A nice 5 mile run that ended in a mini-snow storm

I started my run about noon today. The temperature was 30 (F) when I started and 36 (F) when I ended. The weather forecast called for an afternoon snow storm (about an inch expected), and I hoped to finish the run before the snow started falling. However, there were a few flakes falling during my run, and during the last mile the snow-fall was heavier. The snow didn't collect on the asphalt path, because the asphalt was warm from a hazy afternoon sun. When I got home, there was about an inch of new snow on the ground, and I got more exercise by shoveling the snow off my sidewalks and driveway.

One of my ice cleats came off during my run

I was expecting a lot of ice on the path, because the temperature was in the teens last night and was still below 32 (F) when I began my run. Also, we had a bit of snow during the night. I thus put on my ice cleats. However, by the time I began my run, the snow had been plowed from the path by the city folks, and patches of snow that had been left were melting due to the warm asphalt. I quickly realized I didn't need the cleats, because the path was mostly clear of snow and ice, although it had a lot of water on it from melting snow. There were some patches of ice, and I left the cleats on. However, during the last quarter mile, I took the cleats off and navigated around the few icy spots.

Just before I reached my 2.5 mile turn-around, I discovered one of my ice cleats had come off. I back tracked and found it about 100 yards away. I had put that cleat on without taking my shoe off, and I didn't get it pulled enough over the sole of the shoe. The cleats have a rubber "web" that fits over the toe, heel, and soles of the shoe. The other cleat didn't come off, because I had put that one on after I took my shoe off, and I had it pulled over the sole far enough that it stayed on. Lesson learned to take shoes off to put on the cleats.

I beat the snow with my 3-mile run

Because my wife and I would be leaving to take our grandson, Erik, to the hospital to see his new sister, I was out early for my run. I had planned to go 5 miles, but because I was running against a 10-20 mph headwind, I could feel the strain in my right knee, and I reduced the run to 3 miles. My knee felt fine on the way back with the wind being a tailwind. We left for the hospital about an hour after I got home, and we had to drive in a terrific snow storm. The storm didn't last long, and we ended up with about 3 inches of snow. The temperature was 36 (F) during my run, but during the snow storm, the temperature was 30 (F). It was a nice run. My nylon windbreaker did its job!

Welcome to the world, Anja! (my 10th grandchild)

Hi All,

Anja Marit Megumi Leigh would like to say "Hi". She was born about 50 minutes ago [1:40 pm] by planned C-Section due to being a big baby (our son Erik had to be born this way as he did not fit out the chute), so we figured the same problem would exist and we scheduled it).

9 lb 2 oz
22 inches

Mom and baby are fine.
Brother Erik is really excited.

Chad

Another nice 5-mile winter run

I ran my 5-mile route again along the Jordan River Parkway. When I left home the temperature was 33 (F), and there was a lot of sun in the sky. However, by the time I reached the two-mile marker, the sky was about 3/4 overcast, and at the 2.5-mile turnaround, the sky was completely overcast. There were snow flurries during the last 1.5 miles of the run. The asphalt path was warm, though, and the snow flakes melted on contact with the path. The path was almost clear of snow and ice, but there were a lot of water spots on the path, and I had no problems with the path.

My legs felt more tired today than they have during my last several runs, so tomorrow's rest day will be helpful.

I saw a different bird, a blue heron, I think

I saw a bird that I haven't seen before in this part of the Jordan River Parkway (further south in Riverton there is a bird refuge next to the river that has a variety of birds). The bird was large and has a wing-span, I would guess, about 3-4 feet. The bird has long legs, a long neck, and a small head. The bird was a light gray in color. On the head, there was a white stripe going down the middle of the head and another white stripe going down the neck. On each side of the head going through the eyes and to the back of the head were black stripes. There was a white stripe in the lower part of the neck. The wings had black and white strips mixed in with the gray color. The bird was on the bank and flew to the river and stood in the water and looked at me.

I think it was a blue heron. Here are some pictures from Google of a blue heron.

A nice winter 5-mile run

I ran 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. The path had been plowed, and most of it was mostly free of ice and snow but was wet from melting snow. About 1/3 mile had a lot of snow on it. The shade temperature was 26 (F) when I left home, but most of the path had had direct sun earlier in the afternoon and was still warm, even though there were snow flurries falling during my run. It was 3 pm when I started my run, and I was finished before the sun had set. However, the sun is now down, the temperature has dropped, and I expect the path is icy.

New cleats worked fine on black ice

I wore my new cleats during the run today. Except for the 0.6 mile break-in of the cleats, this was my first run with them. I had no problems with the wet path. There were patches of ice here and there, and I stopped and moved my foot across the ice to see if the spikes kept my foot from slipping (they did). When I got back to my car, the parking lot was in the shade of a hill, and the water on the lot had frozen. I had no problems walking on that black ice.

Great aerobic exercise today

We had 6 inches of snow early this morning, and instead of running I shoveled snow for three hours. While I was clearing my driveway, a neighbor came over to help. Then another neighbor and his wife came over to help, too. After finishing my driveway, we did several other driveways for neighbors who were in bad health, old, or just at work. I was tired when I finished, but I had a good workout. When we first started, the snow was light and fluffy, but as the day warmed up, the snow became heavier and harder to move.

A great 5-mile run to end the week!

Since my last run on Thursday, my right leg and knee have felt fine. They continued to feel fine today as I ran my 5-mile course again. I was out about three hours earlier than on Thursday, and the temperature in the sun was in the mid 30s. My pace during the last half mile was 12:26. On the way out I had a 5-7 mph head wind, and it was nice to have it as a tail wind on the way back. It was nice to have a higher energy level and to be able to go a bit faster. Not faster as in speed training but faster as in more energy.

