One of the Fitness Guru fitness blogs

I just received an email telling me that this blog is one of the fitness blogs at healthguru.com It's an honor to be listed by that site.

Now, back to running....

Last week, and the week before, was consumed by weddings. My wife did flowers for two weddings, and I did a video of the first wedding. On the day of the second wedding, I spent much of the day mowing and edging my lawns so my yard would look nice to visitors to the wedding reception (across the street from my house). I bought a new Troy edger because my old electric edger didn't have enough power to cut through the grass and dirt. The new edger made edging a quick and enjoyable thing. The new edger has a wheel that moves up and down to account for differences in height at a curb, but I couldn't get the wheel to move. There are two bolts that hold the wheel in place, and I couldn't turn the nuts on the bolts. So, I just ran the edger on the grass instead of on the street.

On Monday, August 20, I visited with the blood-clot specialist at Intermountain Health Clinic, and he agreed that I could go off of Warfarin (genetic Coumadin). I had swelling in both legs, and he told me to go to the Lymphedema Clinic (in the building next door). On the following Friday, I went to the clinic and came home with a compression stocking on one foot and a big bandage (foam rubber covered with Ace-type bandages) on the other foot. I wasn't able to do my Saturday run because of the big bandage on my foot and leg. I returned to the clinic on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The swelling is mostly gone, my right leg has stopped "weeping", and I'll be wearing compression stockings for the rest of my life. I don't have to return to the clinic.

I ran for about 45 minutes today and did about two slow miles. I was pretty tired and aborted the run instead of going the full 60 minutes. I had plenty of water during the run, but I didn't get enough sleep during the past two weeks, and my wakeup heart rate is high.

The daytime temperature is still hot (maximum is about 95 (F)), and the night lows are in the 60s. September will be here very soon, and that means the temperatures will drop and running will be more fun. I've always maintained that I run for improvement in the Spring and Fall, and I run to survive in the Winter and Summer.

Ran/walked a tired 60 minutes

I did my short run/walk (still doing 50 seconds of each) of 60 minutes, but I was tired during the whole workout. I did 2.8 miles during the run. I didn't take any rest breaks during the first half, but I took two breaks of about 2 minutes each on the way back. The temperature was in the high 80s, but the sky became cloudy and the wind picked up while I was out. Thunderstorms are expected this evening. My wakeup pulse was 59 this morning, two points higher than last week. I've had two days rest since my long run on Saturday, but they weren't really rest days. Well, Sunday was a rest day, but yesterday was a busy day, and I was on my feet a lot and didn't get an afternoon nap. As I get older, I need more time for recovery.

I did it! The doctor did it! We did it!

I've been on Warfarin for 3 1/2 years, ever since I had  blood clots in January 2009. I've been concerned about being on the drug for so long and for side effects of the drug (my legs turning brown, one leg is weeping yellowish water, the brown skin is very dry and scaly. I requested through my PCP that I be revaluated to see if I could stop taking the Warfarin. Yesterday morning I met with the Intermountain Health Care specialist for blood clots, and he agreed that I could stop taking Warfarin. He had both of my legs scanned for blood clots (none seen). He did ask me to wear compression socks to reduce some swelling in my legs, and I have an appointment for that this Friday. It was a happy experience last night to go to bed without taking a pill. Now, I'm not taking any prescribed drugs!

Ran/walked 140 minutes again

For my long run this week, I repeated the time (140 minutes) done last week but on a different route. I only did 6.2 miles because I did more walking on the way back. Last week I ended at a parking lot on 78th South. Today I started at that parking lot and went north for 3.5 miles, about 1/4 mile north (about 57th South) of a parking lot and entrance to the Jordan River Parkway in Murray City at Bullion Street. Next week, if I feel up to it, I'll start at the parking lot at Bullion Street and go north for 3.5 miles; that distance should put me in South Salt Lake City. My wakeup heart rate was 57.

Last week, I only had one bottle (1 cup) of water for the 3.5 miles back, and I had to ration the water during the return distance. This week, I started rationing the water at the beginning of my run, taking a swallow every other walking phase instead of every walking phase. I was pleasantly surprised when I got into Murray City to find an entrance to the Parkway Path that was a nice Park. There was a water fountain, rest rooms, large Pavilion, and a playground for kids. I didn't think about replenishing my water on my way out, and I continued to ration my water. On the way back, however, I filled three water bottles and had plenty of water for that last 2.5 miles. It was hot today, and I was glad for the extra water, especially since I had lost one of my bottles of water and was expecting to only have four bottles for the round trip. Murray didn't have many benches along the trail, and those that were there were in the afternoon sun, and I didn't take a rest-break. I did find a bench in Murray that was in the shade, and I took a long (5 minutes) break. West Jordan City had quite a few benches along the trail, but most of them were in the sun. I took a two-minute break at one of the benches, only to find that a short distance later there was a bench in shade.

There were a lot of cyclists on the trail and a few runners and walkers. 

