It’s late and I am beat, so a short summary today.
I opted to run on Sunday because tomorrow’s weather looks worse and I’m going to have my hands full of icky strata stuff.
It was very mild again today, and I ran in a t-shirt and shorts. Despite some wind, it was perfectly fine. I did a 2.5K run again, partly because I was pressed for time. It also went fine and I very slightly improved my pace. I also did not have nearly as dramatic a fall-off from the first to second km. My stamina is improving slightly!
There were a lot of people out and aboot thanks to the weather, but no problems encountered with humans or non-humans.
In all, a good continuation of my road back to actual regular fitness.
Reflecting pond with train on the river trail, post-run.
Stats:
Run 913 Average pace: 5:55/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 3:12 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:51 Weather: Cloudy, some sun Temp: 16°C Humidity: 45% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 150 Weight: 171.6 Total distance to date: 6,407.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: More green, plus extremely mild.
This was both unplanned and unexpected.
After missing a week of runs due to waiting for deliveries and other nonsense, then missing another week with no real good excuses, I found myself staring at record-breaking temperatures today and decided it was the perfect time to jump back in.
I donned a single layer–my long-sleeved short–and headed out. It turned out I would have been fine in just a t-shirt (well, and shorts–I don’t want to get arrested while jogging). The temperature was 16C when I started–tying a record set in 2019, then rose to 17C by the end, before maxing out at 19C later in the day.
It was partly sunny and really, quite pleasant, more reminiscent of mid-May than March. Such is climate change.
I didn’t have any goals, other than completing the run, but I secretly hoped I could stay under the six-minute mark. And I did, by the smallest possible margin, with a pace of 5:59/km. I was 5:45 for the first km, which I clearly could not sustain, as the second km was 6:09. Oof. Other than feeling myself get slow, I had no issues.
Tomorrow looks to be similar, weather-wise, and I’m tempted to go out again, but my Garmin watch told me my recovery time is delayed by about 800 hours due to all the activity. As I type this, I am at 33,659 steps, which is rather a lot. So maybe I’ll just go for a stroll instead.
In all, it was again nice to get out. I swear I’ll make this a regular habit again!
A stinky sign of spring: The return of skunk cabbage.
Stats:
Run 912 Average pace: 5:59/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop) Start: 1:50 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:58 Weather: Partly sunny Temp: 16-17°C Humidity: 77% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 152 Weight: 169.2 Total distance to date: 6,405 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
Due to another late start (my bad) I changed my plans from a 5K short loop at the lake to a 2.5K tun on the river trail. In the end, I think it may have been better to do another mini run. This means that come Monday, I’ll do another 2.5K to round up to a nice 5 km and satisfy my OCD, then do a full 5K next Wednesday.
On the plus side, I slightly improved on this Wednesday’s run by coming in at a pace of 5:52/km, even more impressive when you consider the second km dropped to 6:05/km. I benefitted by both putting on the gas and having a more favourable slight downhill slope for the last 500 m.
Other than again feeling the lack of stamina, I experienced no issues. I saw Green Shorts again, though once more he was sans green shorts. He did have a yellow cap, though. There was another beardy guy with glasses, but not the same one as Wednesday, wearing a red long-sleeved shirt that looked identical to mine, but he was also wearing black running pants, which I won’t wear again until next fall. I mean, I’ll be wearing my own, not wearing his. Anyway, I passed him as I was heading downhill to the overpass, which meant he was heading uphill. And he was sprinting. It hurt just to watch him.
Which reminds me, the suggested workout today was three sets of 15-minute sprints. I’m pretty sure I would have ended up curled into a ball on the trail somewhere between the second and third set if I had sprinted.
That said, this marks the first time I’ve done three runs in a week since November, a feat worth noting and celebrating!
The newly fallen tree seems to be causing the river to split briefly. Previously fallen tree in the background.
