Thursday, August 30, 2012
One of the Fitness Guru fitness blogs
I just received an email telling me that this blog is one of the fitness blogs at healthguru.com It's an honor to be listed by that site.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Now, back to running....
Last week, and the week before, was consumed by weddings. My wife did flowers for two weddings, and I did a video of the first wedding. On the day of the second wedding, I spent much of the day mowing and edging my lawns so my yard would look nice to visitors to the wedding reception (across the street from my house). I bought a new Troy edger because my old electric edger didn't have enough power to cut through the grass and dirt. The new edger made edging a quick and enjoyable thing. The new edger has a wheel that moves up and down to account for differences in height at a curb, but I couldn't get the wheel to move. There are two bolts that hold the wheel in place, and I couldn't turn the nuts on the bolts. So, I just ran the edger on the grass instead of on the street.
On Monday, August 20, I visited with the blood-clot specialist at Intermountain Health Clinic, and he agreed that I could go off of Warfarin (genetic Coumadin). I had swelling in both legs, and he told me to go to the Lymphedema Clinic (in the building next door). On the following Friday, I went to the clinic and came home with a compression stocking on one foot and a big bandage (foam rubber covered with Ace-type bandages) on the other foot. I wasn't able to do my Saturday run because of the big bandage on my foot and leg. I returned to the clinic on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The swelling is mostly gone, my right leg has stopped "weeping", and I'll be wearing compression stockings for the rest of my life. I don't have to return to the clinic.
I ran for about 45 minutes today and did about two slow miles. I was pretty tired and aborted the run instead of going the full 60 minutes. I had plenty of water during the run, but I didn't get enough sleep during the past two weeks, and my wakeup heart rate is high.
The daytime temperature is still hot (maximum is about 95 (F)), and the night lows are in the 60s. September will be here very soon, and that means the temperatures will drop and running will be more fun. I've always maintained that I run for improvement in the Spring and Fall, and I run to survive in the Winter and Summer.
On Monday, August 20, I visited with the blood-clot specialist at Intermountain Health Clinic, and he agreed that I could go off of Warfarin (genetic Coumadin). I had swelling in both legs, and he told me to go to the Lymphedema Clinic (in the building next door). On the following Friday, I went to the clinic and came home with a compression stocking on one foot and a big bandage (foam rubber covered with Ace-type bandages) on the other foot. I wasn't able to do my Saturday run because of the big bandage on my foot and leg. I returned to the clinic on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The swelling is mostly gone, my right leg has stopped "weeping", and I'll be wearing compression stockings for the rest of my life. I don't have to return to the clinic.
I ran for about 45 minutes today and did about two slow miles. I was pretty tired and aborted the run instead of going the full 60 minutes. I had plenty of water during the run, but I didn't get enough sleep during the past two weeks, and my wakeup heart rate is high.
The daytime temperature is still hot (maximum is about 95 (F)), and the night lows are in the 60s. September will be here very soon, and that means the temperatures will drop and running will be more fun. I've always maintained that I run for improvement in the Spring and Fall, and I run to survive in the Winter and Summer.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Ran/walked a tired 60 minutes
I did my short run/walk (still doing 50 seconds of each) of 60 minutes, but I was tired during the whole workout. I did 2.8 miles during the run. I didn't take any rest breaks during the first half, but I took two breaks of about 2 minutes each on the way back. The temperature was in the high 80s, but the sky became cloudy and the wind picked up while I was out. Thunderstorms are expected this evening. My wakeup pulse was 59 this morning, two points higher than last week. I've had two days rest since my long run on Saturday, but they weren't really rest days. Well, Sunday was a rest day, but yesterday was a busy day, and I was on my feet a lot and didn't get an afternoon nap. As I get older, I need more time for recovery.
I did it! The doctor did it! We did it!
I've been on Warfarin for 3 1/2 years, ever since I had blood clots in January 2009. I've been concerned about being on the drug for so long and for side effects of the drug (my legs turning brown, one leg is weeping yellowish water, the brown skin is very dry and scaly. I requested through my PCP that I be revaluated to see if I could stop taking the Warfarin. Yesterday morning I met with the Intermountain Health Care specialist for blood clots, and he agreed that I could stop taking Warfarin. He had both of my legs scanned for blood clots (none seen). He did ask me to wear compression socks to reduce some swelling in my legs, and I have an appointment for that this Friday. It was a happy experience last night to go to bed without taking a pill. Now, I'm not taking any prescribed drugs!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Ran/walked 140 minutes again
For my long run this week, I repeated the time (140 minutes) done last week but on a different route. I only did 6.2 miles because I did more walking on the way back. Last week I ended at a parking lot on 78th South. Today I started at that parking lot and went north for 3.5 miles, about 1/4 mile north (about 57th South) of a parking lot and entrance to the Jordan River Parkway in Murray City at Bullion Street. Next week, if I feel up to it, I'll start at the parking lot at Bullion Street and go north for 3.5 miles; that distance should put me in South Salt Lake City. My wakeup heart rate was 57.
