Outdoor runs

Run 918: Gummed up

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run.

Today’s run was a little weird and unpleasant.

First, despite it being a weekday morning, the trail was unusually busy. And several people appeared on bikes! I managed, “Bikes aren’t allowed” as they pedalled past me. At least they weren’t riding like maniacs.

Conditions should have been optimal, but the combo of wind and humidity was apparently enough to result in some nasty DMS1Dry Mouth Syndrome and it got so bad at one point that I paused the run briefly to try to generate any kind of moisture in my mouth at all, because I could not swallow. The pause was about equivalent to the time it would take to tie up a loose shoelace, so I don’t think it gave me much of an edge in terms of pace.

Speaking of pace, this run–probably because of the dry mouth and constant sun–felt a lot harder than Monday’s. I crept past the six-minute mark on the second km and hit it exactly on the third, but thanks to a decent start and recovery at the end, finished with an overall pace of 5:58/km, with a BPM once again of 152.

I toyed with going on a straight 5K, then walking out from the lake, but I’m glad I didn’t, because my watch was already yelling at me for overreaching at the end of the run.

I think I may have to dig out my li’l water bottle and take it on my next run. There is something horrible about trying to swallow during a run and your mouth is so dry you literally can’t. Bleah.

Still, that’s another 5K done, and I didn’t have any other issues, so here’s to Friday’s run being better-hydrated and smoother. I’ll also try to aim for an earlier start.

View from Cariboo Dam, post-run, looking east.

Stats:

Run 918
Average pace: 5:58/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 11:16 a.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 29:57
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 14-15°C
Humidity: 56-53%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 170.9
Total distance to date: 6,425 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (20/15/35)

Music: R.E.M., Reckoning

Run 917: The Easter Monday 5K

View of the Brunette River, pre-run.

With bonus people, because the Easter weekend is the only one of the year with not one, but two stat holidays.

This time several family groups with wee children did kind of get in the way, but just a little. Dogs were well-behaved, but as often on the river trail, some were off-leash. Boo to the dog owners.

As for the run, I started out a bit slower in order to pace myself (I am still rusty as all get-out) and was mildly concerned when the second km edged just over the six-minute mark, but I picked up the pace to finish and ended with the same average as my 3K run a few days ago: 5:55/km. BPM was up slightly to 152, which is fine as I actually pushed a bit in the second half.

I didn’t experience any issues otherwise.

The weather was mostly sunny and around 10C, which felt a bit cool with the wind before the run, but was fine during.

Overall, it was skookum to get another actual 5K run done. Onward and upward, I say! Or at least onward. Upward would be a bit weird for running.

The river, post-run, looking sunny and green.
Run 917
Average pace: 5:55/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:04 a.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 29:45
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 10-11°C
Humidity: 68-66%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 170.6
Total distance to date: 6,420 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (15/7/22)

Music: Blondie, Parallel Lines

Run 916: New shoes on Friday

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. It looks pleasant and it was pleasnt!

It’s Good Friday or Goof Friday, as I typed while trying too hard to be clever yesterday, and as it is a stat holiday–not to mention sunny and warm–the trail was busy. But it was fine.

My goal was to finish the 5K I’d begun two days ago, which meant a 3K today. I did not try to conserve energy by starting slow, but I still started kind of slow at 5:52/km for the first km. I think the combo of warmer/windier/out-of-shape made it feel grindier than it would have otherwise. I also experienced a bit of dry mouth, as the humidity was low and dropping rapidly while I was out and aboot.

On the plus side, my BPM was back to 150, I stayed under 6 minutes for each lap and finished with an overall pace of 5:55/km, which is perfectly cromulent given my current state of fitness.

Also on the plus side: My new trail runners, the ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 with FF Blast™. I have no idea what FF Blast is or does, but I do know the shoes basically disappeared during the run, which is exactly what I want in a good pair of trail runners.

Overall, a nice outing, even if my Garmin gently scolded me for Overreaching at the end.

A lone Sandhill crane at Piper Spit, post-run.

Stats:

Run 916
Average pace: 5:55/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 13:38 p.m.
Distance: 3.03 km
Time: 17:56
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17°C
Humidity: 41-38%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 150
Weight: 170.7
Total distance to date: 6,415 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (10/3/13)

New trail runners! Exciting! (to me)

In near record time, I got a replacement pair of trail runners only a day after the lacing system broke on the left shoe of my Saucony Switchbacks’.

I went to SportChek, like a True Canadian®, and asked to see two pairs, one for running and one on sale that seemed like a good walking-around shoe.

They had neither.

Fortunately, I had done research and had a few others on my list. They did not have those, either.

