My 60 minute run/walk became a 63 minute run/walk

I had a great hour run and did 3.32 miles again. I went north from 100th South and reached the traffic light at 7th West and 90th South a few seconds past 30 minutes. While going out, I ran a little bit faster than I've been doing, but I went a bit slower on the way back. It's amazing what some extra rest (and cooler weather) will do for my run.

We had rain during the night, and it sprinkled on me during most of the run. The temperature was in the mid 50s (F), and the cooler temperature felt nice. I saw one cyclist and a few walkers but no runners.

My 140 minute run/walk became a tired 72 minute walk/jog

I could tell as soon as I started running that my energy level was low. I should have aborted the run, but I continued on, hoping I would feel better after my body warmed up. I did feel better, but not enough to continue my run, and I aborted and returned to my car. My total distance for the run was 3.3 miles. Even though I had a good seven hours sleep last night, my wakeup heart rate was 59. This high heart rate was probably due to my mowing my lawns last evening. I usually mow the lawns on Thursday to avoid a conflict with my Saturday run, but, due to circumstances beyond my control, I mowed them Friday evening and only had a few hours for recovery before my Saturday run.

I didn't check the temperature during my run, but when I was in shade, the temperature felt fine. When I was in sun, the temperature was hot. Fortunately, due to the lateness of my run, there ware lots of shady spots on the trail. I went south from 100th South.

A tired 100 minute run/walk

Today was the day for for my medium run of 100 minutes. Before I left to go running, I had a small bowl of sliced peaches and several handfuls of Cheeros. Apparently, the peaches weren't a good thing to eat, because my stomach felt upset during the first two miles. I felt nauseated, and I wondered if I should abort the run. I took one rest break at the half-mile marker, and I felt a bit better after that. I continued running, and by two miles, I felt pretty good. My energy level, though, wasn't very good. I took several rest breaks on the way back, and they helped. I didn't check the temperature when I left or when I returned, but it was hotter than it has been for the past couple of days. The forecast for tomorrow is 89 (F). My wakeup heart rate was 57, down from the 59-60 I've been having. I'm hoping it will continue to drop, since I'm getting to bed earlier and am getting more sleep than I've been getting. I took an hour-long nap when I got home, and I've felt pretty good since then.

On the way out, I saw two deer on a sand bar in the river. I've seen deer in the river before, but it's been quite a while since I last saw them.

Fun Running Blogs: The Guys

I just received an email notice that this blog made the front page of Fun Running Blogs.

My wife and I did a 60-minute run/walk today

I ran/walked the time, using my usual 50-second phases at each pace, and I did 3 miles. My wife walked the time and did 2.7 miles. She walks faster than me but is a bit slower than me when I run, and we were together for much of the distance. I'm glad that she came so we could enjoy being outside together.

Today was a really beautiful day. Sunshine, almost no wind, and temperatures in the mid 70s (F). A perfect day for walking and for alternating walking and running. Well, actually, it wasn't a good day to exercise outside, due to fires in Idaho and smoke from those fires filling the air in the Salt Lake valley. I couldn't see the mountains very well, due to the smoke, but the air seemed nice as I ran, and it seemed like a great day for running. Great for running but not for breathing :(

I saw and talked briefly with a friend who is in a motorized chair. Rather than keep his small dog on a lease, he lets the dog run free, but when another person approaches, the dog runs to the chair and hops aboard.

My wakeup heart rate was 59, one count less than yesterday. I'm focusing on getting to bed earlier, but it takes several days of sufficient sleep to cause my HR to come down.

Completed a 100-minute run/walk

I forgot to measure my wakeup heart rate this morning, but I felt energetic when I started my workout today. I ran south from 100th South for 50 minutes and then returned. I did 5 miles. There were a lot of cyclists and a few skaters but not many runners or walkers. The temperature was in the low 70s (F), and I actually felt cold during the first mile while my body warmed up. It was a beautiful sunny day. I carried 5 bottles (cups) of water and refilled two of them at a fountain at the East Pavilion on the way back.

As I mentioned above, I felt energetic during the first mile, and then I slowly became tired as I ran. I started with my timer set for 1 minute running and 1 minute walking, but after two miles I changed it back to my old standby of 50 seconds each.

