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.