Last week of May

Goal for days walked per week: 6
Goal for the week, starting with Monday: Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, None

Days actually walked this week: 1
Actual mileage this week: Mileage is collected only for the final week of the month to allow a comparison of this month with other months: 0.15 miles.

 Comment: A windy Spring is here. I'm still wearing my windbreaker jacket; the jacket gives a bit of warmth and keeps me from getting the full brunt of the wind. I still feel the force of the wind but I don't get much of my body-heat blown away.

We've been having rain and snow sprinkles. Spring (temperature wise) is finally here!

Last Week of April

Goal for days walked per week: 6
Goal for the week, starting with Monday: Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, None

Days actually walked this week: 6
Actual mileage this week: Mileage is collected only for the final week of the month to allow a comparison of this month with other months: 2.4 miles.

Comment: During cold temperatures, and during my recovery from the 24-hour flu, I walked inside my home. The days are getting warmer, but the nights are still cold. If I walk indoors, I'm doing 10 loops for heavy walks and 5 loops for light walks.

Earlier, we had about 3-4 inches of snow, so I walked loops within my house the next morning. The weather for the last few days has been a mixture of light rain, light snow, and light sunshine.

Judy found my long pants that I use for running, and I wore the long pants to keep my legs warm during my walk. I've gained weight so the pants are pretty tight on me. The pants are a medium and I need a large size or even an extra large size. This week has been a windy-week, and I am glad I had my wind-breakers on as a jacket and long pants.

Back in Massachusetts, when I was younger, I wore the long pants when I ran at below freezing temperatures with a wind blowing. My record for cold-weather running is -18 (F) (with long pants but no wind). Because of my older age and my now living in a warmer climate, I don't expect to break that record.

Last Week of March

Goal for days walked per week: 6
Goal for the week, starting with Monday: Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, None

Days actually walked this week: 6
Actual mileage this week: Mileage is collected only for the final week of the month to allow a comparison of this month with other months: 1.8 miles

Comment: During cold temperatures I walked inside my home, doing 8 loops for heavy days and 4 loops for light days.

Last Week of February

Goal for days walked per week: 6
Goal for the week, starting with Monday: Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, Heavy, Light, None

Days actually walked this week: 4
Actual mileage this week: Mileage is collected only for the final week of the month to allow a comparison of this month with other months. 0.46

Comment: I've changed my procedure to follow the heavy/light method. A heavy walk is approximately twice that of a light walk

Because of snow and cold temperatures, I'm doing my walking inside my house. Also, the bad air we currently have is a factor in my decision to walk indoors. It is getting warmer with better air, so I am going outside again. The weather is cold again, and there is more snow. Back to walking in my house.

Last week of January

My goals for each week of the month.
One Long walk: 0.400
One Medium walk: 0.200 miles
Three Rest walks: 0.050 each
None: 0.000 miles each
Goal for days walked per week: 5
Goal for the week, starting with Monday: Rest, Rest, Medium, Rest, None, Long, None
Goal for total distance for the week: 0.650 miles

Days actually walked this week: 5
Total  miles for this week: 0.475 miles

Comment: Due to the cold snow, I'm not walking some of the days this month. In some days the air was bad, due to inversions or fog, and I did not walk on those days, either. I'm walking inside, around in my house, to help me get used to the distance.

Last Week of December

My goals for each week of the month.
One Long walk: 0.600 miles (to the second left turn and back )
One  Medium walk: 0.400 miles (to the first left turn and back)
Three Rest walks: 0.200 miles each (to Christen's driveway and back)
Two None: 0.000 miles each
Goal for days walked per week: 5
Goal for the week, starting with Monday: Rest, Rest, Medium, Rest, None, Long, None
Goal for total distance for the week: 1.600 miles

