I wore three layers up top and my running pants and did not feel overdressed at all.

It also stayed below freezing for the entire run, starting at -3C and only warming up slightly over the course of my jog.

Despite the frosty conditions (I earned the Frosty badge on my Garmin Forerunner for my first sub-freezing walk), I didn’t experience any issues during the run. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to my BPM, just going with what felt right and assuming that it might track a little higher due to the cold. It did, but only by a very minor amount, coming in at 152 BPM and a pace of 5:56/km, which equals Friday’s pace when it was 11 degrees warmer.

The only real complication was the cold tends to agitate my WSB (World’s Smallest Bladder) and midway past the 7K mark, I approached the turnoff to Phillips Point and thought, “Hmm, Phillips Point or PP as one might call it. Pee pee…” and made a slight detour to heed nature’s call. I had a very nice view of the lake for the short time I was there.

In terms of traffic, my early start meant I encountered some other early risers, including two small groups of runners, all of them bundled to the hilt. The one wrinkles was a woman walking a black poodle about the size of a small horse and that was off-leash. It kind of got in my way and she said, “Sorry” but it would have been better if the dog had just been on leash and under proper control.

Still, it was a good start to the week, and while I can’t say I’m crazy about running in the cold, it went about as well as could be expected.

Stats:

Run 750
Average pace: 5:56/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 9:19 a.m.
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 59:31
Weather: Sunny
Temp: -3ºC
Humidity: 63%
Wind: low
BPM: 152
Weight: 163.5
Total distance to date: 5565 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (237 km)

Today’s run brings me to an official™ tracked total of 5555 km. Easy to remember!

The titular target was hitting an average heart rate of 150 BPM, which I did! This happened in a way that was kind of a fluke:

• I had no weird spikes that would skew the average higher
• I had some sections of the run where my BPM was surprisingly low, like 141 (I swear I was not lollygagging)
• I had to stop to heed nature’s call between the 5th and 6th km. This allowed my heart to recover a little, also bringing down my average heart rate

Still, I’ll take it!

Again, no issues today. I was going to wear my long t-shirt and a base layer but stepped outside, decided it felt cold, and swapped to my windbreaker. I think if I could teleport to the lake, I’d be fine with the t-shirt, but the walk there can be quite cool. I didn’t feel overdressed in the jacket, but I probably need a new one. This one is about a size too small (it’s too short, not that I’m too girthy for it).

As mentioned, despite being 8C and little wind being present, it felt somehow colder and clammier. The sky was gloomy, but the “we promise, no rain” forecast stayed true. I’d say the Friday crowd was down a bit, and most people were fairly bundled up.

Overall, though, another good run.

Stats:

Run 749
Average pace: 5:56/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:07 p.m.
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 59:34
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 8ºC
Humidity: 91%
Wind: low
BPM: 150
Weight: 163.1
Total distance to date: 5555 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (227 km)

After skipping Monday’s run, I was eager(ish) to get out today. I checked the weather forecast and it said 5C and cloudy. I checked it again, because outside it looked like it had been raining recently. The forecast literally said 0% chance of precipitation. “You better not be wrong!” I told the weather app. The weather app said nothing in response.

But it was right. It didn’t rain. I wore my windbreaker jacket and Nike shirt and actually feel that two layers (long sleeve and sleeveless) would have been fine.

They are digging up right around the part of East Columbia Street where I cross to get to the river trail, part of my 4 km walk to the lake. There’s no real alternate route without making a very long diversion, so the construction is a bit annoying. On the other hand, they had flag people on the road right at the entrance to the river trail and they actually stopped traffic to let me cross. I felt a tiny bit special!

I ran clockwise, not realizing I had done so last time, but no big deal. It’s not like my body will forget how to turn to the left after two cockwise runs. If it does, I will report so after Friday’s run. I again aimed at an average BPM of 150 or so, and came pretty close at 152. My pace improved slightly to 5:53/km, but the Forerunner said I needed 73 hours to recover. I may have to fudge that a little.

During the third km, my BPM started climbing steadily again and I still have no idea why. It peaked at 171, I adjusted my pace slightly (I was never running “fast”) and it shortly dropped back down to the low 150s. Is the heart rate monitor being goofy? Is my heart being goofy? Replacing the Forerunner is a lot simpler than replacing the latter. Will see if this happens again.

Other than this glitch, no issues at all. Everything worked as intended. I even passed not one, but THREE different runners. Granted, the first one looked pretty old (good for him being out and running!), another was running with a dog and had actually paused when I passed her on the bridge at Deer Lake Brook, and the third was probably the only one close-ish to my age and was merely moving at a slower pace, not like dying or anything, so that one almost counted.

Still, passing other runners is rare and it secretly delights me.

Overall, another solid effort to start off the new year.

Stats:

Run 748
Average pace: 5:53/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:23 a.m.
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 59:04
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 5ºC
Humidity: 94%
Wind: low
BPM: 152
Weight: 163.2
Total distance to date: 5545 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (217 km)

Today the plan was another Mellow Run™ and that is what I did!

First, I had to face a potential UBB (Unplanned Bathroom Break), but fortunately I got to the Jiffy John in time, and it was not occupied. The number of times it is occupied in the summer months may surprise you.

After taking care of business, I backed up all the way to the south side of the dam and started my run clockwise. Despite being a Friday, I didn’t encounter a lot of other runners, though a few people were out walking. Weather-wise, it was a bit chilly, but the clouds gave way to partly sunny skies about halfway through the run.

The “strobing” effect the sun produces in the winter when jogging along the Cottonwood Trail was not an issue today, thanks to my overall slower pace. It turns out that all you need to do is not run as fast, and the flicking light doesn’t flick as much. Who knew? Probably most people. And now I do, too!

No real complications on this run. Stamina-wise I felt pretty good, though my legs felt a wee bit tired by about the mid-point. I worked through it and the back half of the run felt like it went by pretty quickly. Probably the biggest complication came when I tried to adjust the music playback through the Garmin Forerunner. I pressed the lower right button (wrong) and this seemed to set an interval? I clicked a few more times, hoping to cancel (this is normally the “back” button) and set a whole bunch of intervals. What this meant is that while my run was still being tracked, it was no longer alerting me at 1 km intervals as it normally would. I felt kind of dumb for trying to do something when I obviously did not recall how. Let this be a lesson, kids. Runs are no place for experiments with your technology!

Anyway, I hot pretty close to my target BPM of 150, coming in at 151 and a perfectly fine pace of 5:57/km. It even said I should be ready to go by Monday, which is when I will be running next!

Stats:

Run 747
Average pace: 5:57/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:50 a.m.
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 59:36
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 5-6ºC
Humidity: 92%
Wind: low
BPM: 151
Weight: 162.2
Total distance to date: 5535 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (207 km)