A good long-run

I ran for 2 1/2 hours on the Jordan River Parkway. My first mile was about 11:30, a pace close to my normal pace when I have a high energy level. I didn't know if I would be able to keep that pace for the rest of the run, so I slowed down and maintained a pace of about 12 minutes for the remainder the run. I did, though, speed up during the last half-mile when I realized I might set a new PB for the 13-mile training run. With about a quarter mile left, I realized I would come in at 2:35 not the 2:33 I needed for a new PB, and since I was past my 2 1/2 hour time, I stopped and walked to my car. There was a 5-10 mph headwind going out and a corresponding tail wind coming back.

A 2:35 is a good time, considering that I took 12 walking breaks of 30-60 seconds each and walked both ends of the big hill that contains the detour into the residential section; I also walked up the big hill that contains my turn-around point. I like the Jordan River Parkway, because it contains the two big hills and several small hills. When I ran in Massachusetts, I got so used to hills that I didn't even think about them being hills; they were just my normal routes.

It was a beautiful fall day. My wakeup HR was 51, and I felt fine -- not energetic but still fine. I was on the trail before sunrise and felt slightly cold. Once the sun came up, I felt fine and did my normal sweating. I drank 20 oz of Gatorade and 12 oz of water. The shade temperature was in the 50s (F) when I returned.

I've been sleeping well the past few days, and if I sleep well over the weekend, my wakeup HR should begin dropping on Monday or Tuesday.

1 = 2, right?

My wakeup HR was 48, and I felt pretty good. I left for my two-hour run, but after a mile I could tell I was tired and I slowed down. That didn't help, and after 2 miles I was still tired. I turned around after half an hour and aborted the run, giving me an hour run instead of the two hours I had planned. I could have forced myself to finish the two-hours, but that would have made me tired for my long run on Saturday. I think I was tired this morning because of not sleeping well Monday and Tuesday nights. I did sleep well last night.

When your body needs a rest, give it one

I ran my scheduled half an hour this morning. I took it easy because my body was tired. Just poked along about a minute a mile slower than my long run on Saturday. Starting with next week, I hope to extend this half an hour run to an hour run, adding about 10 minutes each week.

My wakeup HR was 49 this morning due to getting good sleep the past week. I didn't sleep as well last night, woke up thinking about things to do, and it took me an hour+ to get back to sleep. Because of this, my HR should go up a bit in the next couple of days.

Rest runs are great!

My wakeup HR was 49, and I felt pretty good. I ran for an hour and enjoyed the run. Since it was a rest run, I was in no hurry to finish, and I just enjoyed myself, the beautiful 50s (F) day, and a few ducks in the river. I picked up trash along the parkway and just enjoyed myself.

A great 2 1/2 hour long run

I ran my 13-mile route on the Jordan River Parkway this morning, and I finished in 2 hours 34 minutes, a new PB for a 13-mile training run. When I crossed the 12-mile mark, I was at the exact time (2:21) that I finished the GSL Half Marathon. I kept a pretty constant and relatively fast pace for 11 miles, and then I slowed down a bit for the last 2 miles. I didn't force that fast pace; I just let my body dictate how fast it wanted to go, and I focused on keeping a constant pace. I slowed down during the last 2 miles, because my left ankle started feeling a bit weak; no pain or soreness, just weak as if it couldn't support my body weight. I didn't want to risk an injury and slowed down by 1-2 minutes/mile. I've had that feeling before in my ankles. It doesn't seem to be a serious problem; just a sign from my body that my ankle has reached its limit.

My wakeup HR was 51, and the temperature was 44 (F) when I left home. A sunny, bright, cheerful day, a great day for running and for being outdoors. Except for missing my half hour Tuesday run, I'm back to my pre-GSL mileage.

The end of an Era -- No more Etonic shoes

Today was the end of an era for me. I've used Etonic running shoes for almost all of my running career, beginning in 1976 when I moved from Phoenix to Massachusetts. Back then Etonic was a strong name in running shoes. About 8 or 9 months ago I decided to try new shoes to take advantage of advancements in shoe design and newer materials. The Stabilizer Pro shoes I was using are an old design, at least 15-years old.

I tried LOCO shoes (http://www.locorunning.com/) and liked them and have been using them for the past few months. However, I did have one pair of Etonic Stabilizer Pro shoes left, and I wore them during the late spring and early summer.