Days actually walked this week: 3
Total  miles for this week: 1.200 miles

Comments: I walked fewer miles/week this in month because I was tired and I aborted twp of my rest walks. My wife (Judy) was glad I aborted the walks and that I didn't try to do the distance that I had planned. Towards the end of the month the temperature was below freezing and the wind was blowing. It was very cold! My legs got awfully tired, although I completed the distance in my goals. Later, my legs felt fine for abut 0.2 miles and then they started getting tired. During the following weeks, my legs were fine, because I drank more water the day before and after my walks. We had company towards the end of the third week of the month, I went running after the company left, and my legs were very tired. We had about 12 inches of snow after the company left, and I didn't walk during that time to give my legs a good rest. I felt weak, though, the whole week. Judy and two neighbors, Mr. Cox and Brother McDonald, they have snow blowers, removed the snow from our driveway and the sidewalk in front of our house. I didn't walk much during the days of snow and cold. Not walking  gave my legs extra rest. I have not been doing stretches after the walks and this omission finally caught up with me. My legs felt like I was walking for the first time. I didn't walk for a couple of days and the I started walking again, although at a shorter distance.

 

Last Week of November

DAYS WALKING: 5
ONE LONG WALK: 0.625 miles (one east loop)
ONE MEDIUM WALK: 0.600 miles (to the second left turn and back
THREE REST WALKS: 0.400 miles each (to the first left turn and back)
TWO NONE: 0.000 miles each
TOTAL DISTANCE THIS WEEK: 2.425 miles

Comments: For my Heavy walks I was going the east loop one time, plus extra distance. For my Light walks, I was going the east loop one time. My legs got quite tired during my walks, so I went to to a different method of weekly walks that reduced the stress on my legs. I changed from alternating Heavy and Light walks (3 walks each) to one Long walk on Saturday, and one Medium walk on Wednesday, with rest walks on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and no walks on Friday, and Sunday. Since Sunday is my Sabbath, it is always a "no run or walk" day. This means, under the new system, that I am walking 5 days per week instead of the 6 days per week that I was doing under the Heavy/Light method.

This week has Thanksgiving, and I'm not sure what effect that holiday will have on this distance. Later: Judy did not go walking all of the days this month because she was busy getting the turkey and apple pies ready for Thanksgiving and a birthday dinner, a few days later for our grand daughter, Annie Grace. My daughter, Sara, and two of her four kids are down from Evanston,WY, and they are available to help my wife with the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. I did my normal walk on Thanksgiving day, because our Thanksgiving dinner is in the late afternoon. The dinner for Annie Grace, on her day, is in the early afternoon, so I went walking in the morning. With my age and health, I'm not of much help to Judy. I lose my balance while walking on elevation changes, and I try to walk on level ground or on ground that has a gradual change i.e. I try to avoid stairs. In addition, I don't bend over to pick up things. Also, I don't drive any more so Judy does all of the shopping.

We had Good or Moderate air this month, but the sky was cloudy during much of the month, and rain was forecast towards the end of the month. I was usually out and back before the rains came, and the rains, when they did come, were mostly sprinkles. There was some snow in the mountains and a bit of snow here, but the snow here was melted by the time I went out walking. We had a strong frost on a few nights, and the temperature was still below freezing when I went walking after those nights.

My weeks (starting with a Monday) now look like the following: Rest, Rest, Medium, Rest, None, Long, None. This method gives fewer miles per week but puts my focus on the Long and Medium walks

Last week of October

DAYS WALKING: 6
HEAVY WALK: 0.625 (one east loop)
LIGHT WALK: 0.600 (to the second left turn and back)
TOTAL MILES for WEEK: 3.675

Comments: I walked fewer miles during the month due to my having a doctor's appointment and a blood test to learn my PSA, and due to my attending the viewing and funeral of my sister-in-law. Later I had surgery for skin cancers that were on my head.

I went off my cancer medicine of three pills each night because the medicine wasn't keeping my PSA low any more. I then began taking a different medicine of 3 pills per night. I did feel tired after taking the new medicine, and I had a difficult time walking in my house. I'm still taking the new medicine for my prostate cancer, but I have gotten used to the new medicine, and I do OK getting around my house. With a new week starting, I want to increase my distance, so I walked around the east loop for my heavy walk.

