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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.