Stats:
Run 911 Average pace: 5:52/km Training status: Productive Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 2:12 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:41 Weather: Partly sunny Temp: 8-9°C Humidity: 72% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 148 Weight: 170.3 Total distance to date: 6,402.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
The conditions today were similar to Monday, except it was pleasantly sunny, which was nice.
I opted to go to the lake and run clockwise and didn’t do a precise short loop, instead running about 2 km before doubling back and wrapping up another 2.5K outing. I’m planning on another full 5K run on Friday.
Overall, the run went well. I improved my pace by a nice nine seconds and came in under the six-minute mark for the first time since resuming runs. I didn’t experience any issues, though stamina is still way below normal. I managed to push a bit toward the end to keep the pace up, though.
I’m not sure if it was the allegedly great sleep I got last night (I say alleged because smartwatches are not generally regarded for tracking sleep super accurately), the sun or alignment of the planets, but I managed a BPM of 145, which is unusually low, but in a good way. I also managed to boost up my max heart rate, which is also good.
So, overall, good!
And I hit a milestone of 6,400 km officially tracked since 2009. I’ve run more since I didn’t track early on, but it’s still a nice number. It would get me from my home to this spot in the Atlantic Ocean, per Google Maps:
And a more down-to-earth image of the trail, post-run:
Sun-dappled trail, post-run.
Stats:
Run 910 Average pace: 5:54/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop) Start: 2:15 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:45 Weather: Sunny Temp: 10°C Humidity: 64% Wind: light BPM: 145 Weight: 170.8 Total distance to date: 6,400 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
The recommended run from my Garmin Forerunner 255 was a 33-minute jog at a pace of 8:46/km. This is equivalent to either an extremely brisk walk or a very slow run. It’s kind of an awkward pace to set. Since I wasn’t feeling extra zesty, I opted to do a shorter 2.5K run and try, more or less, to maintain my usual jogging pace.
Compared to last time, I was a speeding bullet: My pace was 6:03/km vs. 6:21 on the previous run, but I did only run half as much, and the river trail is an easier run than the lake.
I still acutely feel the lack of stamina, but it will get better. At least my training status went from Unproductive to Productive. Yay.
Conditions were fine–I wore one layer, a long-sleeved shirt and the sprinkles stayed away until after the run was over and didn’t amount to much, anyway. And I held up better than the tree that collapsed since my last run (photo below). It keeled over into the river just downstream from another one, though the new tree is not quite as bridge-like, since a good part of it is laying right in the river. I’m curious if they’ll leave it as is (probably–the parks people tend to let nature do its thing).
One other fun note: I went past the end gate and actually ran past the section of sidewalk I tripped on in December. I had to prove I wasn’t cursed. Or if I am, it’s not specifically related to tripping on sidewalks.
Anyway, it was nice to be running again, and I know I’ll start feeling less like I have the world’s tiniest lungs soon enough.
New ex-tree on the river, with other ex-tree behind it.
Stats:
Run 909 Average pace: 6:03/km Training status: Productive Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 3:06 Distance: 2.50 km Time: 15:08 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 11°C Humidity: 76% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 170.3 Total distance to date: 6,397.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: high cloud and extremely mild.
I finarly did it.
For the first time since December 2, 2024 (!) I ran a full 5 km.
I did it by starting at a deliberately slow pace, where my first km was a sloth-like 6:10/km (I am confident I would have been under 6:00 if I’d run at my regular pace). I felt this was vital to having enough gas to finish the run and I think I was right, as my pace fell off for every kim, until the last, where I managed to go fast enough to…match my 4K speed.
The overall pace of 6:21/km will improve in time, but the important thing is I know I can do it.
It also helped that it was super mild, with it rising to 14C by the end of the run, literally twice the usual high temperature for the day. I wore one layer, and it was my long-sleeved short. For the run, a regular tee would have been fine, but the wind picked up a little on the way back and the long sleeves came in handy then.
Likely due to the very mild temperature and no real chance of rain, the trail was moderately busy and I passed multiple other joggers, dog walkers and such. There were no issues anywhere along the router and the trail was in good shape, though I could see signs of recently felled trees in several locations.