I've also been taking a different prescription of one pill twice a day, in addition to taking the 3 pills at night. Recently the doctor decided to ween me from the daytime prescription, and he cut my dose down to 2 pills one day, and one pill the next day day. Starting with yesterday, the doctor cut me down to one pill per day. I'm looking forward to taking no pills at all for that prescription, and thus doing away with the prescription. I still will take 3 pills at night of the new medicine. When I have my blood tested in a couple of weeks, I'll find out if my PSA has gone down or not due to the new medicine. I'm looking forward to the resurrection. Until then, I'm learning more about patience and obedience.

The doctor is trying to keep me off a chemotherapy/radiation treatment like people usually have,  because he feels I wouldn't be able to withstand the stress from that treatment and soon would die from it. He hopes the pills will cause less stress on my body and still control my cancer.

The air has been Good or Moderate so far this month. The smoke from California fires seems to be going some place else.

Last week of September

DAYS WALKED:  6
HEAVY WALK: 0.62
LIGHT WALK: 0.6
TOTAL MILES for WEEK: 3.660

Comments: I used most of the month to work towards my normal distance of 10 miles/week. I still alternate heavy and light walks, but the distance of each walk has slowly increased as I gained my strength back. I felt very weak after drinking a lot of of radioactive water prior to having scans made of my skeleton and body. In addition, part of the month was spent gaining strength from the mho surgery for skin cancers on my face and forehead. I haven't gone walking or running while I've recovered from the surgery, although I did walk today and in the future. I've taken 2 or 3 tablets of Tylenol daily, for two or three days, to reduce the pain of the surgery. The bottle of Tylenol states I shouldn't take more than 8 tablets per day to avoid damage to my liver.

I go walking or running only if I can see the mountains east of SLC or I can see their outlines. This translates to Good or Moderate air. If I can't see the mountains or their outlines, I don't walk or run, because in that case the smoke is pretty thick, and the air is bad. The smoke comes from big fires in California.

The past few days haven't been bad. The mountains were in sight, and some of the details were visible. There was some smoke in the mountains, but not an awfully lot. Today had an increase in smoke, but the mountains were still visible. I guess the fires in California are still raging.

Last week of August

DAYS WALKED: 5
HEAVY WALK: 2.075
LIGHT WALK: 1.450
TOTAL MILES for WEEK: 7.650

Comments: Due to the dirty air from California and Utah fires earlier in the month, not all days were run as scheduled. The air is still dirty, but it is not as bad as it was two weeks ago. At least I now can see the mountains east of SLC and make out some details in the mountains. For the first time in several days, I can see the Oquirrh mountains west of SLC and the details of the open-pit copper mine that is taking over the mountains.. The current temperature in the shade of our deck is 84 (F).

I walked in the evening on Thursday, because I had a doctor's appointment at 9 am. I wore three layers, in the evening, but two layers would have been sufficient. On Saturday I wore two layers, and that was about right.

On Saturday, I planned to walk one lap, but I didn't quite make it. I completed about 0.6 miles, and then I was too tired to do more. The radioactive water I drank just before my body scans on Thursday made me tired for several days. Thanks to four ward members who saw me and took me home.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I plan on doing Heavy runs or walks, and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I plan on doing Light runs or walks. This schedule alternates Heavy and Light runs or walks, for 6 days of activity per week. Sunday is always a rest day, because it is my Sabbath day. Because of my age I am walking instead of running.

This Post is an explanation of the monthly additions that will be made to this blog

To save me time, rather than making daily additions to this blog, I have been making weekly additions with daily comments within each addition to this blog. In order to further reduce the time required for updating this blog, I am now making monthly additions to this blog, using data from the last week of that month. All of the distances will be in miles.These additions will include the NUMBER OF DAYS that I have walked during that week, plus the length of my HEAVY walks and LIGHT walks plus the TOTAL miles for that week, The Heavy and Light walks are alternated. This will allow me to keep track of my physical exercise with significantly less time in adding to the blog. The first "monthly" entry to this blog is actually for two weeks and then it goes to monthly additions.

