Did 0.9 miles

I added a bit to my distance and did 0.9 miles, using my normal walk:jog ratio of 60:40. We've had nice weather the past week, although our temperatures are about 10 (F) above normal, in the low to mid 50s.

Did another 0.75 miles

It was dark went I went out to walk and jog around the neighborhood. The temperature was 33 (F) when I left home. However, I felt fine during the activity. It probably seems to younger runners that I'm not doing much in terms of distance. But, people need to read my blog in context of my age. Also, they need to realize that my goal is to remain free of serious injuries, and that I make small weekly or biweekly increases in distance. I'm old but am still plugging along....

Ran/jogged about 0.75 miles

Today was a sunny day (I got more solar power today than any day this year), and I walked and jogged around the neighborhood for about 0.75 miles. I felt good during and after the run. The air temperature during the run was in the low 40s (F).

Walked about a mile

I had a ham radio/Mormon church meeting in the late afternoon, and I walked to and from the meeting, about a mile round trip. I could have driven there, but I chose to walk because it wasn't far to the meeting and the weather was nice.

Walked another 0.7 miles

I walked (actually a slight amount of jogging in the middle but mostly walking) another 0.7 miles and felt fine. Nice weather to be outside.

Ran/walked 0.7 miles

Today was a warmer day with lots of afternoon sunshine. I walked around the neighborhood, doing approximately 0.7 miles. I'm still using the 40 seconds:60 seconds ratio of running:walking. It was a nice day to be out. A slight storm yesterday helped clear out the bad air.

Ran/walked for 20 minutes

I drove to the South Jordan rec center and ran/walked for 20 minutes, about 7 laps. I went to the rec center, because the Salt Lake valley has had an inversion for the past week, and the air outside isn't healthy.  I don't know if the rec center has filters on the incoming air, but if not the air inside the center is just as unhealthy as the air outside. I'm looking forward to better outside do I can return to the Jordan River Parkway. I'm in no hurry to increase my distance back to where it was a month ago. I'll just increase the distance a small amount every week or two (the 10% rule, which for me is a 5% rule).

My knee feels fine. I've been able to walk and jog with no soreness, but the knee has been slightly sore when I first get up from sitting a while. However, yesterday and today, my knee felt fine when I first got up and continued to feel fine as I walked around and as I walked/jogged at the rec center. I've been using Arnica for muscle pain, Ruta for tendon injury, and Rhus Tox for pain that decreases as I move around.

The following picture was taken from the web and is how I picture old age and running.

Ran/walked 6 laps at the rec center

I went to the South Jordan rec center in the late afternoon and ran/walked 6 laps, using the same run:walk ratio (40 second:60 seconds) that I've used in the past. My knee felt fine during and after the workout. Each lap is about 0.1 mile.

Walked another 0.6 miles

I walked in mid-afternoon another loop around my neighborhood, but I did a bit of jogging in the middle of my walking. My knee feels fine. It looks like Spring is here. Today was nice! Warm (mid 30s to low 40s), no clouds and no storm. The path around my neighborhood is mostly clear of ice -- just a few spots of ice here and there.

Walked another 0.6 miles

I walked 0.6 miles in the early evening, using the same route as I've used in the past. Except for a few driveways that hadn't been plowed and had ice on the path, the path was dry.

Walked about an hour

I took my car in for maintenance, and I walked or stood standing on my feet for about an hour. I didn't go walking at the rec center, because I felt I had been on my feet long enough. We had snow last night, and there was about an inch on my driveway this morning.

Walked 0.6 miles

I walked 0.6 miles around my neighborhood. My left knee felt slightly sore when I finished, but the soreness was almost negligible. On my next outing, I will continue walking this route. Next week I will add about 10% of jogging in the middle of the walk.

My plan for running

During the past week, I haven't run in order to let the stress on my left knee reduce and the knee heal. I don't consider this stress a serious injury, because the knee improved in three or four days. However, I've been thinking about my future running, and here is my plan for that.

1. I'm going to be more diligent in stretching before or after I run/walk. I ran for 40 years with no injuries, because I stretched regularly and my body adjusted to the running. In recent months, I haven't stretched much, although I was stretching (but not enough) when my left knee reacted to the stress.

2. I'm going to start with a distance of half a mile and increase my distance every week or so by about 10%. This will, I hope, allow my body to adjust to the running and become stronger. When I was younger, my body adjusted more quickly, but now that I'm older, my body needs more  time for adjustment.

3. I've been using a run/walk ratio of 60 seconds walking and 40 seconds running (actually more of a jog). That ratio seems good for my body, and I plan on keeping it.

4. I've been running/walking 2 to 3 times per week, and I plan on keeping that.

Time will tell if this plan works for me. The key to running without injuries is to keep the stress level below that which can be handled by ones body. Keeping the stress level low implies keeping the distance and pace below that which would cause injuries, and keeping increases in distance or pace to 10% or less. Also involved is recognition that ones body needs at least 48 hours of reduced stress between bouts of increased stress, thus the limit of running and walking to 2 to 3 times per week.

Left knee feeling better

I spent an hour on Saturday and another hour today shoveling snow from my driveway, and my knee felt fine afterwards, although it is still sore when I first get up from sitting awhile.

Today was a very cold day due to a 20 mph or so wind. I made a mistake in not wearing gloves, and my fingers were very cold. I wore my heavy winter coat, and my body was warm. After I finished the driveway and sidewalk, I soaked my hands in cold water for a minute or so, and then I walked around my house while my fingers warmed up. The temperature was in the mid 20s (F), but the wind chill temperature was very cold. The snow was about 4-5 inches in depth, but it was very light and easy to shovel.