Had an enjoyable 2.64 mile run

I added about 1/8 mile to give me approximately 2.64 miles for my run. I was out about 10 am, but it was hot (mid 80s (F). There were a lot of clouds in the sky, and I was glad when the sun went behind a cloud. I took it easy and drank 16 oz of water during the run.

Saw two Rock Chucks during my run

The first Rock Chuck was in a field, about 50 yards away, and the animal ran across the field to a big pile of rocks.

The second Rock Chuck was in the rocks near the turn-around-point of the northward segment of the Jordan River Parkway. You can tell the animal was one of the "babies" because of its darker color and smaller size. The adults are about twice as big and have a lot more reddish-brown. The video clip shown below was of this Rock Chuck.

I was tired during my run

I wasn't in very good condition for running, due to lack of sleep, and I aborted my run after a mile and a half. I slept well last night, but I only had about 5 1/2 hours on Saturday night due to having to get up early for a 7 am meeting at church.

Had a great 2.5 mile run

I ran 2.5 miles again on the Jordan River Parkway. I felt fine for 2 miles but started getting tired during the last half mile. My wakeup heart rate was down to 57. I was out running by 9 am, and the temperature was in the 60s (F) with beautiful clouds in the sky. I really enjoyed the shade on the path.

During my last mile, I saw a lot of people on the path. Women pushing babies. Women and men walking dogs. Walkers. Cyclists, joggers. They all seemed to know each other, and I found out later that it was a church group having a fun run. They went 3.4 miles. One young boy, about 8, was having trouble breathing. As I passed the adults who were walking with him, I suggested that they slow him down. After I finished my run, I asked about the boy and found out that I was talking with his mother. She told me her son hadn't run farther than a mile, but his friends were ahead of him, and he was trying to catch up with him. He apparently had asthma or something, because he uses an inhaler. He had forgotten to bring the inhaler with him, and that meant he couldn't breath very well. His mother was passing out water cups at the mid-way point, and the boy stayed with her and didn't attempt to walk back.

Ran a tired and hot 1.5 miles

I've only been getting 5 to 5 1/2 hours of sleep for the past several nights, so I planned and did run a short distance. I left home about 11:30 am, and the temperature was in the mid 80s (F). I felt fine during the first mile, but I was quite tired at the end of the 1.5 miles. I didn't bring any water with me, and that didn't help things.

The Jordan River is about a foot lower than it has been during the past week. I saw several Canadian geese in the river, but I didn't see any goslings. Also, I've been looking for the Rock Chucks and their babies (what ever they are called) in the rocks at the turn-around point of the northward segment of the Parkway, but I didn't see them. I know they are there, because I saw them a couple of weeks ago, but they seem to stay inside their borrow during the hot part of the day.

Had a nice run for 2.5 miles

My wakeup heart rate this morning was 61. Yesterday it was 57. I only had 6 1/2 hours sleep last night, and that might have contributed to a higher WHR this morning.

I started my run a few minutes before 9 am. There was a lot of shade on the Jordan River Parkway path, and I enjoyed the run. There were a few cyclists and walkers on the path. I'm still doing Galloway's method of alternating short runs and walks. I'm doing 45 steps running and 33 steps walking, about 30 seconds of each.

Reduced my run to 1.5 miles

I don't know why, but my wakeup pulse rate this morning was 65. I've been sleeping fine, but I didn't feel very energetic this morning. I drove to the Jordan River Parkway and ran the north segment (1.5 miles round trip). I could tell as I neared the end of the segment that I was getting tired, and I stopped the run when I finished the segment.

I saw two quail walking in some rocks near the path. Also, I noticed the river is about a foot lower than it was last week. At one particular point, there are some dead limbs sticking out of the water, and I use those limbs to gage the level of the water.

I started my run at 9:30 am. It is a beautiful day, but the temperature is in the low 80s already.

Ran 2.5 miles along the canal

I added a bit to my run so I would get to a big, giant cottonwood tree that is next to the canal. The tree is about 8 feet in diameter and is right on the edge of the canal. The roots probably suck a lot of water from the canal. I'm guessing the tree is 150 years old and was probably one of the first trees planted by the pioneers. It was probably in the early 1850s when the pioneers settled in the southern end of the valley.

I felt fine during and after my run (I wasn't sure how I would feel today, because I was pretty tired yesterday from mowing extra-long lawns and edging). My wakeup heart rate was 57 this morning, down from 61-62 that I've had for the past couple of weeks. I've been getting a good 7 hours of sleep each night, and my body is finally starting to relax. There was a 15-20 mph wind blowing during my run, and it is now blowing harder than that. The weather map shows thundershowers today during the afternoon and evening, with good weather after that.

