A great 60 minute run/walk

I had a great run today. I alternated running and walking of 1 minute each. I went north from 100th South to check on the new gate (still closed) at the border of West Jordan City. I then went south to the turn around point of the Police Academy qualifying runs and then back to the parking lot. In the 60 minutes, I did 3.1 miles.

Our afternoon temperature is still in the high 90s (F) to low 100s, so I waited until 7 pm to go out. Because the sun was low in the sky I had lots of shade. I don't know if it is a lower humidity or me getting acclimated to the heat, but I felt pretty good during the run. I did a lazy LSD and made no effort to increase my speed. There was no wind, and that helped, too.

At the beginning, I talked with a lady for a few minutes who is with a group that sponsors a race of some kind. The race involved running, cycling, and kayaking. She said there were 4 hour, 8 hour, and 24 hour phases of the race, and she was waiting for the people to finish. When I finished the first 1.5 miles round trip to the new gate, she was still waiting, but when I returned from the last 1.5 miles, she, her husband, and another couple were putting things away.

My goals are to get my workouts back to 60 minutes, 100 minutes and 140 minutes. It will take me a few weeks to do that.

Today was the hottest day we've had this year

Today's high was 101 (F). I waited until almost 8 pm to run so the temperature would be lower. It was 90 when I left home. I had planned to run for an hour, but I only ran for half an hour and did 1.6 miles; it was just too hot to go any farther. I ran north for 0.75 miles hoping the new gate would be open, but it wasn't. I'll try again on Saturday evening.

Ran for 60 minutes

I ran for an hour and did 3 miles. I felt pretty good during the run, although I didn't have a high energy level. I ran north to the new gate (still locked, indicating West Jordan City is still working on the trail).

Ran a slow 1.5 miles

My wakeup heart rate was 54, but I didn't have a lot of energy during my run. I thus reduced the length of the run to 1.5 miles in about 35 minutes. We have a lot of visitors from Arizona staying with us, and it's hard to get to bed on time and to sleep in until 8 am or so. I didn't check the temperature at the starting and ending of the run, but it seemed hot. This week is a make-up week with shorter distances to get me back from last week's reduced runs and race.

Quick trip to Oregon

I didn't run yesterday due to spending Sunday and Monday on a quick trip to Corvallis, Oregon. I attended and spoke at a Memorial Service for my older sister. She lived a relatively long life (she is eight years older than me), was very busy, and died without becoming a vegetable. She and I spent countless hours putting our genealogy and family history on the web (http://www.welshleigh.org). She was our family historian and genealogist, and I was the family webmaster. In addition to years of genealogical research on our lines, she did research on the Slovakian lines of her husband.

Completed the South Jordan Utah Summer Fest 5K

I completed the 5K this morning. I had planned to be in bed by 10 pm, but I was seduced by the TV coverage of the guy walking across Niagara Falls, and I didn't get to bed until 11 pm. I didn't sleep very well due to anxiety (I'm always that way when I have to get up for something important), so I only had 5 1/2 hours of sleep last night. I wasn't in the best of shape for the race.

It was a beautiful morning for a race. The race started at 6:30 am, before the sun was up. I was cold while walking around, but as soon as the race started I warmed up and was fine. I alternated running and walking, running for 1:30 and walking for 0:20. After about half a mile I reduced my running to 1:10 and increased my walking to 0:50, and I kept that ratio for most of the race. There were a few times that I took more time for walking to give myself extra rest.

There were about 130 runners in the race. I started towards the end of the pack and quickly found myself last. There were two girls in front of me who were alternating running and walking, and I kept up with them for about half a mile, and then they were gone. I doubt that they went faster; it's likely that I went slower. There was a woman in front of me who was also alternating running and walking, and I kept up with her for another mile, and then she was gone, too. I finished the race in 52:46. My PB made 6 months ago was 47:28, and I missed that by 5:18. The good news is that I only missed my age grading score by 2:57. My age group for this race is 65-99, so I am approaching the middle of the range. There were several runners who were in their 60s, and they got medals for the first three places in our age range. No participation medals were given out.

I've been focusing on distance rather than speed, so I'm not surprised or sad that I was slower today than I was a year ago. As I get older, I'm finding it harder to be faster. Also, my problem with the in-vein filter that quit working in 2009 and caused blood clots has caused me to be slower. I'm just glad to be alive and able to run at my own speed. I will continue focusing on distance rather than speed, because distance is more important to me than speed.

I fertilized my lawns yesterday

This week is supposed to be a rest week in preparation for the 5K race on Saturday, but there are a few things I've had to do. One of them is fertilizing my lawns. We're expecting family from Arizona, and my wife wants the yard looking nice. The fertilizing task takes the same time as mowing does, since I have a drop spreader and have to walk the whole lawn, but the spreader is easier to push than my mower, even though the mower is self-propelled. Still, I was tired at the end of the task. I was glad to see that my wakeup heart rate was down this morning. It will be really nice in my heart rate is 52 on Saturday.

Ran 1.5 miles again

I ran north from 100th South to the locked gate and back as a rest run. I did, though, run a bit faster than I did on Monday. I had a good 7 hours sleep last night, and my wakeup heart rate was 55. If I can continue getting 7 hours sleep for the next three nights, I'll be in good condition for the 5K on Saturday. I'd like to set a PB if possible. My current PB (after blood clots) is 47:28. To break 47 minutes, I would need an average pace of 15:10 or better. To get that I'll have to run longer before a walking break, and take shorter walking breaks. So, we'll see what happens. I have to laugh at my self. When I was in my mid 40s, my LSD pace was 7 minutes. Now, I'm struggling to get a 15 minute pace....

