Month: July 2012

The decidely average end of the month run

Average pace: 4:57/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.57 km
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 22ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 820
Total distance to date: 1636 km

Three things conspired against me on today’s run to bring my time down to a respectable but unspectacular average pace of 4:57/km:

  1. I’m pretty sure I started too fast and burned a lot of my energy in the first half of the run, which moved along nicely.
  2. Yesterday’s hike, though only a few hours, was still a decent workout for the legs with lots of tricky climbing and that brought down my energy level.
  3. I got a cramp/ache in my gut around the 6 km mark and it persisted for several km after that. This shows up as a noticeable drop in my pace sooner than that usually happens.

Overall the run was decent enough and while it was warm, most of the run was under cloudy conditions so it was not overly so.

The branches were still on the trail so it seems park workers have not been out since Friday. Someone had shoved them over enough to clear a small strip of trail to bypass them. Nothing else notable was seen on the run. The knee seems fine now and my shins are good, too. The calves were a bit sore after, a byproduct of putting them to the test on the hike but the soreness did not persist.

I had hoped for a better performance after Friday’s zippy run but I suppose it wasn’t a bad effort, everything considered. I wrapped up my July runs with only two above the five minute pace and both were deliberate after the knee incident. More in my July runs update, coming soon™.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 30 4:57
July 27 4:47
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The Dog Mountain hike (includes actual dogs)

The rocky summit. And Jeff!

With the weather looking pleasant we decided today would be a good day for a hike. We first thought to return to Brothers Creek, to see what it looked like when you aren’t up to your waist in snow but given that it’s a good four hours or so, Jeff suggested Dog Mountain instead.

Dog Mountain is billed as an easy hike and the roundtrip would only take us about two hours. The reward at the end is a spectacular view of the Lower Mainland. We piled into the truck with water bottles and granola bars at the ready and arrived in the early afternoon at the ski area atop Mount Seymour. The place was fairly brimming with people off to touch nature while it wasn’t snowed under.

We set off sans the usual walking sticks but an easy hike with minimal elevation gain (estimated at around 25 m on the way in, according to Jeff’s GPS app) shouldn’t require them. As it turned out they would have been a bit handy because while the trail is not treacherous or unduly steep, it does involve a lot of up and down climbing over rocky and root-filled terrain, one of those ‘pick every step’ kind of hikes with only a few respites.

One such respite came a km in at First Lake, a small and positively quaint mountain-top lake with wild grass growing around it. We paused to take in the scenery but forged ahead, as it was only another 1.5 km to get to the scenic vista.

Further along we encountered the remains of last winter’s snow pack. There was enough to make a snowman. We did not do so.

A lot of the trail was rather muddy. Because I have the world’s worst balance I made sure to get my feet as muddy as possible, in particular my right foot. At one point the path consisted of water, mud and a few small strategically-placed rocks to allow relatively dry passage. I took two successful steps and was making the third when my balance shifted backward. To keep from falling I set my right foot down in the mire. It squished nicely.

We both ended up with mud smeared over our calves. I’m not even sure how that happened. I also stepped in some mud on the way back and managed to make it squip over the edge of the trail, flying down and plopping into water below us, a mildly impressive trick I could never pull off again.

And yes, dogs. A number of people–and there were quite a few on the trail–had brought their dogs with them. The bigger ones in particular seemed to handle the rugged terrain quite nicely, what with the four feet and all.

Jeff compared me to a mountain goat when I stood glued to the side of a rock face as I contemplated my next move but I don’t think mountain goats contemplate all that much because they have four legs and a proper sense of balance.

We reached the vista just over an hour into the hike and the view was indeed spectacular, although it was dulled somewhat by fairly thick haze. The people around us were feeding stellar jays straight from the hand. Our food, however, was not for the birds, so we ate it ourselves.

The trip back seemed quicker, as it often does and apart from dinging an ankle on a rock and getting a small cut as a result, we returned to the truck without incident.