There was one point on the way out that I saw a couple hundred Canadian geese in the sky, all honking and making a lot of noise. Instead of being in one large V formation, they were in several small V formations and were going in different directions. It looked chaotic up in the sky, but I guess they knew what they were doing....

Another great 5-mile run

I ran another 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway and had a great run! My right leg and knee felt fine before, during, and after the run. The temperature during my run was 20 - 23 (F), and my three layers were adequate. My pace during the last half-mile was 13:40, slightly faster than on Wednesday. The path had some ice on it, but there were plenty of dry spots that I used to navigate around the ice.

After my run on Wednesday, my right leg and knee were slightly sore, but by today they were fine. I've noticed this pattern before, that I need two rest days for my right leg and knee to recover from a 5-mile run. I didn't notice this for my shorter runs.

South Jordan is using rocks to reinforce the Jordan River bank

There is an area of the Jordan River Parkway in which the path is quite close (100 feet) from the Jordan River. During the high water last spring, the river almost overflowed its banks, and it apparently did a lot of erosion damage to the river-bank. South Jordan City is currently placing large rocks as a liner for the river-bank in that area of the river. Hopefully, the rocks will protect the river-bank from erosion.

Today was a "wicked good" 5-mile run

My right knee felt strong and had no pain, my energy level was pretty high, and I had a great run. I ran the last half mile at a 13:50 pace, not very fast but faster than yesterday. The temperature was in the low 30s (F), the sky had lots of sun and some beautiful clouds, and I really enjoyed being out. The sun set during my last half-mile, but it still felt warm as I finished the run.

An OK 3.5 mile recovery run

My right knee was sore over the weekend a week ago, but it felt fine all during the week. Just before I left for my run I was bounding up and down the stairs in my house, and I expected to have a great 5-mile run. However, as soon as I started running I could tell my right knee wasn't up to a great run. The knee had no pain or soreness. It just felt weak as if it wouldn't support my weight. The knee felt fine when I was walking. As a result, I reduced the length of my run and completed 3.5 miles at a relatively slow pace.

The temperature during the afternoon was in the low 40s (F), and it was in the mid 30s when I left home for my run. The temperature was 33 when I returned. The sky was clear, and there was lots of sunshine during the day. I ran in the late afternoon, and the sun set while I was on the return leg of my run.

My tailbone isn't completely healed, because I can feel it when I do my situps. As a result, I don't have as much movement in the situps as I usually do. Other than during the situps, I don't have any pain or soreness in my tailbone. My back feels fine, and I think it is completely healed.

Ran 0.6 mile to test my "cleats"

I purchased a set of "cleats" for running in snow and ice. They slip over my shoes, and each foot has four 1/4 inch long spikes. The cleats are flat on the end rather than being pointed. There was an inch of new, wet snow on the ground but no ice under the snow, and I ran once around the block. The spikes seemed to work fine, and I didn't slip on the snow. While stopped, I moved my foot through the snow a few times to see if the spikes would slip -- they didn't. I still need to try them on "black ice".

Another 4 miles

I ran 4 miles again and felt fine. The Parkway path still had puddles of water, but for the most part it was dryer than it was on Saturday. The temperature during my run was in the mid 30s (F).

A really great four-mile run

I ran four miles this afternoon on the Jordan River Parkway. I felt great and ran faster. My pace during the last half mile was 12:26. The temperature during the run was 36 (F). I checked my cadence during the run, and it was 182. My stride-rate is close to what it was before my injury and accident, but I'm taking quite small steps. As my body strength returns, my stride length will automatically get longer, thus decreasing my pace.

The Parkway path is free of snow and ice, but the asphalt was wet due to rain and a bit of snow last night. I had no problem with my feet slipping, though. I waited until mid-day to run so the warmer temperature would melt last night's half-inch of snow.

After I finished my run, I walked with my wife for a couple of miles. My legs were feeling tired when I finished the walk.

A great 5-mile run

I had planned to just do a one-hour run, but I could tell I felt stronger and was running faster than I did on Monday, so I went the same distance as Monday to provide a comparison between the two days. I didn't have my GPS with me, so I used my stop-watch to measure my time going out and back. I ran 15-minute miles on the way back, compared to 18-20 minute miles on the way back on Monday. I didn't get a good measurement of my time on the way out, because my watch stopped during the run, but it felt like I was running faster than I ran on the way back.

I'm not particularly interested in going fast right now, but I'm using my speed improvements from run to run as a gage of my recovery. On both Monday's run and today's run, I felt no pain in my right leg/knee or in my back or in my tailbone. However, my ability to do situps has been reduced due to the sore tail bone, but I was able to do more situps today, and with more movement of my body on each situp. I also noticed during my run today that my legs didn't feel sluggish like they did on Monday.

The shade temperature when I started the run was 30 (F) and was 27 (F) when I returned. The streets were clear but the sidewalks had packed snow/ice, so I ran in the street. The street I was on has shoulders about 8 feet wide, and it was pretty safe running in the street.

Hey, Honey...

Deciding to take up jogging, the man was astounded by the wide selection of jogging shoes available at the local sports shoe store. While trying on a basic pair of jogging shoe, he noticed a minor feature and asked the clerk: "What is this little pocket thing here on the side for?" And the clerk: "Oh, that's to carry spare change so you can call your wife to come pick you up when you've jogged too far."