Ran 2 miles

I went out in late afternoon and ran 2 miles. I had a hard time breathing due to eating brunch about an hour or so before I ran. I do better when I run in the mornings before I eat breakfast or in the late afternoon with an earlier lunch. Our bodies need extra oxygen after we've eaten, and they also need extra oxygen when we run. Younger folks can likely provide enough oxygen for both activities, but we older runners need to space the two activities out such that we have enough oxygen for both activities.

The water in the Jordan River is higher than it has been. The same thing happened last year. Usually water is released from Utah Lake in April or May. Last year it was in February, and this year it was in January. This is a good sign, though. It means that Utah Lake has normal or above amounts of water, and that may imply that the reservoirs in the mountains have normal or above amounts of water.

My running training site now in book form

My running training site at http://runninginjuryfree.org goes into a lot of detail about techniques for running without injury. The site has been online for about 8 or 9 years and gets about 400 - 600 new visitors each day. The site is now available in book form from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/allenleigh A pdf of the book can be downloaded for free.

Another great 60 minute run

I ran/walked for 60 minutes, using my 3-minute/40-second time for running and walking, and I felt fine during the workout. I ran at the same pace and distance that I did on Monday. I could have gone another mile or so, but it was late afternoon, and the temperature was starting to go down. The temperature was in the low 40s (F) during my run. During most of the run, the sun was behind clouds, but during the last mile the sun came out, and I could feel on my back the warmth of the sun. It felt good.

On Monday I saw a group of ducks on the path, about 100 feet away, and I saw them again today. At first I thought they were quail since they stayed together as a group, but I'd decided on Monday that they were too big for quail. I saw them in the river when I passed the spot where I'd seen them on the trail, and they were the black ducks with white beaks. I didn't get a good look at their feet to see if they were webbed like duck feet.

A great 60-minute run after skin cancer surgery

I ran/walked for 60 minutes this morning and completed 3.35 miles. I could tell that I was going a bit faster than I've been doing, and my mileage shows that. As I've explained before, I don't push for any particular pace; I just let my body control the pace. During the first 1.5 miles, I used my run/walk routine of 3 minutes running and 40 seconds walking. During the remainder of the run, I kept the 3 minutes of running and walked about a minute. It's now in the late afternoon, and my wife and I just returned from a fast walk around the block, about 0.6 miles, giving me not quite four miles for the day.

The sky was cloudy and there was a 5 or so mph wind with gusts up to about 10 mph during my run/walk. The temperature was in the high 30s (F), and it was a nice day to be outside.

Today is the two-week anniversary of my Basal Cell skin cancer surgery. When I went in for surgery, the cancer looked like a small pimple on my lip. However, the cancer had spread from my lip about an inch up my cheek, and four Mohs layers were required to remove all of the cancer. The good news is that the cancer had spread into my cheek but didn't go deep enough to get into the muscle of my face.

I didn't do any running during the first week after the surgery, and last week I only did small amounts of running. Today is the first day since the surgery of good running and walking.

Got in about a mile walking my grand daughter

We were back at Skyline High School for the remainder of the swim meet. It was raining (not a heavy rain) during the morning, so I took my grand daughter for walks around the building. We did go out to the track to walk, but the rain picked up and we decided to go back to the building having the pool.

My wife and I walked about 1 mile

My wife and I went to Skyline High School to watch a grandson compete in a swimming meet. There was a lot of waiting, and we took our grand daughter for walks around the highschool track. We also walked around the high school building. We got in about a mile of walking.

Ran/walked ro 60 minutes along a canal service road

I ran/walked 3.18 miles, using my normal sequence of 3 minutes running and 40 seconds walking. I ran along a canal service road instead of going to the Jordan River Parkway. The daytime temperature was in the low 50s (F), and it was a great day to be outside. The canal won't have water until mid-may, but the service road is a nice place for running. I ran here a lot a few years ago before I switched to the Jordan River Parkway.

Ran and walked for two miles

I ran/walked for about a mile this morning, and then walked one mile back to my car. The temperature was in the high 20s (F), and there was a 10 mph head wind with guest of about 20 mph. That head wind made it seem cold, especially on my face. I turned around after the first mile and walked back to my car. It was nice to have a tail-wind. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my back, and that felt great.