I saw two families of quail. The first family had about a dozen quail. They were sticking together, and they looked like a family which in the Spring would have been chicks but now are fully grown, although they still stick together as a family. The second family looked to be about the same size.

I saw a guy walking with a really small dog on a lease. The dog was about a foot long and six inches high. The man was tall, I would guess maybe 6 feet 2 inches, and it looked funny to have a big guy and a small dog. It's nice, though, to have the Jordan River Parkway so people can walk their dogs, ride bikes, skate, run, or walk.

After I returned home, I took a half  hour nap. It's past 7 pm, and I haven't had much to eat all day, so I'm off to cook some oatmeal.

Ran/walked my 60-minute run

I ran for 30 minutes going south from 100th South and then returned. I changed my timer to beep after 1 minute of running and again after 1 minute of walking. I felt fine during the first 1.8 miles and then started to get tired. By the time I was back to the parking lot, having completed 3 miles, I was pretty tired. Even after 2 days of no running, I'm still not recovered from the 200 minutes I did on Friday.

There was a light sprinkle during my first mile, and then the rain stopped and the sun came out. It got warmer due to the sun, but it was still cooler than last week.

I didn't accurately check my wakeup heart rate, but it was close to 57.

Completed a 200 minute long run

My wakeup heart rate was 58, lower than the 62 in the middle of the week but still much higher than I would like. I'm focusing on getting to bed earlier, because that is the only way my wakeup heart rate will come down.

My 140 minute run/walk turned into a 200 minute run/walk (8.3 miles). I started at my stopping point two weeks ago (about 5800 North) on my trek to the Great Salt Lake. I had planned to go north for 70 minutes and then return to my car. However, when the 70 minute time arrived, I was in the middle of nowhere. Trees everywhere. No buildings in sight.

I was concerned about finding a parking lot for my next segment leading to the GSL. I knew I could either go back about a mile to a parking lot, or I could continue going north until I came to a parking lot. During my trek through Murray City, I became spoiled because Murray has parking lots every mile. After I left Murray City, I went through Taylorsville City and was now in West Valley City. I decided to continue going north, and I finally came to a city park with a nice parking lot (it was about 2 miles from this parking lot to the last one I had passed through on my way north). I asked a lady what city I was in, and she said West Valley City, although the South Salt Lake police service the area. There was a four-lane busy street which the lady said was 3900 South. So, I went out (and back) about 19 blocks as the crow flies for a distance of about 4.15 miles as the path went. Nineteen blocks translates to 3.12 miles, so the meandering of the path amounted to about an extra 1 mile.

I had plenty of water, because I passed several water fountains and filled my water bottles, both going out and coming back. Even though the temperature was in the mid 80s (F) and there was a lot of shade from tall trees lining the west side of the path, I was glad for the water. I did extra walking during the last mile going out, and even more walking on the way back. I felt great during the first hour, began getting tired during the second hour, and I was pretty tired during the third hour and 20 minutes. I took a couple of rest stops for several minutes each on the way back.

I only saw a few runners and walkers, but I saw a lot of cyclists. The phases I do on my next several run/walks north will be in an area with a relatively high crime rate. I'm thinking I will carry with me a spray can of Pepper spray. I will be out in the middle of the day, and that may discourage muggers. Much of the path is in remote areas, and there aren't many people to help me if I should be attacked. As long as I pass cyclists, I'll probably be OK since the cyclists know the area and would (I hope) stay away from the path if it were really dangerous.

Had a nice 60 minute run/walk

I ran & walked for 60 minutes, alternating 50 seconds of each. The temperature was 80 (F) when I left home, but the sun felt hot. I did 3.0 miles during my run. I took a two-minute rest-break, on the way back with a mile left to go. That bench is the only one on my route. It is in the sun, but that's OK. I went a little faster on the way out and got a bit closer to the light at 700 West and 9000 South. I drank my customary one bottle (1 cup) of water per mile, taking a swallow every walking phase.

My wakeup heart rate was 57 this morning. Slightly lower than last week. I haven't been doing very well on getting to sleep earlier. I love night-time (up to about 3 am), and I have a hard time stopping things and going to bed. But, sleep deprivation means a higher wakeup heart rate and less endurance during my run.