A good long run of 2 hours 20 minutes

I ran/walked for 2 hours 20 minutes and completed 7.6 miles. Utah is having a January thaw in December. The temperature was 49 (F) when I left for my run and the mid 50s when I returned. Even though it was quite warm when I ran, I still wore my long pants, because 50 degrees in the winter seems colder than 50 degrees feels in the summer. I ran south from 100th South for 1 hour 10 minutes and then returned. There was a brisk 10-15 mph head during my run out, and I looked forward to having the wind as a tail wind during my return. However, as often happens, the wind decreased in amplitude, and by the time I turned around, the wind was almost gone. During my return I had a few gusts pushing me, but not the steady wind that I experienced going out. The wind did pick up after I finished my run, and I was glad I had gotten out earlier than I usually do for my run.

For most of the run I ran for three minutes and walked for 40 seconds. For a couple of miles in the middle of my run, I ran for about 2 minutes 45 seconds and walked for about 55 seconds. My only rest stop was a couple of minutes at the 6 mile marker. I started my run at 10:55 am, and I was glad I was out early, because during my run I could see dark storm clouds gathering over the Wasatch Mountains. Unfortunately, the dark clouds didn't bring any rain or snow. We need snow in the mountains, because northern Utah currently has about 17% of the snow we usually have by the end of December.

Nice 60 minute rest run

I ran/walked 3.36 miles in 60 minutes, a new record for that time. I ran for 3 minutes and walked for 40 seconds, and that configuration worked OK for the hour run. The afternoon temperature was about 40 (F), but I was late going out, and the temp was 39 when I left home and 33 when I returned. There was no noticeable wind. I finished my run just as the sun was setting behind the Oquirrh Mountains.

A new record for 100+ minutes

I ran 6 miles in 108 minutes this afternoon. I've been running 1 minute 50 seconds and walking 40 seconds, but today I ran 3 minutes and walked 40 seconds. Because of doing more running compared to my walking, I did 6 miles. During the morning before my run there were a few snow flakes falling, but during the afternoon when I ran, the sky was partly cloudy. The temperature was in the low 30s (F) when I started and about 29 when I finished. There was a north wind of about 5-10 mph. This wind was a tailwind  during the first half of my run and a headwind during the last half. The wind felt cold. The 10 mph gusts made the equivalent temperature be about 21. During the run, the sun was behind dark clouds as well as in open sky, and I felt the welcome heat when the sun was in the open. During the last two miles, my legs started getting tired, and I ran for shorter segments and walked for longer segments. It took me 50 minutes to run 3 miles going south and 58 minutes to run the same distance coming back. The time coming back was longer due to my doing more walking.

I wore my usual 3 layers and felt fine after I warmed up, although I didn't have gloves and my fingers were cold during the run. On the way back I put my hands in the pockets of my wind breaker while I ran and walked, and that helped my fingers a bit. I didn't have a hat, though, and that probably contributed to more heat-loss from my head.

All things considered, it was a nice run. I saw a couple of runners in shorts, and I wondered in their legs were cold. I wore my long pants as I usually do in cold weather.

Ran 60 minutes in a busy schedule today

Today was a busy, busy day, and I felt lucky to squeeze in a rest run. I ran for an hour and did about 3.25 miles. Nothing unusual happened, and this will be a short post. The temperature when I started my run was about 34 (F), and it was about 28 when I finished. It was nice to get out and run, even though I only ran for an hour.

Had a great medium run of 87 minutes

My wakeup heart rate was 57. I had almost 8 hours sleep last night, and I felt fine today. The sky was cloudy, and when I left home the temperature was in the low 30s (F) and was in the mid 20s when I returned just as it was getting dark.

I forgot both my GPS and my two-phase timer, so I used my watch to measure the overall time of the run, and I counted steps to alternate running with walking. My pace was approximately 130 steps per minute, so by counting the number of times my left foot hit the ground, I had a good estimate of the time to complete 110 seconds. When I got to 110, I kept on running. When I got to 180, I kept on running, and when I got to 240 I stopped for about 45-50 left-foot steps of walking. I was surprised I ran for about 4 minutes without walking. That's double what I've been doing. I thought that this amount of running wouldn't last long, but it lasted for the whole run of 87 minutes (about 5.1 miles). I was also running a bit faster than I've been doing, but I kept my speed down so my legs and body would last the four minutes.

I wore 3 layers, and when I first started running, I felt cold, but after half a mile I started to warm up, and by 1 mile I felt fine. Well, I felt fine except for my fingers. I was wearing light cotton gloves, and my fingers were cold for most of the run.  I kept moving my fingers to try to generate some heat in them due to movement. I think that I'll have to wear my camping mittens that consist of about 1/4 inch of tightly woven wool and a nylon shell. I used them when I was camping in below 0 temperatures in Massachusetts with my scouts, and my fingers never got cold even though I was just walking around. When a person runs, their body diverts blood from hands and feet to the body-core, resulting in cold fingers. However, my experience when I was younger was that after about 2 miles, my fingers got warm. However, as I gotten older, I've discovered that my fingers don't get warmer as I run. Apparently, my blood circulation isn't as good now as it was 30 years ago. Another factor is that 30 years ago, I was running about twice as fast as I'm now running, and I didn't do any walking like I'm doing now. By going faster my body generated more heat. It was common for me, back then, to have sweatcicles hanging the back of my hair when I ran even though the temperature was around 0.

Draper City Repairing the Jordan River Path

In past posts, I've mentioned that the Jordan River is washing away dirt, resulting in the Jordan River path being unsafe for about 100 feet. During my run this afternoon, I noticed that Draper City is repairing the eroded path. Quite a few truck loads of dirt have been used to fill in several years of erosion. In addition, the city is lining a few hundred feet of the river bank with large rocks. I hope the large rocks are sufficient to stop erosion; otherwise, the new dirt will wash away next summer when the height of the river rises.

Ran another medium run of 100 minutes

I left about 1 pm for my run. I wanted to run earlier in the day to catch the mid-day warmth. The temperature when I left was 40 (F) and 38 when I returned. It was a nice day for running, a reasonable temperature, no wind, and lots of sun.

I felt pretty good when I started running, doing 1 minute 50 seconds running and 40 seconds walking. However, I had only gone half a mile when I detected feelings of tiredness, and I said to myself, "I'll only be able to do one mile if I don't slow down." During that half-mile, I ran faster than I've been running, although I didn't push myself to run faster. I did slow down, and I felt better. I had hoped to run for 140 minutes (my long run), but after I had gone 2.6 miles, I recognized I was tired, and I turned around and headed back. On the way back, I jogged less and walked more to give my body more rest. I also took one brief rest stop on the way back. I turned around, because my body told me to do so, and I didn't want to mess up my Monday run by being overly tired. In my 100 minutes of running, I completed 5.2 miles.

Had a Great Medium Run

I left home in the late afternoon to go running, and the temperature was 32 (F). The sun went behind the Oquirrh Mountains after I had gone a mile. And by the time I turned around and headed back, it was getting dark. I ran 5.75 miles in 101 minutes. I didn't check the temperature when I got home, but it was likely about 28.

I enjoy running at dusk, because the river is full of ducks bedding down for the night, and flocks of geese are flying low looking for a pond to spend the night. I don't know why, but the geese don't bed down on the river; they seem to like ponds and/or lakes. The lights of nearby houses and businesses glow in the darkness. Just before it gets dark, the Oquirrh Mountains glow as if there was a bright light behind them. I saw 6 quail running down the path in front of me. They were all about the same size and were probably born in the Spring.

For the past month, I've felt stronger and have run faster than in the past. I'm still running 100 seconds and walking 40 seconds. After I finished the run tonight, I set my timer for 110 seconds running and 40 seconds walking. It has been almost three years since the filter in my vein quit working and I had blood clots in my legs. I've slowly been getting stronger and have run longer before I walk, and the improvement during the past month has been wonderful. I'm feeling like a "real" runner instead of a "plodder". I was so slow it was common for walkers to pass me. Now, maybe I can keep up with the walkers :) Before the blood clot attack, I would run half a mile and take a 30 second walking break. My typical LSD pace was 10:30 - 11:00. Now, the pace during my running segment is about 14-16 minutes. Patience is a great virtue, and I'm slowly getting stronger.

Jordon River in Utah Down to Winter Level

When I ran on Monday, the Jordan River was still at its summer high, and the tunnel under 106th South was still flooded. But when I ran today, the river was down to its winter level, and the tunnel was clear of water and the moss and algae that had collected had been removed. The water level in the river is controlled by a gate in the north end of the Utah Lake and by pumps. The water level has been high for about 9 months, implying the gate keepers were trying to remove a lot of water from the lake. Apparently, the level of the lake is now below flood stage, and the gate was mostly closed, causing the level in the river to go down. It will be interesting to see if the gate will be opened in February as it was last Spring, or in May as it has been historically.

My run was a rest run?

My run was a rest run in terms of its length, but the cold helped, no, motivated, me to run a bit faster. I ran 3 miles in 51 minutes. It usually takes me about 55 minutes to do the 3 miles. The temperature was 28 (F) when I left home and 24 when I returned. The sky was sunny, and I enjoyed being outside.

I saw only one other runner and no walkers or other folks. The runner was a woman in her 30s. She wore a short sleeved blouse and long pants. No windbreaker. No jacket. No gloves. No hat. Brrrrr... she must have been cold. She was going north into a 3 mph wind. I felt like I should stop her and ask how she was doing, but I never saw her again. I hoped I would see her going south as I went north on my return. Just thinking of her makes me feel cold :)

I saw my old friend, the heron

For the past several years, I've seen a heron in the Jordan River. Most of the time, it is standing still, but I did see it walking once or twice. I didn't see the heron this past summer, and I wondered if it was still alive. Well, I saw it today. It was standing still in the general area that I've seen it in the past. It's feet were in the water. The air temperature was about 26 (F), and a 3-5 mph wind was blowing. I don't know how it kept warm. It did have its back facing the wind, and I guess that helped a bit.