My wife went with me this morning. She is a walker, and she walks pretty fast. She left several minutes before me. We passed each other at my 0.6 mile point (I was going out and she was coming back). I never did catch her.

Just finished mowing my lawns

It takes me about an hour and a quarter to mow my lawns. That weekly task is harder on me than my running. I can run for two hours and not be as tired as I am after finishing my lawns.Tomorrow I have to edge my lawns and spray for weeds. Then, the next day I have to fertilize my lawns, and that means my mowing next week will be even harder.

Unfortunately, mowing lawns can't be postponed very much, regardless of rest weeks :(

This is a rest week so just ran 1.5 miles

Next Saturday I'll be running a 5K in South Jordan. This week is thus a rest week so I'll have lots of energy on Saturday. I ran north from 100th South to the locked gate at the West Jordan City boundary to see if it is still locked (it is). I did an easy run with more walking than usual. The shade temperature was in the mid 70s (F), but the sun-temperature was in the high 90s. I started running a few minutes past noon, and there wasn't much shade on the Parkway path.

Ran for 90 minutes and did 5.03 miles

I had a great run today. My energy level wasn't quite as high as it was on Wednesday, but I ran for the same time that I did on Wednesday and did slightly more distance. I started running at the South Jordan East Pavilion a few minutes before 11:00 am, and the shade temperature was 81 (F) when I left home and 84 when I returned. There was no wind during most of the run, but a head-wind did start on my way back. The head-wind made it more difficult to run, but it also helped keep me cool. I got a big drink of water and a long rest stop at the Draper City playground on my way to the tunnel under 12300 South. On my way back, I got another drink at the playground, but I didn't take a rest stop. I took another rest stop at the bench that is 1.3 miles from the East Pavilion. That is the only bench between the new bridge at 11400 South and the Draper playground, and I often stop there for a short rest.

Today, I went under the bridge at 12300 South and continued going south for 1/8 mile before I turned around. The path under that bridge is flooded when the river is high, and I'm not able to go under the bridge. I enjoyed my short excursion today south of the bridge. It's been over a year since I last went under that bridge. A few years ago, when I did long runs of 15 miles, I would start at 100th South and go south into Bluffdale. That route took me under the 12300 bridge and a few miles into Bluffdale.

Now, I'm off for a nap and then will end the day by mowing my lawns.

My wakeup heart rate is lower

My wakeup heart rate this morning was 53. That is a good sign, because it illustrates the effect of sufficient sleep at night. When I get insufficient sleep, my wakeup heart rate is higher, typically 60 or above. In addition, with insufficient sleep, my heart skips a beat every so often. With sufficient sleep, my wakeup heart rate is lower and my heart doesn't skip beats. In addition, with sufficient sleep at night, I feel stronger, have more endurance, and really enjoy my running. In this mortal life, sleep rules!!

Ran/walked for 90 minutes

Today was one of my best running days in several months. I had a good 7 hours of sleep last night, the temperature was in the mid 70s (F), and there was only a slight breeze of about 2 mph. I ran faster and felt great, except for the last mile in which I became tired - not from my pace but from the distance. Alternating running and walking keeps me from getting tired from my pace, and as my body gets stronger and I get more sleep at night, I'm able to handle the distance better. At the end of 90 minutes, I had gone 4.85 miles. I forgot my timer and GPS, so I used my wrist watch to measure total time, and I got my distance from knowing the various distance markers on the path north of 106th South. I counted steps as explained in my report of my Monday run. I took my first rest break at 3.75 miles, and I took a couple more breaks during the latter part of the run. The time spent in breaks was not part of the 90 minutes.

Ran/walked for 49 minutes

There is one word that describers my run today: HOT. The temperature in the direct sun was in the mid 90s (F). I started running about 12:30, and there wasn't much shade. I first ran north from 100th South, hoping to try the new path that goes into West Jordan, but the new gate at the beginning of the new path was closed and padlocked. A note on the gate said the path was closed due to construction and that the new path should be available about June 30. They've already paved the new path going from the border of West Jordan to a path that crosses the river to the Sandy City golf course, and my guess is that they are paving the canal maintenance road that goes to 90th South. I turned around at the gate and finished my run by going south to the half-mile marker that is south of the trail head at 100th South. I did 2.5 miles today.

I forgot both my timer and my GPS, so I counted steps in the running and walking phases of my workout: 50 or so steps running and 30 or so steps walking. Those numbers are the times my left foot hit the ground not the actual steps from both feet. I used my wrist watch to measure the total time spent in the workout.

I'm really grateful for the new water fountain at 100th South. I'm using that source instead of carrying my own water. However, due to the heat, I'll probably start carrying my own water in addition to using that fountain and the fountain at the East Pavilion.

The Great Wall of China Marathon

Wendy, a guest author of this blog, recently completed The Great Wall of China Marathon. Click here for her race report and video. Very entertaining and inspiring!

Walked 1.3 miles with two grandkids

In lieu of my weekly long run, I did two short walks with two grandsons. The total distance was about 1.3 miles. The two boys have been visiting with us for the past few days.