A nice day for running.

I met my goal of 4 miles by the end of January. I should be at 5 miles before the end of February. That will be special to me, because I was running 5 miles when the auto accident occurred. If I make that, I will have regained my mileage in 6 months of running. Even better is that I feel stronger now than I did before the accident. Before the accident, I was adding 10 or so percent every couple of weeks. Since the accident I've been doing that every week.

Training Graphs

Tired from a sleepless weekend

Last Saturday I spent all day helping my son with his tables at a gun show. I only got 4 hours sleep the night before because I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. During the show I was literally on my feet all day, not sitting down even once. The result of all this was that I was pretty tired on Monday and skipped my run. I'm doing better with my sleep, but I'm not fully recovered from the weekend. My wakeup PR has increased due to this increased stress and was 52 today.

I had a nice 3.7 mile run today. If I feel ok on Friday or Saturday, I'll bump it up 10% to 4.1 miles.

Training Graphs

Still tired

My wakeup HR was 49 and I felt pretty good but still a bit tired. I ran the 3.7 miles again, feeling better than I did on Monday. The temperature was in the high 40s during my run. I made the mistake of wearing my long pants and two layers, and I was really sweating. When I got up, there was frost on the neighboring houses, so I put on my long pants. However, I didn't go out for a couple of hours, and by then the temperature was in the high 40s. I didn't have much time left, so I didn't take time to change in to my shorts.

Training Graphs

Darkness and the canal trail don't mix

I had out of town visitors today, and I didn't go running until 8:30 pm. By then it was dark. I decided to try the canal road again. It has been several days since the snow melted, and I thought the trail would be dry. It wasn't. It wasn't mud but was still soft and hard to run in. I got pretty tired during the run. I had eaten supper just an hour before I left, and that didn't help me either.

I added 12% to my run, making it 3.7 miles. My wakeup HR was 50 again.

Training Graphs

A great running day

Today was another great day for running. 28F when I left and 34F when I returned from my 3.32 mile run. Sunny skies. Even though my wakeup HR was 49, I was a little more tired for this run than I had been earlier in the week. That's ok since it's the end of the week, and I have an extra rest day over the weekend. Most of the snow is gone, and I was able to pick some grass and feed it to the two horses that I pass.

Training Graphs

It's been five months since my accident

Ok, everybody, follow the bouncing ball (to the tune of Happy Birthday):

Happy anniversary to you
Happy anniversary to you
Happy running anniversary...
Happy anniversary to you.

Today is my 5 month anniversary since my accident. Five months ago I ran 1/8 mile and was very tired. Today I ran 3.32 miles and felt pretty good. My wakeup HR was 51. We had a touch of wet snow last night that froze on the ground and crunched as I ran. The middle of the streets was icy, from cars using the street, so I ran along the edge of the streets where cars hadn't gone. Virgin snow, even with a slight ice crust on it, isn't nearly as slick as ice caused by cars packing the snow. The temperature was 30F when I left and about 34-35 when I returned 35 minutes later. My pace was around 10 minute miles, which is slow, but that is ok since I'm focusing on distance. As I get stronger, my pace will pick up. It already has a bit.

I've been adding 10+% to my distance each week. Before the accident I needed 2-3 weeks for a 10% increase. I seem to be stronger now than I was before the accident. Seems strange... If I can keep up this rate of increase, I'll do 4 miles by the end of January and 5 by the end of February. My pre-accident distance was 5 miles. If I make that distance by the end of February, my accident will only have set me back about 9 months.

Training Graphs

Sleep, wonderful sleep...

What a difference an hour makes! I've been getting 7 hours sleep. Last night I got 8 hours, and I felt like a million dollars. My wakeup HR was 49, and I had a wonderful run. I added 10.7% for a total of 3.32 miles. The temperature was 37 when I left, and I ran in the rain. I haven't run in rain for a long time and it brought back memories of Massachusetts. I do, though, need to spray my nylon wind breaker with Silicone to keep out the water. My shirt was damp from water leaking through, but that's ok, it would have been damp from sweat anyway. A great run today! Such a difference from last week when I had a slight cold.

Training Graphs

Windy today

My wakeup HR was down a point to 50. I felt pretty good and went out running. The temperature was about 39F, but there was a 20 or so mph cold wind. I felt comfortable in my 3 layers when I left but was sweating by the time I finished. I normally would unzip my wind breaker, or take it off, when I begin to sweat, but I kept it on today due to the wind.

Going against the wind was tiring but going with a 20 mph tailwind was great!

Training Graphs

Colds? What are they?

My wakeup HR is dropping as fast as it went up last week! It was 51 this morning. I think I've figured out why it went so high, and the cause is related to lack of sleep. A couple of weeks ago I didn't get enough sleep for a night or two, and I picked up a slight cold. My nose dripped a bit and I had an occasional cough that brought up thick, green stuff. My nose was dripping thin mucus. As far as colds go, it was a slight cold, but my HR went up. My cold is pretty much gone and my HR is coming down.

I don't get colds very often. Before I started running, I got several bad colds per year. Then one day I realized I wasn't getting colds anymore. That was about 25 years ago. Even though I'm at an advanced age (69) I don't get flu shots since I have a strong immune system. The only time I get a cold is if I get insufficient sleep or overtrain, both causing my immune system to weaken.

Training Graphs

Sugar spikes are bad. Low HR is good.

I haven't run much during the past week or so. My wakeup HR went sky high to 60. Usually when my HR goes that high it's because of lack of sleep. However, I've been getting good sleep. I can think of two possibilities for causing the HR to rise.

1. During the New Years weekend I ate a lot of candy, chips, etc. It was a dumb thing to but at the time it tasted good :( Foods with a high glycaemic value (high in sugars) cause an insulin spike, and this upsets your body chemistry. I'm not a doctor, but I would suspect this could affect ones heart rate.

2. I've been running four months since my accident, and during that time, I've made very good progress in my running. I've consistently added 10-12% each week to my distance (one time I added 18%), and for the most part I've felt good during my running. It may be that it is time to give my body some extra rest. The running literature recommends that you take a monthly rest week to give your body extra rest. The literature recommends running heavy/light during each week, and then, once a month, decreasing the mileage during the week to run a light week. I haven't been doing that, and my body may have been signaling me to give it some extra rest.

At any rate, my wakeup HR was down to 55 this morning, and I felt pretty good. I ran my 3 mile course and felt good at the end. The temperature was 32, and a light snow was falling (we have about 4-6 inches on the ground). The sidewalks and streets were clear of snow, and I had a good run. It was nice to get out and run.

Happy New Year everybody!

Today is New Years day, and my run was my way of welcoming in the new year. The temperature was in the low 40s and we had about 3 inches of new snow on the ground. I started my run by going down the canal road, but I exited the canal road after 0.85 miles because I was getting very tired. The snow on the canal road had been packed by snowmobilers, but it was hard to run in. I continued my run on city streets that were clear of snow and felt fine.

Santa gave me a Sportline 360 podometer for Christmas, and I used that to measure my distance. I added 12% today to make my run 3.0 miles. My wakeup HR was 52.