View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Clear and very windy.
I originally thought about doing a short loop going clockwise around the lake, but changed my mind and just ran the full 5K, then walked the rest of the way around.
I skipped Wednesday’s run because my watch declared it a Rest Day and I obey my watch when it tells me to rest. My obedience is more uncertain when it tells me to do other things.
The highlight (?) of today’s run was: wind! And plenty of it. Post-run the weather app on my phone said the wind was blowing 21 km/hour and I have no doubt it was gusting much higher than that at times. The trail was covered in leaves, twigs, branches and the occasional downed tree. This, combined with bright late morning sun, meant I had to be extra vigilant to avoid branches hiding amongst piles of leaves and such. I am happy to report I avoided all obstacles1Well, I did get batted by leaves and small bits of debris multiple times, but nothing that could leave a mark and emerged unscathed.
I even managed to beat my slow start curse of late, managing to come in under the six-minute mark for all five km, with an overall pace of 5:54/km. My BPM was 149 and only edged to 153 at its peak. You might think the wind, when behind my back, may have helped me, but it did not. I distinctly remember a few times having it push directly against me, though.
There were some other runners out and some people strolling, but it felt like the numbers were lower, likely due to the tremendous wind.
In all, a somewhat odd but still kind of good end to the week (except for all the new ex-trees).
A post-run example of the wind-caused mayhem, near the dam.
Stats:
Run 1,074 Average pace: 5:54/km Training status: Maintaining Performance Condition: 0 Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 11:21 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:39 Weather: Sunny with high wind Temp: 14–15°C (felt like 13°C) Humidity: 64–51% Wind: moderate to high BPM: 149 Weight: 172.5 pounds Total distance to date: 7,170 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (150/301/451)
Where: Blakeburn Lagoons Park, DeBoville Slough (Port Coquitlam), Tlahutum Regional Park (Coquitlam), Burnaby Lake Regional Park (Burnaby) Weather: Sunny, 17–22°C
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Blakeburn Lagoons Park
The view from the “main” viewing platform.
I suggested Blakeburn Lagoons to see if we could spot the Green Heron again.
We did not see any the Green Heron. Or any herons that were green.
Some patience at what I think of as the main viewing platform paid off, as a Pied-billed Grebe eventually emerged. It caught a large fish and gobble it down. The babbies have grown, so it was able to do so without being harassed by hungry kids.
There were also some Gadwalls, plenty of Mallards and even more Mallards. Blakeburn Lagoons is relatively small, so we moved on after not too long.
DeBoville Slough
Boathouses along the slough.
We moved on to the DeBoville Slough and this time took the south trail. This allowed us to observe a number of multi-storey private homes, some of which seemed…odd, with lots of dodgy-looking artificial turf and side houses of unknown purpose. We also saw a flock of seagulls on the river (not the band), but not much else in the way of birds. The river scenery was quite nice, though, better than the north trail, I’d say.
Tlahutum Regional Park
Coquitlam River, looking full and ripply against a clear blue sky.
We started to see more birds here, along with a very dead grasshopper on the trail being noshed on by a wasp. So if you were wondering what wasps nosh on, there you go.
There was another grebe in the big pond, along with yet more Mallards. Several things were splashing in the Coquitlam River, but we never saw what they were, only the conspicuous splashes. Rather odd. Someone reported a seal sighting, which would also be odd in a river that doesn’t even directly connect to the ocean, but we lie in strange times.
The community gardens yielded a few sparrows and fleeting glimpses of Goldfinches, Yellow-rumped Warblers and chickadees. I surprised myself by getting a fairly decent shot of a warbler. Nic could also hear American Bushtits but they did not show themselves.
The garden is still looking fairly lush in the first week of October. We’ll see how it looks next time as we head into a fall that will be dominated by a Super El Nino™.
Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake Regional Park
Just some of the many Long-billed Dowitchers at the spit.
Some people were allegedly feeding blackbirds right at the end of our visit to Piper Spit, but I didn’t see it, so for me, it was a crime-free outing.
The landmass adjacent to the pier is currently quite huge, bringing the shallows in close. This meant that the Long-billed Dowitchers present were pretty close. Nice. And there were a billion of them, more than I’ve ever seen here. Most were snoozing when we arrived, but a few woke up and stalked about, looking for yum yums.
There were only two geese present and both were snoozing, so no goose drama. Multiple coots are here, though, so potential for coot drama was high. In fact, we saw one coot standing on a sunken log and another swam up to it, surely spoiling for a fight. Instead, they briefly nuzzled, then swapped places. Coots, as always, are weird.
Most of the Mallards and Wood Ducks are now back to their shiny breeding colours, and blackbirds were flitting all over, including one that briefly landed on my head, despite my head being completely seed-free (to my knowledge).
In all, a decent outing, with gorgeous, summer-like weather and no sunburn as a bonus.
The Shots
All photos shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18–150 mm kit lens and 100–400 mm telephoto. Some landscape shots captured with a Samsung Galaxy S26.
I learned a group of jellyfish is called a smack. I also decided to have two kissing, just in case. This one was done quickly, but I may revisit it later!
View of the rowing pavilion, post-run (the first one, not this one).
