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Senior Correspondent

September 14, 2011

My wake-up heart rate was 54, and I felt great. I've been getting more sleep the past few days, and that has helped lower my wake-up heart rate and raise my energy level. I was late getting out this morning (about noon), but the air was still cool when I started. But, by the time I was in the last mile, the air was hot, the direct sun was hot, and I started to feel the effects of the heat. I felt weak like I wanted to pass out, and I started to wobble as I moved. I found a bench in the shade, and I took a five minute rest. I drank extra water as I rested. When I started running, I felt great, like I had at the beginning of the run, and I felt that way for the rest of the run. The shade temperature was in the mid-80s, not as hot as it was in July but hot enough…I wear a wide brimmed hat when I run to shade my head and neck and hopefully reduce the number of skin cancers that I get.

I've noticed that the city of South Jordan is using a big shovel to did big holes not far from the parking lot at 100 South. After I finished my run, I walked to a group of workmen and asked what was going on. One of them said the city was preparing a wetlands that will have a walking path around it. South Jordan is doing a lot to beautify the Parkway. When the walking path is finished, I'll be able to run the path and get a different view of things.

On Monday of this week I changed the ratio of my running and walking. I'm now running for one minute 10 seconds and walking for 50 seconds. So far, my body is handling the extra running and reduced walking. I'm keeping the sum of the two times to be two minutes. However, when the walking gets down to 30 seconds, I'll freeze it at that point for a while as I continue to increase my running. Each change is only a few seconds, small changes so my body can more easily adjust to the changes.

For the past couple of weeks, the tunnel under 106 South has been dry, but the path through the tunnel was covered with water today when I reached it. I had planned to go south for 50 minutes and then return to my car, and I had to change my plans and just run north of 106. Younger runners get around the water by walking or running on a concrete wall that borders the river. I don't do that, because I don't have good balance and would probably fall off the wall and break my bones on the rocks between the wall and the river.

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