Old Man Running

I had hoped to run today but wakeup HR is still high

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:27:00 +0000

My wakeup heart rate was 61 this morning. A couple of days ago it was 65. I probably could have run a mile this morning, but I'm taking a rest day to give my body additional time to adjust to the extra sleep I've gotten the past several days. Tomorrow is a normal rest day, so my next run will (hopefully) be on Saturday.

Ran 1 mile and was glad I got that far

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:27:00 +0000

My wakeup heart rate was 63, and that is high enough that I should have stayed home. But I went running with a hope of doing 2.5 miles. However, at 1/2 mile, I turned around and went home. My legs felt like they were made of lead, and I had no energy for walking much less for running. I took a nap and felt better. I've been seriously sleep-deprived for the past couple of weeks, and it finally got to me. I did have the last two nights of good sleep, but my body still sent me a loud message that I need to change my behavior.

There is a movie coming that all runners should see!

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:23:00 +0000

Click the picture to go to fathomevents.com The movie should be depicted in the background of the window. If not, use the calendar to select June 12, and click the date to the the movie in the background. Click the Buy Tickets button. Click the time to get the "buy" window.

Riffle Books

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:09:00 +0000

An interesting web site is Riffle Books. People who enjoy reading can create lists of books they've read, are currently reading, would like to read, and recommend for reading. The site is a great place to learn about books that would make a nice companion for an evening of reading before the fire, so to speak.

I've joined the site (free) and have listed my books. Becky, one of the bloggers at Riffle, has featured one of my book-lists in her blog, and she conducted an email interview with me. Click here to read the interview.

Here is my list that is featured in Becky's blog.

Better sleep & ran/walked 2.25 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:27:00 +0000

My wakeup heart rate was 58, and I felt stronger when I went running. I ran about 1/4 mile with a run/walk of 60/25 seconds. Then I changed to 60/30 and then to 60/35 and finished my run with that ratio. I did take a couple of short rest-breaks. One guy asked me, as he ran past, if I were OK. I said, "Yes, just taking a rest break". The temperature was 84 (F) when I left home and 81 when I returned. I think Spring is gone and summer is here.... This warm weather is not good. It may melt the snow in the mountains and cause flooding in the valleys and then a drought in the summer.

I ran in the late afternoon as the sun was going down. Due to the late hour, there was a lot of shade on the trail, and that felt good. There was a slight south breeze blowing, which helped cool me and didn't offer much opposition to my running. A lot of people were on the trail while I was there, including a couple of kids on skateboards.

Did another 2 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:04:00 +0000

My wife and I went to the Jordan River Parkway in the late afternoon. She walked 2 miles, and I ran/walked the same distance. The temperature when we returned home was in the low 70s (F).

In the past I've run 3 minutes and walked 1 minute. The thought occurred to me that I might do better with more frequent but shorter walk breaks, so I ran 1 minute and walked 20 seconds during the first half of today's run, and I ran 1 minute and walked 45 seconds during the second half. I meant to walk only 25 seconds, but I think I set the timer incorrectly. I'll change it to walk 25 seconds on my next run.

There were a lot of cyclists out today. Not many walkers or runners, though. Had we gone out earlier, we might have seen more walkers and runners.

Busy but not much running

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:48:00 +0000

Yesterday was yard work and today was grandchildren day, so I haven't done much running. Between yesterday and today I did about 1 mile of walking. Most of it was on the Jordan River Parkway. We took two grandkids to the South Jordan East Pavilion so they could play at the playground there, and we walked about 1/2 mile round trip to a fishing pond south of the pavilion. Yesterday's yard work was rototilling and lawn mowing. Not a lot of distance but more energy used that just sitting around. My 10 year old grandson and I got in two games of chess today. He still makes a lot of dumb moves, but he has improved a lot in that past couple of years.

I won't be running tomorrow so I'll be able to run on Saturday.

Ran/walked 2 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:45:00 +0000

My wife and I went to the Jordan River Parkway, and we went north 1 mile to the Sandy golf course and back. My wakeup heart rate was 59, and I felt pretty good. It is a beautiful day today. Lots of sun, temperature in the 70s (F) and not much wind. A guy passed us on his bike. A big dog was pulling him, and he said he does little peddling. He didn't get much exercise, but the dog had a good workout.

Ran/Walked 1.5 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

I went running in the late afternoon. I knew before I left that my body and legs were tired from doing yard work, including rototilling, and I decided before I left to only go a short distance. I took a nap before I did the rototilling, and I felt fine for 0.75 miles. I turned around at that point and went back to my car. I felt tired on the way back and took a short 1 minute rest stop with about 0.4 miles left. The temperature was comfortable, the path was dry, and it has been a nice day to be outside. Tomorrow is my Sabbath day, and I never run on Sunday. So, we'll see how it goes on Monday.