As for the littering: a Pepsi paper cup left on the trail near the Jiffy John™. This irked me, because this is right near the parking lot, which has a garbage can. It annoyed me enough that I picked up the cup and disposed of it. To do so, I had to first move an empty pop can from the lid of the garbage can. Seriously, how can you bring a can to the garbage and not put it in? Could the person not prefer the bear-proof handle? Maybe it was a bear carrying the can.
The rickety bridge: The bridge over Deer Lake Brook has been in bad shape since I started running here in 2011. It has not improved with age. Although a few planks and one set of stairs have recently been replaced, the bridge as a whole feels exactly the way it looks when you jog across it. You start thinking things like, “How could is the water underneath it?” The good news is it’s getting replaced, per this sign:
At 14C it was not very icy. I wouldn’t trust 20 people on the bridge, though, no matter what the CAUTION sign says.
The bad news is the first boardwalk on the same trail has had signs saying “plans for repairs are underway” for more than two years now. Maybe three, actually.
I didn’t experience any issues during the run, likely thanks to my slovenly pace, but as I sit here typing these words, I’m at 30,000+ steps and my legs are starting to feel a wee bit stiff. I suspect tomorrow will be a Rest Day.
Still, it was great to finally get back out and do a “real” run again.
Still Creek, post-run: Still very still, still very creek.
Stats:
Run 908 Average pace: 6:21/km Training status: Overreaching Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 1:12 p.m. Distance: 5:02 km Time: 31:55 Weather: Cloudy, intermittent sun Temp: 13-14°C Humidity: 62% Wind: light BPM: 152 Weight: 171.4 Total distance to date: 6,395.0 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
View from the dam, pre-run. Light showers and gloomy. But mild!
Today, I finally decided it was time to go outside, not to just touch trees, but to also run amongst them, so I got dressed1Not to imply I sometimes go out naked or anything. and headed to Burnaby Lake, with vague plans, dependent on the weather and how I felt.
In the end, I did another mini 2.5 km run to round out the last one, which featured the trip on the sidewalk. Today, there was no tripping and no running on sidewalks. Instead, I did a loop around the side trails and, unlike the previous run, I didn’t have to stop to take a break mid-way through.
I was slower, though, but given that it’s been 50 days since my last run outside, that’s to be expected. Everything went relatively fine, other than the obvious lack of stamina.
I wore my old Saucony Switchback shoes, since the Speedgoat 6’s are now falling apart and full of holes. They were ultimately a disappointment and I’m looking for new shoes that will not feature “goat” in the name.
Overall, this was a good return. The weather was mild at 9C, but two layers seemed right, given the intermittent light rain and wind on the walk to and from the lake (the lake trail was not breezy). I’ll go for another run on Friday and see if I can manage an actual 5K then.
An inquisitve goose, post-run. Should I honk? Hiss? Poop?
Stats:
Run 907 Average pace: 6:15/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 11:23 a.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 15:39 Weather: Overcast, light showers Temp: 9°C Humidity: 82% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 170.1 Total distance to date: 6,390.0 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (n/a)
The good news: I completed my first run in 28 days!
The also good news: My pace of 5:53/km was slightly better than expected, given the extended time off (due to infection).
The not good news: At the 1.95 km mark, I tripped on the sidewalk just past the river trail and gravity won. Summary:
Laceration of left elbow. Did not break the skin.
Scraped right knee. It’s a pretty standard scrape.
Left hand: Torn skin, bloodied.
Right hand: Torn skin, bloodied, but more so. The right hand absorbed the majority of the fall.
Wound/Bandage update: I appear to have hurt my upper left thigh somehow. There is no visible bruise, but a few lacerations. It is very sore. It also seems my right wrist absorbed a lot of the impact and when I flex it a certain way it becomes very unhappy. Not a sprain (I think), just sore.
