My taper continues for the 5K on Saturday

I ran 3 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. I had more energy than I did yesterday, and I felt pretty good during the run. My pace during the last half mile of the run was 11:01, significantly faster than it was yesterday.

My wakeup HR was 51 this morning. I could tell from how I felt before and during the run that I'm in better shape than I was yesterday. I'll run 2 or 3 miles tomorrow, and then I'll rest for two days and then do the race.

My one fear for the 5K on Saturday

I've explained in a previous post that I suffered serious sleep deprivation last week due to working on a special project for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday open house. I've slept well for the past three nights, but I'm still not up to my normal energy level. I hope that I recover from last week before the race on Saturday. If not, my performance will suffer.

By the way, the open house went well. About 150 people attended, a good mixture of family and old friends. A copy of the book of photographs and some text about my mother-in-law that I made was on each table, and people enjoyed browsing through the book. My wife interviewed seven people who gave tributes to her mother, and I recorded the interviews and put them into a DVD. The seven people gave some special remembrances of my mother-in-law. I'm glad my wife and I did the project, and I have no regrets about last week, even if I bomb the race on Saturday.

A tired (but expected) 2.64 miles

Since my 5K race is next Saturday, this week is my taper. However, last week I was busy doing a video and also a book of photographs and some text for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday party on Saturday, and I didn't get as much sleep last week as I needed. I only had 3 hours sleep Friday night. Thus, my body is very tired, and I'm just hoping that I sleep well this week so my body will have recovered by Saturday. I did sleep well Saturday night and Sunday night.

My run today for 2.64 miles was at a slow, restful 11:40 pace.

I was tired but ran 5 miles

I was busy during the morning, and it was late afternoon when I went running. Even though my wakeup HR was 48 this morning and I felt pretty good, I could tell I was tired. I considered reducing my run to 4 miles but decided to go the full 5. My pace was slower (11:45 during the last half mile, typical for the entire run), but I enjoyed the run. The temperature during my run was in the mid to low 70s (F).

As we approach Fall and our first frost of the year in three or four weeks, I'm seeing more ducks bedding down in the river for the night. Last year I would see literally hundreds of ducks in the river at dusk.

A good five-miles today

My wakeup HR was 47, and I felt good this morning. For my run, I ran 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway. I timed the last half-mile at 10:24, and that pace was typical for the whole run. I took walking breaks every half mile, but I consumed no liquids during the run.

When I first got up, the temperature was 48 (F), and the sun wasn't up yet. I didn't go running for three hours, and when I left the temperature was 72 (F). When I returned the temperature was 77 (F). Fall is coming, and I love it. The Fall is my favorite time of the year: warm days and crisp nights.

Yea Angie, go Angie, go!

My running friend from Idaho came to the Salt Lake Valley to run a marathon relay this morning with her sisters. The race started and ends near the Jordan River Parkway where I run, and about two miles of the five mile loop is on the Parkway. Angie ran the first leg, and as I write this, she should be close to finishing. I went to the race this morning to meet her family and to cheer them off. Angie is a cousin to my wife's sister-in-law.