About 100 miles before the GSL, I switched to a new pair of LOCO Perfecto shoes and wore them in the GSL. I used my old Etonic shoes as my everyday shoes. After the GSL, I went back to my old Perfecto shoes. I decided this morning that it was time to switch back to the new Perfecto shoes and to use the old ones for my everyday shoes. So, I took my old Etonic shoes to the trash bin with gratitude in my heart for about 30 years of good service by the Etonic company.

I read recently that Etonic is coming back into the running-shoe business, and I hope they do well. I like my LOCO shoes and will stick with them.

Things are looking good for tomorrow's long run

My wakeup HR was 49, and I had 7 1/2 hours of good sleep. The 1-beat difference between yesterday's 48 and today's 49 in my wakeup HR is negligible. I figure the tolerance in measuring my HR is +- 1 beat.

My wakeup HR is coming down

Today and tomorrow are rest days, but I checked my wakeup HR this morning to see how my body is recovering from the sleep deprivation. It was down to 49 this morning. I've slept well the last two days, and that is a good sign.

A great but slower two-hour medium run

My wakeup HR was 52, and I could tell my body was still tired from the sleep deprivation yesterday. I slept well last night, but my body usually needs several days to recover from a lack of sleep.

I ran my two-hour medium run along the Jordan River Parkway at a slower pace than I used last Saturday. This illustrates the wisdom in running LSD with a time base instead of a distance base. If I had run a particular distance this morning, I would have (a) pushed myself to complete the distance, thus going beyond the capabilities

Not many on the Parkway

I only saw two other people on the Parkway. The first person was a woman walking her dog. The second person was a runner. I guess the many people I usually see are fair-weather runners :) I wore my nylon shell for the first couple of miles while I warmed up, and then I tied it around my waist and just ran in my normal T-shirt and shorts.

An unexpected rest day today

About 4 am my telephone rang. By the time I answered it, the person/computer had hung up. My son also awoke, and he said his caller ID didn't show anything except that the caller was out of state. I didn't go back to sleep for quite a while and ended up getting 5 hours sleep plus a half hour nap in the afternoon. As a result, I took the day off from running to give my body time to recover from the sleep deprivation.

A negative split great rest run

My wakeup HR was 46 and I felt good. The temperature was in the low 50s (F) when I left, and it was a beautiful day for running. I ran my hour rest run and enjoyed it. The return half was about 2 1/2 minutes faster than the first half, and I ran an additional ~1/5 mile to finish the time. I felt strong during the run. I ate a banana just before I left, and that might have helped a bit.

Walking breaks

My plan for walking breaks is to not take breaks during my rest runs but to take them during my medium and long runs. In a few months after I've stopped adding time to my runs and have gotten used to the longer distances, I'll slowly phase out the walking breaks from my medium and later my long runs. I ran the hour this morning non-stop with no walking breaks and no liquid intake. The beautiful fall weather we're having helps in reducing my need for extra liquid (I always drink water when I get up and again just before I leave).

A great two-hour medium run

Based on my run this morning, I would say that I'm out of my slump! My wakeup HR was 50 and I felt great. I breezed through my 30 situps so I knew my body was ready for a good run. At the half-hour point, I felt strong, so I went for another half-hour and then turned around. When I turned, I could tell that I had a touch of tiredness and that I should head back. I slowed my pace a bit on the way back, but I felt fine.

I hope I didn't overdo it by running for two hours. If I did, I may come down with a cold or I may go into another slump. If I get good sleep over the weekend, I'll hopefully be ok. If all goes well, Monday will be an hour rest run, and Tuesday will be a half-hour rest run. Wednesday will be another two-hour medium run, and next Saturday will be a 2 hour 45 minute long run that will be close to 13 miles.

The temperature was 44 (F) when I left for the Jordan River Parkway. The sky was cloudy with patches of sun. The temperature was 48 when I returned. We're in the middle of a cold front (lots of rain yesterday), and it will be back in the 80s (F) by Tuesday.

A great vacation, now back to real-life

We had a great time on our vacation. We visited my brother-in-law in Washington and took a ferry to Seattle to see the Space Needle. We also took a ferry to Victoria, BC, Canada and enjoyed that day. On the way back we visited my sister in Oregon, and we stopped in Boise, Idaho to see my mother-in-law's 34th great grand child who had been born just an hour before. We also went to Rexburg, Idaho to see my mother-in-law's 33rd great grand child who had been born a couple of days before.