The format for each addition to this blog will be similar to the following, for the last week of the month. Due to my age and health, I am walking instead of running:

DAYS WALKED:
HEAVY WALK:
LIGHT WALK:
TOTAL MILES for WEEK:

Comments:

The numbers apply to the last week of the month. Comments will be included in that addition to help you interpret the data for that month.

I'll see you at the end of August for my next addition to this blog.

Weekly walking summary 7.050 miles this week

Monday. I didn't walk or run today  because of the bad air. The bad air is supposed to start dissipating tomorrow, so we shall see.

Tuesday. The bad air is going away, but it is still there, thanks to the big fires in California. Judy and I did not run or walk today. 

Wednesday. I walked three loops as follows: east, west, east. I also walked 0.2 miles extra distance. I was out about 7:10 and back about 10:30. The air was still dirty, but not as bad as it was last week.'

Thursday. I walked the east loop and then the west loop. Judy walked with me the 0.2 miles of extra distance. I was out at 8:10 am and back about 10:30. There was gentle breeze coming from the south. The temperature was in the 70s (F) during my walk. I jogged a few steps in the middle of my walking. During my walk, I met a ward member, who has recovered from a heart attack, that my walking has motivated him to go walking. I've received similar comments on previous days about my walking.

The air is still bad but not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago.

Friday. I walked three loops in the following order: west, east, east. In addition, I walked 0.2 miles to get extra distance. I was out about 7:15 am (F) and back about 9:50 am. There was a mild south breeze blowing, with gusts of the breeze about 10 mph. The air is still bad but not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago. Now, I not only can see the outline of the mountains, I am starting to see some of the details in the mountains. Two weeks ago I couldn't see the mountains at all.

In addition to going a specific distance, I push my stroller  for that distance. I push my stroller, because it helps me keep my balance, and I go faster than I would go with help from a cane or just walking with no help from a stroller or a cane.

Saturday. The air is not as bad today as it has been in past days and weeks. I can see across the SL valley and see the mountains east of the city. I can see details in the mountains, such as snow in the tops of the mountains. There is still smoke in the air over the valley, but things are improving!

I was out about 8:10 and the temperature was in the 60s (F), and I was back at 10:00 and the temperature was in the low 70s. I walked two loops (east, west) and walked 0.2 miles further for extra distance. Each loop is 0.625 in length. I jogged a few steps in the middle of my walking. There was a mild but gusty south breeze blowing, with each gust about 5 mph. Judy was busy mowing the lawns and didn't walk with me.

Sunday. The air is still bad because of a large fire in Parley's canyon, I hope the air will allow walking and running this coming week!

Weekly walking summary 5.000 miles this week

Monday. This week is a rest week, and I'm doing less distance to give my body more rest. I walked the east loop and then the west loop. It was sprinkling during the east loop, but it turned into a nice rain during the west loop. I was drenched to my skin when I got home, I was out at 8:20 am and back about 9:30, wet clothes and all.

Tuesday. Judy and I walked the east loop, and I continued by walking the west loop. We were out about 9:00 am, and I don't remember when we finished. The sky was cloudy and it was getting warmer, although the temperature was about the 80s (F).

Wednesday. I walked around the east loop, going faster than I've been doing. I was out at about 9:00 am. The sky was full of clouds, but the temperature was nice, probably in the 80s (F). Judy didn't go with me.

Thursday. I walked around the east loop and the west loop. Judy didn't go with me, because she was getting ready for a "doll party" that she is having for our younger granddaughters and younger granddaughters of her sister, Heidi Marchant. Judy expected about 21 people to attend the party.

I was out about 11:00 am. It was hot in spaces that were not shaded. I went slow because the party was in session; I was basically waiting for the party to be over. All 21 people attended the party. The kids seem to be having fun at the party.

There was a nice south wind blowing of about 10-15 mph, that helped to cool me off. 

Friday. Judy and I walked the east loop. The air was bad today, so we went inside an didn't do any more walking.

Saturday. I'm not walking today because the air-quality is so bad.

