Another 3.5 miles of running

I didn't drive to the Jordan River Parkway for my running. Instead, I ran on a canal maintenance road, the same road I ran several years ago. I started running about noon. I hadn't had any breakfast or lunch, and my energy level was low. I thus felt tired during the run, but I made it OK. The shade temperature was in the high 50s (F), and it was a nice day for running. I solved my being tired by doing longer walks than my normal 30 steps.

Some of the maintenance road that I ran today has been covered with gravel. A few years ago, the County put gravel on part of the  road, but the individual rocks were so large they were hard to run on. This time, the individual rocks were small (marble size or smaller), and they made a nice surface for running.

Most ducks in the canal are gone

I only saw two families of ducks in the canal during my run. During the Spring I saw maybe 9 or 10 mother ducks and small ducklings. Now, the ducklings are big and capable of flying away, and apparently that is what they've done. The two families that I did see had ducklings that weren't really ducklings any more. They looked almost full-size. The water in the canal will be turned off in  mid-October, and the ducks will have to fly somewhere to spend the winter.

Alexis: Today I Ran...

This post is by Alexis, a guest author.

And I remembered when I first started running, it was difficult.

I have a job that has me working late so waking up extra early in the morning was really killing me. I kept it up for about a week, pushing myself just to do it!

I started to notice that I was actually starting to have more energy throughout my day, and I wasn't as interested in snacking as much either on things like chips and stuff like I used to. I felt just over all better. My work got done faster, and I felt not as over whelmed. Don't get me wrong, some days I felt like hitting the snooze and sleeping in, but I realized that in the end that extra hour of sleep wasn't worth my health or the fact that my body was looking amazing. If you push it, it's worth it. It feels good. I ran 2 miles today, and I remembered barely being able to run to the corner. It's exciting. I want to keep building myself to one day run a marathon or something like it. I really feel like running has changed my life for the better.

For me that's my ultimate goal, and I won't stop until I reach it. I'm being smart though not to push myself too hard and to keep to one goal at a time.

My next goal.. 3 miles ;)

Another 3.5 miles, and they're getting easier

I was out an hour later than on Monday (9:00), but it was still cool with lots of shade. I ran south for 1.75 miles (just past the East Pavilion) and then returned to my car. On the way down, I talked with a man who was cutting dead thistle bushes. He works for a company that is getting rid of the non-native plants. I asked him about the small trees along the north segment of the Parkway that have a red tag on them. He said they were young Cottonwood trees, and the tag was to mark them so they wouldn't be sprayed with poison. The wire cages around the trees were to protect them from Beavers which like Cottonwood trees.

My wakeup heart rate was 57, and I felt a bit tired but OK when I first got up. On the way back, I stopped twice to rest for a couple of minutes, and I made it back fine.

I ran 3.5 miles and was glad to be running again

I was on the trail a few minutes before 8 am, and I really enjoyed the cool night air. The sun was up, but there was a lot of shade. I didn't take any water with me, because the temperature was in the high 50s (F), and I figured I didn't need the water; apparently I didn't need it as I felt fine during and after the run. My wakeup heart rate was 57, and I enjoyed the run and the solitude of being alone in nature for an hour.

A busy week with no running but lots of walking

I just arrived home from a week (including travel) in the San Diego, CA area. We were busy 10-13 hours most of the days seeing the attractions in the area, although I did take Friday off to recover from the miles and miles of walking I did every day earlier in the week. I purposefully, didn't run during the week, because I figured my walking would be enough exercise. I slept well during the week, but I was really tired on Friday morning and stayed home while my wife went with our daughter and her family out to see more sights. On Thursday afternoon I had a mild headache, which I interpreted as not handling the sun very well. I tapered off on my walking during the late afternoon and, as I mentioned above, took Friday off from sightseeing.

I think my favorite attraction was the Wild Animal Kingdom. Sea World and the Zoo were nice, but the animals were cooped up in relatively small areas. I liked the openness of the Wild Animal Kingdom, 1700 acres of open space and lots of exotic animals.

While going down, we encountered slow traffic out of Las Vegas, and the trip took about two extra hours because of that. Nothing like driving 15 mph in the HOT California desert to make one tired and sleepy. In have two running friends in the Las Vegas/Central-California desert area, and I now have more appreciation for their having to run in the hot summer sun -- not the humid heat I had in New England, but heat like an oven! Both going and coming back, we stopped at a rest stop in the desert, and, boy, was it hot! During the short walk from my car to the building, all I could think of was getting inside.