I still had about a quarter mile back to my car when the 140 minutes ended, and I turned off my GPS and walked to the car. Just before I got to my car, I found my water bottle in the middle of the trail. Earlier, a cyclist had told me he had seen my water bottle on the trail back at 78th South, so I was looking for the bottle as I neared the car, and I was glad to get the bottle. I dumped out the water in the bottle, because it was hot, as in a hot shower, from being in the sun for two hours 20 minutes. All in all, it was a nice run/walk on a beautiful but hot day.

This was a bad week for running. On Tuesday, my wife and I attended a wedding reception at the south end of the valley, almost in the Oquirrh Mountains. On Wednesday my wife and several friends were busy all day doing flowers for a wedding on Thursday morning. We were busy on Thursday from 6 am until midnight with the wedding. My wife did all of the flowers for the wedding, and I shot video of the events. There was a morning wedding, a noon-time luncheon, and the wedding reception that evening. On top of all of this, we had four grandchildren staying with us for the week, and they expected me to play games with them. I got my old Atari 800 out of a closet and set it up so they could play Atari games. On Friday I was too tired to do anything but mope around. I had 7 hours sleep each night during the week, and I felt fine this morning before I left for my run/walk. In addition to my 7 hours sleep last night, I took a one-hour nap before the run and a one-hour nap after I returned home from my run/walk. I feel fine now and am ready to go outside and finish mowing my lawn.

Names of Utah Streets

I've been giving the names of streets in my blog, and I thought I'd explain the names. Utah has a unique way of naming streets, and the names are confusing to people who don't know the "system" of naming streets.

Consider the address of 1986 South 2700 East in Salt Lake City. The address tells how far the house or business is from the Mormon temple in downtown Salt Lake City. Specifically, the address is relative to the intersection of South Temple street and Main Street, which corresponds to the southeast corner of the temple. The house or business having the address given above is 19.88 blocks south and 27.00 blocks east of the temple. Each block is divided into 100 sections, so the building number of 1988 represents 19.88 blocks. The first number and the first direction (1988 South) give the position of the building within the block. The direction could be North, South, East, or West. This use of a direction number/name is common to probably all addresses throughout the US. However, the second direction number/name (2700 East) is also relative to the distance from the temple but is also the NAME of the street. Thus, 1986 South 2700 East means the building is located 19.86 blocks south of the temple on a street named 2700 East, and that street is 27 blocks east of the temple.

To help people avoid confusion about street addresses, I usually write an address with the first direction abbreviated and the second direction spelled out (1986 S. 2700 East in this example). This converts the address to the more common "style" of a location on a street. Newer addresses, though, usually have a name of the street that is not a number and direction, such as 2305 North Valley View Way. The first number still tells the distance from the temple (23.05 blocks north of the temple) and the second part of the address is the street containing the building. In order to use the address, one needs to know the location of the street (Valley View Way). I prefer the traditional system of addresses (2305 North 5600 West) because I understand the system and know the building is 23.05 blocks north and 36.00 blocks west of the temple).

In my blog posts, I'm referring to streets name that don't look like street names: 100th South (10000 South), 11400 South, 123rd South (12300 South). These streets are named after the traditional Utah system. 100th South is 100 blocks south of the temple.

With the advent of GPS, one can just enter the address, what ever it might be, and the GPS gives exact directions to reach the building. I used my automobile GPS last evening to find a wedding reception of a relative.

If this post isn't clear, please leave a comment, and I'll try to explain it more clearly.

Another great run/walk - 140 minutes

I started at 100th South in South Jordan City and ran to 78th South in Midvale City. My wakeup heart rate was 57, higher than the 54 I had yesterday. The difference was likely due to my mowing my lawns yesterday. When I finished with the lawns, my heart was pumping fast, and I was tired. Apparently, my body hadn't fully recovered by this morning when I measured my pulse rate. I wasn't sure if I should run today or not, because when I woke up I didn't have a lot of energy. However, when I left home, I felt pretty good. I hoped to do at least 5 miles like I did on Wednesday, and maybe 6 miles. But, once I started, I just kept on going and did 7 miles! As I neared 78th South, I knew I should turn around, but the temptation to get to 78th South was great, and I kept on going.

The Midvale City section of the Jordan River Parkway path ends at 78th South. However, I stood in the parking lot next to the road for a few minutes and watched walkers and cyclists come and go, and I realized there is a path under the road that continued north. I discovered that that there is a foot bridge across the river about 100 yards south of 78th, and a path from that bridge goes down and to the right, and then it goes under the street and continues northward. This is the way people are getting across 78th. I think that for my next long run, I'll drive to 78th South and park my car in the parking lot where I was standing, and then I'll backtrack to the bridge and go under the street. This will allow me to run 1.5 to 3.5 miles north on the path before I turn around. That distance will put me close to the border of Kearns City. If I can find additional parking lots along the path, I might be able to run clear to Davis County, which is north of Salt Lake City, and maybe get to the point where the Jordan River empties into the Great Salt Lake.

I ran today in the mid-day heat (the high in Salt Lake City was expected to be 89 (F), but it was much hotter than that in the direct sun. There wasn't much shade on the path, and I got really hot. In addition, I was very low on water and had to ration my water on the way back. I used four bottles (cups) of water on the 3.5 miles out, and 1 bottle on the way back.  To ration my water, I took smaller sips and took them every other walking phase. I ran out of water about 1/4 mile from my car, and I walked that last quarter mile and got a big drink at a fountain before I drove home.