Weekly walking summary 10.575 miles this week

Monday. I was out about 7:30 am and back about 10:00. I didn't record the temperatures, but it was probably in the 70s (F) to the 80s. There was a nice south wind blowing with gusts about 15 mph. I walked three loops and was pretty tired when I finished, both from the heat and from the distance. One lady from our ward told my wife that I was walking faster, but to me it seamed like I was walking slower. At any rate, regardless of how fast or slow I was going, it was hot during the last lap.

If I was walking faster, that fact could account for my being tired when I completed my walk.

Tuesday.  I walked two loops plus I went 0.4 miles further for additional distance. I walked faster than I usually go and took fewer rest stops. I usually take 3 rest stops during the east loop and 2 rest stops during the west loop. Today I took 1 rest stop each loop. I did, though, take a longer rest stop at home between the two loops.

My goal this week is to walk  0.2 miles extra per day. I did 0.4 miles extra today because I didn't do the extra yesterday.  The temperature during my walk was in the 70s (F). The sky was cloudy for both loops and about half of the extra distance. There was a gusty south wind blowing of about 10 mph during the gusts. When the sun came out the temperature started to rise. Before that happened the temperature was uniform.

Wednesday. I was out at 7:30 am and back in at 9:10 am. The temperature was in the 60s (F) during my walk. I walked three loops and also 0.2 extra distance. There was a gusty south breeze of about 10 mph during the gusts.

Thursday. I walked two loops, plus 0.2 mile of new distance., and Judy walked the first loop with me. We left about 8 am, and I finished around 9:30 am. I went too fast on the first loop, and I was tired for the second loop and extra distance. There was a mild gusty south breeze of about 10 mph during the gusts.

Friday. I walked three loops and then walked 0.2 miles for extra distance. Judy and our grandchild David, walked the third loop with me. It sprinkled a bit during the first and during the extra distance. There was a mild south breeze blowing, about 4 mph. The temperature was in the 70s (F).

Saturday. I walked two loops and walked 0.2 miles for extra distance. I took a long rest before I did the extra distance. I was out about 8:10 am and back at 10.15. Judy didn't walk any of the loops because she was mowing the lawn. The sun was shining bright and the temperature during my walk was about the 70s (F) to the low 90s. It was hot when I walked in the direct sun.

Weekly walking summary 9.375 miles this week

Monday. I went out about 7:15 am and was back about 11 am. I walked three loops, and Judy went with me during the first loop. We stopped twice to talk with neighbors, so the time getting back home was later than normal. The temperature during my walks was in the 70s (F) and 80s, and there was a south wind blowing with peak gusts of 10-15 mph. I felt pretty good after the third loop. I adjusted the right handlebar, and my arms seemed to not be as tired as they have in past walks. I was still tired in my legs a bit but nothing like last Friday. 

Tuesday.  I walked the east loop, and Judy and I walked the west loop. I was out at 8:45 am and back about 10:00 am. The temperature was  in the high 60s (F) when I left and in the low 80s when I returned. There was a south breeze of about 10 mph blowing, which felt good as Judy and I walked. 

Wednesday. I walked three loops in this order.  East loop, west loop, and east loop again. Judy walked the west loop with me. It was hot today. The temperature in the shade was in the low 70s (F) to the low 80s during my walk, but it was hotter in the sunlight. There wasn't much of a breeze blowing; just a very slight south breeze. Except for the heat, I felt fine after the three loops.

Thursday. I was out early, about 7:10 am, and I was back about 9:30 am. The temperature was in the mid 80s (F) during my walk. The sky was cloudy for most of my walk, and the cooler air felt good! There was a south wind blowing of about 10-20 mph on the gusts.

Friday.  I was out at 8:00 am and back about 10:20 am. I ran three loops, in the following order: east, east west. Judy walked with me for the second loop. There was a gusty south breeze flowing that made it harder to walk south, but the breeze helped me cool off a bit. It was cloudy during most of the loops but the clouds went away and the sun was bright and hot during the third loop.

After the 3rd loop, I was tired from the heat, but I felt good for the distance of my walk.