Ran/walked 2.4 miles in 46.5 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:19:00 +0000

My body and legs are still tired from yesterday's marathon work in moving 5 cubic yards of compost/mulch. However, I had a good 7 hours of sleep last night and a short nap early this afternoon, and I decided to go running. I went north from 100th South and ran for 22.5 minutes and returned to my car. The temperature was in the high 50s, and a 15 mph north wind was blowing. I had two layers (T-shirt and wind breaker) and felt fine when going north into the wind but was a bit warm on the return phase. I'm glad that tomorrow will be a rest day.

Ran/Walked for 2.5 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:13:00 +0000

I ran south from 100th South on the Jordan River Parkway, going out for 1.25 miles and then returning. I've forgotten the time it took, but it was around 45 minutes. My wakeup heart rate was 58 and is going down as I get more sleep at night. There were lots of people on the path. The temperature is in the 60s (F), and Spring is definitely here. Also, South Jordan City has turned the on the fountain at the 100th South trail head, and I was able to get a drink at the beginning of my run and another drink at the end of the run. The canals have their summer water, and this is the time of year that ducks and quail hatch their young. It's a nice time of the year.

Time to check out my sprinkling system and repair any damage from winter frost.

Not much running this week

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:45:00 +0000

This week is turning out to be mostly a no-run week. My 95 year old mother-in-law died last Saturday. We held her viewing (wake) last night and the funeral is today. I've spent most of my spare time working on a slide show of her life. We used the slides last night at the viewing and will show them today during a viewing before the funeral. The funeral and grave dedication and family dinner at my mother-in-law's church will take up most of my time today. Visits with the rest of my kids will take up the rest of my time. I'm hoping to run either tomorrow or Saturday, but we'll see.

Sleep really helps!

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:26:00 +0000

I've had good sleep the past two nights, and my wakeup heart rate was 56 this morning. If I can continue to get good sleep, my WHR should come down even more. My 95 year old mother-in-law died on Saturday, and I'm in the middle of creating a slide show of her life to show at the viewing (wake) tomorrow night and the funeral on Thursday. I hope I don't have to be up late tonight finishing the slides. I wake up at the same time regardless of when I go to bed (an aspect of getting old), and staying up late thus means sleep deprivation.

Ran/Walked 1.5 miles in 26.5 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:52:00 +0000

I didn't do any running, walking, or biking last week, so today I eased into it and did half of what I normally would do. I felt fine during the run and could have kept going if I had wanted to. The temperature during my exercise was 52 (F), The sky was cloudy, and there may be showers later in the day. A wind of 10 mph or so was blowing from the north. I only wore one layer (T-shirt) and could have worn a wind-breaker. I'm still using a run of 3 minutes and a walk of 1 minute.

Bombs at the Boston Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:33:00 +0000

Yesterday two bombs were exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The clock time when the bombs went off was about 4 hours. It's a sad day. Watching the videos of the bombing and hearing the reports makes me want to cry. I don't understand why people have such little respect for human life. It's obvious to me that the massacre was planned to maximize the civilian deaths. I hope the police can identify the people responsible for the bombing.

Ran/walked and biked at the gym

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:29:00 +0000

We've had snow showers for the past several days, and the daytime temperature has been in the 30s (F) and 40s. My wife suggested we go to the gym today, and that is what we did. I didn't get a good measurement of how long we were there, but it was about 45 minutes to an hour. It's kinda boring to go around the small jogging track in the gym; I'd much rather be outside on the Jordan River Parkway path. I've only been getting about 6 hours of sleep each night, and I was tired today.

Francie: Definition of Determination

noreply@blogger.com (Francie Van Wirkus) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Part three of three in a series

If you missed my first two posts, Running as Grace and No One Knows You Better, I can catch you up to speed: Girl trains for third Ironman, has breast cancer surgery three weeks before race, scratches race, running is (again) her saving grace. You can read the full story in The Competitor in Me II: Conquer Fear.

The week following my last radiation therapy, I had a follow up appointment with the radiation care team. Katy the RN went through her list of questions, to make sure that I was able to be released from their care. I enjoyed this nurse. It was a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to hear about her progress with learning to swim, but I was on my way and she would do absolutely fine without me.

“Do you feel any fatigue?”

“No. I feel good.” I smiled. The shoe never did fall on me.

“Hmm. That’s good. You know, two out of three people experience fatigue.”

I did know that statistic. In fact, I had heard it so many times from this place that I think I may develop fatigue on account of hearing about it so much.

“I really thought I’d be one of them, but I lucked out.”

“Are you still working out?”

“Yes.”

“Great!”

“My theory is to keep moving. Now that this is over, I can build up again.”

“You know, you are quite…exceptional.”

I didn’t think so. “Um…” I squirmed…

“Really, you worked so diligently and it has paid off. You really are exceptional.”

“I don’t feel it, but thanks.”

“You should be proud of your efforts. This was hard. You took good care of yourself and sailed through it. How did you do it?”

I paused. I had no idea what I was doing! Well, yes I did. I’ve been a runner since I was 15. I knew exactly what I was doing.

“Katy, every day was a battle with fear, even just to drive to this place.”

“I can only imagine. What worked for you?”

“If I think about how I would prepare someone else to sail through it, I would tell them it takes two things: prayer and determination. And a few great supporters. So, three things.” I found myself smiling. Yes, I was smiling about how I handled breast cancer. What a moment this was!