Again, if there are people reading this who aren't sure how to get from Sandy to Midvale, take the Parkway path through the golf course. When the path ends, ignore the sign that says end of the path, and go left up to 7th West. Cross 90th at the light and go north on 7th West to about 8300 South. There are several industrial buildings along the west side of 7th West. There are two big silos immediately north of the last building, and the Parkway path begins at that point. There is a locked gate that blocks the path, but there is a narrow opening in the fence to let people go to-from the parkway path to 7th West. The opening is wide enough for bicycles to get through, but I doubt that baby strollers (at least wide ones) could get through. Narrow strollers might make it.

Rest is bringing my wakeup heart rate downI

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I had a great 100 minute run. I didn't check my wakeup heart rate before I ran, but I felt good before, during, and after the run. I checked my wakeup heart rate this morning, and it was 54. It has been close to 60, so 54 is a big drop. This illustrates the effect of good sleep at night and the use of wakeup heart rate as a check on ones physical condition.

Today had a great run/walk for 100 minutes

I started my workout a few minutes before 9 am. Yesterday, the temperature in Salt Lake City was 103 (F), and today was expected to be almost that hot. So, I made sure I started my workout early in the morning. During most of the workout, the sky was cloudy, and I didn't have direct sun. Although, during the last mile, the sky cleared and I had the heat from direct sun. I did 4.8 miles during my workout, with no rest stops. I felt good, had a good energy level, and really enjoyed myself. I think the big difference between this run and previous runs is sleep. I've been getting a good 7 hours sleep each night during the past week, and my body is starting to respond to the sleep. Our bodies don't respond quickly to sleep or the lack of sleep. It takes a few days for the effect of sleep or the lack of sleep to hit me. I carried 5 bottles (cups) of water in my Fuel Belt, and took a swallow each time I walked. I sweated a lot and was glad I had the water.

I didn't check the temperature when I left home and when I returned, but the news broadcast said the max temperature in Salt Lake was 95. I run along the Jordan River, about 15 or so miles from Salt Lake, and the temperature is usually a few degrees cooler than the city.

I took a half hour nap when I got home and then sat around for two or three hours resting. When the sun was getting low in the sky, I went outside and replaced three sprinkler popups. The popups being replaced are old ones with the filter in the bottom. The replacements are new popups with the filter in the top. I'm replacing the old ones because the filter is much easier to replace in the new ones. I have to dig a hole about 5 inches in diameter and as deep as the popup so I can replace the popup without getting dirt in the pipe while I make the change.

Ran/walked for 60 minutes and did 3 miles

It was about 10:30 am when I started running. I didn't look at my thermometer before I left, but it felt hot during my workout. There were a few places where there was some shade, but most of the path was in direct sun. I went north from 100th South to the golf course and then back to the parking lot at 100th South. Then I finished my workout with a south-bound run/walk 3/8 mile and back. During my workout today I took two breaks for a few minutes each. The first break was at 2 miles, and the second break was probably at 2.8 miles or so. It really felt nice to sit on a bench for a few minutes and rest. I weighed myself before and after the workout, and I was the same weight both times. Apparently, I drank just enough water to replace the water I lost through sweating. Each cup of water weighs about 0.5 pound.

In the past I was able to get 1 mile per 8 ounces (1 cup) of water during my workout. I would take a sip each time I walked. This year, however, I'm running for shorter segments, and my walking segments come up more often. If I took a sip each walking segment, I would get less than 1 mile per cup of water. So, to reach my mile per cup, I skipped a couple of sips and took smaller sips. I did get 1 mile per cup of water.

When I got home, I took a half-hour nap and then cooked oatmeal for breakfast. Now, I'm ready to go out in the yard and work on my sprinkler system some more.

Later: I didn't get a lot of work done on the sprinklers. I adjusted six of them and was soaked when I finished. I went into the house and changed into dry clothes and stayed inside. In the past, up into my early 60s, I could run and do yard work in the same day. I can't do that anymore. I don't know if it's because I'm not used to the distance, or perhaps because I'm getting old. Now, on days that I run, I'm pretty tired for the rest of the day.

This week was a "no run" week instead of a rest week :)

I've been doing a lot of work on my sprinkler system, having to replace a lot of old popups with new popups. I also have replaced 64 filters in newer popups. I used to be able to do a full days work in my yard and still run a 15-mile long run, but I can't do that anymore. I think that probably the biggest factor in my getting older is that I don't have the energy level that I used to have. Now, I can do a lot of yard work OR I can go running. I would like to forget the yard work and go running, but life isn't that way. I can ignore yard work for a time, but eventually the work has to be done, and procrastination usually makes the work harder on me than it would have been if I did the work sooner.

Best 25 Blogs for a Healthy Lifestyle

I received an email from masterofgoodhealth.org that this blog is listed on its list of the 25 best blogs for good health. Here is the list.