Fluffy snow on ice is a recipe for running with a ... thud!

I left about 10 am for my run on the Jordan River Parkway, hoping to go 6 miles. There was about an inch of snow on the bround, and I thought, "No problem. I've run in deeper snow than that." I started my run, being careful to land in mid-sole rather than on my heels. I had gone about 1/8 mile when ... thud, I was on my back in great pain. I lay on the ground for a few minutes to let the pain subside, and then I rolled onto my hands and knees and crawled a few feet to a wooden fence that lined the path (you can see the fence in the pictures of the path that is in the left side bar). I used the fence post as a support and pulled myself to my feet. I stood there for about a minute and then hobbled to my car and drove home.

I feel ok, just a small amount of pain, while standing or walking, or sitting on the edge of a chair or bed such that my center of gravity is over my hips. But, if I lean back in the chair or lie down on the bed, my back hurts more and is sensitive to jarring of my back, such as via a burp or a hiccup or a gasp for air.

While I was lying on the ground, I examined the path and discovered the asphalt was covered with ice and an inch of light, fluffy snow. I should have thought of the ice, because the snow didn't come until this morning after I was up, and the temperature last night was in the mid 20s (F) and we were having snow flurries when I went to bed. But, I didn't think about the path being icy, and I was caught by surprise when my feet went out from under me.

I wasn't paralyzed from my moving around, so my back isn't broken. My wife has been rubbing my back with an Arnica gel, and I felt no pain from the pressure of her fingers. So, I think I just have a big bruise on my back muscles. If the pain doesn't subside within the next couple of days, I'll go to the ER at the hospital and have them check for bone fractures. Needless to say, I won't be running for a few days or longer.

I'm glad the accident occurred soon after I started my run. It could have happened when I was 3 miles from my car. In that case I would have called my wife on my cell and had her come and get me.

I'm taking a rest day today

My wakeup HR this morning was 55, and I've decided to take a rest day. I had planned to run a reduced mileage of 3 miles to get extra rest, but after seeing my high HR, I decided to take the whole day as a rest day. I'm hoping to increase my distance in my run tomorrow from 5 miles to 6 miles.

A nice, enjoyable 4-mile rest run

During the late morning I ran a comfortable four miles on the Jordan River Parkway. Today was a rest day, and I just poked along at a slow, restful 13 minute pace. There were a number of people out walking, cycling, and running, and it was nice to pass them with a wave of my hand and a nod of my head and a smile.

Runners really are a nice community of people. There are a few walkers that I see frequently, and I feel like I know them even though I've never spoken with them. We have something in common that we share by just being there day after day.

Today was a two-layer day

The shade temperature during my run was in the low 40s (F), and it was probably in the high 40s in the sun. I wore two layers, my summer poly T-shirt and my nylon jacket. I was cold during the first couple of miles but felt fine after that. During the latter part of the run, I unzipped my jacket to keep from sweating. Sweating is a sign of energy being wasted.

Extended my long run to 7 miles

I just finished my weekly long run, doing 7 miles at a slow, restful pace on the Jordan River Parkway. It had been dark for over an hour when I left home. The temperature when I left was 31 (F) and was 23 (F) when I returned home. There was only a slight wind, and the night air was crisp, cool, and a delight. Because of a full moon and light from nearby buildings, I had no problem seeing the path. I knew there were no pot holes in that part of the path, and I was able to run in the darkness and enjoy it.

A half-mile segment of the run went via a detour though a residential street, and I enjoyed seeing the Christmas lights on some of the houses. Prior to that residential street, I went up the big hill that I've spoken of many times in this blog, and I made it up without stopping. At the bottom of the hill there is an American flag flying from a pole in front of a house. The pole and flag were lit by two spotlights, and it was a beautiful sight on a cold night.

I felt fine at my 3.5 mile turn-around point, and I was tempted to make the run 8 miles, but I resisted and headed back. After I had gone 5 miles, I started to feel a bit tired, and by 6 miles I was definitely tired. I took extra walking breaks during the last mile, and I was glad I had kept the run to 7 miles :) It was a good run considering the only food I had had during the 12 hours since I got up was a banana. Some of my grandkids were visiting for the weekend, and I was busy during the day and didn't think about eating.

I wore three layers tonight

I wore three layers during my run. My long johns, a long-sleeved cotton T-Shirt, and my nylon wind breaker. I was a little cold for the first two miles, and I had my hands tucked inside the sleeves of my jacket during that time. But, by two miles I was sweating, and I was able to remove my hands from the jacket. On the way back, I didn't have to exert much energy when going down the big hill, and I actually got cold and had to put my hands back into the jacket. However, after a mile, I was sweating again.

Let me outa here

Two gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor and a young trainee, were out checking meters in a suburban neighborhood. They parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter. Finishing the meter check, the senior supervisor challenged his younger coworker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck to prove that an older guy could outrun a younger one. As they came running up to the truck, they realized the lady from that last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath, she replied "When I see two gas men running as hard as you two were, I figured I'd better run too!"

Did a slow and tired 5 miles

I ran 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway, but I had a low energy level and ran a slow 13 minute pace. My wakeup HR was 49 this morning, and that is good since it's been in the mid 50s for the past month.