My "Incredible Journey" in Running

My wife and I just finished watching on BYUtv the original Disney movie, "The Incredible Journey". The movie is the story of two dogs and a cat who traveled 200 miles to their new home. They didn't know where their human family was, but they knew by instinct that it was west. As I watched the movie, I related to the old bull terrier, Bodger. He paced himself and knew when to go and when to stop and rest.

At times, I think, "I won't go running today". Then, I think of Bodger who never stopped until he had completed the 200 miles and found his human family. I think, "If old Bodger can make 200 miles, this old runner can make 7 miles".

Finished My Rest Week with 10 Miles for the Week

My wakeup heart rate was 55 and I had a good seven hours of sleep. I waited until mid-day to run so the temperature would be above freezing, and I took a half-hour nap before I ran. The temperature was 34 (F) when I left home and 30 when I returned.

I had a great run and completed 5.6 miles in the 100 minutes. I really felt great during the run. I could tell I was running faster (my running pace was between 15 and 16 minutes), and I felt fine. I followed my 1:40 running and 0:40 walking, except for a couple of times when I walked through the running part. I didn't take any rest breaks from running, and the extra walking rejuvenated me as if I had stopped running and rested for a couple of minutes. I felt like a "real" runner today - going for miles without getting awfully tired.

There was a wind blowing (5-10 mph gusts) from the north, and I had it as a tail-wind for the first half of my run. I wore three layers and felt fine. I wore a clean pair of socks on my hands, and they were fine for all of the run except the last 1 1/2 miles, and even then my hands only got slightly cold. On the way back, the wind gusts were head-winds, and I felt the cold on my face; my body-core and legs felt fine. Even though I had a short-sleeved T-shirt under my windbreaker, my arms felt fine, too. There was lots of sun in the sky, and that helped moderate the cold.

There were quite a few walkers and runners and a couple of cyclists on the path. We were sorta like local folks in the Salt Lake County polar bear club :)

Ran 3 miles in a light rain/snow

When I left to go running, it was raining mixed with snow - not heavy, just a light shower. After about half an hour, the rain stopped and the sun came out. The air temperature, though, was in the mid 30s (F). This week is a rest week, and I'm running reduced distance at a slower pace. So far, I have 4.5 miles this week compared to my "normal" of 8 miles.

I got out late and ran 1.5 miles

My car was rear-ended last week, and I spent this afternoon getting estimates. I did manage to go running for about 25 minutes. My wakeup heart rate was 55, higher than on Saturday but not as high as it was a couple of weeks ago. I had planned on going for 3 miles, but I felt tired and quit after 1.5 miles.

Ran a great long run of 140 minutes

Thanks to my getting good sleep the past several nights, my wakeup heart rate was 53, and I felt fine during the morning. My daughter and her family came from Wyoming for Thanksgiving, and we played games this morning until my daughter and her husband went shopping. While they were gone, I went running and ran 7.25 miles during the 140 minutes. Clear air (the Wasatch Mountains looked as if they were just a mile away). Lots of sun. Temperature in the low 50s (F). No wind. It was a perfect day for running.

Because we played games this morning, I didn't eat breakfast. So, before I left for running I had a boiled egg, and a bunch of dry crackers. I could tell I should have had breakfast, because I ran out of energy during the 5th and 6th miles, but my strength came back in the 7th mile, and I finished the distance running strong.

I took two brief rest stops going out and two more coming back. It's amazing how much my body recovers with just a 1-2 minute rest. After each rest stop, I felt energized for about three repeats of my 1 minute 40 seconds running and 40 seconds walking.

As I ran, I felt like a sailboat -- going the wrong way!

I parked at the South Jordan City East Pavilion and headed south on my usual 5-mile route. I fought a strong head wind, probably around 20 mph. I slowed down and tried to conserve my energy, but that didn't help much. I could tell I was getting tired, and I reduced the time running and increased the time walking. After I had gone about 1.8 miles I decided to turn around and head back. I told myself that if I reached the East Pavilion and still had some energy left, I could continue going north to the tunnel under 106th South and back. That would give me another 1.1 miles. But, when I got to the East Pavilion, I was ready to stop. I ended up with 70 minutes and 3.5 miles. My time and distance were slightly more than my 60-minute rest run, but today's run was no rest!

The good news is that there was a lot of sun and the temperature was in the low 50s. It was so warm, that I had to remove my windbreaker and finish the run with two layers (a thick cotton long sleeved t-shirt and a thin, shorted sleeved t-shirt). I knew it was warm outside when I dressed for the run, and I should have dressed for 50 degree (F) temperatures. However, I wore what I had used on Monday when the temperature was down in the high 30s. Since I'm running slower than I used to and am doing a lot of walking, my two layers felt fine. In fact, when I was going south with the headwind, I felt fine in three layers. I passed two girls running in shorts, and I thought to myself, Ah... to be young again.

A nice 60-minute Rest Run

In the late afternoon I had a nice 60-minute rest run, doing 3.3 miles. I finished the run just as it was getting dark. The temperature during the run was in the high 40s (F), and it was another nice day for running. I didn't press for speed or distance. I just enjoyed myself and let the run be a true rest-run.

I forgot both my 2-phase timer and my GPS, so I just ran for what seemed a couple of minutes and then walked for a short distance. I used my wristwatch to measure total time, and I knew the distance because I've run that route many times and know the distance to various points.

Because I ran at dusk, I saw a lot of geese flying in their typical V-formation. I also saw quite a few ducks settling down on the river for the night. And, I saw many Robins. I usually see a few Robins, but today I saw them practically everywhere.

A great, wonderful, 7.6 mile long run

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt fine when I woke up. We had about 3-4 inches of light snow last night, and I decided to wait until mid day to run so the snow would be melted from the Parkway path. I added 10 seconds to my running, giving me 100 seconds of running and 40 seconds of walking. During my run I could tell I was going farther each interval, and my "splits" showed that to be true. At 60 minutes, I had run 3.6 miles compared to 3.2 miles last week. At 100 minutes I had run 5.6 miles, compared to 5.2 miles last week, and at 140 minutes I had run 7.6 miles. I think most of my increased distance was due to my running 10 seconds more each interval, although I did have a pace that was a bit faster than in the past. I felt great while running, and I concentrated on using a mid-foot strike and bending my knees more. I'm a shuffler, and when I get tired, I usually start to scrape the path with scratching sound. However, today, due to my bending my knees more, I was able to run with almost no noise clear up to the end of my run. A wonderful run!

This is the first time in several weeks that I've gone more than 5+ miles. I hope that I can repeat this long run next week.

It was about 2:00 when I started, and when I finished 2 hours 20 minutes later the sun was down and it was getting dark. By the time I reached home, it was dark. While the sun was out, I enjoyed the warmth of the sun, but after the sun went down, I started to feel on my arms the cold nylon of my windbreaker (my T-shirt had short sleeves). And, my fingers were a bit cold due to my not wearing gloves. But it was a great day for running. Temperature in the low 50s (F) and no wind.

Draper City (Utah) Trying to Combat Erosion From the Jordan River

Several years ago, erosion from the Jordan River washed out the dirt under a short section of the Parkway trail on the Draper City side of the river. The river had actually washed out dirt under the asphalt of the trail. The trail was closed to traffic and a temporary path was made around the damaged area. That path was eventually paved and became a permanent part of the Parkway.

A couple of weeks ago, I walked to the edge of the river and looked at the area that had been washed out. Additional erosion had taken place, and I thought the trail would need repair.

During my Wednesday run of last week, I found out that the section of the trail had been blocked to traffic for a distance of about 20-30 feet. The Parks department of Draper City had finally become aware of the damage to the ground under the Parkway. I assume repairs of some kind will be made. Similar erosion in South Jordan City has taken place in past years, and South Jordan elected to line the river bank in appropriate places with large rocks. It's too bad that Draper City didn't do that several years ago. It will be interesting to see what solution the engineers at Draper City come up with.

While I was at the edge of the river last week, I noticed three long PVC pipes going from the river bank into the river. The tips of the pipes have something black on the ends of the pipes, but the black objects were under water and I couldn't get a good look at them. The pipes were being bent by the swift current of the river, and I'm guessing the black objects are sensors of some kind to measure the velocity of the water. Once the engineers know how fast the river is flowing and how much water is flowing past the river bank, they can come up with a scheme to protect the bank from further erosion. The pipes were were spaced about 20 feet apart in the river bank immediately before the eroded part.

I also noticed that Draper has closed the trail just before it goes under the bridge at 12300 South. That section of the trail is flooded by the river. In the past there was a sign that said "Swift Water", and I assume they closed the trail to protect the city from liability if someone goes into the river and is caught by the swift current.

Had a good 5-miler

The weather was sunny and warm (for November, that is) with temperatures in the low 50s (F). I ran 5.2 miles in my 100 minutes. I felt pretty good during the run. Still having problems with my sleep, though, due to staying up a bit too late at night. I'm doing better about my sleep than I was a few months ago, but I still need to improve more.

I've been running 80 seconds and walking 40 seconds. A couple of runs ago I added 10 seconds to my running and kept the walking the same. I'm doing fine with the additional running. 10 seconds doesn't seem like much, but that is a 12.5% increase. I'll keep the 90 seconds for two or three weeks and then go to 100 seconds running and 40 seconds walking.

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I think I'm old, but not really...

At age 76, I think of myself as an old man. However, here is a web page about people who are really old. The link was sent to me by Allen Young, author of the article.

I recently read about a man who is 100 and who recently completed a full marathon, using a combination of jogging and walking. So, at age 76, I have a way to go before I'm "old".

The storm front is gone and the sun was out for my 60 minute run

I didn't measure my wakeup heart rate today because it was high. I was busy on my computer last night and didn't get to bet as early as I should have. When I did get to bed, I was cold and couldn't get warm. After an hour on no sleep, I got up and went downstairs and got my down blanket and put it on my bed. I then slept good through the night but lost an hour in the beginning. I ran 3.18 miles in 60 minutes. All in all, it was a good run/walk and a nice day!