Overall it was a fun afternoon, though not quite what I expected in terms of terrain (when I hear that a trail has no or minimal elevation gain I tend to think of it as groomed and civilized, which this one is not). We may return in the winter to snowshoe the whole thing. That ought to be good for a few (dozen( sore muscles.

Gallery

The detour-be-gone run

Average pace: 4:47/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.15 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 18ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 791
Total distance to date: 1625 km

Continuing this week’s theme of wild temperature swings, today’s run was done under a cloudy sky and a high of 18ºC. With a light breeze blowing conditions were about perfect for a run.

After a brief meeting with an odd cyclist (more on that later) I headed out clockwise, again opting for the detour first so I could gauge later and extend the run if I felt up to it. My goal was to improve on my previous run’s pace of 5:04 but again to not push too hard.

As I approached the familiar temporary yellow fencing on the blocked part of the trail I noticed the fence was pushed aside and all construction equipment was gone. I tentatively headed down the regular trail, thinking it wouldn’t be accessible if they didn’t want me to be here.

A lot of new fill had been brought in to shore up the trail after the equipment had been running back and forth over it. I arrived at the boardwalk and it was new! And finished! (ave for the bench, which will be added back soon, no doubt) The straight stretch seemed a bit longer than before but I’ll have to check my photos to see for sure. As expected, the planks had their orientation switched to match the other boardwalk, now set down left to right  instead of parallel to the path. This reduces the springiness of the boardwalk and probably extends the life of it. A final bonus was the path being built up to the boardwalk on both ends, eliminating the small step from before. Runners will especially appreciate this, as it lets you maintain your pace.

I was unsure how my pace was going, exactly, but I knew it was going much better than the last two runs. I didn’t push, except to maintain my pace as best as possible. Along the way I encountered a lot of Bs — a bicyclist (grr, though he stayed well out of the way), a bug (it flew into my lower lip and got glued there. I had to wipe it off, which was mildly yucky) and branches — specifically a large clump of branches off a tree that covered the entire section of the Cottonwood Trail. I had to dip off the trail to get around it. Although park workers were out trimming and such this didn’t look deliberate so I’m not entirely sure what was up with that.

With the detour no longer extending the run I ran all three optional loops and end at just over 11K. My time turned out to be a zippy 4:47/km, tying my second best-ever pace. Woot. I also set a new pace for fastest mile at 7:19 which was a nice bonus.

Overall, very pleased by this return to form. The knee remains fine and no other notable issues showed up, apart from a very mild stitch around the 8-9K mark that didn’t last long.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 27 4:47
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The sunny and hot recovery run

Average pace: 5:04/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.5 km
Weather: Sunny, warm and humid
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 816
Total distance to date: 1614 km

Nothing like a 10º jump in temperature to make you say, ‘Yep, it sure is warm!’

Last night I felt a bit of creakiness in the right knee that concerned me as I head out for today’s run under a clear sky and slightly warmer than normal temperatures. By the time the run started it was 25ºC and felt warmer due to the humidity. I again chose to run clockwise.

Just as I was preparing to start another jogger ran by. This automatically triggered my incipient competitive streak and I knew that I would have to keep it in check for at least the rest of the week, not wanting to risk pushing things while I’m still sussing out how my knee and right leg are feeling.

The other jogger began pulling ahead and established a comfortable lead on me through the detour part of the route. Because the section is fairly straight and has excellent LOS it was easy enough to keep an eye on him. I kept resisting the urge to pick up the pace. My goal today was to simply take it slower than normal and if possible to beat Monday’s pace by some modest amount.

Once the other jogger reached the regular part of the trail he disappeared around a corner and I assumed I had lost sight of him for good. And it was good, as he’d no longer distract and tempt me.