The drive back, though, was without any slowdowns, and we were glad to get home.

I had a really great 3.5 mile run today

My wakeup heart rate was 54 this morning. I had a good 7 hours of sleep, and I felt great when I began the day. I didn't go out running until about 1 pm, and by then the shade temperature was 92 (F). I drank 3 cups of water during the run, and on the way back, I stopped several times in shady spots and rested for a couple of minutes. As I've said before, in the Summer and Winter I run to survive, and in the Fall and Spring I run for performance. In all four seasons, I run for enjoyment. I went south 1.75 miles and then came back. I think that for my next run, I'll drive to the pavilion at 108th South and run to the construction at 114 South and check it out.

I really can't say for sure, but I'm hoping my enjoyment of the run today means I'm adjusting to the heat.

Extended my run to 3.5 miles

My wakeup heart rate this morning was 55 and I had a good 7 hours sleep. I felt pretty good, and I added a quarter mile to my distance, giving me 3.5 miles. The temperature was in the 80s (F) during my run. There were large clouds in the sky that gave a minute or so of shade whenever the sun went behind a cloud. The result of all of this is that today was a pretty good day for running. Because of the lower temperature, I used less water than I've been using. Three cups were sufficient for the 3.5 miles. Last week I used four cups for 3.25 miles.

To give some variety to my running, instead of running south for half the run, I went north/south for 1.5 miles (round trip) and then south/north for 2 miles (round trip). I like the north-bound segment, because it has more trees and rushes along the river bank.

I'm still doing Galloway's alternating of running and walking. I'm doing 46 left-foot-steps of running and 33 left-foot-steps of walking. However, during the last half mile of my run I was getting tired, and I changed to 20-left-foot-steps of running and 20 of walking, and that worked fine.

Low water, golf balls, sun flowers and the Jordan River Parkway

The level of the water in the river is lower than it has been, and the sand bars in the middle of the river have reappeared; I saw about a dozen ducks sleeping on one sand bar.

I found another golf ball next to the path and threw it back onto the golf course. That ball wasn't on the ground when I passed that point going south. It was there as I passed the point going north, so it hadn't been there very long. That is the sixth golf ball that I've found in the last couple of years. The first ball that I found almost hit me. It came across the Jordan River and landed on the path about 10 feet in front of me.

A year ago there were lots of sun flowers growing near the path. This year, though, there are almost no sun flowers. I don't know if the lack of sun flowers is due to the cool spring we had, or to some other reason. There should be a lot of seeds on the ground from last year. Maybe those seeds will sprout next year.

My 3 1/4 mile run was hot but nice

I did sleep well last night. My wakeup heart rate was 57, still high from sleep deficit but going down. I ran the 3 1/4 route again and enjoyed the run. The shade temperature was in the 80s (F) when I left and 94 when I returned. I had most of my 4th bottle of water left when I finished, and I poured it over my head when I entered the tunnel under 98/100th South to do my stretches at the end of my run.

There were quite a few youngsters on bikes doing a race of some kind. I gave them a thumbs up as they passed me going north (I was going south) but they just ignored me as they went past. However, on my way back, they passed me again as they headed south, and many of them waved at me or smiled as they went past. I gave them all thumbs up. I talked with an adult who was bringing up the rear looking for stragglers, and he said the kids were doing a triathlon. Earlier they had swam 50 yards at a local gym. Then they ran, about half a mile, and now they were doing the bike part for a mile and a half. They are about 6-8 years old.

Saw several quail during my run

I saw some quail this morning. In fact, I see quail almost every time I run. Today, they quickly went into the bushes, but most of the time they run along the path for a hundred feet or so and then go into the bushes. I've seen more this year than past years due to normal increases in their population.

I also see quite a few dove. Sometimes I see swallows by the 106 South overpass; they've built mud houses on the supports for the overpass.

I slept well last night...

I slept 7 hours last night, much to my relief. Since I ran the extra distance yesterday, the sleep indicates the distance wasn't the reason why I slept poorly Tuesday night. My wakeup heart rate this morning was in the 60s but went down to 58 after I had been up for half an hour or so. I'm hoping for a half-hour nap later today. Here's hoping for another 7 hours of sleep tonight...

