Old Man Running

My grandson and I did 56 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:36:00 +0000

My four-year-old grandson rode his bike, and I did my usual running/walking with 40 seconds each phase. We had one rule that he had to observe. As long as he could see me, he could go ahead of me. If, however, he lost sight of me due to a curve or a hill, he had to stop and wait for me, or turn around and come back to me. When ever he slowed a bit and I passed him, I would say, "Ha ha, I passed you", or something similar. With a burst of speed he would reply, "Not for long". We went a total of about 2.8 miles. In the meantime, my wife and our two-year-old grandson did about a mile, and then the grandson played in the playground at the East Pavilion until the other grandson and I returned.

It was a great day to be outside. Nice in the morning when we life home, but warmer in mid day.

I didn't run tidat but did some walking

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 29 May 2012 04:43:00 +0000

My wife and I took our daughter, son-in-law, and their four children up the Big Cottonwood canyon to the Brighton ski resort. We had planned to hike to Lake Mary, but the snow from last night was still on the ground and the trail was muddy. We went back to the Salt Lake valley and hiked a trail that rings the valley. We only went about 1.25 miles, but the trail went up and down hills; we had a good aerobic workout during our hike. As I'm getting older, I'm not as limber as I was in my younger years, and I had a problem going up and down the hills on the rocky and steep path. Everybody went ahead of me, and I caught up with them on the level parts. It was really a nice day -- pleasant temperature and not much wind. After our hike, the kids played on slides in the recreational area that is at the trail head.

Ran 86 minutes again

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:20:00 +0000

I ran for 86 minutes and did 4.87 miles. I went north from 100th South and found that the new section of the path has been paved and fenced in. The workman was just finishing the fence. I didn't continue on the new path but turned around and went south, almost to the East Pavilion, to finish my run. The temperature was in the low 60s (F), and there was a pretty strong wind that made running against the wind kinda hard. I ran today instead of tomorrow because my daughter and her children are coming for a Memorial Day visit, and I wanted to get my running in before they arrived.

Ran/walked 86 minutes again

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:48:00 +0000

I've been running 30 seconds and walking 30 seconds, but I changed that this morning so I was running 40 seconds and walking 40 seconds. I completed 4.8 miles. I had 7 hours of sleep last night, and I felt great during my workout this morning. I went north from 100th South, hoping to explore the new path that is being created. I ran the new path on Monday, and it joins a maintenance road for a canal, and I think (hope) the maintenance road will go to 90th South and connect with the Parkway path going north. I was disappointed this morning when I reached the 0.75 mile mark on the path and found that the new path that I ran on Monday is blocked off by a wire fence. There are horses that graze in a field on the other side of the wire fence. A new fence is being installed to separate the Parkway path from that field, and the Parkway path is blocked to keep the horses from "getting away" while the new fence is being built. Steel poles for the new fence were installed yesterday. Hopefully, the wire fencing will be installed in the next day or so. As I mentioned in my post on Monday, the new path is still dirt and needs asphalt. I'm guessing that everything will be completed and the new path opened to the public during the next two weeks.

Today was a great day for being outside. A cold front is passing through northern Utah, and the shade temperature was 59 (F) when I left home and 65 when I returned. There was a slight breeze that did not present a problem to my running. The sky was overcast due to rain during the night. I really enjoyed being outdoors for a couple of hours.

Ran/walked 86 minutes again for my weekly rest run

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:56:00 +0000

Today was a hot day. The afternoon temperature was in the high 80s (F). Because of the heat, I didn't go running until early evening. I started my run about 7 pm. The temperature was 86 when I left home and in the mid 70s when I returned. Because of the late time, the sun was low in the sky, and I found a lot of shade along the path. The sun went behind the Oquirrh Mountains about 10 minutes before I finished my run. I did 2.1 miles.

I had a nice run/walk. I didn't run last Saturday because of a grandson who stayed with us for several days and a visit by my daughter to get her son. Thus, I had three days of rest for my run today, and I felt pretty good. My wakeup heart rate is high, though, due to my only getting 6-6 1/2 hours sleep each night. If I could sleep in until 8 am, I would have plenty of sleep, but my body wakes up around 6:30 or 7:00, and I don't go back to sleep.