However, just as I was crossing the zigzag bridge I spotted him on the path up ahead. It seemed his pace had flagged enough to close the distance by a good margin. But as we headed toward the parking lot for the rowing pavilion, he turned right into the parking lot. As far as I know there are no trails leading out from it, so perhaps he had parked there, around the corner. In any case, I declared myself the victor and kept running on.

I opted to take the Piper Mill Trail. It would add length to the run but it would also provide better cover that the main trail. I came in at 11.5 km, roughly 300m more than Monday and an average pace of 4:54/km, three seconds better than Monday’s outing. Mission accomplished.

The better news is the knee held up fine and even the right thigh that bothered me on Monday behaved itself. I felt some minor twinges in my right calf and ankle but nothing more than that.

My plan for Friday is much the same — improve my time slightly but otherwise take it easy. 25ºC is probably the highest temperature I can run at where it doesn’t feel too hot. It’s still pretty dang warm, though. The current forecast for Friday calls for a high of 20. We shall see.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The more than slightly damp recovery run

Average pace: 5:07/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.18 km
Weather: Overcast, drizzle
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 793
Total distance to date: 1602 km

A change in the weather as I prepared for my first run since Wounded Knee Wednesday. With the temperature an unseasonably cool 15ºC and the sky threatening rain, I set off, nervous but cautiously hopeful, as my knee had not experienced any pain or discomfort since Wednesday, perhaps due to my diligent and quick icing.

The walk to the lake went fine and the rain held off. I opted to go clockwise and started out on a deliberately slower pace — the first km coming in at 4:39 then tapering way off to 4:56 by the second km. My knee wasn’t bothering me but I did start to feel some soreness in my right thigh, perhaps due to a slightly shifted gait due to my slower than normal pace. That was a minor inconvenience, though and I pushed on. By the 4K mark it started to drizzle and it kept up for the remainder of the run but that’s all it was, drizzle.

I still got soaked but it was a gentle soaking rather than a complete drenching.

There were several times during the run where I wanted to pick up the pace. With the cooler conditions and slower speed I was feeling comfortable and felt like I had room to spare. But I was not going to push harder and risk anything. I finished with my slowest run in a few months with an average of 5:07/km but the important thing is the knee held up fine.

I’ll continue to keep to a more deliberate pace for the rest of the week, although my times are bound to naturally improve and hopefully all will be well at week’s end.

One thing I noted is that the planks for the new boardwalk currently under construction have all been moved from their resting place to the boardwalk area itself. I wonder if that project is ahead of schedule. Part of me wants to sneak in there one day and have a look but the more sensible part of me knows I’d a) get yelled at and b) probably twist my ankle or have something else equally stupid happen.

All in all, I was pleased by today’s run. The knee seems to have recovered and if I don’t push too hard I should be able to get back to my usual pace soon.

I also hit another new milestone, passing the 1600 km mark, woo.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

Stupid knee update #1: Less stupid

The day after my weird knee issue and it is not hurting so yay! If I flex it I can feel where it was hurt but it’s now more of s stiffness so I am hoping this is a muscle bruise and nothing too serious.

I am regretfully planning on skipping the usual Friday run but planning a tentative return on Monday. That will give me five days to heal and rest. If this is insufficient I am ordering a replacement bionic knee from the Internet.

The stupid right knee run

Average pace: 4:55/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.03 km
Weather: Hazy sun, high cloud
Temp: 20-22ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 782
Total distance to date: 1591 km

The day started overcast but as run time approached the sky continued to brighten, so I knew conditions would be improving rather than deteriorating. On the plus side the temperature was noticeably lower, even slightly below seasonal and this made for a much more comfortable run, despite it being perhaps even more humid than Monday. The sun started breaking through the clouds but for the most part all I got was hazy sun and cloud until the final km or so when the cloud cover finally burned off completely. And by then I had other things to be concerned with.

