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...

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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!

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.

Training Graphs

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.