The Jordan River Parkway is being extended northward

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:48:00 +0000

I had planned to run 0.75 miles north to the point where the trail ended and then return to the parking lot at 100th South and go southward and back to finish my run. However, when I got to the "normal" turn-around point 3/4 mile from the parking lot, I discovered that the barrier across the path had been removed and that the path was being extended northward. The path has been graded and roadbase placed and compressed on the path. All that remains is to lay asphalt on the path.

The dirt path extends for about 100 yards north and dead ends at a path that connects tee #3 with the rest of the golf course that is on the Sandy City side of the river. I think that tee #3 is the only tee on the West Jordan side of the river. There are two bridges to be traversed before reaching the main golf course. The first bridge is across an irrigation canal that takes water from the river at a point that was about 50 yards from the place where the path used to dead end. The second bridge is across the Jordan River and the path goes into the golf course.

I went across the first bridge and started to go north on the maintenance road that follows the canal. I went about 100 yards and then turned around because I didn't have time to continue northward and still be back at the parking lot after a total of 46 minutes running. I went across the second bridge and looked at the golf course, and then I went south back to the parking lot.

Ran/walked for 86 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:03:00 +0000

I completed 4.4 miles in the 86 minutes. My wakeup heart rate is still high, but the fluctuations in my heart rate are pretty much gone. I'm trying hard to get 7 hours of sleep at night, but my body is used to getting up about 7:30, and that takes time to change. Actually, the change that I need to make is getting to bed an hour earlier. I'm averaging about 6-61/2 hours with a nap in the afternoon.

I ran/walked from the South Jordan East Pavilion to the Draper pavilion at 12300 South. I had a good drink of water before I left the East Pavilion, and another good drink at the Draper pavilion which was my turn-around point. I felt fine on the way down but got tired on the way back and took a couple of brief rest stops. The good news is that I wasn't tired from the running and walking. Alternating the two means that I had brief rest walks after brief spurts of running. I was tired from the time on my feet which equates to distance. A few weeks ago I was doing 6 -7 miles for my long run, and I reduced my distance to see if that made a difference in the swelling in my feet. It didn't, so I'm working myself back to the longer distance. In about a month I'll be back to the 6-7 miles for my long workouts.

I think getting too much Sodium in my diet is the biggest factor in the swelling. I didn't realize how much salt I was eating. I'm reducing the salt in my diet, and my weight has gone down about 10 pounds (water weight).

After a good night rest...

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:35:00 +0000

I slept well last night, and my wakeup heart rate has responded and dropped to 53. However, my heart rate is still slightly irregular, though much better than yesterday morning. When I'm tired, my heart rate is slightly irregular. When I'm rested it is nice and steady. I've known for years the importance of getting proper rest, but I haven't done very well in changing my lifestyle to keep me rested. As get older, the importance of proper rest is even greater.

Ran/walked a tired 1.5 miles and then aborted the exercise

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:58:00 +0000

Yesterday my wife and I were invited to a Mother's Day dinner at my son's home. After the dinner, his kids wanted to go for a walk around the block, so we all went on the walk. A 15 minute walk around the block turned into a 2+ hour walk of about 2 miles. I was pretty tired when we finished.

This morning my wakeup pulse was high, and I was tired. I took a short nap in the afternoon and left for my weely rest run about 3 pm. The shade temperature was in the mid 80s (F), but the temperature of the direct sun was probably over 100. Fortunately, there is more shade on the path in the afternoon than in mid-day, and I really enjoyed the shade. I was very tired during the workout and did 1.5 miles. I aborted the workout and skipped the last 15 minutes of the exercise. Tomorrow is a rest day. If I'm still tired on Wednesday, I'll take another rest day and do my exercise on Thursday. I'm not used to workouts on adjacent days.

A great run/walk for 1 hour 20 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:23:00 +0000

I ran 4.2 miles during my 80 minutes. It was a great Spring day, although the direct sun was hot. I felt fine on the way out but hot on the way back. There was no wind, and quite a few people were out enjoying the day. I didn't take any rest breaks on the way out, but I took two on the way back. The first break was for about 5 minutes, and I really needed that break. I was feeling the heat, and I started to lose physical control of my balance. After the break I felt fine from there back to my car (about 1.33 miles). I drank water at home and again at the East Pavilion before I started running, but I could have used water on the way back. I guess I'll have to get my fuel belt out and carry water. My wakeup heart rate was 55, still high but lower than it was earlier in the week.