Saturday.  I walked two loops, walking the west loop first followed by the east loop. The temperature was in the 60s (F) while I walked. I was out earlier at 7:45 am. There was no breeze that I could detect. I was pretty tired when I finished. I was up every 1 1/2 hours during the night and put more Arnica on my back. My back is sore when I lie down in bed and I put Arnica gel on my back and go back to sleep for about 1 1/2 hours. It is not as sore when I stay up, just when I'm lying down.

Weekly walking summary -- 8.300 miles this week

 Monday.  I walked three loops this morning. I was out at about 8:30 am and back at 10:30 am.  There was a slight breeze of about 15 mph. I didn't check the temperature, but it was hot!

After cooling off I was ready to leave home with Judy and meet my son, Chad, and his family for dinner at noon at Chuck-a-Rama in Draper. We got home about 2:00 pm. I like Chuck-a-Rama because they have good food, but I always eat too much.

Tuesday. I walked two loops, the east loop and the west loop. I was out about 8:30 and back about 10:30. The sky was cloudy most of the time I walked. I didn't check the temperature, but it was likely in the 70s (F) or 80s. There was a nice south wind blowing of about 15-20 mph. Besides helping me move when I was going north, the wind helped cool me.

Wednesday. I walked three loops, the east loop, the west loop, and the east loop again. I was out about 7:50 am and back at home about 10:00 am. I didn't check the temperatures, but it was comfortable while I was walking. I felt pretty good at the end of my walk. The sky was cloudy for about half of my walk.

Tomorrow is a funeral, so I don't expect that I will do much walking.

Thursday. We were at the funeral from 9:30 am until about 4:00 pm, and we enjoyed the talks and prayers. It was hot, though; probably in the 100s (F).

Judy and I went out about 7:30 pm and walked to the Christensen driveway and back for a distance of 0.2 miles. There was a sprinkle of rain while we were out walking, but it didn't amount to much. The temperature while we were walking was in the high 80s or low 90s, and a south wind of about 15 to 20 mph was blowing.

Friday. I walked three loops this morning. I was out at 8:20 am and back about 10:00 am. I felt fine during 2 1/2 loops, but I got pretty tired during the last half of the 3rd loop. The temperature during my walks was in the 70s (F) and 80s, and there was a south wind blowing of 10-15 mph gusts.

Saturday. I walked two loops, the east loop first and the west loop afterwards. Judy walked the west loop with me. I was out at 8:10 am and back at about 10:00 am. There was no breeze to speak of, and the temperature during my walks was in the 70s (F) and 80s.

Weekly walking summary -- 9.350 miles this week

Monday. I walked twice around the east loop and once around the west loop. I was out about 7:50 am and back about 10:00 am. There was no breeze at first, but towards the end of my walk the breeze, from the south, had picked up to about 5-15 mph. Judy walked one pass around the east loop with me. The temperature during my walk was in the 70s (F). I got very tired towards the end of the 3rd pass; I was walking with Bro. and Sister Olsen from my ward when I finished. Judy ministers to Sister Olsen. Earlier, in my pass around the west loop, my Bishop and his wife passed me, and we talked for a moment.

Tuesday. I walked the east and west loops.  Judy didn't walk with me, because she was busy making doll clothes for her doll-party. Judy hopes to give each girl who attends her party a dress for the child's doll. She was also reading a book, and when she does that she doesn't put the book down.

It was 8:30 am when I left and 10:00 am when I returned. The temperature was in the 70s (F) when I ran. There was a slight south breeze blowing, and that breeze, though slight, helped cool me off. I was tired when I finished, but not as tired as I was yesterday!

Wednesday. I walked the east, west, and east loops in that order. Judy walked the first loop with me. I was out about 7:50 am an back in about 10:30 am. The temperature was in the low 70s (F) when I started, and in the low 80s when I finished the three loops. There was a south wind of 10-20 mph which made it harder to walk in the south direction, but the wind helped cool me off. I sweated a lot and rested between each loop. I was tired when I finished but not as tired as I was two days ago.

Thursday. I walked the east and west loops, and I felt pretty good when I finished. I was a bit tired but nothing like I felt a few days ago. I was out at 7:40 am and back at 9:30 am. There was a slight breeze blowing from the south. The temperature during my walk was in the low to mid 80s (F).

