Added a bit to run 2 1/4 miles

I added 1/8 mile to my run and did 2 1/4 miles. The run was uneventful, but it was nice to get out. I ran the north-bound segment of the Jordan River Parkway and then finished by going south. My daughter came up from Provo in the late afternoon, and we had a birthday party for my grand daughter. We had the party at the South Jordan East pavilion, which is one of the places I run along the Jordan River Parkway. It was a beautiful day -- low 60s (F), lots of sun and lots of beautiful clouds.

I finished the week with another 2 1/8 mile run

My wakeup heart rate was 55, and I felt pretty good. I was out early for my run, and the run was nice but uneventful. I left for my run around 9 am, and the temperature was in the low 50s (F). If I feel fine on Monday, I'll add another 1/8 mile.

Ran a tired 2 1/8 miles

I ran my 2 1/8 miles again, but as soon as I had gone 100 feet, I could tell I was tired and wouldn't have a great run. It was, though, a nice day, temperature wise [60s (F)], but a 15-20 mph wind was blowing. I slowed down to compensate for the wind and for my lack of energy.

The highlight of the run was watching the Pelicans in the fishing pond. I didn't have my flip camera with me when we discovered the Pelicans on Tuesday, so I went back to the pond today and took video of the birds. I spent about half an hour trying to get closer to the birds, but they apparently were watching me, because as I approached them, they swam away. The camera only has a 2:1 zoom, and I couldn't get closeups of the birds. After I left the pond and continued my run, I saw two Canadian geese and two goslings. The goslings are big compared to ducklings. Of course, the geese are big compared to ducks.

I ran 2 1/8 miles again

A 3-year old grandson, Jonathan, is visiting us for a couple of days. This morning we all drove to the South Jordan East pavilion. I ran my alternating 30 seconds of running and walking while my wife and Jonathan walked the same path. They stopped at a fishing pond, and I continued down the path to look at the construction of a bridge across the Jordan River at 114th South. The bridge is completed, and the workers are working on the access to the bridge and a continuation of the road west. The workers are also working on an exit off I15 to 114th South and on the segment from the river to the canal at approximately 1300 West. After I finished my run, we watched Jonathan play on the slides that are near the pavilion, and then we drove home.

The temperature was in the 60s (F), and there was lots of sunshine with beautiful clouds in the sky. A great spring day. Yesterday, though, we had about 2 inches of snow. The air temperature was in the high 30s, and the snow didn't last long. We usually don't have snow this late in the Spring.

We saw 3 Pelicans and some black birds of some kind.

We saw three Pelicans in the fishing pond. They are really big birds and are beautiful. We also saw several black birds of some kind. They didn't look like ducks or coots. They were black all over and had heads more like seagulls than ducks. They also were larger than ducks. And, we saw several seagulls flying over the pond. A fisherman said he saw one of the black birds get a fish. As soon as the Pelicans saw the fish, they made a bee-line for the fish and tried to take it away from the bird. When we visited the fishing pond, I, unfortunately, didn't have my flip-camera with me.

Ran 1.5 miles

I felt pretty good this morning. My wakeup heart rate was 53, the lowest since the blood clots attacked me in January 19, 2009. However, I didn't go out running until almost dusk, and by then I was tired. I thus aborted my run after 1.5 miles. There were a few sprinkles of rain during the run.

I saw 7 quail

During my run I saw 7 quail. They ran down the path a few feet and then 5 of them went into the bushes. Two of them continued on the path for another 50 or so feet, and then one went into the path. The other quail went a few more feet and then disappeared into the bushes. The were adult-size and were probable one year old and from the same batch. This would explain why they were together in a group.

Just returned from a 2 1/8 mile run/walk

I had a great run today. I added about 1/8 mile to my 2 mile run. Except for the 90+ (F) heat and a lack of water, I felt fine. Just a gentle 2-3 mph breeze. My knee felt fine -- a bit stiff but no soreness. That lack of soreness is a good sign. Also, another good sign is that my weight has dropped a bit. This morning I was only 7 pounds over my pre-blood-clot weight 16 months ago.

I saw goslings in the Jordan River

During my run I saw about 15 goslings in the Jordan River. There were 9 adults nearby. I can't tell the difference between male and female geese, so I don't know what gender the adults were. This is the first time in all my years of running that I've seen goslings.

During the past month I've seen a couple pairs of quail. So far I haven't seen any chicks yet, but the chicks should soon appear.

Ran/walked 1.5 miles on a beautiful Spring day

Because of family scheduling and having to do a quick run, I ran/walked 1.5 miles instead of the 2.0 miles I would have run. My wakeup heart rate was 57. My knee was slightly sore during the run, but by the time I finished, it felt fine, and it has felt fine during the day.

Two miles isn't much, but it is fine for now

We've had rain every day for the past few days. Today was a change from that and was a beautiful Spring day. The temperature during my run was in the 60s (F), with lots of sunshine and a warm wind of 8-10 mph.

My right knee has felt fine during the past day, but during the first part of my run/walk I could feel some soreness in the knee. However, by the end of the run the knee felt fine, and it has felt fine during the afternoon and evening.

Ran/walked my 2 miles

I ran/walked my 2 miles using Galloway's 30:30 (seconds) ratio of running and walking. We had rain during the night and the morning, and during most of my run there was a slight drizzle of rain. The air temperature was in the mid 40s (F). I wore my running shorts and my wind breaker, but I was cold during most of the run (2 miles isn't enough to allow my body to warm up). I did feel better during the last half-mile.