Just as we entered Portland on I5 South, we saw an auto accident. About 200 yards in front of us, a car went from the center lane across our (left) lane and hit the concrete divider. It bounced off the divider and landed upside down. I was worried that the car would burst into flames, but it didn't. The driver was awake when they pulled him from the car and put him in an ambulance. If my car had been a few seconds further down the road, the other car would have hit us broadside. I couldn't see what caused the car to veer across our lane. Then, today as we entered Salt Lake City, I was in the center lane of I15 South, and a car in the left lane went across all lanes and stopped on the right shoulder. It looked like the driver was tring to take an exit from the inside lane. The car came very close to hitting the car in the right lane, and I think it may have clipped a truck that was in front of me in the center lane, because the truck stopped on the left shoulder. I don't know for sure what happened, but I was glad I wasn't a few seconds down the road! Then, to top it all off, as I left I15 to drive the last 10 minutes to home, there was an accident about a block east of the Interstate. That accident occurred several minutes before I got there, and it was on the opposite side of the Interstate from where I would be driving. Needless to say, I was glad when I got home and turned off the key.

I did a little running during the trip. I ran a couple of miles twice the first week and once this week. I also got a two-hour workout last week pushing my mother-in-law in a wheel chair around the Butchart Gardens in in Victoria. She had done a lot of walking before we got to the gardens, and she was ready for a rest. The path was hilly, and I got a good workout. Tomorrow, I'll be back on the Jordan River Parkway and will do 1/2 hour to an hour, depending how I feel.

Here are two pictures from the Butchart Gardens at Victoria. The beautiful woman in the first picture is my wife, Judy. The second picture is of the Sunken Garden that originally was a limestone quarry.

Vacation time

I won't be doing much running during the next week to 10 days. My wife and I are driving into Oregon and Washington to visit her brother and my sister. We're taking her 89-year-old mother with us. I hope to do a few short runs during the trip. This trip should give me a good rest which help pull me out of the slump. Rest is the cure for slumps that is recommended in the running literature. We head north and west tomorrow.

The GSL was a peak; now I'm in a slump

I think I peaked for the GSL. When I first started running at the race, I was doing 9:30 to 10 minute miles, and I felt great. Except for looking at my GPS, I couldn't tell that I was going too fast. I kept up that type of pace for 6 miles and a slightly slower pace for another 2 miles. Before the race I pushed myself to run 13 miles at a 12 minute pace, and since the race I'm running 4-5 miles at approximately a 12:30 pace. My fast pace during the race really was an abnormal pace for me, and I think I was at a peak (all racers dream of peaking for their races). It's taking me longer than I expected to get my distance back since the race, and I think that means two things. I'm needing longer to recover from the race due to my exertion during the race, and I'm probably in a slump. It's normal for slumps to follow peaks.

My wakeup HR was 52 this morning, and I ran for an hour. I drank 12 oz of water during the run. I felt tired, compared to last week, and didn't push myself during the run. I had a good 7 hours sleep last night, but the night before I only had 5 hours due to an early morning (4 am) phone call for my daughter-in-law who is a nurse at a local hospital. I couldn't go back to sleep after the phone call woke me up. I'll take a half hour nap this afternoon.

I felt like I was in Heaven this morning

I had a wonderful 90 minute run this morning. The temperature was in the low 80s with a slight breeze, and I really enjoyed the run! It's days like this that make it all worth while. I forgot to measure my wakeup HR, but I felt fine. When I got home, I ate a couple of boiled eggs so I would have some protein to help my recovery.

I drank 12 oz of water and 20 oz of Gatorade during the run. I don't know how fast I ran, but it was a decent pace that felt "just right".

Still have my cold

My wakeup HR was 50 this morning. I feel fine and am enjoying my rest day in preparation for a long run tomorrow of (hopefully) 1 1/2 hours.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I came down with a cold last Saturday evening. I still have the cold, but it is in the "thick mucus" stage, and it isn't having much effect on my energy level. This cold is like my previous cold, in that my body quickly (2 days) went into the "thick" stage and then took several days to leave the "thick" stage. Before I started running, I would be in the "thin" stage for a week and in the "thick" stage for another week. Now, as a runner, I get fewer colds and usually only if I have insufficient sleep or push myself too hard in my running, and I only stay in the "thin" stage for a day or two.