“Your determination is beyond most people’s determination.”

“This may sound sassy, but I mean it honestly: maybe most people don’t have the definition right.”

Do you have your definition of determination right? I’m not saying everyone can continue running through a major illness, but when you are 100 percent determined, and excuses are few and far between, things will fall into place for you.

Ran 4.2 miles in about 80 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:00:00 +0000

Today I did a split. I ran/walked 50 minutes in mid afternoon and another 35 minutes in the evening going to and from a ham radio meeting in preparation for the State of Utah Shake Out on Wednesday the 17th. The shakeout is an annual drill for earthquakes. I'm a member of a ham radio group that will provide communications within the LDS (Mormon) congregations in the area in which I live. We provide radio communications when telephone and cell circuits aren't available.

My wakeup pulse rate was 58, still high but lower than it has been. I've been getting more sleep at night, and that has helped bring my pulse rate down. The temperature when I left home to go running was 33 (F), and there was a stiff wind of 30-40 mph. It was OK when I was going south, because the wind was a tail wind, but it was hard when I was going north and had to face the wind. My nylon jacket and long pants did a good job of breaking the wind, but my face was cold while I was going north. It felt fine when I went south. The wind chill was about 17 (F). In terms of body strength, I felt pretty good, because I had breakfast earlier in the day and thus had energy when I ran/walked along the Jordan River. When I ran and walked to and from the evening meeting, the air temperature was still in the low 30s, but the wind was almost gone, and I felt fine both ways.

Rode the Expresso Bike for 3.5 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 04:33:00 +0000

My wife and I went to the community rec hall this evening. She walked her mile while I rode the bike for 3.5 miles. The route I used is flat, and I choose a gear that gave me relatively easy peddling. I wasn't concerned about speed and wanted an easy ride.

Ran/Walked for 61 minutes (3.25 miles)

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 21:45:00 +0000

Rain was forecast for this evening and the sky was dark and cloudy when I left home. It didn't rain, though, during my workout, but it started to rain as I drove home. I felt pretty good during the workout and went a bit faster than I did on my last run. I didn't check the temperature before or after my run, but it was nice. I felt a bit cold for the first mile, but I felt fine after that. There is standing water under the 106th South bridge, but it is only an inch or so deep, and I walked through the water.

Ran/walked 60 minutes (2.9 miles)

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:23:00 +0000

Today is a really great day. Temperature in the low 70s (F) and no wind. I went south from 100th South, using the same route that I've used for the last two or three workouts. I was tired during most of the run, and I took two or three short rest stops on the way back. My 60 minutes ended with about 1/5 mile left, and I stopped my GPS and walked back to the parking lot. Lots of people on the path.

No running, walking, or bike riding today, but ...

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 05:28:00 +0000

I really had a workout today, a workout called "yard work". I changed the oil in my lawn mower and edger and got my lawns ready for an Easter party on Monday for 10 grandchildren. I had the mower set as low as it would go, and I scalped the back lawn so my grandchildren could do "golf putting" on the lawn. This was my first cutting of the new season, and I normally cut it lower on my first mowing to get rid of some of the dry grass. Then, during the summer I raise the mower to yield about 2 1/2 inches of length to the blades of grass. Today, I had the mower set so low, that I had to push the mower to get the machine to move through the grass, even though the motor on the mower was trying to move the machine. It took me over an hour of such work to finish my lawns, and I was really tired when I finished. My grass is Kentucky Blue grass, and it won't go green for another month. People around here use a lot of rye grass that goes green in April.

The guy in that cartoon looks like I felt. The picture could be of me, except I wear a wide-brim hat to protect my face from UV, and I wear long sleeves and long pants for the same reason.

Ran/walked for about 62 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:00:00 +0000

Today was a beautiful day! The temperature when I left to go running was in the mid 60s (F), a faint breeze that kept me cool, and lots of sun and beautiful clouds. Quite a few people were using the Parkway today for cycling, walking, and running. When I say "quite a few" people, that means about 9 or 10. That seems like quite a few people, but when you remember that I was out for an hour, that number of people is actually small.

I did about 3.3 miles. I felt fine for the first 1.75 miles, and then I got tired and took two rest stops on the way back. The first one was at about 2.2 miles, and the second one was something more than that, but I don't remember where I was when I sat down for a couple of minutes. I did have my GPS with me, but I forgot to restart it after my first rest-stop, and I ran about 1/4 mile before I discovered the GPS wasn't running. Thus, I'm estimating that 1/4 mile and the time I probably took doing it.

Spring snow in Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 17:01:00 +0000

We've had snow for the past several days. The good news is that daytime temperatures have been above freezing, and the snow hasn't stayed very long on the ground. As long as fresh snow isn't deep and is not covering ice, it isn't slick. It gets slick when vehicles pack it down.

Riding the Expresso Bike

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 07:19:00 +0000

I've been on youtube watching some videos, and I thought I'd show one to you.

I have my Ghost set to be my PB, so I don't beat it very often.