Struggled through 5 miles

My heart rate this morning was 57, after almost 9 hours of sleep. I felt great and looked forward to a good run. During the morning we had some snow, but the air temperature was in the high 30s (F), and the snow melted almost as fast as it came down. When I left for my run about 3 pm, the shade temperature was 37 (F). When I returned from my run, the temperature was 32 (F). There was a wind of about 5 mph, and the wind-chill made it seem colder. I wore my usual three layers and long pants, and those layers were sufficient.

For the first two miles, I used a ratio of 115 left-foot-steps running and 66 lfs walking. I felt great during the two miles, but I started to get tired, and I switched to 66 lfs running and 45-50 lfs walking. During the last mile, I walked most of the distance. I felt fine while walking. It was only during the running that I felt the stress of the run. During the past couple of weeks, I only did one good 5 mile run and a second run of 1.5-2 miles or so during each week. I think my performance has declined during that time, and it will take a couple of weeks to get back to doing 5 miles and feeling fine. After I reach the point of feeling fine during the 5 miles, I'll slowly increase my mid-week run and my weekend long run back to the 7 miles I had achieved about a month ago. My Monday/Tuesday run is frozen at 5 miles.

Tomorrow is going to be very cold compared to today, with tomorrow evening going down to single digits. I'm thus glad I ran today.

Running for the love of running

My friend, Bob, sent me the link to a guest post in his blog by a woman who was a teacher in Namibia and who taught about life through her running. It's a beautiful story, one that we all should read!

http://bit.ly/gP5H2t

Ran 1.5 miles and then aborted

My wakeup heart rate was high (61), indicating my body is tired. About 2:30 pm, I started my run, hoping to do 5 miles, but after 1.5 miles (115 left-foot-steps running, 66 lfs walking) I could tell I was tired, and I aborted the run. My next run will be on Friday, and I hope I'll be in better shape than I was today. I've been sleeping well the past week, and my wakeup heart rate should (someday) come down.

Today was a beautiful day. Temperature was in the mid 40s (F), lots of sun and most of the snow we had a couple of days ago is gone. The rest of the week should be great, too.

Ran another 5 miles

Today is my rest run, and I ran/walked 5 miles, doing 114 left-foot-steps running and 66 lfs walking. I didn't take any rest stops, and I kept that ratio for the full run. I didn't measure my wakeup heart rate this morning, but it was 58 this afternoon after I awoke from a short nap.

The shade temperature when I left home was 42 (F) and 39 when I returned. Today has been a beautiful day. Lots of sun and little if any wind. I drove to the East Pavilion in South Jordan and ran south from there. My 2.5 mile turnaround was at the north entrance to the tunnel under 123rd South. We're expecting some snow tonight and tomorrow, and I'm glad I ran today. I wore my running shorts and had 2 layers. I was a little cold in the beginning but felt fine once my body warmed up.

Another 5 miles but a slightly different route

I left home about 3:30 pm and went 5 miles again along the Jordan River Parkway. This time I started with the north-bound part of the path (1.5 miles round trip) and then went 3.5 miles on the south-bound path that I've been using. I ran 113 left-foot-steps and walked 66 lfs. I used that ratio for the full run and didn't take any rest stops either. My progress today was significantly better than it was during my last two runs.

We had warm April-like weather on Monday and yesterday, but today was colder due to a storm front that is passing through Utah. In the morning we had about 10 minutes of heavy snow, but during my run, the sky was partly cloudy with a lot of sun during most of my run. During the last mile, the sun had set behind the Oquirrh mountains, and I did that mile with no direct sun. The temperature when I left home was 37 (F) and 31 when I returned.

Even though it was colder today than it has been the past two days, I felt fine during the run. My three layers were just about right. In fact, a man walking his dog said "It's a nice afternoon".

Ran 5 miles again -- same route

We've had warm days (above freezing at least), and most of the snow is melted. I ran the same 5 miles that I ran on Saturday, and almost all of the ice patches on the path are gone. I noticed while going out that there was a lot of water on the path, but coming back I noticed the water was mostly evaporated, and there were a few dry spots on the asphalt. My body felt about the same that it had on Saturday. I did 112 left-foot-steps running and 66 lfs walking. There were a lot of runners, walkers, and cyclists on the path.

The temperature was in the high 50s (F) when I left home and the mid 50s when I returned. I wore three layers, but I removed my nylon jacket after 2 miles. The sky was cloudy with patches of sun and patches of shade. No noticeable wind was blowing. The temperature inversion that we've had for about a week is gone, and the air was clear and the snow capped mountains were beautiful. The tops of the mountains, though, were in the clouds. The highest peak, Mt. Timpanogos, is 11,500 feet high, about a mile above the valley.