Introducing Alexis Bonari

Alexis is joining me as a guest contributor to this blog. She has a different viewpoint of running than I have, and I hope her posts will give you a broader image of what it means to be a runner. I'm an old guy who is retired and, theoretically at least, has a lot of time for running. She is younger and is still working and has to fit her running into a busy life. By having both of us blog, you'll get a better view of running in the real world, and hopefully, more of you will be able to relate to our experiences.

Here is her bio. Her bio is also in the About Me page.

Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She often can be found blogging about education and scholarships for college. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Another 3 1/4 mile run

I didn't get out until 11 am, and even though I felt tired, I ran the 3 1/4 miles again. The temperature had been in the 70s (F) earlier in the morning due to clouds, but the clouds were gone and the temperature was in the 80s when I ran. I took several rest stops on shady benches and almost aborted my run at the 1 1/3 mile marker. But, I decided to continue to the turnaround point.

The reason I was tired was that I didn't get much sleep Tuesday night. I woke up after 2 hours sleep and couldn't go back to sleep. During Wednesday afternoon I did take a 3-hour nap, and that helped me finish the day. I did feel weak during Wednesday, though, and my stomach felt unsettled.

I'm not sure why I didn't sleep well Tuesday night. I'm worried that it might have been the extra distance that I've been running. I slept well during the days I ran 3 miles, and the 1/4 mile I added was less than 10%, but maybe my body wasn't ready for it. I slept fine last night, but one night's sleep isn't enough to recover from a sleep deficit. My wakeup heart rate was 58 this morning, indicating my body was tired. My run confirmed that my body was quite tired.

Choose Your ID Carefully!

I'm getting comments that link to sports companies. In keeping with my policy given in the "Choose Your ID Carefully!" page, I'm deleting those comments as spam. Persons wishing to publicize their sports-related web sites are invited to go to my training site and list their sites in the List My Site page.

This blog is listed in "42 Blogs on How to Live a Healthy Life"

I just received an email stating that this blog is included in a list of 42 blogs about living a healthy life.

http://www.termlifeinsurance.org/42-blogs-on-how-to-live-a-healthy-life/

This list is centered on food and diet and life style, and the blogs in the list look interesting and well worth ones time to browse. My wife and I try to live a healthy life style. Thanks to our religion, we don't smoke or drink alcohol or tea or coffee. We have two gardens during the summer and try to eat organic foods, including eggs and milk. I don't do very well in eating a large variety of veggies, so I take supplements.

I'm really just an average runner, but running in my 70s seems to be a novelty, and I'm getting into quite a few lists of blogs -- all due to my age. Each person needs to find some way in which he/she is unique, and my way is to run into and (hopefully) through my old age.

Ran 3 1/4 miles again

My wife went with me to the Jordan River Parkway, and she walked the north-bound segment (1.5 miles round trip) while I ran 3.25 miles round trip on the south-bound segment. We were out earlier, and the temperature was relatively cool (mid 70s (F) when we left home and 82 when we returned). The sun was behind a cloud for the first half mile, and it seemed like I was in heaven. The sun came out for the rest of the run, but there was quite a lot of shade due to the early time that we were out (I started running at 8:20).

I got pretty tired during the last half mile. Night before last I didn't sleep very well and only had about 5 hours sleep, including two naps during the day. I did better last night and got about 6 1/2 hours sleep, but it takes several days for my body to respond to having more sleep. Seven hours is my "normal", so 6 1/2 isn't bad.

I did take an extra bottle of water, and it was nice to have the water. On about half the walks, I took a swallow every walk instead of every other walk. Four bottles should be good up to 4 miles, and then I'll add a fifth bottle that will take me up to 5 miles. By then it will be Fall and I won't need as much water.

My running schedule

I thought I'd comment on my running schedule. I'm currently running 3 times per week. My goal is to run Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. If I don't run on Monday, I aim for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If I don't run Monday or Tuesday, I drop to two days per week and run Wednesday and Saturday or Thursday and Saturday.

When I was younger and running marathons, I ran five days per week. Four years ago when I ran the Great Salt Lake Half Marathon, I ran four days per week. I may eventually bring in another day, but it all depends on my health and how I feel.