Hood to Coast relay

I just finished watching a great video about running. Click here to read my review of the video. It is a wonderful video of a wonderful experience!

Even with a cold north-wind, I had a good run

My wakeup heart rate was 54, and I thought to myself that this is the day for a good run. It was a good run. I completed 3.3 miles in the 60 minutes for my rest run. As I always do, I let my body decide how fast to go. I ran 80 seconds and walked 40 seconds, and I could tell I was going faster than I usually do. However, at the end of a mile I could tell I was getting tired, so I walked for 160 seconds instead of 40 seconds and then continued my normal sequence of running and walking. I did the same thing at the end of two miles, and I finished feeling pretty good.

It takes me a couple of miles to warm up, and I felt cold for the first two miles, especially when I was going north for the first half-mile. If I had gone a little slower, I probably could have done 120 seconds (about 5.5 miles), but running a bit faster for a shorter distance was OK. If I feel fine on Wednesday, I'll do the 5+ miles.

Today is supposed to be a sunny day, but a storm is coming from the east, and the Wasatch mountains east of the Salt Lake valley are almost completely covered with clouds. There were times during my run when the sun came out from the clouds, and the extra warmth felt good. The air-temperature was about 40 (F), but the windchill made it seem colder. We may have snow showers tonight.

It's amazing the effect sleep has on ones body

My wakeup heart rate this morning was 53. That is a significant drop from the 56-57 I had during the week, especially since I ran 5.2 miles yesterday and haven't had the 48 hours of recovery that our bodies usually need. This shows my body is returning to the condition it had a few weeks ago. It also shows the importance of one being consistent in running each week.

Ran a pleasant 5.2 miles in 100 minutes

My wakeup heart rate was 57. We had about 3 inches of light snow last night, so I waited until early afternoon to go running, thus giving the sun time to melt the snow on the Parkway path. When I went running the path was clear of snow and dry. There was, though, a cold north breeze of 5 mph blowing. I didn't notice the wind on my way out, because it was a tail-wind, but on the way back it was a head-wind and my face felt cold. The air temperature was in the high 30s. My body felt warm due to the 3 layers I wore, but my face, as I just said, felt cold.

I only passed one runner, but I did pass half-a-dozen or so walkers. No cyclists, which is unusual, because cyclists seem to always be on the path. There was about an inch of snow on the grass and bushes, and the snow gave a nice "winter" look to things. I always like the first few snow storms of the year, because the snow is beautiful to see, but come January I'm ready for Spring.

My three layers were about right for an old man who runs slow. I felt a bit cold during the first two miles, while my body warmed up, and I felt comfortable for the rest of the run -- except for my hands. I didn't wear gloves, and I kept my hands tucked in the sleeves of my nylon windbreaker. In deciding how many layers to wear, you can put more layers on such that you feel comfortable in the beginning but too warm later on, or you can put fewer layers on such that you feel a bit cold in the beginning and comfortable later on. This is an individual choice -- there is no right or wrong about it. I prefer wearing fewer layers.

My pulse is down, and I had a great 60 minute run

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt fine. I ran for 60 minutes (3.2 miles) and enjoyed the cool but sunny weather. Our low last night was 24 (F), and it was about 35 when I went running. I'm alternating 80 seconds of running and 40 seconds of walking. My wakeup heart rate was very high yesterday -- 68. I felt tired all day with no energy for doing much other than sleeping and eating.

I don't know why it was high yesterday. I've been sleeping pretty good, so I don't think that is the reason. I didn't check my temperature or blood pressure, but I didn't have a runny nose or sore throat or other obvious symptoms. What ever it was, it seems to be gone.

Later: I've been tired during my past two or three runs. Perhaps yesterday was just the climax of being tired. I should have given myself more rest last week when I realized I was tired during my runs. Yesterday, my body really shouted at me, "I need more rest", and thankfully, I listened to my body.

Another tired 3 miles for my run

Even though my wakeup heart rate was 55 this morning, I was tired during my run. I ran/walked for 75 minutes (about 3.25 miles), going south from the East Pavilion in South Jordan and back. I ran for about 90 seconds and walked for about 30 seconds. After the first mile or so, I changed that to 70 seconds and 40 seconds. I walked a lot of the way back to my car, and when I did run, my running was for less than a minute and my walking was for more than a minute. I've been sleeping well the past few nights, and my wakeup heart rate is slowly coming down. However, my energy level is low. Part of my problem this morning was that I skipped breakfast and didn't go running until noon.

We've had night-time lows in the mid 20s (F), but the daytime highs have been in the low 50s. There was a 5-10 mph head wind during the first half of my run, and that might have contributed to my being tired. I think, though, that the main reason for my being tired is the lack of sleep I had for a couple of weeks. The four or five nights of good sleep have brought my wakeup heart rate down, but my energy level has remained low.

Did a tired 3 miles in my run

My wakeup heart rate was 58, not as high as the 60-62 I've been getting, but too high for me to do really well in my run. I labored through 3 miles. I've misplaced my two-phase timer that I usually use to control how long my runs and walks are, so I just run until I feel the first symptoms of getting tired and then I walk for a short time. Today my runs were 2-3 minutes and my walks 30-40 seconds. I didn't feel energetic during my run and was glad to stop at 3 miles.

There is a cold front going through Utah, and the temperature during my run was in the low 50s (F). The sky was overcast with a few sprinkles. Rain showers were forecast, but they didn't materialize. Utah County, south of Salt Lake County, did have rain. The temperature tonight will be in the mid to low 30s (F), possibly a light frost, and tomorrow night we'll have freezing temperatures for sure.

I've been getting my 7 hours of sleep during the past week, but my wakeup heart rate isn't coming down much. So, I'll continue getting to bed earlier and give mother nature more time to give rest to my body. After my body is rested, the wake up heart rate will come down. Apparently, a tired body needs more oxygen, hence a faster wakeup heart rate.

With the advent of cold weather, the ducks in the Jordan River are returning to the parking area at 10oth South, hoping people will take pity on them and feed them. During the winter there will be 30-40 ducks begging for food. During the summer there might be 2 or 3 ducks. Today I saw about a dozen ducks.

Did a rest run of 20 minutes

My wakeup heart rate was 65, due to lack of sleep a few nights ago. I had good sleep last night, but it takes a few days of good sleep to slow down my heart. The lack of sleep wasn't due to going to bed late. I just woke up and didn't go back to sleep. I did a light rest run of 20 minutes to loosen my legs.

Orbana Sports Drink

For those of you who are looking for a good sports drink to sustain you in your longer runs, you might try the new Orbana drink. Here is my review of it.

Ran a medium run of 90 minutes

My wakeup heart rate was down to 66, but I didn't feel especially energetic. I left home hoping to do a run of 100 minutes, but I cut it short a bit at 90 minutes because I was feeling tired. I could have pushed myself to do the last 10 minutes, but I decided that 10 minutes wasn't worth it. I need to rest for my long run of 140 minutes on Saturday.

I started at 100th South and hoped to go south and then turn around, but the tunnel under 106th South was flooded again. Last Saturday the water was mostly gone. Today the tunnel is flooded. I don't understand what is going on with that tunnel. I ended up running back and forth north of 106th to get my time in. The temperature was in the high 60s, and it was another beautiful, Fall day.

Walked yesterday instead of running

My daughter and her family came down from Evanston Wyoming (90 miles), and we visited three museums in Provo (about 25 miles). I walked about 1 mile going and coming from the museums, and I walked another mile or so inside the museums. I was on my feet for about three hours. The museums were at Brigham Young University. My daughter is home schooling her kids, and this was their field trip. We visited the art museum, the natural history museum, and a museum featuring dinosaur skeletons and similar things. It was all pretty interesting. While at the natural history museum, I looked carefully in the marsh exhibits for a long legged bird that was all black and had bird-like feet instead of duck-like feet, but I didn't see it. I've seen quite a few of them in the wetlands south of 10600 South.

My wakeup HR is still high, but ran/walked for 89 minutes

My wakeup heart rate was 57, still high but 4 points lower than yesterday. My wakeup HR has been 61-62 all week, even though I'm getting close to my 7 hours. I didn't feel energetic this morning but decided to go running anyway and to quit when I got tired.

I started at the East Pavilion in South Jordan and went north to the end of the trail. Then I came back to the East Pavilion and went about 1/4 mile south and back to reach 5.0 miles.

A couple of years ago, a new marathon and half-marathon were started, these races were held this morning. I found myself in the middle of the runners. There were runners everywhere. I noticed that most of those running the race were younger, thinner persons, but I did see a few older runners. I saw two or three really heavy persons. They were walking, and I hoped they walked the whole marathon (or half marathon), because they didn't look like they were in shape for either 26.2 or 13.1 miles. I saw one guy who looked like he was really in pain. He was a younger guy and was thin, but the look on his face indicated he was suffering. When I passed him, he was trying to stretch his legs, and when he looked at me, his face said "help, I'm in pain". I'll never know, but it would be interesting to know what type of training he has been doing. Most of the runners looked like they were doing OK. Quite a few of them smiled as they passed me, and some of them recognized me as an old person and said, "Keep it up". There was also a kids race, and I passed quite a few families doing that race. One girl, about 5 or 6 was running as fast as she could, and she kept looking back at her family. She had a big grin on her face that indicated she was proud to be running faster than her parents.

I'm glad to see a marathon and a half-marathon come to South Jordan. Doing those races will involve less driving than my going into Salt Lake City.

A nice 59 minute (3 mile) run

My wakeup heart rate was 57, 2 points higher than on Friday, the day of my previous run. I've been getting sufficient sleep the past couple of days, but I was sleep deprived for a few days before that. I've noticed in the past that after I've been sleep deprived for a few days, my wakeup heart rate goes up. Then, when I start getting sufficient sleep, there is a delay before my wakeup heart rate goes back down. So, after measuring my wakeup heart rate this morning, I didn't expect to have a really great run.