If I feel fine on Monday, I'll add 5 minutes to each of my workouts, giving me 45 minutes for Monday/Tuesday and 1 hour and 25 minutes for each of the other two runs. My total distance this week was 10 miles in 3 hours 20 minutes.

Had a great run/walk for 1 hour 20 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:53:00 +0000

The temperature was in the mid 80s (F) when I left for my running. That is shade-temperature. The temperature in the direct sun was about 117. Most of the Parkway path where I run is in the direct sun. I had a good drink of water before I left home, another drink from the parking lot at the Parkway path, two other drinks at the South Jordan East Pavilion, and a final drink back at the Parkway path where I began the run. Even with all that water, I was uncomfortable in the sun. While I was doing my workout, I thought about the cold weather during the winter, and I thought it ironic that we're now approaching summer temperatures. I ran 4.15 miles in the 80 minutes.

There was a little water in the tunnel under 106th South (from recent rains), but it was only an inch deep, and I walked through the puddle.

I didn't see a lot of birds, because the ducks and geese are going north for the summer. I often see red winged blackbirds, but I didn't see any this time.

Ran 2 miles & felt fine

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:10:00 +0000

When I fastened my GPS to my wrist, I discovered the battery was low, so I took it off. My wife came with me to the Jordan River, and when I started my workout, I forgot to look at my watch for the starting time. I thus, couldn't run for time (40 minutes), and I ran/walked for a distance of 2 miles, about the same distance I would run in 40 minutes, using my 0:30/0:30 phases for running and walking. It was a nice day, and I enjoyed going along the river with my wife. She walked while I ran/walked, and when I got ahead of her, I would turn around and run or walk back to her. This means that I probably did 2.1 or so miles.

The temperature was in the mid 70s, with beautiful clouds and lots of warm sun. Another great day to be outside.

Ran/walked for 1 hour 10 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:48:00 +0000

I have a busy schedule tomorrow, so I did today my 3rd and last run for the week. My wake up heart rate was 55 again. I felt pretty good in the morning but felt tired in the mid afternoon, and I took a short nap and waited until late afternoon to go out. I wasn't super energetic, but I felt OK during my workout. The shade temperature was in the low 80s, and during late afternoon there was a lot of shade on the Parkway path. No wind, just a great day for running. I forgot my GPS and timer, so I counted 45-50 steps at each pace. My distance was about 3.5 miles. My running pace was about the same as in past weeks, but my walking pace was a bit faster than in past weeks. I think my going to shorter running and walking phases has helped me increase my total time during the workouts this week, but I still got tired as I neared the end of the workout today. I will need to increase my total times in small increments to get back to the total times I had a month ago.

I've been thinking about my getting old and wondering if I really will make it to 100. If I do, I hope to still be running. I didn't notice much change up through age 72 in my ability to run and to recover, but since then I've noticed that I get tired sooner and have a more difficult time doing longer distances. I still run for enjoyment, and I do enjoy my runs.

The Jordan River is still low. I see a lot of sand banks that usually would be under water this time of year, and I'm wondering if the Spring runoff is smaller than they expected. Also, they put water about 2 weeks sooner in the irrigation canals that traverse the Salt Lake valley, and that might contribute to the low level of water in the river.

Ran 3.27 miles in 60 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:09:00 +0000

My wakeup heart rate was 55 again. That is a good sign, because I mowed my lawns yesterday and was pretty tired when I finished. I read yesterday a comment from Jeff Galloway (inventor of the run/walk method that I'm using) that the optimum amount of running and walking is 30 seconds each. I tried that today. I did 0:30/0:30 for the whole run. Because I was running shorter segments, I intentionally ran faster than I've been running. My time going out was a bit faster than I've been doing, and my time coming back was a bit slower. I think I'll use that ratio again on Saturday but go a bit slower. The purpose of walk breaks is to get rested from the running, thus being able to run a longer distance for the run, but I went too fast today and the walking wasn't long enough to provide the rest I needed. I did take a couple of rest breaks for about 2 minutes each on the way back.

Sleep and rest days are great for an old man

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:29:00 +0000

My wakeup heart rate was 55 this morning. I slept well last night, and feel great this morning. Looks like I'm recovering from my strenuous day yesterday.