I now have four bandages/gauze covering various parts of my body. Kids, learn from me: Tripping on a sidewalk is not cool. Don't do it, no matter what those other kids say.
But let’s start from the start. I have been battling a bacteria infection for most of the month, and the last time I ran was on December 2nd. I felt I was ready to run again, so did my stretching and opted for a short 2.5 km run on the river trail. I dressed accordingly (running pants, rain jacket) and headed off. The first km was better than expected, with a pace of 5:46/km (I was expecting something closer to six minutes). I figured the second km would be slower, and it was, but not for quite the reason I expected.
When I run the river trail, I normally head past the gate at the far end, run down the sidewalk to where Cariboo Place meets Cariboo Road (they like cariboo around here), then turn and head back. I was heading toward the intersection when my left foot managed to perfectly connect with an uplifted section of sidewalk, causing me to trip. I had time to ponder whether I would regain my balance or go down. Given the momentum, it was inevitable that gravity would win, and it did.
I want to say I looked to my right and could actually see the skin tearing on my right hand, but that doesn’t seem possible, so maybe my brain was adding spice. As I laid on the ground, I did look at my right hand, which was bloody, then my left hand, which was also bloody. I paused the workout.
I stood up and, with nothing actually broken or sprained, resumed the run, being a bit more cautious on the sidewalk part. I kept going and finished the 2.5 km, with an average pace of 5:53/km, which is decent for a run that included me falling down.
Other than the tripping part, I experienced no issues or discomfort. This is good and is encouraging for regular runs going forward.
The hands are cleaned and bandaged now, but are stinging a little. Getting them cleaned and bandaged was a bit of an ordeal. They will probably sting for a while yet.
I am including photos of both my left and right hand, taken shortly after the fall (just after I finished the run), so the blood looks very fresh, like I had just murdered someone. The photos are behind spoilers, for obvious reasons. This looks worse than my previous tripping incident: Run 449: Foot meets tree root, tree root wins
NOTE: Bloody hands
Left handRight hand
The scene of the crime.
Stats:
Run 906 Average pace: 5:53/km Training status: Strained Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 1:47 p.m. Distance: 2.51 km Time: 14:47 Weather: Cloudy, some sprinkles Temp: 5°C Humidity: 90% Wind: light BPM: 149 Weight: 166.0 Total distance to date: 6,387.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (157.5/284/441.5)
For the first time in a week, I convinced myself to run outdoors, in nature and stuff. It was just past noon by the time I started, but thanks to chilly low clouds, it still felt like early morning. I wore my running pants and while shorts might have been fine, I didn’t feel overdressed.
I opted to start the week gently on the river trail, and my first lap was surprisingly swift at 5:31/km. I quickly ran out of proverbial steam, falling to 5:41, then 5:44 before picking up the pace and eventually ending where I started at 5:31/km. My overall was 5:37/km, which is perfectly cromulent. My BPM was 150, which is also fine.
There were a few people on the trail, but not many dogs. I don’t think I saw any on the trail. I did see two Great blue herons, but they were hanging out on the river, not the trail.
Overall, a good start to the week. It was nice to run outside and not get rained on. I will savour it while it lasts.
Post-run: Another shot of the river, but with bonus heron hanging out.
Stats:
Run 905 Average pace: 5:37/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 12:02 p.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:13 Weather: Low cloud Temp: 6-7°C Humidity: 79% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 168.6 Total distance to date: 6,385 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (155/280/435)
How has it been eight days since I last ran? Things have happened! But I’ve still done bits of running here and there, so it hasn’t been all lounging around and eating bacon.
The fountain by the dam is still open, which surprised me. I don’t think it’s ever been left open this late into November before, though I could be misremembering. To be fair, while it’s been cool during the day, we haven’t had temperatures drop below freezing overnight.
Today I headed out reasonably early and the temperature was a lot more brisk than the last time, sitting at 5C. Thankfully, there was little wind, so two layers were fine.
I opted to do a short CCW loop and experienced no issues. There were a surprising number of people out walking, including a walking group I thought I would cleverly avoid by taking the side trails.