Friday. We were notified last evening that Janeen Thompson, Rolf's wife, has had a stroke. Thus, my schedule for walking is on hold for the near term. We need to be available for family assistance during the next few days.

While we were awaiting the time to go to the hospital, I walked three loops and Judy also walked the second loop. I was out about 8:45 am and back about 10:50 am. The temperature was in the 80s (F) or 90s, and it was hot while I was walking. When I finished walking, my clothes were all wet with sweat, and my face was wet too. I sat in my chair and took a nap while I dried out. About 1:15 pm I changed my clothes and felt OK.

Saturday. I walked around two loops (the east an the west loops). I was out at 8 am, so it wasn't particularly hot. I finished the loops at 9:15, and I felt pretty good when I finished. My body was tired from the heat but not from the walking. After my walk, Judy drove me to the hospital to get a blood test, prior to my Internet visit with my cancer doctor on Tuesday afternoon.

Weekly walking summary -- 6.025 miles this week

Monday. This week is a rest week in which I walked a reduced distance. I walked the west loop and then walked the east loop. While doing the west loop I stopped at Craig Young's house and gave him a copy of the Let's Laugh book. He recently had an artificial knee, and I figured a few jokes would help him deal with being in the house all day. Judy had planned on walking with me during the 2nd lap, but I couldn't find her when the time came to do the east loop, so I did it alone. I was out at 7:45 am and back at 9:30 am. I didn't check the temperature, but it felt like it was in the 60s (F) or 70s. Lots of sun!

I was pretty tired when I finished the two laps, and I'm glad this is a rest week. I did a  "heavy" walk of two laps, instead of the normal three laps.

Tuesday. Today is a continuation of the rest week, and I did a "light" walk of one lap instead of the normal two laps. I walked the east loop and was very tired at the end of the loop. It was all I could do to get my stroller up the four stairs to my front door and get the stroller parked inside my house.

There was a gusty south breeze of about 5-10 mph. I was out at about 8:35 am and back about 9:30 am.

Wednesday. I walked the east loop and Judy and I walked the west loop. I felt stronger today than I did two days ago. I'm glad this is a rest week, because I don't know if I could do more laps of the loops. Today, I did two laps of the loops instead of three laps. I was out about 8:30 am, and the sky was cloudy and mostly the sun was behind clouds. We may have thunder showers today, but so far we haven't had any storms. The temperature when I left home was in the 60s (F). There was a south wind blowing of about 15-20 mph.

Thursday. Judy and I walked around the east block. We left about 8:30 am when the temperature was is the 60s (F). There was a south wind blowing of about 15 mph. I felt pretty good when our walk was finished. Our walk was enough for a rest week of reduced distance.

Friday.  I walked around the east loop and then Judy and I walked around the west loop. I was out about 7:25 am and back about 9:20 am. The sky was mostly cloudy during most of the east loop, but the sky changed during the latter part of the east loop and all of the west loop, such that the sun caused the temperature to rise. The temperature was about 66 (F) when I went out and was about 75 when I finished my walks. A slight south breeze was blowing. During most of my walk, I couldn't detect any breeze at all.

Much later. Judy and I walked 0.4 miles to attend a going-away party for a neighbor. The temperature was in the 90s (F).

Saturday. Today is the last day of this rest week of reduced distance. I was out at 7:50 am and back at 8:30 am. I walked around the east loop. The temperature during my walk was in the  60s (F) to 70s.  The was a south wind blowing, about 10-15 mph. I felt pretty good when I finished my walk.

Weekly walking summary -- 9.075 miles this week

Monday. I was out at 8:30 am, and the temperature was 63 (F). I was back about 11:30 am and the temperature was about 83. I walked the east loop, and Judy and I walked the west loop, and I walked to the corner and back, then I had a breakfast of french toast. There was no wind or breeze to speak of.

At 1:30 pm Judy said the temperature was up to 101. Even though I was late getting out, I'm glad I didn't wait until mid afternoon to go out.