I felt pretty good during the run. Because of my relative high wakeup heart rate, I ran and walked at slow paces and just enjoyed being outside. The temperature was in the low 60s (F), but there was a south wind with 20 mph gusts. During the last 3/4 mile, I started to get tired, and I took a short rest with just 1/2 mile to go. After a minute or so on a bench, I finished the run, stretched, and headed home to mow my lawns.

There is a cold-front passing through tonight and tomorrow, and the temperature will be lower and light rain will likely occur. Starting with Wednesday, however, the rest of the week should be warmer and nice.

Ate too much before I ran

I left home hoping to do a 140 minute long run. Instead, I did about 70 minutes and ran about 3.5 miles. My wakeup heart rate was 55, 4 beats higher that it was on Wednesday.I ate breakfast of two Norwegian pancakes, and I had a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches, thinking I would take a nap before I ran. I tried but didn't sleep during my brief "nap", and I got up and went running. I knew it would be cold outside, and I wore my nylon wind breaker. I also wore running shorts, which was a mistake. I should have worn long pants.

When I started running, I could tell that I had eaten too much, or the wrong type of food. I couldn't breath very well, and I had to run slower and take bigger breaths. In addition, it was raining (light) during my run, and I was cold and couldn't get warm due to my slow speed and a cold wind that was blowing. The temperature was in the mid 40s (F), not awfully cold for running but cold for slow jogging and walking. After I returned home, I took a hot bath to get warm, but I felt cold during the evening. In addition, my stomach didn't feel very well, but it's feeling better now as I prepare for bed.

All things considered, it was not an enjoyable day.

The best run/walk I've had in 3 years

I had a great 100 minute medium run this morning. I completed 6 miles in the 100 minutes. Typically, I've done about 5.2 miles in that time, and a few times when I was tired I only did 4.8 miles. This illustrates why I like running or walking for time rather than for distance. When I'm tired, I do less distance and when I feel great, I do more distance -- all for the same time.

My wakeup heart rate was 51, the lowest it's been since I had blood clots three years ago. I started from 100th South and planned to run back and forth for 100 minutes, but when I got to the bridge at 106th South, the water was almost gone, and I kept on going south until I reached 50 minutes. I then turned around and returned to 100th South. When I reached the parking lot, I still had four minutes left in my run, and I kept on going north until I reached 100 minutes. I then stopped and walked back to my car, the walk being my cool-down.

After I had gone about 0.75 mile, it started to sprinkle. I could tell from the dark sky that rain was coming. The rain did come, although it was a light rain, and it lasted for most of my run. There was a lot of wind, with gusts about 20-25 mph. The wind was from the south and was a head-wind until I turned around. Even with that head-wind, I was able to keep a relatively good pace using my 1:20 running and 0:40 walking segments. When I turned around, the wind was a good tail-wind, and I had to slow down my efforts a bit to keep from going faster than I wanted to. With about a mile and a half left, the wind and the rain stopped. However, half a mile later, the light rain started again, but the wind didn't come back. I kinda missed having that tail-wind.

When I left home, the sky was completely overcast, and the clouds covered the tops of the mountains east of the valley. The temperature when I left was 61 (F). I knew it would be colder than it has been, and I wore my long-sleeved Pearl iZUMi technical shirt. I only had that one layer, but I was glad it had long sleeves. While I ran south I was facing the wind. I could feel the rain drops on my chest (they felt like cool spots), but my back felt warm and nice, even though it was wet. When I turned around and was running with the wind, my chest felt warm and nice, and I felt the cool spots on my back. I was glad I wasn't wearing a cotton shirt; it would have been soaked, heavy, and clinging to my body. The technical shirt felt light, even though it was wet, and it was blowing in the wind. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s with a wet T-shirt and a brisk wind blowing are ideal conditions for hypothermia, but I felt warm and nice during the run.

I will be doing my long run (140 minutes) on Friday instead of on Saturday, due to a Halloween party we are having for our grandkids. If I feel as good on Friday as I felt this morning, I'll probably do 8 miles instead of the 7.1 or 7.2 miles that I've been doing.

The Jordan River still has a relatively lot of water, but the level is down from its peak in the summer. As I passed under 114th South, I noticed there was still water next to the pillars that support the bridge. At its peak during the summer, the river overflowed the path under the bridge, and I estimated as I passed the pillars that the level has dropped about 3 feet from its peak. The level will continue dropping as we go into winter, but next spring the level will start to rise. Water from Utah Lake enters the Jordan River via a large "gate" at the start of the river. The gate keepers increase the flow in the Jordan River during the spring in an attempt to lower the level in Utah Lake and thus give the lake more capacity to absorb the spring runoff of water from the winter snow without flooding homes near the lake.

A great 60-minute rest run/walk

I got to bed last night at a decent time, and after 7 hours of sleep I woke up with a wakeup heart rate of 53. I ran for 60 minutes and did 3.22 miles. I would have had 3.3 miles, but I took a long walking break in the middle of the run while I ate two small apples from an old tree near the path. The tree is loaded with apples, and I'll eat a couple each time I pass the tree. The tree, I assume, belonged to the farmer who owned the land. However, when South Jordan City got the strip of land that now contains the Parkway path, the tree ended up on the Parkway side of the fence.

I used a run/walk ratio of 1:20 running and 0:40 walking. That is 10 seconds more running and 10 seconds less walking than I was doing before the 5K race a week ago. The shade temperature was about 80 (F), and it was a great day to be outside.

Finished the week with a 2-mile run

I ran two miles in the early afternoon. I usually would have gone for seven miles, but I was tired. My sleeping pattern has really been messed up this week. I've only gotten 4-6 hours sleep each night, and my energy level has gone way down. My wakeup heart rate was 58 this morning. My problem has been staying up too late and waking up at my normal time.

I ran the 3:0 and walked the 0:30 for about half a mile, and then I decided to go back to the intervals I was using before the race last week. I did add a few seconds to my running, though. I finished my run doing 1:20 running and 0:40 walking. That is a 10-second increase in running and a 10-second decrease in walking from the intervals I ran before the race.

Experimented with how much running and walking I do

During my rest run yesterday, I experimented with how much running and how much walking I could do. During the race on Saturday I ran for about 10 minutes before I walked, although towards the end of the race, I reduced the amount of running.

I was curious yesterday to see if I could duplicate the amount of running, so I changed my running and walking times *from* 1:10 running and 0:50 walking *to* 5:00 running and 0:30 walking. I used those times for the first mile, but I became tired and reduced the amount of running to 3:00. and kept my walking to 0:30. I was able to use that amount of running for the rest of my run.

Maybe I wasn't quite as rested as I thought....

I felt fine after the race and all day Sunday, but after my 55 minute rest run this morning, I was tired. Normally after 55 minutes (approximately 3 miles) I feel pretty good. Evidently, I was stressed more during the race than I thought. I didn't run the full 60 minutes, because I had to get to the airport and pick up my son and his family who were returning from Japan. I didn't do much for the rest of the day -- took a short nap and moped around doing nothing of importance. Tomorrow, my wife and I will be driving her 94-year old mother through the Utah mountains to see the Fall colors, and that should be restful for me.

Set a new PB for 5K this morning

I ran the 5K this morning. The race was sponsored by the Pirates Swim Club, the group that is giving swimming lessons to my grandson. I ran the 5K as my way of supporting my grandson in his swimming, and maybe as he gets older in his running.

A year ago I ran it in 48:02, and I considered that time a new PB since I'm running much slower due to blood clots I had two years ago. This time I finished the race in 47:28, just barely a new PB.

The course had a gradual downhill part followed by a gradual uphill part, and then down hill again. After a flat part, the course went uphill again to the finish. The change in elevation was only about 90 feet, but it seemed like a lot more due to the length of the climb. During the first part of the race, I didn't take any walking breaks, and my pace was 13+. During the middle part, my speed slowed down because of the uphill grade and my taking more walking breaks. During the rest of the middle part, I didn't take any walking breaks, but my speed went down to 15+ because I was getting tired, and my running speed stayed in that range until I reached the last part, which was uphill; I took more walking breaks during that part.

My mile splits are 14:28, 15:51, and 16:37. You can see the effects of the hills in slowing me down. The good news is that I didn't take very many walking breaks, indicating that my body is getting stronger. My legs, though, got awfully tired. I had hoped to pick up my pace during the last 100 yards and finish in a "blaze of glory". Instead, I walked and slowly jogged to the finish.

While waiting for the race to begin, I talked with a lady who was there with her daughter and her dog. I commented that they should pin a number on the dog. They laughed, but the dog didn't get her number.... During the race there were two girls walking in front of me, and I followed them for about half the course. As we started downhill again, I caught up with them and commented to them that they were walking almost as fast as I was running. One said, "Not anymore, you just passed us". I replied, "Yes, but it's downhill".

The top three runners (male and female) received ribbons and some prizes. The rest of us just got a big thank you from the organizers. After the ribbons were given out, prizes were given via tags drawn from a box. There were enough prizes that almost every runner got something. I received a backpack that will make a nice gift to a grandchild. When I walked up to get the backpack, the lady giving out the prizes told the group that I was the first to register this morning. After receiving the backpack, I said to her "First here and the last to finish" (there were some walkers behind me, though).

It was a fun race. I like small, local races because they are fun and I usually know people there. In this case, I didn't know anyone since the race was in a different town, but my grandson knows the race organizers, and my son knows some of the runners and walkers.

Oh yes, I'm so slow that even that dog beat me :)

This picture was taken by my wife as I crossed the finish line.

My age grade for the 5K

I calculated my age grading for this race. Age grading removes age from the "picture" so we can get a better idea of our performance for our actual age. Here are my age grades for two years, the second being after my blood clots that occurred two years ago.

My age 46, 17:44, 72.73% Year 1982
My age 75, 32:19, 39.92% Year 2011

The first number (after my age) is the time a runner would finish who was 25 but in the same condition for his age that I was for my age. The next number (a percentage) shows how close I was to reaching the world record for my age.

