Very tired, aborted at 2.2 miles

I started out for a 3 mile run, but I was very tired and aborted at 2.2 miles. I could have kept going to meet my goal, but that would have made me even more tired. I only had 4 hours sleep last night plus 1.5 hour nap, and I hadn't eaten anything all day. It was late afternoon when I went out. The good news for the day was that, due to the late hour of my run, there was a lot of shade. The daytime temperature, though, was in the mid 90s (F).

Ran/walked for 69 minutes and did a bit more than 3.5 miles

We've had some visitors for the past couple of days, and one of their cars was parked in our driveway blocking my car which was in my garage. I could have had my daughter mover her car so I could get mine out of the garage, but I chose to leave the cars as they were, and I thus ran the maintenance road next to a canal, because the road wasn't far from my home. I walked about 0.1 mile and then started running. I was out early (7:30 am) and the cool temperature felt great. Lots of shade. Our afternoon high hit 95 (F), so getting out early was nice.

I saw lots of ducks and geese on the maintenance road. Usually, the geese are browsing the fields, but this morning they were on the road. On my way back, I approached a flock of geese that were on the road, maybe 30-40 geese. As I approached them during a walk-phase, they didn't fly away. They just stayed on the path. There was about 10 feet separating us when they started to walk towards the field. I started a run-phase while I was surrounded by geese, and that startled them, and many of them flew away while the others continued walking to the field. After I had passed them and had gone about 50 yards, I turned around and looked at them, and they were back on the road.

On my way out, I passed a field full of birds that were browsing the field. The birds were black and were smaller than a Mallard duck. They had long necks, small heads, and relatively long beaks. They looked like water-birds. I couldn't get close enough to see if their feet were webbed.

It's been over 5 years since I last ran this maintenance road, and it was nice to be back on the road. The road is dirt with some gravel on it, but it is relatively level and easy to run. I saw lots of ducks that were born in May or June, and they were now almost as big as their mother and were independent of her. They were, however, still sticking together as a "clan".

I took a nap when I got home, and the nap and my sleep last night meant I got 7 1/2 hours of sleep.

Ran 3.5 miles this morning

I got out earlier than I've been doing, but not as early as I would have liked. The shade temperature when I returned home was 95 (F) and was probably about 90 when I left home. I carried my usual 4 cups of water and used most of it during my run/walk. In addition, I had a good drink of water at home before I left, at the start and end of my run, and at the turn-around point. I used my normal ratio of 60 seconds running and 60 seconds walking.

I felt pretty good during the first half of my run,  but I got a bit dizzy during the return phase back to my car. The dizzy feeling was slight and occurred during the last half mile or so. It was, I assume, due to the heat, because I've felt fine since then. After I got home, I took a half-hour nap. There was a south breeze of 5 mph or so, and that felt good. I didn't take any rest breaks on the way out, but I did take 3 breaks on shady benches on the way back. During these hot summers, I run for survival and give no thought to trying to increase my distance much or my pace. I save performance improvements for the Spring and Fall and just try to survive during the summer and winter.

Ran 3.5 miles in about 70 minutes

Today was a hot day for running, but I made it thanks to water I carried and several  benches that were in some shade (the shade temperature was 90 (F) when I returned home). I only had 5 1/2 hours sleep last night and my wakeup heart rate was 58. I didn't have as much energy as I had last week.

There were quite a few cyclists and walkers on the path and one skater. I saw a few other runners, too. Most of the people where out today were out earlier in the morning or will be out in the evening. It doesn't get dark until 9 pm. I would have waited until then, but two of my grandchildren are coming over, and I wanted to get my run in before they came.

I drank 3 1/2 cups of water and had good drinks at home before I left, and at the beginning, turn-around, and end of my run. I had about half a cup of water left when I finished, and I poured it on my head and let it run down my t-shirt. There was a 3-5 mph breeze coming from the south, and it helped cool me as I ran during the first half.

We had rain showers during the night, and more showers are predicted for this evening. My wife says we are living in Camelot -- sunny in the daytime and showers while we sleep.

My wakeup Heart Rate was 57 this Morning

Even though today is a rest day, I measured my wakeup heart rate to get an idea how extra sleep is affecting the heart rate. A drop of 3 points from yesterday is significant. With me, at least, wakeup heart rate is sensitive to sleep. I had 6 1/2 hours sleep last night and will take a nap this afternoon that should bring my sleep for the past 24 hours up to 7 hours.

Ran/walked another 3 miles

I didn't leave home until a bit after 11 am, so I ended up running in the hottest part of the day. The temperature was 89 (F) when I left home and in the low-mid 90s when I returned. I carried 4 cups of water and drank it all, plus a good drink from the fountain next to the path when I started and also after I'd completed 1 mile. I went south from 100th South for half a mile and then returned to the parking lot. After a good drink, I ran 1 mile north to the Sandy golf course and then returned to the parking lot. I did 2.9 miles in 63 minutes plus about 1/8 mile walking after I stopped my GPS timer.

Last week we had a lot of rain (for a desert area, at least) and the resulting cooler temperatures, but this week will be all hot sun. I only had 5 1/2 hours sleep last night, and I took a long nap after my run to bring me up to my desired 7 hours of sleep.

I've been using a run/walk ratio of 60 seconds each, but last week I ran 80 seconds with 60 seconds walking. Today, due to the hot weather, I went back to the ratio of 60 seconds each.

After I reached the Sandy golf course and my 1-mile point, I took a several mention on a bench next to the path. I saw two women walking and pushing two-wheeled golf carts. After I started running, I passed the ladies and mentioned to them that I was glad they were walking and not riding golf carts. One lady remarked "we do anything to keep moving". I replied that the guys who ride the carts are heading for heart attacks as they get older. After I had passed the ladies and was about 20 feet in front of them, I heard one of them say, "When I grow up I want to be like you". I thought to my self, "good luck". I'm an old geezer and have all kinds of personality oddities, but I do run/walk outdoors 12 months of the year.