Last week, I only had one bottle (1 cup) of water for the 3.5 miles back, and I had to ration the water during the return distance. This week, I started rationing the water at the beginning of my run, taking a swallow every other walking phase instead of every walking phase. I was pleasantly surprised when I got into Murray City to find an entrance to the Parkway Path that was a nice Park. There was a water fountain, rest rooms, large Pavilion, and a playground for kids. I didn't think about replenishing my water on my way out, and I continued to ration my water. On the way back, however, I filled three water bottles and had plenty of water for that last 2.5 miles. It was hot today, and I was glad for the extra water, especially since I had lost one of my bottles of water and was expecting to only have four bottles for the round trip. Murray didn't have many benches along the trail, and those that were there were in the afternoon sun, and I didn't take a rest-break. I did find a bench in Murray that was in the shade, and I took a long (5 minutes) break. West Jordan City had quite a few benches along the trail, but most of them were in the sun. I took a two-minute break at one of the benches, only to find that a short distance later there was a bench in shade.
There were a lot of cyclists on the trail and a few runners and walkers.
I still had about a quarter mile back to my car when the 140 minutes ended, and I turned off my GPS and walked to the car. Just before I got to my car, I found my water bottle in the middle of the trail. Earlier, a cyclist had told me he had seen my water bottle on the trail back at 78th South, so I was looking for the bottle as I neared the car, and I was glad to get the bottle. I dumped out the water in the bottle, because it was hot, as in a hot shower, from being in the sun for two hours 20 minutes. All in all, it was a nice run/walk on a beautiful but hot day.
This was a bad week for running. On Tuesday, my wife and I attended a wedding reception at the south end of the valley, almost in the Oquirrh Mountains. On Wednesday my wife and several friends were busy all day doing flowers for a wedding on Thursday morning. We were busy on Thursday from 6 am until midnight with the wedding. My wife did all of the flowers for the wedding, and I shot video of the events. There was a morning wedding, a noon-time luncheon, and the wedding reception that evening. On top of all of this, we had four grandchildren staying with us for the week, and they expected me to play games with them. I got my old Atari 800 out of a closet and set it up so they could play Atari games. On Friday I was too tired to do anything but mope around. I had 7 hours sleep each night during the week, and I felt fine this morning before I left for my run/walk. In addition to my 7 hours sleep last night, I took a one-hour nap before the run and a one-hour nap after I returned home from my run/walk. I feel fine now and am ready to go outside and finish mowing my lawn.
Last week, I only had one bottle (1 cup) of water for the 3.5 miles back, and I had to ration the water during the return distance. This week, I started rationing the water at the beginning of my run, taking a swallow every other walking phase instead of every walking phase. I was pleasantly surprised when I got into Murray City to find an entrance to the Parkway Path that was a nice Park. There was a water fountain, rest rooms, large Pavilion, and a playground for kids. I didn't think about replenishing my water on my way out, and I continued to ration my water. On the way back, however, I filled three water bottles and had plenty of water for that last 2.5 miles. It was hot today, and I was glad for the extra water, especially since I had lost one of my bottles of water and was expecting to only have four bottles for the round trip. Murray didn't have many benches along the trail, and those that were there were in the afternoon sun, and I didn't take a rest-break. I did find a bench in Murray that was in the shade, and I took a long (5 minutes) break. West Jordan City had quite a few benches along the trail, but most of them were in the sun. I took a two-minute break at one of the benches, only to find that a short distance later there was a bench in shade.
There were a lot of cyclists on the trail and a few runners and walkers.
I still had about a quarter mile back to my car when the 140 minutes ended, and I turned off my GPS and walked to the car. Just before I got to my car, I found my water bottle in the middle of the trail. Earlier, a cyclist had told me he had seen my water bottle on the trail back at 78th South, so I was looking for the bottle as I neared the car, and I was glad to get the bottle. I dumped out the water in the bottle, because it was hot, as in a hot shower, from being in the sun for two hours 20 minutes. All in all, it was a nice run/walk on a beautiful but hot day.