Now, we can see the help that age grading gives us. I calculated my age grading for an assumed age of 76 and an assumed time of 26:31. Guess what, my runner-friend at age 25 would have a time of 17:44 for both ages. That is, a 5K time of 26:31 at age 76 is the same as a time of 19:48 at age 46, even though 26:31 is no way near a PB of 19:47. Age grading allows me to compare times over a large time-span, in this case 29 years. Concerning my performance this morning, I'm about 21 minutes away from an all-time PB, taking my age into consideration. Rather than thinking I have to reach a time of 19:47 to set an all-time PB, I only have to reach a time of 26:31. Now, my performance this morning doesn't seem so bad, after all :)

As a side note: I've spoken of having blood clots two years ago. Actually, the blood clots were a side-effect. The real problem was a filter the doctors put in my vein after an auto accident in 2004. For about 4 years I had a great time running. Then in January 2009, the filter quit working, and it blocked the blood circulation in that vein. I went from a 7-mile run on Saturday to a 100-foot walk on Monday. New veins have grown around the filter, but my performance is still way below what it was a few years ago. But, that's OK. I'm still alive and still running, and it's a great life!

Strategy for the 5K

When I run the 5K tomorrow, I think I will start out with a 15 minute pace (average for both my running and my walking) and try to hold that for the entire race. If I can, I'll get a PB. If not, I'll probably not get a PB unless I increase my pace during the last part of the race.

Continued my rest runs in prep for the 5K

I ran another 2-mile rest run, using the same course I used on Monday. I ran it faster and longer than I probably should have. I forgot my GPS and just ran for relatively long segments and walked for relatively short segments. I averaged about 17 minutes/mile. If I'm to get a new PB on Saturday, I'll have to average 15 minutes. This means that I'll have to increase my time in running and keep my time in walking relatively short. I'll be sure and have my GPS with me so I can monitor my pace. One mistake is to go out too fast during the first mile, and I hope my GPS will help me keep to a lower speed during that mile.

Today was another beautiful day with shade temps in the mid 80s. I started running about 4 pm, and there was quite a lot of shade due to the time of the day that I was out.

The path under the 10600 South bridge is still flooded, and the pump isn't removing much water from the path.

Time to rest for the 5K on Saturday

I decided to run the 5K on Saturday. The race is sponsored by the swimming club at Magna High School. My 10-year old grandson is taking swimming lessons from the club. Today I ran two miles, going from 10000 South to 10600 South and back. The shade temperature was in the mid 80s (F), and it was a pleasant day. I didn't go particularly fast and just enjoyed myself. My purpose in the run was to loosen up. If I ran fast and hard this week, my performance wouldn't improve, because our bodies take more time than a week to adjust to stress. Running fast and hard would tire me and likely hurt my performance in the race.

Ended the week with another 7-mile run/walk

My wakeup heart rate was 57. I only had 6 hours of sleep last night, and I felt tired when I got up. However, I felt OK during the morning, and I started my long run about noon. I reached 7 miles after 2 hours and about 15 minutes. Rather than run the last 5 minutes to reach my time-goal of 140 minutes, I hopped in the car having met my distance goal for my long run. The shade temperature during the run/walk was in the low 70s (F). Considering the lack of  sleep I've had during the past few days, I did pretty good this morning. Last night I was reading a book about the Mormon pioneers who came to Utah in the Martin Handcart Company. My great grandfather, Francis Webster, was with that group. The book was so interesting that I kept reading and reading, and all of a sudden I realized it was 1 am, and I put the book down and went to bed.

I didn't carry any water with me this morning, because the temperature is cooler and I'm doing less sweating. I took a big drink of water at home before I left and another big drink at the East Pavilion before I started my run. I took a small drink at the playground in Draper (small stream coming out of the faucet), and I took another big drink when I finished my run.

There was a 10K this morning, and my run overlapped with the race runners for about half a mile. As they passed me, I told all of the runners, "You're looking good!" The race didn't start or end in the East Pavilion in South Jordan (where I parked), so I don't know what group sponsored the race.

The path under the bridge for 10600 South is still flooded (In the past, I've referred to the path under a bridge as a tunnel, because the one for 10000 South is an actual tunnel. The the other ones, though, are paths under the bridge at such and such a street.

This was another good week for running. I'm considering running a 5K next Saturday. The race is sponsored by my grandson's swimming team. If I do run the race, I'll take it easy during the week. I ran the race a year ago and completed in in 48 minutes. I'll be happy with anything faster than that.

I had a great medium run (100 minutes) today

My wakeup heart rate was 54, and I felt great. I've been getting more sleep the past few days, and that has helped lower my wakeup heart rate and raise my energy level. I was late getting out this morning (about noon), but the air was still cool when I started. But, by the time I was in the last mile, the air was hot, the direct sun was hot, and I started to feel the effects of the heat. I felt weak like I wanted to pass out, and I started to wobble as I moved. I found a bench in the shade, and I took a 5-minute rest. I drank extra water as I rested. When I started running, I felt great, like I had at the beginning of the run, and I felt that way for the rest of the run. The shade temperature was in the mid 80s (F), not as hot as it was in July but hot enough.... I wear a wide brimmed hat when I run to shade my head and neck and hopefully reduce the number of skin cancers that I get.

I've noticed that the city of South Jordan is using a big shovel to did big holes not far from the parking lot at 100th South. After I finished my run, I walked to a group of workmen and asked what was going on. One of them said the city was preparing a wetlands that will have a walking path around it. South Jordan is doing a lot to beautify the Parkway. When the walking path is finished, I'll be able to run the path and get a different view of things.

On Monday of this week I changed the ratio of my running and walking. I'm now running for 1 minute 10 seconds and walking for 50 seconds. So far, my body is handling the extra running and reduced walking. I'm keeping the sum of the two times to be 2 minutes. However, when the walking gets down to 30 seconds, I'll freeze it at that point for a while as I continue to increase my running. Each change is only a few seconds, small changes so my body can more easily adjust to the changes.

For the past couple of weeks, the tunnel under 106th South has been dry, but the path through the tunnel was covered with water today when I reached it. I had planned to go south for 50 minutes and then return to my car, and I had to change my plans and just run north of 106th. Younger runners get around the water by walking or running on a concrete wall that borders the river. I don't do that, because I don't have good balance and would probably fall off the wall and break my bones on the rocks between the wall and the river.

I was tired but made it through my 60 minute rest run

I was tired when I got up and later during my run. I haven't been getting enough sleep during the past week (5 hours last night), and it finally caught up with me. The shade temperature was in the low 80s (F), beautiful clouds in the sky, and a nice head wind when going south of about 7-10 mph. I should have enjoyed the beautiful day, but I didn't -- too tired.

There is an old apple tree on the north-bound section of the Parkway path (north of 100th South). The tree has a lot of small apples on it. They aren't quite ripe, but they are OK for eating. I ate four of them during my run this morning. Two years ago, the tree had a lot of apples, and I enjoyed them for two or three weeks. Last year, there wern't any apples. This year, there are a lot. The tree is on the Parkway side of the fence, and technically speaking the apples belong to the city of South Jordan. However, the city doesn't prune the tree or harvest the apples, and I do the harvesting by eating the apples. I'll wait a week and then eat a few more to see if they are ripe.

The Jordan River is continuing to go down. I noticed during my Saturday run that the water is almost down enough that the supports to the new bridge at 114th South are not in the water. After two more weeks, the supports will probably be completely out of the water. The path under the tunnel at 123rd South is still under water, but the rocks going from the path up hill to the edge of the tunnel is free of water but is too rocky for enjoyable walking or running. In two or three weeks, the path should be free of water, and I'll be able to go south of the tunnel.

Ended the week with a medium run

I ran and walked for 100 minutes. I was out early (8 am) and enjoyed the cooler air and shade. It was a great day with shade temperature in the mid 80s (F). I forgot my GPS, so I just ran for a short time and then walked for an even shorter time. Because I run for time, I wasn't concerned about the distance. I was going faster today, because I reached the 5-mile mark and still had 10 minutes left to run. I forgot to mention that a couple of weeks ago, I changed my ratio of running and walking to be 1 minute 6 seconds running and 54 seconds walking.

There were two races in progress on the Parkway this morning. One race was a marathon relay, and the other was a 5K. It was fun to see all of the runners with their numbers. I commented to the runners, as they passed, that they were looking good. The runners were all shapes and sizes, and some were running and some were walking. Some looked like they were ready to throw in the towel, and others looked peppy and full of energy.

On the Draper City side of the river, south of 10600 South, there is a field that has a border of new trees. I was running past the field this morning when a man and a woman came out of the field. I asked them if they owned the field. They said "yes". I commented that the new trees looked nice and that new trees have been planted north of 10600 South, but those trees aren't doing very well. They commented that they've had problems with young buck deer rubbing their antlers on the new trees and damaging the trees.

Not much running but 5 miles of walking

I didn't run much yesterday, because my wife and I (and her sister and brother-in-law) went to Wyoming to visit Martin's Cove (we drove to Wyoming on Wednesday and came back last night). My great grandfather, Francis Webster, immigrated to Utah from England as a member of the Martin Handcart Company. The pioneers left Iowa City late in the summer, pulling handcarts, and were caught in an early blizzard. They were out of food, cold, sick, and they went into a cove to get some protection from the blizzard. Relief wagons sent by Brigham Young were on the way, and they hoped the cove would provide provide protection from the storm until the wagons arrived with blankets and food.

Our first stop on Wednesday afternoon was the Sun Ranch, the central point for visitors to Martin's Cove. We rode in a small Kawasaki truck to Martin's Cove (about 2 1/2 miles) and saw the actual place where my great grandfather, his wife, and my grandmother (a newborn baby) spent several days waiting out the blizzard. The cove is a small valley surrounded by hills. I've read a lot about the journey of the handcart pioneers and Martin's Cove, and it was nice to actually be there and to see it myself. After we returned to the Ranch, we were invited by the missionaries at the Ranch to a potluck dinner and an evening of entertainment. We had a great time and laughed and laughed at the jokes and skits given by the missionaries.