My right leg is still sore when I bend it, but it is significantly improved. I can bend it more than I could when I was first injured; I just can't bend it as much as I normally can. I feel fine standing, walking, and running. I just feel pain when I kneel or sit in a chair, especially a low chair.

I ran in late afternoon as the sun was going down. The shade temperature was 34 (F) when I left and 33 (F) when I returned. As I drove home, the sun was just dipping behind the Oquirrh mountains.

Still picking up trash

I haven't mentioned this in quite a while, but I'm still picking up trash. I don't do it during every run, but I usually do it about once a week. Right now I'm mostly getting litter that is near the path and are thus the most obvious. Most of the litter is blown in by the wind, I think. The people using the Parkway path seem to be putting their litter in the litter-cans.

Did a 2 mile rest run

I only had 4 1/2 hours sleep last night, so I just did a short rest run. I was tired during my Saturday 6-miler, so today was a good day for a rest run. The temperature was in the high 60s during my run, but the temperature will be down in the high 40s tomorrow.

Ran 6 miles this morning

I normally don't run on Friday, but my schedule tomorrow is full, and I ran today rather than risk missing it tomorrow evening. My wakeup HR was 52 this morning, but my energy level was low. I ran 6 miles at a slow pace of 12 minutes. The day, though, was nice. Temperature in the low 50s and a partly cloudy sky.

On Wednesday I spent five hours on my feet, mostly just standing with a little bit of walking, and I was tired when I finished. As a result, my wakeup HR yesterday was 56. So, I think that today was a recovery day, and I probably shouldn't have added a mile to my run.

A tired 3.5 mile run

Since yesterday was a stressful day, today was my light day, and I ran 3.5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. I felt tired and was glad I hadn't gone farther. The temperature was in the low 50s (F), but the sky was cloudy and a cool 5 mph wind was blowing. I wore just my running shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt and was fine.

Today was a good but tired 5-mile rest run

I forgot to take my wakeup HR this morning, but I felt pretty good as I stretched before leaving for my run. During the run, I could tell I was tired, and my pace during most of the run was 11:45 - 12:15. During the last 3/4 mile, however, I felt stronger and ran a bit faster. My pace during the last half mile was 11:28.

We had rain yesterday, but today is a beautiful, sunny day in the mid 50s (F).

Back to 5 miles

We're really having a warm fall. The temperature was in the high 60s (F) when I ran 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. There was a slight wind blowing that felt nice as I ran. I forgot to check my wakeup HR this morning, but yesterday it was 53. I felt fine during my run, and my pace during the last half mile was 11:16.

Upped my distance to 4 miles

I ran 4 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. It was a great run and a great day. The temperature was in the mid 50s, and it was really nice to be outside. During the last half-mile, I measured my pace at 11:52, a slow pace but a good pace while I recover from my right leg injury.

Tomorrow and Friday are rest days, and I hope to do 5 miles on Saturday.

A great run at dusk

When I left home for my run on the Jordan River Parkway, the sun had set behind the Oquirrh mountains. I ran two miles and really enjoyed it. On the way back, lights were turning on in the nearby buildings, ducks were settling in the river for the night, and it was peaceful and quiet. I passed a few walkers out with their dogs, and I talked with one man who had "lost" his wife somewhere. I think she was the walker I passed just before I stopped, and I told him the direction she was going.

My wakeup HR was 56 this morning, down quite a bit from last week. My knees are still swollen but not as much as they have been. I could have gone farther than two miles, but I didn't want to put a lot of stress on my body and hinder my run tomorrow.

I did my 2nd session of resistance tonight

My plan is to do resistance training on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. I'll be doing longer runs on Wednesday and Saturday, and I don't want to do weight workouts on those days. Monday is a light, rest day, so I hope I won't have problems doing both a run and the workout on that day. It doesn't take very long to do the workouts. I'm doing 10-12 reps of each workout.

Starting resistance training for total body strength

I got my bench and weights today and started my program to build total body strength. I'm using the program at http://www.runninginjuryfree.org/totalbodystrength.html
I'm starting light (2#) and will work up from there. I'll probably do the program on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday or Friday. I'm old, stiff, and creaky, and I don't look as professional as the girl in the pictures in the program :)

In addition to the new workouts, I'll continue with my 30 sit ups, 20 furniture lifts, thigh and foot-press stretches, and push ups; these are all forms of resistance training that I've been doing.

My first November run was 3.5 miles

I ran 3.5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway this morning. The temperature was in the high 40s (F), and it was a really nice day! My right leg and knee felt the same as they have for the past few days, and my running hasn't made the condition worse like it did last week.

I measured my pace during the last half-mile, and it was 13:10. Pretty slow (intentionally) to not abuse my leg and knee. I usually run that half mile with a pace of 11:30 when I'm doing a recovery run and 10 - 10:30 when I feel pretty good.

I've been making a lot of posts about my sore leg and knee. I've decided I don't need to make any more posts about that. As long as I don't mention my leg and knee, you'll know that either the condition hasn't changed, or it has improved. If the condition gets worse, I'll mention it. You'll be able to guess at the condition as you read about my running: longer and faster runs will imply my condition is improving.