After finishing my 5K, I walked about 1.5 km and decided to do another 2.5 km, so my total run stats would end in a nice round number instead of x.5 something. Yes, I will actually do more exercise just to have nicer looking stats.
Unsurprisingly, this was much like the previous run, but I had some extra zip, with an overall pace of 5:51/km and my BPM only up slightly to 148. No issues otherwise. I ended the run right near the 9K marker, so only had a short walk to exit the trail.
I listed to A Rush of Blood to the Head again, but this time not in shuffle mode, which was accidentally enabled the first time.
Stats:
Run 1,073 Average pace: 5:51/km Training status: Maintaining Performance Condition: 0 Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 11:33 a.m. Distance: 2.51 km Time: 14:41 Weather: Mostly sunny Temp: 15–16°C Humidity: 84–78% Wind: light BPM: 148 Weight: 171.7 pounds Total distance to date: 7,165 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (145/288/433)
Music: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (this time not in shuffle mode)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Sunny and very humid.
I had no specific plan today, but decided to start a little gentler and see how things would shake out. At the first km mark, I felt pretty good. My pace was 6:11/km, which explains why I felt pretty good–that’s downright casual jogging for me. I continued with 6:12 for the second km and resigned myself to a nice, casual start to the week, but my pace improved and I decided to see if I could still get a 5K run in under the six-minute mark. I fell short, coming in at 6:03/km overall, but my BPM was a nice 147 and only peaked at 153 (well below the new maximum HR I was alerted to after the run ended: 163).
I didn’t experience any issues on the run and saw one regular, Hangdog, which was nice. I sweated more than expected, given the temperature, but humidity was quite high at 84%.
In all, it was a respectable start for the week. But it was only the beginning, as it turned out! (See next post for details.)
Reflections ahoy on the lake, post-run.
Stats:
Run 1,072 Average pace: 6:03/km Training status: Maintaining Performance Condition: 0 Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 10:40 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 30:26 Weather: Mostly sunny Temp: 14–15°C Humidity: 84% Wind: light BPM: 147 Weight: 171.7 pounds Total distance to date: 7,167.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (147.5/301.5/449)
Music: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (accidentally in shuffle mode)
An internet pal suggested “ear horn” as the relic. I added in some Gum Gum People and here we are.
I feel like I’m learning to draw again, but hopefully I’ll be happier with my output as the month progresses. If not, it’s bag of cookies time! Just kidding. I’ll force myself to have yogurt instead.
View of Brunette River, pre-run: Gray, with a splash of fall colour.
Yet another late start and as I headed outside, it was sprinkling a little, so I went back in, grabbed my Echo hoodie and headed off. Almost immediately the sprinkles stopped and I felt overdressed for the entire time I was out.
Welcome to early fall running.
I opted for the river trail and despite Performance Condition being +2, I still felt kind of slothful-even with a good night’s sleep, too. I was over six minutes for the second and third km, and just barely squeaked in under at 5:59/km for the overall average. I have no idea why it is taking so much more effort to get to a decent pace now. Is it the humidity? Am I now super sensitive to temperature change of any sort? Is my body still clogged full of cookies and slowing me down?
The good news is I experienced no issues, did pick up the pace and had an overall BPM of 147, which is pretty good. The weather meant the trail was nearly empty–I only saw one other runner and a cyclist for the entire time I was out.
Also, I saw at least seven squirrels before and after the run (curiously, none during the run. Maybe the river trail is not their preferred environment). After the run I spied a black squirrel clutching a chestnut in its mouth and being harassed by a crow clearly coveting the prize. The squirrel took advantage of its lower height by hiding under a parked car. The crow moved on. Score one for the squirrel’s winter stash.
The river, post-run. The trail travels (out of view) along the line of bushes on the left.
Stats:
Run 1,071 Average pace: 5:59/km Training status: Maintaining Performance Condition: +2 Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 11:44 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 30:05 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 16°C Humidity: 90–88% Wind: light BPM: 147 Weight: 170.9 pounds Total distance to date: 7,162.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (142.5/288.5/431)
Firefox version 157 (Nova) “refreshes” the interface by taking the very, very round corners found in macOS Tahoe and applying them across everything in the browser.
I thought I remembered reading it would come with a control to let you set the roundness of the corners of various elements, because, as mentioned, they are very, very round. But I appear to have misremembered.
There is a way to turn the roundness off, described below. The option may disappear in the future, but it’s there, for now.
Revert Firefox to pre-Nova/157 look
Enter about:config in the address bar and click the button to proceed if you get a warning.
Search for nova.
Click on the option browser.nova.enabled and set it to false.
Restart Firefox (may not be necessary).
Enjoy the pre-157 look.
The full manual control version
This keeps Nova, but lets you set how round various UI elements will be. I found it created some visual weirdness, but that might just be on my system.
Enter about:support in the address bar.
Under Application Basics find Profile Folder and click the Open Folder button.
Create a folder in your profile folder called Chrome.
Create a file in the Chrome folder called userChrome.css.
Add this to the user.css file, save it and restart Firefox:
/* Force square corners on all Firefox UI elements */
{
border-radius: 0px !important;
}
Set the px value to 0 for a fully sharp-edged experience. If you want a little roundness, adjust the value to taste. Somewhere around 4px-6px is close to pre-Nova.