On Thursday morning I got a mile of jogging in the morning while waiting for the rest of our group to get ready for the day. We drove from our Motel at Muddy Gap back to the Sun Ranch. We walked to Devils' Gate (a narrow canyon that was caused by ancient volcanic action and cuts through a big granite hill) and back, about a mile of walking, and then we walked around the Ranch looking at the museum and other things of interest.

After leaving Martin's Cove, we drove about 30 miles to Willie's Landing and learned about the Willie Handcart Company that also suffered in the blizzard. That Company was about three weeks ahead of the Martin Company. After our visit at Willie's Landing, we drove back to Utah.

An uneventful but nice rest run

I ran for distance instead of time because I needed to get home asap. I ran the 3 miles in 55 minutes. I was out just before noon, but there was still some morning shade. The shade temperature during my run was in the low 80s (F). I felt fine during the run, which isn't bad since my last meal was last night. Just before I ran, I ate a few handfuls of dry Cheerios.

RA, Barefoot Running, and Running in Korea Podcast Interview

By Wendy Nail



Sorry that I haven't blogged over here in ages! I have been busy with marathon training for 2 marathons in October and trying to keep up with my family. Oct. 9th I will be running the Hi-Seoul Marathon as a training run following the Jeff Galloway method. Jeff says your wall is where your longest run was 2 weeks prior to your marathon so he takes people to 26.2 with a run walk, and only uses a 2 week taper. I plan to run this first marathon at a full minute per mile slower than my long run training pace, (so 11 minutes per mile) with walking breaks to keep me to that pace. My main marathon will then be on Oct. 23rd in Chuncheon, South Korea. It is a hilly race and my goal is to not hit The Wall and not hurt for days after so although I'm training for a 9 mpm pace, I will run to be comfortable, and not worry about my pace.

In the mean time, I was interviewed by Caity from Run Barefoot Girl. We had a great time talking and she did an even better editing job on our chat. We talked about running with rheumatoid arthritis and running in Korea in addition to barefoot running. I hope you will enjoy it!

Today was a great day -- completed my long run & got a nap, too

I completed my long run (140 minutes) and felt pretty good. The shade temperature was in the high 80s (F), and there was a slight breeze that helped keep me cool. I felt stronger during this run than I have for the past several weeks, and that is a good sign. Last night, the temperature was in the high 50s, and it took the morning to get the temperature back into the 80s. It was 1 pm when I started my run, and I missed the morning shade. However, the temperature was down from the hot days we had in August, and running in the sun wasn't too bad.

I saw a few walkers, quite a few cyclists, a couple of skaters, a few runners, and a cub scout group on bicycles. It was really a pleasant day to be outside.

I passed a big field with a herd of cows and a pond of water in the field (the water is rain water that has drained to a low area of the field). I saw a flock of black water birds in the water. They are smaller than a Mallard duck, and they are black everywhere. They don't have webbed feet. They look like miniature herons. I've seen them in the water in the past.

Run for time and get a great 100 minutes

I completed my medium run, and felt good but tired at the end. I was out about 10:30, not as early as I would have liked but early enough to still have some good shade on the path. The shade temperature during my run was in the high 80s (F). It was a typical run, with nothing spectacular happening. School has started, and I didn't see many youngsters on the path.

I did see a lot of quail on the path. I approached one flock of about 20 quail. They ran across the path to one side. Then a few seconds later, they ran to the other side. They repeated this several times. Then, as I approached them, they disappeared into the bushes.

A great rest run

I felt great when I woke up. I went to bed earlier than I've been doing, and I woke up at my "normal" time, resulting in about 8 hours of good sleep. I forgot to take my wakeup heart rate in my desire to go running earlier in the morning. Having quite a lot of shade on the path felt great!

I ran a bit faster on the way out but came back slower, although I ran a bit more than 3 miles during the 60 minutes. I ran slower on the way back, because I was getting tired. I remember, a few years ago, that I would run 5 miles in 55 minutes. Now, I run 3 miles in 60 minutes. Ah, the joys of my younger years.... I'm just glad to be alive. Since my days of running 5 miles in 55 minutes, I've had my only injury (a minor knee pain that didn't keep me from running) and blood clots that were a side-effect of an auto accident 5 years before. On Saturday, two days before the blood clots, I ran 7 miles to end a 22-mile week. On Monday, I could only walk 100 feet. Recovery from those clots has been very slow. The problem was that a filter that was put in my vein after the accident, ceased working after 5 years and blocked my blood flow. My body has had to create new veins around the filter, and that has taken time. However, I really can't complain. There are many people much worse off than me. I'm alive at age 76 (almost). I have good health. I have low blood pressure. I sleep well (when I get to bed earlier). My only prescription med is Warfarin. I'm running and walking 10-15 miles per week. I'm optimistic and look forward to each day. Life has been good to me, and I've been good to life.

The early bird gets the worm and runs in cooler temperatures

I was on the Jordan River Parkway path at 9:02 this morning, and I completed my long run of 2 hours 20 minutes (about 7 miles). I enjoyed the run, although I got pretty tired during the last mile.

I didn't see many runners and walkers on the trail, but I saw a lot of cyclists. Some of them were probably from a Scout troop. There was an adult at the front of the cyclists and one at the rear. In between the two men were about 10 or 11 young boys. They were probably working on their cycling merit badge.

The Jordan River is continuing to go down. The water marks on the supports of the new 11400 South bridge show the water at that point has gone down about 12-15 inches. When I got to the tunnel under 12300 South, I could tell the river was significantly lower, because I could see a lot of rocks in the tunnel that have been covered with water. Just before I stopped at the tunnel, a lady came huffing and puffing and said she wanted to touch the bridge to get her reward of reaching that point.

When I first got to the East Pavilion in South Jordan City to begin my run, there was a 5K in progress. I don't know who was sponsoring the race, but the timing display showed 44+ minutes had elapsed since the race began. I don't do a lot of racing, but it is fun to hear from new runners who have just completed their first race. They are excited about doing something they never thought possible.

The temperature during my run was in the low 100s (F, sun temperature). The good news is that because I was out earlier, there was more shade on the path.

Today was a hot 60 minute run

My outdoor thermometer said 101 (F) when I left and 108 when I returned. Those numbers reflect direct sunlight not shade conditions. I drank 4 cups of water in 2.7 miles. It felt like the hottest day we've had this summer. Even though my wakeup was 56 and I felt pretty good, I took it easy and stopped several times for a brief rest in the shade. When I got home, my wife asked how it went, and I replied, "I melted".

Tonight is the free book drawing

Just a reminder that the drawing for the free book 50/50 by Dean Karnazes, who ran 50 marathons in 50 days (one in each state), will be held late tonight. You still have a few hours to get your entry in for the drawing. See the left-side bar for details.

My article for Marathon Nation is online

I wrote a guest post on the 10% rule.

I aborted my mid-week run after 2 miles

I started a medium run but aborted it after about 2 miles due to being tired. The party for our grandchildren that was held on Tuesday was pretty stressful. I did get close to my 7-hours sleep each night, but I was on my feet a lot and was in the hot sun a lot during the party. Some of the grandkids left after the party, and the last four left Thursday afternoon. I'm glad to have the grandkids come and visit, but I'm not as spry as I used to be, and I get tired from all their activities.

Eased back into running with a 60 minute rest run

I completed my 60-minute rest run, but I was tired during the run. I've been getting more sleep that I did during the first part of last week, but it takes a few days for my body to respond. We're having a big party tomorrow for 10 of our 11 grandchildren, so I'm not sure what will happen to my mid-week run.

Ended the week with a tired almost-long-run

I ran 6 miles as my final run for the week. I ran 6 miles instead of the normal 7 miles, because I was tired during the run; but it was still a nice run. I didn't get enough sleep during the week, but for the past two days I've gotten close to my 7 hours.

My guest-article is online

I recently was invited to write a guest article for the Diet, Nutrition, and Wellness Journal. My article has been posted and is online. The article summarizes my thoughts about why I run, why I've run for so many years, and why I've only had one minor injury from running.

A great medium run

My wakeup heart rate was 56. I didn't get out until noon, so I ran in the heat, but I had a great run. I ran noticeably faster than I've been doing. I'm still alternating running and walking, 1 minute each. Eventually I'll start to increase that time. During my run, I felt fine and only took a rest break at the Draper City playground. I drank 5 bottles (cups) of water. There weren't many clouds in the sky and not much shade. So it was 100 minutes of sun. The sun-temperature was about 100 (F), and the shade temperature was about 90.

On my way down, when I was about half a mile from the Draper playground, a girl stopped me and asked if I had seen a cell phone on the path. I said, "no". She continued toward the playground asking each person if they had seen a cell phone.  Then, her companion saw the cell phone about 5 feet off the path. She was, of course, happy to have her phone back, and she and her friend continued their trek (on skate boards) toward South Jordan.

While I was stopped at the playground, a small girl, about 4 years old, tried to enter the restroom door. The door had a sign stating the restroom was closed for maintenance, but the girl was too young to read, and she kept trying the door. Her mother was talking on her cell phone and didn't notice the girl. After the mother stopped talking, she saw the girl, and she took her home.

The water level in the Jordan River is continuing to drop. I'm seeing sand bars in the river that were covered water during July. Of course, our potential flooding from the Jordan River is nothing compared to the flooding of the Mississippi River. But this is Utah, and what might be a relatively small flood elsewhere is a big deal here. And, if you're the property owner whose house is caught in a flood, it doesn't matter where you live.

A new week, another rest run

I was on the Parkway path at 10:16 this morning. Most of the path is without trees, but there are places where there are Russian Olive trees, and I was out early enough that the trees gave significant shade. I enjoyed the shade, a relief from the hot sun of previous weeks. I completed my rest run of 60 minutes. Because I ran a little faster than I originally planned when I changed from distance to time, I had to run a little extra distance to finish the last 1 1/2 minutes of my goal.

