I felt good and ran 6 miles in 90+ (F) temps

My wakeup heart rate was 56, 3 points higher than the 53 I've been getting for the past few days. I felt fine, however, during my stretches (especially the sit ups), and I decided to head for the Parkway. I drank 32 ounces of water during the run. I could tell I was stronger than I've been for a couple of weeks, because I took fewer walking breaks and ran at what felt like a faster pace. Well, I took fewer walking breaks on the way out, but I took quite a few on the way back, because the heat was getting to me and I didn't want to push too hard in this heat. All in all, it was a nice run.

I was late getting out. It was 90 (F) when I left home and in the mid 90s when I returned. It's really dumb to run in this heat. By getting out three hours earlier, I could have run in the mid 70s. Seems like I never learn to leave home earlier.

Status report on opening the trail north of 100th South

Just as I got out of my car to run, I saw two Park Rangers (employees of South Jordan City) walking from their car to the tunnel under 100th South. I asked them about the status of the project to extend the Parkway four blocks north to the boundary of West Jordan City at 94th South. They said the project has gone out to bid, and the city is waiting for the bids to come in. The deadline for bids is September 1. I hope the work can begin in September and be finished by winter. I know the path goes south from 90th South, and I hope WJ has it in to their boundary. If so, then the four blocks in the new project would connect with WJ and make the path continuous to Bluffdale at 146th South.

Monitoring to see if my chemotherapy-cream is making me tired when I run

Last week I was really tired and aborted one run and skipped the following run. My theory is that the chemotherapy cream I'm using for a skin cancer sapped my energy. In this post, I'm giving the pattern I observed last week relative to my use of the cream so I can see if that pattern emerges again this week.

I'm applying the cream 5-days per week. Here is what happened last week.

- Had high energy during the two days without using the cream from the week before and had a nice run to start the week.

- After three days of using the cream, my energy level was low, and I aborted my run. I also spent two-hours in the sun before going on my run. I took a nap before I left for the run.

- After five days of using the cream, my wake up pulse rate was up 50%, and I was so tired I didn't run at all.

- Had high energy during the next two days (not using the cream) and had a nice run at the end of the two days but before I began using the cream for this week.

A great 5-mile rest run

My wakeup heart rate was down to 53 this morning, and I felt fine when I got up. I was late getting out, but I ran my 5-mile rest run and felt fine during the run. I drank 24 ounces of water during the run, but my urine was a dark yellow afterward, indicating I needed more water during the run. The temperature when I left was in the high 70s (F) and was 85 when I returned. There was a nice breeze blowing which helped cool me during the run. We're still having higher than normal humidity but not as high as last week. I ate a couple handfuls of popcorn just before I left, and that didn't go over very well with my stomach. However, after a mile I felt fine.

My wakeup heart rate was down this morning

My wakeup heart rate was 56 this morning. That is a big improvement from the high value yesterday. However, 56 is still significantly higher than my normal of 49-50, indicating I'm still tired.

My body fell apart today

When I woke this morning, my pulse rate was in the 70s, and I felt very weak. My stomach felt fine (no nausea), but I had no desire to eat food. I took a couple of naps and felt better, but my heart rate was still in the 70s.

I don't know why my body was in such bad condition today. It might have been an effect of the skin-cancer surgery that I had 10 days ago, or it could have been a reaction to the chemotherapy cream that I'm putting on my ear for another skin cancer. I was tired on Thursday and aborted my run, and my condition today could have been a continuation of the conditions that caused me to be tired on Thursday.

I'm only applying the chemotherapy cream 5 days per week (Monday - Friday). If the cream is having a negative effect on my body, I might see an improvement on the weekends and then a degradation during the week. I'll be monitoring my body during the weeks to come to see if there is a pattern to my being tired that correlates with my use of the cream. I have five more weeks for the cream. If the cream doesn't remove the skin cancer, I'll have to have the cancer surgically removed.