My wakeup heart rate is down

Today is a rest day, but I checked my wakeup heart rate to see which way it is going. It was 54, down 4 points from yesterday. Two days ago I only had 4.5 hours of sleep, and I've been expecting my HR to go up. However, it was down yesterday even though I only had the 4.5 hours of sleep the night before plus an hour in two naps later in the day (after my running). It is common to have a delay between a night of insufficient sleep and a rise in my HR. Last night I had a good 7 hours sleep, and that probably accounts for the drop in my HR this morning. Sufficient sleep is critical to ones performance as an athlete and to good health for everyone.

Ran 3.4 miles in about 68 minutes

Boy, I had a great run this morning! My wakeup heart rate was 58, and I felt strong. I've learned through all my years of running that how I feel during my 30 situps before I run is a good indication of the energy-level of my body. I felt great today and did the situps pretty fast.

The sky was cloudy (showers forecast for tonight and tomorrow), and the temperature was in the mid 70s (F) during my run/walk. I didn't carry water but had good drinks before and after my run. I kept the length of my walk phase to 60 seconds but increased the length of my run phase to 80 seconds. I took no rest breaks and felt strong for the full 3.4 miles. There was no detectable breeze. A few rain drops fell during the first part of my run, but they didn't amount to anything, and the "shower" only lasted for a few minutes.

I didn't see other runners on the Parkway, but I did see cyclists and walkers and dogs.

For several years I thought quail couldn't fly, because I only saw them walking on the asphalt path. However, in recent weeks, I've seen quail fly. I saw one this morning perched on a tall (7 feet) wooden pole. It flew to the ground as I passed the pole.


The Jordan River is very low. Sand banks that usually are covered with water are growing nice crops of grass and small bushes. I hope we get rain tonight and tomorrow -- we need the water, and the relief from the summer heat is nice.

Notice, in the following photo of Italy taken from the web, that you can see rain coming down. Look at the left-center of the picture. This is how the sky looked at my run earlier this week. Today the sky was cloudy but I saw no rain coming down.

Ran 3 miles

I ran during the mid-day and completed 3 miles. I went north from 100th South for a mile and then returned to the parking lot. Then I went south for half a mile and returned. After I finished running/walking, I sat in my car and ate a protein bar and then drove home. It started sprinkling when I started driving, and it rained heavily while I drove home. I could tell a storm was coming, because I heard thunder in the distance and saw rain clouds north of me. During my run, I used a technique I used in Massachusetts. I didn't run on the right side of the path as most people do. I didn't run tangents as if I were in a race. Instead, I ran "shadows", cris-crossing the path to run in the few patches of shade that were on the path. The good news is that during the last half of my run, the sky became cloudy, and I lost the direct sun that had been shinning in the sky. This reduced the temperature a bit. In addition, there was a 5-10 mpm breeze blowing, and that helped cool me some. All in all, it was a nice day and a nice run!

Ran/walked 3.25 miles in 65 minutes

I'm glad I ran this morning instead of late afternoon, because we had a heavy rain and big hail stones and high winds. The storm only lasted a few minutes, but it was a fierce storm while it lasted.

I ran in late morning, going out about 11 am. For most of the run, the sky was overcast, and not having direct sunlight helped keep the temperature in the low 80s (F). My run was uneventful. There was a slight wind from the south, and that helped keep me cooler, too. On the way back, it was a tail wind, but it didn't do much to push me, and I felt the heat more than I had on my way out. I carried and drank three bottles (cups) of water. All in all, it was a nice way to end my running-week.

Nice run/walk of 64 minutes for 3 miles

My wakeup heartrate was 58. It's coming down, and it's up to me to get good sleep each night so it will continue coming down. Because of the heat, I delayed my run until 7 pm. When I left home the temperature was 89 (F), down from a peak of 102, and it was 81 when I returned. I took it easy and just enjoyed myself as I ran. After 2 miles I started getting tired, and at 2.2 miles I took a short rest break. There was a lot of shade, due to the late hour I was out. In addition, there were clouds in the sky that diffused the sunlight to almost shade. When I finished the run, the sun wasn't quite behind the Oquirrh mountains. There were a few walkers, cyclists, and runners on the path but not many. I thought we would have thunderstorms this evening, but it looks like the storms will be delayed until tomorrow evening. I drank about 3 1/2 cups of water during my run.

Tired but ran 3 miles in 60 minutes

The forcast for today is 104 (F), so I got up early and was on the trail by 7:30. There were lots of shady spots, some as long as 100 yards. I went north from 100th South for a mile and turned around and returned and went  for half a mile south from the parking lot at 100th South. After 1 1/2 miles I started getting tired, but I took a couple of brief rest breaks and felt fine. I only had 5 hours sleep due to wanting to get out early. During the high heat outside later today, I'll take a long nap and (hopefully) catch up on my sleep. There were a lot of people on the path enjoying the cooler temperature. The temp was in the mid 60s (F) when I left home and 80 when I returned. I'm still using my run:walk values of 60 seconds:60 seconds.

On the way back, I stopped at a bench for a rest break and watched about a dozen geese in the river.
They were swimming against the stream and were paddling their feet just enough to overcome to river, causing them to remain in the same spot. Every few seconds they would poke their head into the water to catch something that was floating by. About 5 or 6 black birds (ducks?) were doing the same thing. These birds were all black, including their heads, except for a large white spot on their breasts. I took the following picture a few years ago, and it shows the type of duck I saw today.