I felt fine during the run/walk. I drank 3 bottles of water (1 per mile), and did sweat some due to the sun temperature of close to 100 (F) and the shade temperature of the high 80s. I passed a few other people, but the path was relatively empty of people. Many of the people who use the path do so during their noon lunch break (they work in nearby businesses), and I was finished by the time they would have left their offices.

I saw one quail on the path and swarms of English sparrows. I began to wonder how the quail survive the winter. Do they migrate? Hibernate like bears? Or, just find nesting sites in thick bushes in which the cold wind won't penetrate.  Their bodies are covered with feathers, of course, and that gives them some protection. The quail might be active in the winter, I don't know. I've never seen quail in the winter.

English sparrows are considered "junk" birds because they have no color in the bodies. They were imported from the UK and quickly adapted to their new home. I like them, though, because they are living animals, and I value life.

I ran a medium run of 95 minutes

I felt pretty good this morning; my wakeup heart rate was 58. So, I filled 5 bottles with water and drove to the Jordan River Parkway. I did pretty good for most of the run, but I did get tired during the last part of the run. I took a couple of rest stops and walked most of the last mile. In other words, I hadn't completely recovered from my weakness and tiredness on Wednesday, but I felt a lot better today than I did on Wednesday. Hopefully, with another rest day tomorrow, I'll be fine on Monday for my rest run of 60 minutes.

The shade temperature was about 91 (F) this afternoon, still hot but not as hot as it was in July. There was a 10-15 mph headwind blowing from the South that made running more difficult, but it was nice on the way back as a tailwind.

The water level in the Jordan River is slowly going down. The level under the new 11400 South bridge is down about a foot.

Trying to figure out why I was so tired and weak on Wednesday

I've been trying to figure out why I had to abort my run on Wednesday.

I've been sleeping well, so a lack of sleep wasn't the problem.

Last Saturday morning I spent three hours spraying Roundup and a broad leaf spray on weeds, and I spent another hour on Tuesday with the broad leaf spray. I wore rubber gloves to keep any spills from getting on my skin, but I could smell the spray, indicating I was breathing chemical fumes. However, I had a good run on Monday, and that implies the three hours I spent on Saturday didn't affect me.

On Saturday I got soaked from a rain storm, and that could weaken my immune system. Maybe that was the problem. I was home about half an hour before I changed out of my wet clothes. Again, the good run on Monday sorta negates my being soaked on Saturday.

Another factor was that my diet hasn't been great. Also, I was dehydrated on Wednesday.

Rest seems to have helped with the problem, what ever it was.

During the past 4 weeks (not counting this week) I ran 15, 10, 15, 10 miles, so maybe I was just tired and needed a rest week. I had planned to make the upcoming week a rest week, but the week just ending ended up being a rest week :)

Started a run but then aborted...

I started my run with the goal to run/walk for 100 minutes, but after 10 minutes, I aborted and walked back to the car. I had no energy, and with each step I felt like my body was falling apart. My wakeup heart rate was 58, and I felt OK, but by 2:30 when I started my run, I felt weak and tired. I'm not sure why I felt that way, but what ever the reason, today is not a day for me to run. If I feel better tomorrow, I'll try it again. The air temperature is in the mid 80s (F), and there are lots of clouds in the sky. Weather wise, it is a good day for running. I'm going to take a nap and see if that helps.

Singing in the rain, singing in the rain while I ran

I completed my rest run of 1 hour, but I was soaked when I finished. We had light rain during the night and early morning. Then, while I was doing my stretches prior to running, we had a heavy rain for a few minutes. When I left to go running, the rain had stopped. No rain fell while I did the first mile and a half, and then it started to sprinkle. Then it started to rain. Then it started to pour, and I ran the last mile in a heavy, really heavy rain. I didn't mind getting wet. The air was warm but not hot (70s F), the rain drops were warm, and my body felt fine. I was glad to finish the run, because I was really soaked. When I returned home, I spent about 10 minutes in a warm shower, and that felt great! I ran a little faster and got about 3.2 miles in the hour.

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt good.

During my run I saw a flock of red-winged blackbirds. In the past, I've seen individual birds, but this is the first time I've seen a flock of the blackbirds. This picture from the web shows a flock of red-winged blackbirds.

I also saw 5 quail running down the path. Since 4 of them were together, that implies they were in the same batch of baby birds earlier this Spring. I usually see a number of babies following their mother during the Spring, but this Spring I didn't see any babies. It just depends, I guess, when I go running and when the quail go walking. This picture, from the web, shows a family of quail.

Finished the week with a medium run

I wasn't able to go out running until late afternoon, about 5 pm. I completed my medium run of 1 hour 40 minutes, although I was tired and only did 4.75 miles instead of the expected 5 miles. Because I was running in the late afternoon, it wasn't as hot as it was on Thursday. In addition, there was a 8-10 mph headwind on the way back, and that helped cool me down. Also, during the last mile, the sun was low enough in the sky to be behind clouds, and I ran/walked that mile in shade. I was tired, because I spent three hours on my feet during the morning helping a neighbor spray his yard for weeds.

I'm expecting a large crop of mosquitoes

Because of the river Jordan flooding the low areas next to the river, there are large bodies of water that have become stagnate as the water level in the river drops below the bottom of the ponds of water. Stagnate is just the type of water needed for mosquitoes to breed. According to Wikipedia, it takes 5-14 days for mosquito eggs to become adults. Thus, we may see swarms of mosquitoes during the next 10 days. We have about 2 1/2 months before our first frost, which will kill the mosquitoes, and that is enough time to get quite a few generations of mosquitoes.  Because Utah is a desert area, we normally don't have much of a problem with mosquitoes. So, it will be interesting to see what happens.

When I moved from Phoenix to Massachusetts, I had problems with the large populations of mosquitoes in New England. Then, one day I realized I wasn't bothered by mosquitoes any more. The females would poke me and suck my blood, but I had no reaction to them.

My two sons and I had heard that if one flexed his arm muscles, the mosquitoes wouldn't be able to remove their needle-nose (proboscis) and would keep sucking blood and pop. So, one day my son and I decided to test that theory. We offered our bare arms to the mosquitoes, and when they started sucking blood, we tightened the muscles in our arms. The mosquitoes (female) got their fill of blood and flew away. We thus concluded that the story we had heard was false. This experiment was held after I had stopped having reactions to mosquitoes, and I went into my house with no problems occurring from the many mosquito bites I had experienced.

Another HOT long run of 2 hours 20 minutes

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt pretty good. I decided to run my long run instead of my medium run of 1 hour 40 minutes. I was late getting out, and I suffered through the hottest part of the day. I drank 6 cups of water, but my urine was quite dark when I returned home. Because of the heat, I ran slower than I did on Saturday of last week, resulting in my running about 1/2 mile less in distance for the same amount of time than I did on Saturday. That is the beauty of running for time instead of for distance. In the same amount of time, I may run more distance or less distance, depending on how I feel. This helps me avoid pushing myself to meet a goal even though I'm tired of a certain distance. I still have a temptation to push myself to do a certain number of minutes, but that is easier on my body than pushing to meet a distance-goal. I took a good rest at the Draper City recreation area about a quarter mile after my turn-around point, and I took a shorter rest when I reached the picnic tables near the East Pavilion.

I met a man named Harry who was painting a picture while enjoying the shade of one of the small picnic tables near the East Pavilion. He is two years younger than me and was raised in Southern Utah about 100 miles from the town I was raised in. We enjoyed talking with each other for a few minutes. He was still painting when I finished my run and returned to the East Pavilion, and I visited with him for a few minutes. The picture is of his son standing next to his motorcycle. It is a beautiful picture, and I think his son will enjoy getting it (he hasn't seen it yet). Harry said that several men who have motorcycles have asked him to paint their pictures with their motorcycles. Harry doesn't run, but he and his wife do mall-walking, and they do cycling together. His wife also does cycling without Harry, because she likes to go longer distances.

A super rest run today

My wakeup heart rate was 55, and I felt great when I got up. I was out earlier to miss the mid-day heat, and Mother Nature helped in that regard. The sky was cloudy and the temp was 80 (F). Not a great temperature for running but better than the mid 90s that I've been experiencing. As I ran I focused on bending my knees more, and I noticed that I ran faster than I've been running. My goal of 1 hour for my rest run, which has allowed me to run 3 miles in the past, allowed me this morning to run 3.3 miles, a 10% increase. As with my previous runs, I didn't intentionally run faster; my body just did that on its own. I'm glad I was out earlier, because the clouds broke up, and the mid-day temperature right now is 92.

And to top it all off, I found another golf ball. The path goes by a golf course, and all of the balls I've found were from drives that went way off the fairway and over the fence onto the Parkway. I found a golf ball last week on the Draper City side of the Jordan River. I was surprised to see the ball in the grass next to the path, because there are no golf courses nearby.

Free ID tags

If you like an ID tag to identify you in case you pass out while you're walking or running, here is a link to free tags. I have mine.

It was HOT, but I did my long run

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt pretty good. I left home planning to run my medium run, but as I ran, I decided to do the long run.

I ran/walked for 2 hours 20 minutes on the Jordan River Parkway, using the same route that I used last Saturday. The air temperature was in the high 90s (F), but the direct-sun temperature was probably about 110. Unfortunately, almost all of my route was in the direct sun. I drank about 9 cups of water. In fact, on the way back I drank so much water that I felt bloated. I sweat a lot and need to drink a lot to replace the sweat. I felt fine for most of the time, but the heat really got to me in the middle of the run; I didn't know if I would make the half-mile to the recreational area in Draper City. Obviously, I did make it since I'm at home writing this post and am not in a hospital suffering from heat exhaustion. I took a long (several minutes) rest in the shade at a picnic table after I refilled my water bottles. I felt fine after that.  In fact on the way back, it felt like there was a slight head-wind, but I didn't see any tall grass moving in nearby fields. The cooling from the head-wind or what ever it was felt great and helped with the heat.