Ran 2.5 miles tonight

Today has been a busy day! July 24 is the anniversary of the entry into the Salt Lake valley of the Mormon pioneers under Brigham Young in 1847. There was a very large parade in Salt Lake City that lasted for two hours. My wife and I (two cars) took our four grandchildren who have been staying with us into SLC to see the parade. I had the two boys in my car and she had the two girls. Utah requires car seats up to 10 or 11, so we needed two cars to get the three car seats in the back seat. The boys and I had to walk a mile each way from the car to the beginning of the parade. That plus the time watching the parade meant that I was on my feet most of the morning. The temperature in the sun was 94 (F), and it was more humid than normal. After I got home, I was tired and took a half-hour nap.

I went running just after the sun went down and the temperature had dropped into the low 80s, but I could tell I had little energy. I thus aborted my planned 6-mile run and ended with a jog/walk of 2.5 miles.

A great 5-mile rest run

My nose quit running yesterday morning, and I felt pretty good all day Sunday. This morning I had a great 5-miler. I felt energetic and enjoyed myself. We had rain last night, and the sky still was cloudy during my run, resulting in a temperature in the mid 60s (F). I ran at a pace of 11:50 the half-mile that I use to time myself. That pace was typical of my whole run.

I'm glad I took a rest day on Saturday. Today was payoff-day for that extra rest. If I had run on Saturday I wouldn't have done well, would have done a lot of walking, and would have put more stress on my body. Because of the extra rest, my body felt great and performed well today, taking only a few short walking breaks. Because of the lower temperature, I carried no water and did ok from that viewpoint.

Saw more black ducks tonight

My wife and I took a walk tonight with our four grand children who are visiting with us. We walked along the canal road that I used to run a few years ago. We saw three sets of ducks and a total of 10 ducklings in the water.

The last group of ducks were black ducks. The adult accompanying the ducklings was totally black except for a large white spot on its neck and breast. It's head and beak were totally black. Because the duck and its ducklings were in the water, I couldn't see if their feet were webbed or not. There were 5 ducklings, and about half were totally black with the white spot, and the rest were totally black including the neck and breast. Usually with birds, the males are more colorful, and I would expect the ducks with the white spots to be males. However, it seems unusual that a male duck would be baby-sitting the ducklings. So, I'm not sure which sex has the white spot.

7/27/2008 Finally got some pictures of the black ducks. These ducks are the "ducklings". Some of them have the white spot, and some don't. Click an image for a larger view.

An unplanned rest day-today

I didn't run today because I took an unplanned rest-day. I felt fine after my run on Thursday, but during the afternoon I noticed my throat was getting a slight rough feeling. Then, during the evening my nose started running, and it ran all day Friday and all day today, although my throat feels fine. When I woke up this morning, I felt fine, and I thought I would run through my cold. However, while doing my sit ups I could tell my energy level was low, and I aborted the sit ups and changed into my regular clothes. I've just moped around today and haven't done much but talk to my five grand kids who are visiting and watch a couple of DVDs with them.

Added 1/2 mile for this weeks distance

I ran 5 1/2 miles this morning on the Jordan River Parkway. I was out at 9 am when the temperature was in the mid 70s (F) and in the mid 80s when I finished. Even though my wakeup heart rate was a bit higher (54), I felt more energetic this morning than I have in recent runs. I just ran a comfortable pace.

Another skin cancer removed yesterday

I had surgery yesterday for another skin cancer. The result was a hole next to my ear that was about the size of a quarter. The good news is that I've experienced no pain so far from the surgery. I expect the surgery had an impact on my energy level, but I didn't notice any reduction in energy during my run this morning.

A 5-mile rest run

I'm currently running three times per week, and my goals for my runs are

Monday - 5 mile rest run
Wednesday - 10 mile medium run
Saturday - 13-15 mile long run

I've reached my goal for my Monday run, and I ran a 5-mile rest run this morning at a comfortable pace. I was out about two hours earlier than I've been getting out, and the temperature was significantly cooler and nicer for running. The temp was in the mid 60s (F) when I left, but it was in the mid to high 70s when I finished. I drank 16 oz of water. There were quite a few people on the Parkway enjoying the morning. My wakeup heart rate was 53.

A great running week has ended

I ran 5 miles again on the Jordan River Parkway. For the past couple of weeks it has taken me about 3 miles to warm up. That happened this morning. For the first 3 miles I ran 13-14 minute paces and took frequent walking breaks. For the last two miles, I ran a faster pace and only took walking breaks at the half-mile markers. My pace for the last half-mile was 11:50, and I felt fine during those miles. I had an urge to go faster, but I ignored it and continued running at a comfortable LSD pace.