The ducklings that I saw on Monday were still in the canal today, and I took some video of them.

Ran 2.4 miles along a canal

For my run this morning I ran along a canal instead of on the Jordan River Parkway. It's been several years since I ran the maintenance road along a canal, and it was nice to do the canal again. Not much has changed since I last ran the canal. A few houses have been built, and a few fences installed.

I saw quite a few ducks in the canal, including several batches of ducklings. Some of the ducklings were quite large, about 1/3 the size of the mother. Other ducklings were born later in the spring and were very small.

The temperature was in the 60s with lots of sunshine and beautiful clouds in the blue sky. Another great day to be outside. Vegetable gardens are doing well. In another week we'll have the summer solstice, and then the darkness of night will slowly creep upon us.

Age Grading Your Running

PBs lose meaning as you age because you slow down. Age Grading removes this age-factor and is a good substitute for PBs. I just added a page to my training site on Age Grading.

29 years ago, at age 46, I set a PB of 19:45 in a 5K. To reach that PB again, I'd have to cut off 11-12 minutes, an impossible achievement for a man my age. However, Age Grading tells me that to reach the same body-condition that I had 29 years ago, I would only have to cut off 4-5 minutes, a feasible achievement for me if I train hard and don't have any more health problems. The numbers for this speculation are given in my page on Age Grading.

http://runninginjuryfree.org/2010/06/age-grading.html

Ran 2.4 miles again in a pleasant run

I left home about 10:30 am and ran the 2.4 miles again. The sky was cloudy due to rain last night and this morning. The rain (actually intermittent showers) will continue through tomorrow. The temperature was in the low 60s (F), and it was a pleasant day to be outside.

I'm going to run 2.4 miles again next week, and then if I feel fine, I'll bump my distance up to 2.5 miles the following week.

This was a good day for seeing wild life

I saw several animals during my run. I saw an adult Rock Chuck and three babies. The babies are pretty big and are about 1/3 the size of the adult. They were a darkish gray, while the adult was the typical brownish color. I also saw a Rock Chuck in a field about 100 yards away.

I saw another Red Wing blackbird in the rushes next to the river, and I saw a Pelican fly past. I commented to a woman on a bike who had been watching the Rock Chucks that I could stay there all day and watch the animals. Of course there were, as always, lots of sparrows and robins.

I was tired during my run and reduced it to 1.5 miles

As explained in the title, I reduced my run today to 1.5 miles. I had a good 7 hours sleep last night, but I only had 6 hours the night before and about 6.5 hours during most of the nights in the previous week. Lack of sleep has always affected my body-energy, and my age probably has magnified that effect. Also, I didn't leave for my run until 1 pm, and I had no breakfast. The bottom line is that I need to manage my schedule better....

The temperature was in the 70s (F). The sky was partly cloudy, and it was hot. I drank one bottle of water and would have drunk the other bottle if I had continued my run. We should get rain later today or tonight.

I looked for the wader at the sand bars but only saw a few ducks.

Baby Rock Chucks

Last week a friend who drives a motorized chair on the Parkway told me he had seen baby Rock Chucks in the rocks near the end of the north-bound leg of the Parkway. I saw adult Rock Chucks there last summer, but I haven't seen them this Spring. During the past week I've been looking for the babies but haven't seen them. I make more noise while running (due to the pounding of my feet) than the motorized chair, and the noise might be scaring the Rock Chucks such that they stay in their holes.

Red winged blackbirds along the Jordan River in Utah

I saw another red winged blackbird today. I've seen quite a few of them in past months. They are a beautiful bird -- pure black with a splotch of red and a bit of yellow on their wing. The following picture was taken from the web. Click the picture for a larger image.

Ran 2.4 miles

I added a little over 1/8 mile to my run on the Jordan River Parkway and did 2.4 miles. The run was uneventful as far as the running was concerned. I felt fine and completed the run without getting very tired. I carried two 8-oz bottles of water, and that was the right amount of water for the distance and pace I was going.

I saw a wader bird on a sand bar in the Jordan River. It was about the size of a Mallard duck, and it had the characteristically long, thin legs of a wader. The head was mostly a light brown, and the body was black and white.

I ran 2 1/4 miles again

I ran 2 1/4 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. The run was uneventful, and I enjoyed being out.