Tuesday. I went out about 9:30 am, when the temperature was in the 60s (F) and returned about 11:00 when the temperature was in the 80s. My wife and I walked the east loop, and I walked the east loop again. There was a gusty south wind blowing of about 20 mph during the gusts.

Wednesday. I was out about 8:30 when the temperature was in the 70s (F).  I walked the east loop twice twice and the west loop once. Judy walked the east loop once.

Thursday. I walked twice around the east loop, and Judy walked with me on my second pass around the loop. It rained a bit, and it was raining during my first pass around the loop. Actually, it was just a light sprinkle during my first pass around the loop. The temperature during my first pass was in the mid 60s (F). During my second pass, the rain stopped and the sun came out. There was no detectable wind blowing.

Later: In the afternoon, we had a heavy rain for a while. I don't have any stats for the rain, but it was a heavy rain. We really need the rain!

Friday. I walked around the east loop twice, and Judy and I walked around the west loop once. The temperature during our walk walk was in the 60s (F), with a south wind of about 5-10 mph.

 Today I took my GPS with me and measured the actual mileage around the west loop. The numbers that I have been using for that loop have been my estimates, and the actual distance is a bit longer. Starting with today, I'm using the actual mileage instead of my estimates. The error in the west loop distance has been slight, and I am not going back to previous walks to correct the distance.

Saturday. I walked the east loop and Judy and I walked the west loop. I was out at 8:30 and back about 10:15. The temperature was 60 (F) when I left home. I didn't feel any breeze at first, but I felt a slight south breeze during the middle of our walks. My body felt strong during my walks, but my legs got awfully tired at the end of my walks. I didn't eat anything before I went to bed, and I thus was very tired this morning. The sun was hot!!

Weekly walking summary -- 7.850 miles this week

Monday. I walked the east block and then walked the west block. Going around the west block is the same distance that I have been doing. I wore long sleeves to protect against skin cancers on my arms. I was out about 8:15 and back about 9:45, but it was hot! There was a gusty south wind blowing of about 5-15 mph. I felt pretty good when I finished my walk. Tired but not fatigued.

Tuesday. Today was a light day. While Judy watered her garden I walked the east loop and went most of the way around the loop again; I went south to the corner, turned left and went east to the next corner. Then  I returned to my home. The extra distance was about 0.6 miles instead of the 0.625 miles around the loop. The next time I add distance to the light walk, I will go all the way around the east loop again. I left about 8:15 am and returned about 9:30 or 10:00 am. The temperature was 71 (F) when I left and 80 when I returned. There was a south wind blowing of about 10-15 mph. I felt pretty good when my walk was finished. I think I am going a bit faster on my walks. I don't control my speed. If I'm tired, I slow down. If I feel good I speed up.

Later, in the afternoon: My wife just notified me that our thermometer outside says 106 (F), a new record for this area; the temperature reading outside is a shade-temperature. I'm glad I went walking this morning. The temperature outside went to 107 before it started to go down.

Wednesday. I walked the east loop. Then Judy and I walked the west loop, and I walked south to the corner and back for extra distance. Judy was already outside in her garden when I left to go walking. I left about 7:45 and the temperature was in the 60s (F) am. I came in the house about 9:15, and the temperature was in the 80s. There was no noticeable breeze blowing. I felt pretty good about my walking today.

Thursday. I walked the east loop and then walked to the southeast corner of Congressional street for extra distance. I was out about 6:30 am and back about 7:45 am. The temperature during my walk was in the 60s (F). It is kinda hard to get up early, but it is very nice to be out before the sun comes up, and there was lots of shade from the houses and trees. There was no breeze blowing.

Friday. I walked the East loop, and Judy and I walked the West loop. Then I walked south to the corner and back. I was out at 7:30 and back by 9:10 am. The temperature was in the 80s (F) and 90s. There was no breeze or wind blowing, and the sky was cloudy with shade for most of the way.

Saturday. I walked around the east loop and, for extra distance, I walked most of the second pass over the east loop. The temperature when I left home was 73 (F). I didn't check the temperature when I returned, but the temperature was probably in the 80s. There was no wind while I walked. Judy walked most of the extra distance.