Except for one pair…and they even had my size, woo. I am now the owner of my first pair of ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 trail runners. They look like this:

The only time the runners will be on the bed, fresh from the shoebox.

Oddly, I was going to grab a shot from the ASICS Canada website, but they don’t appear to have these listed, so maybe they’re discontinued or something. Even if they are, they felt comfy, with a nice level of support, and the soles have a zany pattern on them just because:

Screenshot taken from the SportChek site, as ASICS has disowned these shoes or something.

I expect to run with them on my feet tomorrow.

Run 915: Come undone ~or~ Oh the irony

Brunette River, pre-run.

This did not go as planned.

The ironic part is I actually picked up one of my Speedgoat 6’s and looked it over, mulling whether to wear them or not. I turned it over, observed the wear in the heel, not to mention a few embedded bits of gravel, and chose to stick to the Switchbacks. You may think there is no irony in any of this, and would be correct. The ironic part came just over two km into the run when the left shoe suddenly felt very loose. I paused the run to check and discovered the lace had snapped.

Because the Switchbacks use a lacing system based on tightening a looped lace with a dial, when the lace breaks, you can’t just easily swap it out for a new lace (which I don’t carry with me when running because that would be kind of weird), but you can’t really just tie the broken lace back together temporarily, because the tension-based system would just pull apart the knot, possibly before you even started moving.

The shoe that undid my run.

So after only 2K of a planned 5K run, my outing was over.

My pace was also quite slow, because I deliberately started out at a low pace, so I’d have enough gas in the tank for the second half, which never happened. Still, 6:05/km is fine for a run that didn’t go as planned.

The conditions were quite nice–mild and sunny late in the morning, with a gentle breeze. I was fine wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The pleasant weather saw a fair number of other people out jogging, with laces that were holding up better than mine. Alas.

Still, it was good to get out and on Friday I’ll be wearing some kind of shoes with laces that should hold together for what will probably be a 3K run, because my OCD will not tolerate having my total run distance end with anything other than a 0 or 5 (for now). But we’ll see.

Brunette River, post-run.

Stats:

Run 915
Average pace: 6:05/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:05 a.m.
Distance: 2.18 km
Time: 13:16
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 61-58%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 170.4
Total distance to date: 6,412 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will not be worn again since the lacing system broke)

Run 914: Breezy with dead trees-y

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run, with bonus sun streaks.

With Nic self-described as “cough a lot and possibly contagious” We agreed it might be best to not go birding together. I took advantage of the sunny weather by going for a run, which I missed yesterday.

Despite the sun, it was a bit chilly due to the wind (11C but felt like 8C). I was fine for the running part, but was glad for the long-sleeved shirt for the walking bits.

I had thought of going counter-clockwise but by the time I got to the lake, it seemed better, somehow, to go clockwise. There were a lot of people on the trails, including a kid riding an adorable little pony on the Avalon Trail, but there were no issues. At one point there were four of us all jogging in close proximity, in different directions.

I even saw the spitfire again–though she was walking and was not dressed for running. I wonder if she’s injured. If so, this wrecks my theory that she has a body constructed of steel and is essentially indestructible.

Speaking of indestructible, I had something happen that was rather unexpected. Despite a decent overall pace of 5:47/km, I am still very much off from peak condition, so I’m never exactly blazing down the trail at high speed. And yet, about 1.5 km in, I had two people jogging ahead of me and I seemed to be closing the distance. I certainly didn’t feel like I was gaining speed, so they must have been slowing. I decided to pick up the pace to pass…and did! As it turned out, my glory was short-lived, because I was near the 2K mark and that’s where I was planning to turn around and head back, anyway.

Which I also did.

No issues during the run, so that’s also a plus. In all, I’m glad I went out. The next run should be a slower one, but will also be a regular 5K.

The latest ex-tree imposing itelf on the trail, post-run.

Stats:

Run 914
Average pace: 5:47/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 1:42 p.m.
Distance: 2.50 km
Time: 14:31
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 11°C
Humidity: 57%
Wind: moderate
BPM: 150
Weight: 168.8
Total distance to date: 6,410 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)

Run 913: Cloudy with people

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Cloudy but balmy.

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™)

Run 912: The mid-May weather in mid-March run

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™)

Run 911: No need to call 911

Brunette River, post-run: Cooler and cloudier.

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™)

Run 910: A milestone in the sun

View from Cariboo Dam, post-run: Smooth as glass.

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™)

Run 909: Shorter, with fallen trees

View of Brunette River, pre-run.

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™)

Run 908: Rickety bridges, litterbugs and me

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™)