Did a fast walk for 60 minutes

There was a light snow falling, so my wife and I went to a mall and I walked while she browsed the stores and did some shopping. I didn't do any running, but I did a fast walk, significantly faster than I did last week. Last week I felt tired after 60 minutes of walking. Today I felt fine after 60 minutes of faster walking.

I had quite a few stitches after my skin cancer surgery last week. Most of the stitches have dissolved, and the sutures are healing. During the day I've been putting vitamin E oil on the sutures to help them heal. When I go to bed, I put Calendula ointment on the sutures to keep the sutures moist and to help them heal.

Another hour walk

My wife walked for 60 minutes. I walked at a faster pace than I've used during this week. We parked by the fishing ponds in South Jordan and walked south for half an hour and then returned. This took us across a foot-bridge next to the new bridge at 11400 South and down the Parkway path on the Draper City side of the Jordan River. My wife had never walked that part of the path, and this gave her a new experience.

I'll begin running again on Monday. I'll continue with my 3 minutes of running and 40 seconds of jogging. To help me regain my distance, on Monday I'll only do one mile. On Wednesday I'll do two miles, and on Saturday I'll do three miles. During the next week, I'll work up to five miles, and on the week after that I'll see if I can do my normal 3, 5, 7 (15) miles for the week. Younger folks would go right back to the 15-mile weeks their first week of running, but at my age I'm taking it slower so I don't abuse my body.

Had a nice 55 minute walk with my wife

My wife and I drove to the Jordan River Parkway, where I run, and we walked for 55 minutes. It was a slow walk, because the surgeon said to not increase my breathing-rate. The temperature was 32 (F) in the shade during our walk and probably about 40 in the sun. There was no wind, and we had a nice walk.

Today is the 3rd day since my surgery, and the swelling in my upper lip and cheek should start to decrease. When my grandkids came to visit yesterday and today, I called myself "scar-face". I'm putting vitamin E oil on the stitches, along with Clendula ointment, to try and not have permanent scars.

Small amounts of walking this week

On Tuesday morning, my blood pressure was normal, but it was slightly high Tuesday evening (132/68). On Tuesday afternoon, my wife and I walked around the block (20 minutes) and enjoyed the April weather. It is going to be colder for the rest of the week (right now it is 33 (F). We will be taking another short walk later this afternoon. My blood pressure was normal this morning (114/68).

Later: My wife and I walked in our neighborhood for 20 minutes. Temperature was 32, and a light wind was blowing. I'm walking pretty slow to avoid increasing my breathing rate.

No running this week

This morning I had surgery for a basal cell skin cancer on my lip. The cancer didn't go below the skin and get into the muscle, but it was wide and covered some of my cheek. The doctor said not to run this week but that I can walk slow such that my pulse rate doesn't go up much. He is worried about the stitches breaking through the skin, allowing bleeding to occur. My blood pressure before the surgery was 117/68 and after 168/92. Tonight my blood pressure was 132/73. If I do any walking this week, I'll report that in this blog. I feel pretty good, and I'm heading to bed.

Tired legs took me for a rest run

I could tell as soon as I started running that my legs were tired. I ran/walked for 30 minutes and then turned around, doing 3.15 miles in the 60 minutes. In the beginning I ran my 3 minute phase and walked my 40 second phase, but I soon started doing more walking and less running. I ended up running for a minute and walking for a minute. With 0.7 miles to go, I took a rest stop for a couple of minutes (stopping my GPS so that time wouldn't be included in my 60 minutes.

I've been thinking about this warm weather we're having. If it keeps up much longer, I'll have to stop telling people I'm from Utah and tell them I'm from Georgia or somewhere in the south. The temperature during my run today was in the low 50s (F), lots of sun, and no wind. Everything was perfect for a great run except my tired legs :(

Today I made my maiden voyage for 2012 for running

Today was another April-like day with temperatures peaking in the low 50s (F). When I ran in mid afternoon, the temperature was 49. A beautiful, blue sky with white clouds and lots of sun. In my 60-minute rest run I ran 3.25 miles, running for 3 minute at a time and walking for 40 seconds. During the first two cycles of running and walking, I ran about 20 seconds less and walked for 20 seconds more than the cycle given above. However, once my body was warmed up, I ran and walked as described above. After I finished my 60 minutes, I walked for about 1/4 mile to cool-down, and I did my usual stretches after a run.

I saw two horses on the Parkway path. I occasionally see horses, but not very often.