This was a bad week for running. On Tuesday, my wife and I attended a wedding reception at the south end of the valley, almost in the Oquirrh Mountains. On Wednesday my wife and several friends were busy all day doing flowers for a wedding on Thursday morning. We were busy on Thursday from 6 am until midnight with the wedding. My wife did all of the flowers for the wedding, and I shot video of the events. There was a morning wedding, a noon-time luncheon, and the wedding reception that evening. On top of all of this, we had four grandchildren staying with us for the week, and they expected me to play games with them. I got my old Atari 800 out of a closet and set it up so they could play Atari games. On Friday I was too tired to do anything but mope around. I had 7 hours sleep each night during the week, and I felt fine this morning before I left for my run/walk. In addition to my 7 hours sleep last night, I took a one-hour nap before the run and a one-hour nap after I returned home from my run/walk. I feel fine now and am ready to go outside and finish mowing my lawn.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Names of Utah Streets
I've been giving the names of streets in my blog, and I thought I'd explain the names. Utah has a unique way of naming streets, and the names are confusing to people who don't know the "system" of naming streets.
Consider the address of 1986 South 2700 East in Salt Lake City. The address tells how far the house or business is from the Mormon temple in downtown Salt Lake City. Specifically, the address is relative to the intersection of South Temple street and Main Street, which corresponds to the southeast corner of the temple. The house or business having the address given above is 19.88 blocks south and 27.00 blocks east of the temple. Each block is divided into 100 sections, so the building number of 1988 represents 19.88 blocks. The first number and the first direction (1988 South) give the position of the building within the block. The direction could be North, South, East, or West. This use of a direction number/name is common to probably all addresses throughout the US. However, the second direction number/name (2700 East) is also relative to the distance from the temple but is also the NAME of the street. Thus, 1986 South 2700 East means the building is located 19.86 blocks south of the temple on a street named 2700 East, and that street is 27 blocks east of the temple.
To help people avoid confusion about street addresses, I usually write an address with the first direction abbreviated and the second direction spelled out (1986 S. 2700 East in this example). This converts the address to the more common "style" of a location on a street. Newer addresses, though, usually have a name of the street that is not a number and direction, such as 2305 North Valley View Way. The first number still tells the distance from the temple (23.05 blocks north of the temple) and the second part of the address is the street containing the building. In order to use the address, one needs to know the location of the street (Valley View Way). I prefer the traditional system of addresses (2305 North 5600 West) because I understand the system and know the building is 23.05 blocks north and 36.00 blocks west of the temple).
In my blog posts, I'm referring to streets name that don't look like street names: 100th South (10000 South), 11400 South, 123rd South (12300 South). These streets are named after the traditional Utah system. 100th South is 100 blocks south of the temple.
With the advent of GPS, one can just enter the address, what ever it might be, and the GPS gives exact directions to reach the building. I used my automobile GPS last evening to find a wedding reception of a relative.
If this post isn't clear, please leave a comment, and I'll try to explain it more clearly.
Consider the address of 1986 South 2700 East in Salt Lake City. The address tells how far the house or business is from the Mormon temple in downtown Salt Lake City. Specifically, the address is relative to the intersection of South Temple street and Main Street, which corresponds to the southeast corner of the temple. The house or business having the address given above is 19.88 blocks south and 27.00 blocks east of the temple. Each block is divided into 100 sections, so the building number of 1988 represents 19.88 blocks. The first number and the first direction (1988 South) give the position of the building within the block. The direction could be North, South, East, or West. This use of a direction number/name is common to probably all addresses throughout the US. However, the second direction number/name (2700 East) is also relative to the distance from the temple but is also the NAME of the street. Thus, 1986 South 2700 East means the building is located 19.86 blocks south of the temple on a street named 2700 East, and that street is 27 blocks east of the temple.
To help people avoid confusion about street addresses, I usually write an address with the first direction abbreviated and the second direction spelled out (1986 S. 2700 East in this example). This converts the address to the more common "style" of a location on a street. Newer addresses, though, usually have a name of the street that is not a number and direction, such as 2305 North Valley View Way. The first number still tells the distance from the temple (23.05 blocks north of the temple) and the second part of the address is the street containing the building. In order to use the address, one needs to know the location of the street (Valley View Way). I prefer the traditional system of addresses (2305 North 5600 West) because I understand the system and know the building is 23.05 blocks north and 36.00 blocks west of the temple).
In my blog posts, I'm referring to streets name that don't look like street names: 100th South (10000 South), 11400 South, 123rd South (12300 South). These streets are named after the traditional Utah system. 100th South is 100 blocks south of the temple.
With the advent of GPS, one can just enter the address, what ever it might be, and the GPS gives exact directions to reach the building. I used my automobile GPS last evening to find a wedding reception of a relative.
If this post isn't clear, please leave a comment, and I'll try to explain it more clearly.
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