They took the side trails.
But I managed to slip by everyone, including a pair of other joggers, woo (they were not jogging fast).
My pace dropped incrementally by four seconds until the fourth km, when I picked up the pace as I passed everyone. The cold didn’t seem to affect my speed, but my BPM ticked up a bit to 153, which is not unexpected.
The sun poked out a bit on the walk home. At the same time it started to sprinkle. As I neared home it changed to hail. I jogged to the building entrance to get under cover. Hail is one of my top worst running conditions.
Overall, a good start to what otherwise appears to be a cold and wet week.
Brunette River, post-run, looking unusually bright for a mid-November day.
Stats:
Run 902 Average pace: 5:34/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 10:04 a.m. Distance: 5.04 km Time: 28:01 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 5°C Humidity: 86-83% Wind: light BPM: 153 Weight: 168.0 Total distance to date: 6,360 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (150/277/427)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Apparently the calm before the storm.
The 10-day forecast can be surmised as: rain, with additional rain.
However, today–Sunday–we have a window of a few hours when it’s both mild and dry. I seized upon it and ran today, putting up with the extra people, their dogs and such in order to avoid getting drenched.
To further the goal of avoiding all other people and their pets, I ran clockwise, and chose to take the Freeway Trail, running on it until I got to the 2.7 km mark, where I turned back onto the main loop around the lake. This added variety, but also slowed me down a bit as the freeway trail has more hills than the lake loop and also I just seem to run slower on it. Maybe the nearby din of the highway traffic slightly unnerves me or something.
That said, I still had a very good overall pace of 5:34/km, and experienced no issues, other than having to pause for a few moments to step over a fallen tree on the final km. I would have taken a picture, but it was too far to go back post-run, and I was also paranoid about the weather ganging up on me.
The dogs on the trail were well-behaved, but the Weekend People™ had pretty much all dogs off-leash on the still-stinky river trail. Still, no incidents of note, just disapproving glances (from me).
Overall, a good way to end or start the week, depending on your perspective.
Brunette River, post-run. Colours above, stinky fish below.
Stats:
Run 901 Average pace: 5:34/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop) Start: 11:49 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 27:58 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 12-13°C Humidity: 80% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 167.4 Total distance to date: 6,355 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (145/269/414)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. A brighter and milder day.
My only real goal today was to run and get back home before The Rains started. On that count, success!
As for the math, I decided to start my route at the dam, skip the side trails, then turn onto the Piper Mill Trail on my return and take the other side trails on my way back, finishing the run exactly where I started.
Except when I got to that point, I was at 4.7 km. I kept going, over the dam, past the fountain, past the 0K marker and finally hit 5K right by the Jiffy John™, which would have been convenient if I had to use the loo, but I did not.
I didn’t have as much gas in the tank for the final km, but if I had, this would have been my fastest 5K with the Garmin watch. I still had a strong pace of 5:32/km, only two seconds short of my best.
The weather was milder and the two layers were unnecessary, but I wanted to be on the safe side in case the rain moved in earlier than forecast. Somewhat unusually for a weekday, there were a fair number of people out walking, which led to a couple of bottlenecks. When you consider the overall loop is 10.3 km, any bottleneck is kind of weird. But no issues were had in navigation. All dogs were behaved.
The only incident I had was a mild bit of pain in one shin briefly along the Piper Mill Trail. It went away, and it feels fine now, so I think it’s just body weirdness.
Overall, a solid run to end the week. Now I eat gallons of ice cream! I kid, I kid. They’ll be litres, not gallons.
View from the turtle nesting area, post-run. As always, no turtles.
Note: 900 runs are official, but also inaccurate, as I didn't track my runs in the early days. I don't think I missed too many, though, so this should be reasonably close.
Stats:
Run 900 Average pace: 5:32/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 10:59 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 27:51 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 12°C Humidity: 81-79% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 166.6 Total distance to date: 6,350 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (140/261/401)