I didn't see many walkers, and I saw no other runners. I did see a lot of cyclists, though. As I was stretching at the end of my run in the shade of a picnic place, not far from my car at the East Pavilion, I saw a young girl who was about 3 or 4 years old riding her tricycle and carrying her younger brother. I didn't see a parent nearby, and I was worried about her safety. However, her father came out of the East Pavilion and escorted her back to a party that was going on at the pavilion. Had the father not appeared, I would have walked to the girl to ask where her parent was. I'm glad the father came before I approached the girl -- he might have thought I was stranger-danger.

The water level in the river is significantly lower than it was a week ago. I guess that most of the snow in the high mountains has melted. In about another month, the water level will be down to its normal Fall level. When that happens, the tunnels under 10600 South and 12300 South won't be flooded, and I'll be able to start all my runs at the parking lot at 10000 South. I'm currently doing my rest run from that parking lot, but I'm doing my two other runs from the East Pavilion at about 10800 South in South Jordan City. During the Fall, Winter, and Spring I will, though, start some of my longer runs from the East Pavilion or the Draper recreational area to allow me to run further south than I usually do, thus bringing some variety into my routes.

Had a great rest run

I ran my 1 hour rest run and felt great. My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt pretty good. I started the run at 11:05 am and ran north of the 10000 South parking lot. Because I felt good, my body naturally ran a bit faster, and I finished the "normal" route in 55 minutes. I ran an additional 5 minutes to complete the 1-hour time. I didn't push my body to run faster; it just did that because it was rested and full of energy.

The run was hot. There was no breeze, and there wasn't much shade on the path. However, I did enjoy the brief amounts of shade that were still there. I should have been out running earlier in the morning (there would have been a lot more shade) but I yielded to temptation and looked at my email and other things on the computer and started running about an hour later than I should have started.


When I end my run at the parking lot at 10000 South, I do my stretching after the run in a corrugated steel tunnel under 10000 South. The path through the tunnel is in the shade and there is almost always a breeze blowing through the tunnel. It's a nice place to stretch and finish my cool-down from my run.

The water level in the Jordan River is down a few inches. As I've mentioned before, there is a certain dead branch in the river that I use to gauge the height of the water. For the past 5-6 weeks, that stick has been covered with water, but this morning the branch was sticking an inch or so out of the water. The river is a couple hundred feet wide at that point, so that the 5 inches or so decrease in the level of the water represents a lot of water.

Completed my long run and reached my 7-mile goal

I ran and walked for 140 minutes (my goal for my long-run), and I also reached 7 miles. I began running at 11 am and missed the hottest part of the day, although it was still pretty hot. I drank 8 bottles of water (8 oz each). There were quite a few people on the Parkway. Not many runners but quite a few walkers and cyclists.

The Jordan River has really gone down during the past two days. The path under the 11400 South tunnel is partly dry such that people can stay on the path as they go through the tunnel. The place in Draper that I mentioned in a previous post as being completely covered with water is almost all dry. On Wednesday of this week it was about half dry.

On the way back I saw a white-tailed deer (a doe). It was grazing in a field and was about 200 feet from me. As I got close to it, it hopped across the field to a grove of Russian Olive trees. It's unusual to see deer this close to civilization at this time of the year -- they are usually in the higher mountains during the summer.

I felt pretty good during my run. My wakeup heart rate was 54, an indication I was well rested. Today was the third time this year that I've reached 7 miles. Previously, I quickly discovered that I couldn't maintain the 7 miles, and I dropped back to 5 miles. Hopefully, I will be able to keep the 7 miles this time. We'll see how I feel on my next long-run.

Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the actual storm

I'm starting to have second thoughts about continuing to run when I hear thunder in the distance. From my reading, I've learned that lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the storm itself.  I'm doing more reading to help me formulate a plan of action when I hear distant thunder.

Had a great medium run of 100 minutes

Today was my first day to run by time instead of by distance. I ran for 100 minutes, going south from the East Pavilion in South Jordan (about 10800 South). My estimate of 50 minutes going south was right on, and I arrived at the turnaround point I've been using for my 5-mile route. However, I ran slightly faster going back and got a little more distance in my time-allotment.

I ran faster going back because it started to rain, and I was in a heavy rain for about 15 minutes.  The cloudy sky and rain drops cooled the air and made for nice running. On the way down, I drank three bottles (1 cup each) of water, but on the way back I only drank one bottle, and that water was before and after the rain. I heard some thunder during the storm, but it was up high in the clouds and south of me, and I wasn't worried about lightning. When I hear thunder and see lightning flashes that are close to me, I count seconds (5 seconds per mile), and if the thunder is less than 5 seconds behind the flash, I look for some place to take shelter.  If I were running in a residential neighborhood, I would go to a house and ask for permission to sit on their front porch until the storm passed. However, the Jordan River Parkway is away from houses and mostly in open fields, and I'm not sure where I would go if I had to take cover. I might end up laying flat on the ground so I wouldn't attract the lightning. During the rain storm, the wind, which was a tail wind, increased to 20-30 mph, and that helped me run faster. Before the story, the wind was about 10 mph. The rain drops were cold from being high in the sky, and I felt like I was in a cold shower during the storm. As soon as the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and the heat came back. When I got home, I took a hot shower and dressed in dry clothes. I've felt fine during the day.

On the way down, I passed two women who were walking. On the way back, I passed them again. One of them asked me what I was training for. I answered, "to stay alive". They laughed and apparently thought that was a good answer.

The Jordan River is lower than it has been for several weeks. There is one place in Draper City where, during the Spring, about half the path was covered with water. Then during June, the river increased its height, and all of the path at that place was covered with water -- about 2 inches deep. Today, however, only half of the path was covered. It looks like the river has peaked in its water content, and it should slowly decrease during the summer and early Fall.

Drawing for a book giveaway to be held on August 20, 2011

A book that I read a few months ago is 50/50 by Dean Karnazes. He ran 50 marathons in 50 days, one in each state. I enjoyed reading about his exploits as a runner and how he solved the problem of needing to do a marathon in a particular state when no marathon was scheduled in that state for that date. I will be giving the book away via a random drawing -- see the giveaway page in the Welcome to My Blog category in the left sidebar for details.

A great 3.3 mile rest run

I had a good seven hours sleep last night and was out at 9 am to avoid the mid-day heat. My wakeup heart rate was 54 and I felt good during the run. There was a slight head wind when going south that didn't hinder my speed but did help to keep me cool. Because the run was short and earlier in the morning, I didn't take any water with me. I did fine without the water and without any rest stops.

I'm going to run time instead of miles

I've been running a particular number of miles for each run. When I'm tired I run for more minutes because my pace is slower, and when I feel good my run takes less time due to a faster pace. That is just the opposite of what I should be doing to protect my body from injury. When I'm tired, I should be running fewer miles, and when I feel good I should be running more miles. I've decided to return to running for a certain number of minutes, referred to as running time,  instead of a certain number of miles. In doing this, I'll give my body more protection against injury. If I'm tired, I'll run slower and do fewer miles, and if I feel good I'll run faster and do more miles. This is discussed in more detail in my training site.

Reverting to a time-base means that I'll have to change my goals. Instead of having goals for certain number of miles, I'll have goals for certain number of minutes, as follows. The specified minutes are minutes moving not total minutes. The total minutes is longer if I take rest breaks.

Rest run: 1 hour (60 minutes)
Medium run: 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes)
Long run: 2 hours 20 minutes (140 minutes)

These new goals correspond approximately to my previous goals in miles.

5 hours sleep doesn't hack it for running

I only had 5 hours sleep last night and was tired when I left home to go running. After two miles, I tossed in the towel and returned home. Also, it was hot and that didn't help.

Free giveaway to end on July 9, 2011

Just a reminder that the free giveaway of the book Running on Empty, telling the unbelievable achievements of Marshall Ulrich, will end on the evening of July 9, 2011. I was slow in posting a notice about the giveaway in my training site, and I've extended the date for the random drawing. See the Giveaway page in the Welcome to My Blog section at the top of the left-sidebar for details.

A great mid-sized run of 5.1 miles

I ran my normal route that begins at the East Pavilion in South Jordan and turns around at the bridge under 12300 South in Draper. I had a good energy level, and I enjoyed the run.

Due to a storm front that was moving through north Salt Lake City, the sky was overcast, and I appreciated not having the direct sun and not drinking quite as much water. I did have a head wind of about 20 mph, but I slowed down and didn't have much problem with the wind. I was looking forward to the return phase so the wind would be a tail wind. However, as often happens, the wind mostly died down during my return. There was a tail wind of about 3 mph for most of the return. There were a couple of rain showers of about a minute each. Not heavy rains, just sprinkles.

I am continuing to practice bending my knees more. I'm a natural shuffler, and I often hear my shoes scrape the ground as I run. I'm using that sound to tell me that I'm not bending my knees enough. During today's run, I only heard the sound a couple of times of 2 or 3 seconds each.

There is a particular rock at the north edge of the bridge at 12300 South that I use to gauge the height of the water in the river, and the river was about an half an inch lower than it was last Saturday. The river is supposed to peak sometime this week, The Snowbird ski resort is planning on having skiing through July 4, so there is still snow in the high Wasatch mountains that hasn't melted.

Saw the feet of the black birds that I saw last week

I saw 7 of the black birds, and several were standing on rocks. A white duck was with the black birds, an I was able to compare the feet of the ducks with the feet of the birds. The birds do not have webbed feet. They are larger than male Mallards. Their bodies aren't coal-black, because there are areas of dark gray mixed with areas of black. There is a thin white strip near the ends of the wings.

Ran my rest-run of 3 miles

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt pretty good. It was 11:30 AM when I started my run. I said I felt pretty good, but I didn't feel as good as I did last Saturday. I wasn't particularly tired during the run, but it was hot and I was drinking a lot of water. I stopped for a break twice when I saw a bench that was in the shade. It's amazing how a one-minute rest will rejuvenate ones body.

At the end of the run, I stopped to talk with a runner who had passed me a couple of times. He is 51 and has been running for about 25 years. He had run 12 miles and was preparing to leave in his truck. He said he runs a lot of races (marathon time is 3 hours). It's nice that he has continued to run during the 25 years!