My pace started out decently and I felt pretty good. I was confident I could knock at least a few seconds off Monday’s Africa hot pace. Somewhere between 7 and 8 km I felt an odd twinge on the side of my right knee. Other than noting it was odd (I had done nothing to the knee or leg that might have caused some kind of strain) I did nothing and kept running. The twinge grew more prominent and turned to what I would describe as discomfort. Something was clearly not right. By the 10 km point it was just plain old-fashioned pain and I mustered along to the 11 km mark and ended my run there through sheer will, even picking the pace up slightly as I hobbled through the final 400m or so. My pace bottomed out at 5:20 at one point and the final km was a sluggish 5:14. Considering how the knee felt by then that was actually pretty good.

It hurt on the walk home — not a good sign. Once home I iced it 15 minutes on/off for 1 hour and 45 minutes. An hour after the last pack the side of the knee is still cool to the touch.

My best guess is I pulled one or more tendons. How this happened is a mystery as it happened without any warning. before or during the run. I went from twinge to OW MY KNEE.

I’m going to see how it feels when I get up tomorrow and go from there, possibly having the doc check it out or just rest it for the remainder of the week.

I seem to be jinxed. Whenever I hit a new milestone something always happens. I’m hoping this is fairly minor and although I probably won’t be running Friday I still hope to be back out there ASAP.

I ended up tying monday’s pace, which is decent considering how I felt for the last couple of km. If the knee had behaved I would have beaten it, I’m sure.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

Book review: Redshirts

John Scalzi’s novel Redshirts is pretty close to what you expect from the title, assuming you know the pop culture reference. In the original Star Trek series a group of main characters would go on an away mission and bring along one or two ensigns, typically dressed in red shirts. Often enough for it to be a seeming pattern, these ‘redshirts’ would die in some horrible way. You always knew who was going to die because it was never one of the main characters (killing main characters is incredibly trendy now with TV series,but back in the 1960s it was relatively rare). Redshirts is set in a Star Trek-like universe where a group of ensigns aboard the Universal Union’s flagship Intrepid begin putting the pieces together and realize that they are all in danger of expiring in horrible ways if they don’t do something.

That something comprises the bulk of Redshirts’ story, one told in a fast-paced style with characters volleying witty rejoinders like phaser fire. Although there are some obligatory touching moments, most of the story is played for laughs and succeeds thanks to a consistent stream of absurdities and the ensigns’ collectively deprecating reactions. Naturally there is also time travel and the story ends with a series of codas that wrap things up in a somewhat gimmicky but still effective manner.

It’s a short, light read and just about the perfect summer book to lose yourself in for an evening or two. Recommended.

The very briefly damp run

Average pace: 4:55/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.29 km
Weather: Sunny, hot and humid
Temp: 28-29ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 801
Total distance to date: 1580 km

Early yesterday the forecast for today was looking like partly cloudy, cooler and a chance of showers. Instead it was sunny, hot and humid, just like Friday! In fact it seemed even hotter than Friday and once again only a merciful wind tempered the run.

I opted to run clockwise to get the detour out of the way and despite having to fiddle with the cord of my iPod at least four times to keep it from flopping out of my pocket I turned in a stellar first km, coming in at 4:29, only one second off my best-ever pace.

I came back to reality shortly after that. The low point came between the 8-9K mark, about where it normally hits me. I had a good finish, though, which always pleases me. This was the first run where getting a drink at the faucet near the dam had to be done a bit cautiously. I was very warm and the water was very cold so I only took a few small sips to acclimate a little, then drank like the proverbial man in the desert.

This was a run in which my senses were hit in different ways. There was the smell of fresh cut grass, which was pleasant. The giant tractor hogging the entire width of the trail that forced me to carefully make my way along the dubiously spongy grass along the edge was less nice. Then there were several times where I could taste the tangy scent of manure in the air. Hot weather and manure on the wind is not an ideal combination but fortunately the aroma passed quickly.