Added 5 minutes to my rest run/walk

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:56:00 +0000

I ran/walked, using my normal 3:10 running and 1:00 walking, for 35 minutes 20 seconds and covered 2.03 miles. This was slightly faster than my rest runs during the past two or three weeks. I didn't push myself to go faster. Instead, I just let my body control my pace. The temperature was in the low 60s (F), and it was a nice day for running. My wakeup heart rate was 56, slightly lower than it has been. I've been sleeping well for the past few days, and the extra sleep should bring my WHR down, although it usually takes two or three weeks of good sleep to bring my WHR down to my "normal" of 48-51.

I saw another garter snake slithering across the path. I stopped and watched it disappear into the bushes. It was about 18 inches long, and about as big in diameter as my ring finger.

Not too long after I arrived back home, a big truck delivered 7 yards of mulch. My wife and I spent the afternoon moving the mulch to our gardens. A neighbor lady and her two teenage children came and helped us. We got all of the mulch moved by 4:30, and I treated us with donuts and soda (how's that for a nourishing meal? NOT) Both my wife and I were really tired when we went into the house. I feel a little better now and hope I sleep well so my body can recover from today's strenuous activities....

Walked 2 miles with a grandson

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:41:00 +0000

I was tending my two-year old grandson all day today, so I didn't do my normal running/walking. I did, though, push my grandson in a stroller for about 2 miles on nearby streets. Walking is a good exercise for an old guy like me, and it was a nice bonding time with my David, my grandson.

Old Man Running made Frugal Dad's List

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:50:00 +0000

I was notified this morning that this blog is included in Frugal Dad's list of top fitness sites. That list gives brief descriptions and links to the sites, and I am honored to have my blog included in the list. If you have friends or family who are looking for top fitness sites, please pass the Frugal Dad link to them.

Ran 58 minutes 10 seconds

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:46:00 +0000

I ran 3 miles in 58:10 and felt stronger than I did on Monday. I began running 3 minutes 20 seconds and walking 1 minute, I soon, though, reduced the running to 3 minutes and the walking to 1 minute and 20 seconds. However, it wasn't long before I sensed the need to reduce my running again. At that point, I turned off my timer and ran or walked when my body told me it was time to change. There was a 3-5 mph headwind, and I was glad when I turned around and had that breeze as a tailwind. I did miss, though, the cooling effect of the headwind. The shade temperature was in the mid 70s (F), but the temperature in the direct sun was in the mid 80s. Most of the Parkway path is in the direct sun.

There is a storm front passing through, and that has caused the temperature to be lower than last week. Rain was forecast for last night and today, but it didn't happen. Showers are forecast for tonight, and we may get a bit of snow as well.

The water flooding the path under the 10600 bridge has been removed, and the path has been cleaned of rocks and alge. Thanks to those responsible for the cleanup.

My wakeup heart rate is still high, so I'm not recording actual values. I am getting more sleep, and my heart rate is slowly coming down.

I'm back into running/walking

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:29:00 +0000

Spring is here, and the temperature keeps going up and up. It was in the mid 70s (F) during my workout, and the max is expected to be in the mid 80s.

I haven't run for the past 9 days because my wakeup pulse rate has been high. It is still high, but it has started coming down. I ran/walked for 30 minutes and did 1.5 miles. A few weeks ago, I cut my time in half to see if that caused a change in the swelling of my calves. It didn't, and I think I will increase my distance a bit. This week, however, is a recovery week from my not running for the past 9 days. I had my timer set for 3:20 running and 1:00 walking, but I didn't follow the timer. I ran or walked according to how my body felt. Most of the time I ran for about 1:30 and walked for 1:30. I mentioned a few posts ago that South Jordan City installed a water fountain at the 10000 South entrance to the Parkway. The water is turned on, and I made good use of the fountain before and after my workout.

My problem with my pulse rate has been lack of sleep. I'm trying hard to go to bed earlier, but my body is used to waking up earlier than I want it to, and it will take a couple of weeks to get my internal clock back on a good schedule.

I found five golf balls during my workout this morning. They were past the end of the golf course and were over a fence and in a field. That field has been separated from the Parkway by a wire fence, but one of the fence posts is broken and the wire fence is on the ground, making it easy for me to go into the field. If the golf balls belong to the driving range, I throw them back onto the course. Otherwise, I keep them. I have almost two dozen golf balls that I've found in past runs. I don't play golf, so I don't have a great need for the balls, but my wife wants to use them in games when our grandchildren come for a visit. Her latest game is for the kids to bounce the golf balls into a can.