I was late again getting out (10 am), and the shade temperature when I left home was about 80 (F), and it was probably in the high 80s when I returned. I drank 24 oz of water during the run. My wakeup heart rate was 53, but I felt a bit tired while doing my 30 sit ups. I've been sleeping well during the past few weeks, and that is good!

It's too hot for running, but I went anyway

I was late getting out (left about 11 am) and the shade temperature was about 85 (F). I forgot to check the temp when I returned, but it would have been in the mid 90s because the expected high today is 100.

I ran the 5 miles again on the Jordan River Parkway. I was surprised that there were several cyclists, skaters, walkers, and runners on the path. I thought that sane people would be hiding from the heat. Maybe the cyclists and other persons I saw this morning are as insane as I am :) I took 32 oz of water and used 24 oz of it. That was about the right amount of water for a day like today. I had about 4 oz left in one bottle when I finished, and I drank that while I was walking back and forth in the tunnel under 100th South to cool off. I like that tunnel because it gives a lot of shade for my cool-down and stretches at the end of my run. I didn't break any speed records today, just plodded along and took frequent walking breaks and drinks of water. My purpose today was to continue getting used to my increase in distance with no concern for how fast or slow I ran.

I checked my running cadence during the run, and it was 180. That is good because it means that even with the heat, I had quick leg movement; I just took smaller steps.

A report on my running tangents

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was going to start running tangents during my training runs so doing that would be a habit causing me to run tangents during races without thinking about it. I've pretty much achieved that habit. In fact, on July 24 my wife and I took her 91-year old mother up to two of the Utah ski resorts for a picnic and a tram ride to the top of Hidden Mountain, elevation 11,000 feet. The canyon road has a lot of turns, and I noticed on the way down that I had a tendency to want to drive tangents. Of course, I didn't do that due to oncoming traffic, but I did catch myself a couple of times wanting to drive tangent to the curves.

Status report on my right leg

My right leg still isn't completely healed, but it is awfully close to being healed. The only time I feel soreness in it is when I've been on my feet a lot, such as running followed by mowing my lawns and doing yard work for a couple of hours. Even with tired leg muscles, my left leg feels fine but my right leg feels a bit sore. Also, I don't quite have a full range of motion in my right leg as compared to my left leg.

Bluetooth wireless while running

Here is a suggestion from a runner named Ray, who is a frequent visitor to this blog. He emailed me with a suggestion for those who want to listen to music while running but are frustrated with the dangling cable from their iPod or MP3 player. Use Bluetooth to connect your player to Bluetooth headphones. The site used by Ray for Bluetooth hardware is bluetechwireless.com

Added 0.5 miles to my runs

I ran 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway and had a good run! I took 16 oz of water and had just 3 swallows left at the end of my run. The shade temperature was 77 (F) when I left home and 91 when I returned. My wakeup heart rate was 54.

I felt pretty good during the run. During the first two miles, while I was warming up, I took frequent but brief walking breaks. I also took them during the last mile or so due to the heat. Some runners want to run without walking and they push themselves too much. My philosophy is to walk when tired. The big factor today was heat, and I don't want to compete with the sun, so I walk when I need to cool off a bit. I prefer to save my energy to overcome distance not heat.

Finished the week with another 4.5 mile run

I had a really busy day today and didn't run until after dark. The Jordan River Parkway closes at 10 pm, and I would have been out later than that, so I ran along a city street instead of on the Parkway. The temperature was in the mid 70s (F) during my run. Much better than in the 90s but still too hot for good running. But, it was nice to get out and to close the day with a run.

Another nice run!

I ran the 4.5 miles again on the Jordan River Parkway. I left about an hour later than I did on Monday. The temperature was 82 (F) when I left and 91 when I returned. Most of my run was in the direct sun, and in terms of heat-transfer the effective temperature was over 100. There was no breeze at all. I made a mistake in not taking any water with me, and it was hot! I took frequent walking breaks, and I ran around 12:30 miles. I felt fine during and after the run. My wakeup heart rate was 54.