My favorite part of the run came at the fields. For some reason some of the sprinklers were running and two of them were hitting the path so I got two brief but refreshing splashes of water along one of the most-exposed parts of the trail. I was tempted to divert and traipse through all of them.

I skipped all three trails again but comfortably finished above 11K, as per usual since the detour went into effect. It’s been nearly a month now and I’m curious how close they are to on-schedule. I’ll find out in about four weeks.

Also, I achieved a new milestone today. My best year for runs was 2010 when I completed 513 km. Today I surpassed that by coming in with 516 km and I have five and a half months to improve on that. Joan was so excited she congratulated me on another 500 km. Thanks, Joan!

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

A little summer pruning

I’ve trimmed away a few links from the My Links section of the sidebar. Gone are:

Fitocracy. I simply never use this site anymore.
LinkedIn. For now I have decided to keep the more business side of things off this website, since it is more focused on personal ramblings.
Nike+. I still use this site regularly but the revamp bafflingly requires an account to view anyone’s profile. So much for sharing!

Facebook and Google+ remain once-every-six-months affairs for me and Smashwords should have more to it soon™. I may start using Twitter more. Or not. MyFitnessPal I login to everyday and today is my 165th day in a row. Woo for consistency.

Also it is very warm sitting here today. I miss my fan.

Scary (hot) Friday the 13th run

Average pace: 4:59/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.62 km
Weather: Sunny, hot and humid
Temp: 27ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 824
Total distance to date: 1568 km

It was hot again and there was a decent breeze at times but early morning showers meant it was also humid. Hot and humid is not a good combo for me.

I ran counter-clockwise which is the ‘hard’ way because it leaves the shadeless detour part of the run for the end when I am most tired. But as often happens I got my second wind around the 10K mark (at the start of the detour) and actually picked up the pace for the last 1.6 km. I managed to just squeak in under 5:00 minutes with a pace of 4:59/km but I consider that a win given how thick the air felt. I was sweating even before I began the run.

Looking at the splits my times lagged most during the 8 and 9 km sections, which makes sense given the conditions. I was five seconds off the starting km, too. I just got plain pooped, right from the beginning and then throughout. It was the level of poopedness that was the only variable. Not surprisingly, there weren’t many other runners out today.

Other than the heat and humidity, everything else seemed okay — no pain or discomfort, just dry lips and a grateful stop at the faucet by the dam at the end of the run.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

Book review: Wildwood Road

I am not the fastest reader so it usually takes me a few weeks to plow through a book. In the case of Wildwood Road (Christopher Golden) I was able to finish it in a mere six days. This was a nice change of pace–a novel that tells its story without any real padding. The downside is the experience almost felt too brief and a bit perfunctory.

It tells the tale of a nigh-perfect couple living in Boston and how a few too many drinks at a masquerade party leads to nearly running down a mysterious little girl on a quiet night road. From there things get weird as Michael the guilty husband tries to set things right by taking the girl back to her home, a ramshackle old house on top of a hill that seems to be haunted by…things. These ghosty creatures do a number on Jillian the wife to scare off the husband from pursuing matters further. More to the point they turn her into Ultra Bitch, which is kind of fun to watch. Golden does a good job in making her a wildly unpredictable force and I was actually fooled–whether by design or not–by a scene in which a friend is asked to ‘babysit’ her, the outcome of which I hadn’t predicted. I was less convinced by the depiction of memories as physical things you can pluck from the air as they float by.

Oh, and the little girl, she wore a peasant blouse and blue jeans. I remember this because Golden mentions it approximately five thousand times over the course of the novel.

The story is told with economy but the omniscient voice is perhaps a little too all-seeing as it hops from character to character. There is very little for the reader to work out for himself as everything gets neatly explained in time. In a way it’s nice to not have things remain murky just for the sake of conjuring up an atmosphere of mystery, but a little more subtlety would have worked, too.

Overall this was a fast, enjoyable, but unremarkable read, a novel I would describe as solidly good.