Later: the weather forecast during the evening news said today's temp was 15 degrees (F) above normal. Tomorrow will be more of the same. On Wednesday, a new storm front will pass through the area, and temps will drop to the mid or high 30s.

Ran/walked 5 miles

I ran/walked 5 miles this afternoon, doing 111 left-foot-steps running and 66 walking. However, after 2 miles I could tell I was starting to get tired, and I switched to 66 lfs running and 40-45 lfs walking.

The temperature was in the low 40s (F) when I left home. I ran during late afternoon, so the temp was probably in the high 30s when I finished. I wore 3 layers and felt fine. Most of the ice and snow on the path has melted, although there are large patches of ice in the middle of the path. There was water from melting snow and ice everywhere on the path. The temperature tonight will be around 28-30 and there will be thin ice on the path in the morning until the sun comes up.

Except for getting tired and taking several short rest stops on the way back, I felt fine during the run and afterward. I plan to run 5 miles each run next week.

New book on running: Long May You Run

There is a new book on running. It is Long May You Run, by Chris Cooper. If you know of someone who is just getting started in running, give this book as a gift. The book will teach a lot of techniques, but more importantly, it will teach the magic, the imagination of running.

Yes, Virginia, there is life after a cold

My drippy nose is almost dry. I had a dentist appointment this morning, and I was worried that my nose would drip while the dentist was repairing a tooth. But, my nose cooperated, and I survived the dental visit. In fact, my nose hasn't dripped much at all today.

I'm going to rest tomorrow and then run on Saturday. The weather forecast looks like temperatures in the mid 40s tomorrow and Saturday.

My dripping nose is starting to turn-off

Things are starting to look better with my dripping nose. I can tell there is life beyond a tissue. My energy level is improving, too.

Today, my nose was like a fire-hose

My nose has been dripping all day. Not just dripping, but running and running. In addition, I've felt tired all day and haven't done much except walk around the house and sit.

Ran 3.5 miles in the cold

In the late afternoon, I ran 3.5 miles and felt pretty good during the run. The temperature was in the mid 20s (F), and the sky was mostly overcast. I had planned to only run 2 miles, but when I finished that, the sun was out and I felt warm, and I did the north-bound segment of the Parkway path for another 1.5 miles. After I started up the north-bound segment, the sun was soon covered with clouds, and I felt cold for the rest of the run. I really do have to start wearing more layers when I run. I'm older now and am going slower, and the three layers that I've worn in Utah for the past 15 years isn't quite enough. I have an old shirt from my days of doing telephone repair for US West that will make a nice 4th layer. I wore my ice shoes and had no problems with the ice and snow on the path.

Later in the evening, I could tell my drippy nose was getting worse. The mucus in my nose and throat had almost gone away, but my nose started to drip more during the evening. We'll see how things go tomorrow.

Wendy: Running After a Stress Fracture

I'm very excited to say I am truely back to running. Maybe not back to my usual mileage or speed, but definitely back in the game. Starting with test runs that lasted only a minute or two and working my way up from there, I ran 16 miles last week including, a 5K (race report here), a road run of 4 miles, and treadmill runs of 5 miles. The only bummer in the mix is that it is really cold here in South Korea, it is all of 5F as I type this morning!

About a week ago I had a bit of a nasty turn. I slipped on some ice and, although I did not fall all the way down, the process of catching myself strained my hip and RA quickly attacked. Fortunately, it bears weight fine, but it is tender when I start my runs and like breaking loose a rusty hinge if I have been seated for more than a few minutes.

Injuries and RA can feel very much the same at times, but what really makes it possible to differentiate them is that arthritis (RA or OA) improves the more you move. This is a great incentive! When you know that pusing through the pain and discomfort will bring relief, it makes it possible to get out of the chair. You have a light at the end of the tunnel and the more you move, the faster you will get there.

Strength and flexibility are incredibly important with arthritis. In order to deal with not being able to run, I have spent a lot of time in the gym for the last few months and recently highered a personal trainer. Normally, and expense like that is out of reach for me, but I used my birthday money because I knew it woudl be a worth while investment. So far we have met for the initial consultation (which was free) and she gave me a few exercises to get started improving hip strength. This week we will do our first full workout session together, I can't wait!!!