Ran/walked for 70 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:22:00 +0000

I completed 2.5 miles in the 70 minutes. I accompanied my wife during the first mile. I would run for 3:10 and then walk for about 1.5 minutes. When I stopped running, I would be about 200 feet in front of my wife, and I would walk back and meet her and then walk with her for a minute. She is a fast walker and walked almost as fast as I was running. After the mile, she went home, and I continued for another 1.5 miles. I didn't have much energy, and I had a hard time breathing. I had a big breakfast of buckwheat pancakes, and even though I didn't go running for about three hours after eating, my stomach was still full of pancakes. I did less running and more walking than I usually do.

We had some rain during the night and a few sprinkles during the morning, but the sprinkles stopped before my wife and I went outdoors. However, it started to sprinkle about 2 or 3 minutes before I went in the house. The temperature was in the high 40s (F). Some of the trees have had blossoms for a couple of weeks, but our fruit trees haven't blossomed yet. Some of the trees in the neighborhood have new leaves. It's been windy, cool, and wet for the past few days due to a storm front that is passing through the valley.

Today was a great day for running and walking

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:58:00 +0000

The temperature was in the mid 70s (F) during my run, and there was almost no wind. I wore my running shorts for the first time this year. I started the run with my nylon jacket, but I took the jacket off during most of the run. I started out using my usual 3:10 running and 1:0 walking, but about half way through, I did less running and more walking. I did 2 miles in about 35 minutes. It's nice having daylight savings time, because it gives me an extra hour of daylight in the late afternoon. It was almost 5 pm when I left home, and I still had quite a bit of daylight left when I finished.

I saw a group of Scouts and a few adults re-staining four of the benches that are on the Parkway trail.

My wakeup heart rate was high this morning, and it has been high for the past couple of weeks. We've had a lot of activities with our grandkids, and I haven't gotten as much sleep as I need. Yesterday, my son-in-law, three of his four kids, and I visited the new natural history museum at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and I was on my feet for over 5 hours.

The forecast for the rest of the week is cooler temperatures and rain/snow showers (hopefully a lot of snow in the mountains).

A nice 30 minute run/walk

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:09:00 +0000

The air temperature was in the mid 50s (F) when I left to go running, but a cold north wind with gusts 15-20 mph was blowing and it was cold. I left the house with the intent to not wear my wind breaker, but I quickly decided I need it, and I returned to the house and got the jacket. I felt a lot more energetic today than I was on Saturday, but I'm not completely recovered from pruning trees on Friday. I felt great during most of the distance, but I started getting tired during the last half mile. I went 1.6 miles in the 30 minutes.

The Jordan River is still lower than it has been during the early Spring. I saw sand bars in the river that were under water during February.

Ran/walked a tired 1.2 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Yesterday I spent 5-6 hours on my feet pruning trees, and today I'm really tired. I went running but didn't expect to do much, and I didn't. I ran/walked 1.2 miles in 24 minutes, mostly walked. We're having a storm front move through, and there were wind gusts of 20-25 mph. Tomorrow is my day of rest, and I hope to feel better on Monday.

Had a good medium run/walk for 50 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:19:00 +0000

When I left home about 3 pm to go running, a few sprinkles of rain were occurring, but by the time I parked at the South Jordan East Pavilion, the sprinkles had stopped. The sky was overcast, and a light north wind was blowing. The temperature was pleasant, probably in the mid to high 60s (F).

I ran/walked (using my usual 3:20 running and 1:00 walking) for 50 minutes and completed 2.6 miles. I went south from the East Pavilion and turned around at the Draper City litter bin that is 1.3 miles from the East Pavilion. One runner passed me, and except for him I had the path all to myself. I felt good and had relatively high energy.

As I passed under the new bridge at 11400 South, I saw that the level of the Jordan River had gone down about a foot. I use the footings for the bridge for my gauge of the level of the river. I could also tell that the water level wasn't as high in the bushes on the river bank (on the Draper side of the river).

I saw two geese standing by the river. I assume one was male and one was female. As far as I could tell, they had the same color-scheme, but one was larger than the other one. I assume the male was the larger one. I've been wondering how to tell the gender of the geese, and maybe size is the way. With Mallard ducks, telling the gender is easy, because the females are all brown while the males have the characteristic color-scheme of the Mallard ducks.