My knee was a bit sore before and during most of the run, but it felt fine during the last half mile, and it has felt fine since I got home. As soon as I post this, I'll put Arnica on my knee and then do my stretches. My knee felt fine yesterday, and I didn't put any Aarnica on it. I'll see how it feels throughout the day today.

My knee feels fine now

My knee was sore all day Sunday, and I put Arnica on my right knee several times during Sunday and today and also took Aarnica orally. The knee has felt fine today. No soreness, and I can walk up and down stairs with no problems. I had thought I'd handle the 5K run on Saturday OK, because I had been doing more than that in my regular runs. But, I guess my faster speed meant that I could only handle a shorter distance. I'm glad the knee feels fine now, because that implies there isn't an injury. I just have to give my body more time to get used to the faster speed. I expect to be running tomorrow for 2 miles, and I'll see how that goes.

We had rain last night and during the day today. Rain is forecast every day until Thursday. We need the water and the cool temperatures, so I'm not complaining. My wife planted some cold-weather crops a couple weeks ago, and the plants have broken through the soil: carrots, bush peas, and maybe lettuce (I'm not sure about the lettuce).

Walked and jogged a bit in a grade school fun run

I walked and jogged a bit to finish a fun run with my grand daughter. The distance was not quite three miles. My grand daughter stuck with me for about half the distance and then took off on her own and finished quite a ways ahead of me. The weather was nice, and all of the intersections were guarded by parents so it was safe for the kids to do the run.

I felt fine during most of the race, but towards the end of the race my right knee felt sore again, and it has been sore during the evening. I've put Arnica on it again.

Ran/walked a "5K" with my grand daughter

I had planned to run yesterday and then again tomorrow, but my daughter called and invited me to run/walk with my grand daughter and her grade school in a fun run/walk. So I won't be running tomorrow. Just as well as we'll be making a trip to Evanston, WY in the morning and then back for an afternoon performance at the Hale Theatre in Salt Lake and a wedding reception in the evening.

My wakeup heart rate has been 56 for the past three days, and that is a good sign that I'm recovering fine from my overload from the 11 hours I spent on Monday and Tuesday moving compost.

Today was really a nice day, the temperature being in the low 60s (F). Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 70s, and then it will cool as rain in the valley and snow in the mountains move in.

A slightly sore knee - Arnica to the rescue!

For the past three or four weeks, my right knee has felt slightly sore. I first noticed it when walking down stairs. I hardly notice it when walking around and going up stairs. The soreness hasn't increased during the past weeks, and I didn't pay much attention to it. I finally decided to do something about it, and I applied Arnica cream (7% Arnica 1X) a couple time a day and took Arnica internally once a day.

Within seconds after I applied the cream, the soreness went away for about 3 hours. After two days of using Arnica, the soreness went away and hasn't come back. Even being on my feet for 11 or 12 hours moving compost in a two-day period didn't bring it back. No soreness of any kind, and I can go down stairs without feeling soreness. The cream is made from the Arnica flower.

Finished moving the 12 yards of compost

When I got up this morning, I had a glass of orange juice, a boiled egg, and a bowl of Cheerios with a Banana. I started moving compost, but I didn't have much energy. However, after a couple of hours I felt better. I think it took that long for my breakfast to start giving me energy. This means that if I eat breakfast before I run, I should wait 2-3 hours after breakfast before I run.

My wife and I just finished moving the compost. The 12x20 foot plastic tarp has been washed and is drying on my back lawn. I've swept the driveway and have just a few bricks to stack behind our shed.

When I picked up the handles of the wheelbarrow to move the last load to my back yard, I felt like I was crossing the finish line of a marathon! All of my "aches" and "pains" disappeared in the excitement of having done it. Of course I'm 28 years older than I was when I ran marathons, and I'm a lot more tired today than I was after the marathons. I think of myself as a young guy, but my body is telling me it has limits. I, for sure, am not running tomorrow, and I'll see how I feel on Thursday.

Didn't run today but got a BIG workout

A big dump truck delivered 12 yards of compost this morning, and my wife and I spent the whole day moving the compost to our flower gardens. The good news is that compost is lighter than dirt. The bad news is that it is still heavy. I started out filling the wheelbarrow clear full. After a while I was filling it about 3/4 full. Towards the end of the day I was filling it half full. In the beginning I pushed the wheelbarrow with a brisk walk. At the end I was walking a slow shuffle. I was on my feet about seven of the eight hours we spent moving the compost (I took several breaks during the day. As a runner, I've learned to pace myself), and I probably walked at least a mile, maybe a mile and a half, back and forth to our gardens. I estimated there were about 150 wheelbarrow loads of compost. We still have about three yards to move in the morning before thunderstorms move in.

The temperature was in the 60s (F), and it was a pleasant day to be working in our yard. Had it been a hot summer day, I would have been "dead".

We stopped work about 6:00 pm, and I brought some food home so we could eat without having to cook. While we were eating, my wife said I was her hero for all the work I did today helping her move the compost. She knows flower gardens aren't my thing in life (I do enjoy the flowers but not the weeding). I told her I like to help her with the heavy work. If we sleep well, we should finish the work by lunchtime tomorrow. I feel pretty good this evening.

I don't plan on running tomorrow or Wednesday but hopefully will on Thursday and Saturday.

Here is a picture that was taken from the web of a wheelbarrow full of compost.

Another 2 mile run

I ran the 2 miles again with the 30:30 ratio of running to walking. The run was uneventful. Nice day with temperature in the 50s (F). I'll run the 2 miles again this week.