Went for a short run/walk

Even though my wakeup pulse rate was high, I felt pretty good, and I did a short run/walk of 2 miles during the late afternoon. The sky was overcast, and the temperature was in the mid 20s (F). The first 1/4 mile of the Parkway path was covered with ice and snow covered ice, but the rest of the path was about half covered, and I was able to go on the part that was bare. I did 109 left-foot-steps running and 66 lfs walking. When I finished, I was cold but felt OK. I finished during dusk.

I've noticed that during this first week of 2011, I'm feeling the cold more than I did in 2010. A month ago I would have run with a temperature of mid 20s and felt fine. Now, at that temperature, I feel like I need another layer. Three layers will likely be fine down to 32 degrees, but four layers will be needed for temps in the 20s and probably five layers for temps in the teens and below. Maybe in another couple of weeks I'll be recovered more and won't need more than three layers, but for now I do need more. I'm running slower than I did a few years ago, and my body generates less heat now than it did then.

My cough went through several stages

I didn't run this past week, because I rested from running and gave my body a chance to recover from a serious cough and drippy nose. My wakeup heart rate was in the high 60s and low 70s during the week, even though I slept well during the week. It is still high (61 this morning), indicating my body is still tired.

After my last run, which was on Thursday, December 30, I slept most of the next day and a good part of the first day of 2011. I didn't eat much during that time. I had a serious dry cough that sounded bad, happened frequently, but didn't bring up much phlegm. After a couple days of that, the cough changed to a wet cough, still occurring frequently, that brought up thick gobs of dark, greenish mucus. I started to get my energy level back, and I ate more food. After 2-3 days of the wet cough, it changed back to a dry cough that, infrequently, brought up small gobs of yellowish mucus. My energy level and my appetite continued to improve.

As a user of homeopathic remedies, I've learned to interpret changes in the symptoms of my illness as good news. The changes show my body is adapting to the illness and is starting to overcome the illness. As each change in my cough occurred, I took appropriate homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic remedies don't suppress or mask symptoms. The remedies do trigger my body to take action against the illness, and the symptoms change as the nature of the illness changes.

Three nights ago, a strange thing happened. I woke up, after about 3 hours of sleep, with a dry cough that wouldn't stop. It was like a continuous cough. The cough tried hard to bring up mucus, but nothing came up. I took a couple of remedies that didn't have any effect. I thought I was doomed to be awake the whole night. This was the first time I'd been kept awake by my cough. Then I tried Lachesis, and within 2 seconds the cough stopped, and I slept well the rest of the night. During the next night, I again woke up with a frequent, dry cough that wasn't quite as frequent or as intense as it was the night before. I immediately took Lachesis, but that remedy had no effect. After reviewing my homeopathic book for coughs, I took Rhus Tox, and within a few seconds, the coughing stopped, and I returned to bed and slept well. Last night the cough returned, not as deep or intense as it has been, and I took Rhus Tox, but that remedy had no effect. I took Phosphorus, and the cough went away and I slept well. I'm curious to see what happens tonight :)

There is a lot of contention about the use of homeopathic remedies. I've used them for over 30 years, and I know they work for me. However, as an electrical/computer engineer, I understand the physics involved, and I understand that the remedies are so diluted that there should be no molecules of the remedy left in the tablet. So, I use homeopathy and get the benefits of that approach to medicine, but I don't understand why the remedies work as well as they do.

My last run of 2010 was a "disaster"

I felt fine during the run, itself, and after the run during the evening. However, after I went to bed, I couldn't get warm. I piled on extra blankets, but I lay in bed shivering. After a couple hours, I went down to my computer room to sleep. I set the house thermostat to the daytime value, and I got warm and slept OK for the rest of the night. The computer room is the warmest room in the house, because it has a heat register just for that small room, and the computer and LAN equipment put extra heat into the room. I nibbled at some crackers for breakfast on Friday, but I didn't eat much during the day. I slept most of that day as well as my normal seven hours last night. I've had a cough for the past week, indicating my body-condition isn't good. That, and the stress of being hungry and running during the coldest night we've had this winter, apparently gave more stress to my body than it could handle.

I think I made some mistakes on Thursday before and during the run. I hadn't eaten much during the day, so when I went running/walking my body energy was low. During the run, the temperature was about 15 (F), and a 10 mph wind was blowing. I wore the same three layers that I've been wearing for temperatures in the 20s. I think I should have added another layer, and I definitely should have eaten more during the day before the run.

I feel better this morning, and I just finished a normal breakfast. My wakeup pulse rate (WPR) this morning was 67, indicating my body is awfully tired. I feel like my body is tired, too. Thus, I'm not running today (tomorrow is my normal rest day), and I'll see how my WPR is on Monday. I may or may not run on Monday, depending how I feel after I get up.