Outdoor runs

I can’t remember the last time I saw so many birbs flitting about the lake trail on a run. They were everywhere. It must have been birb lunch hour. It was kind of cute!

Less cute were two couples I encountered. The first was during the run, a couple that chose to walk with each on the opposite edge of the trail, forcing me to run between them. I thought they saw me approach, but apparently not, because as I got closer, they actually began a kind of pincer movement, moving in toward each other and giving me nowhere to go. I managed to squeeze through without collision.

I wonder if people like this just exist in a perpetual state of obliviousness around others or if it’s just the first time they have ever walked on a public trail.

The others were post-run, on the river trail. The river trail is a service road, so normally there is never any issue getting by people, because it is generously wide. But!

These two people were walking down the centre for reasons, so I had to pass either left or right. Since I was already on the right (as one should be), I opted to pass on the right. Right. Wrong! As I got close, they must have heard me, and I guess they thought they’d give me room to pass–by moving to the right, or directly into my path. Again, questions were raised (in my head), and collisions were avoided.

All dogs seen, however, were on leash!

Oh, and the run:

It went well. I started a little slow, then dragged a bit in the middle, but made up for it in the last two km, with an overall pace of 5:47/km, better than Monday, with the same BPM. It was cool, but not cold and cloudy, despite the weather app weirdly reporting “mostly sunny.” I found myself not thinking about my knees, but my stamina and general energy level, which is a positive sign, I think. I will probably do a full loop around the lake on Friday (though still only a 5K run. I likely won’t try a 10K again for another week or so).

Stats:

Run 830
Average pace: 5:47/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 11:09 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 29:06
Weather: Overcast, some low mist
Temp: 8ºC
Humidity: 88-90%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 168.8
Total distance to date: 6040 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (175/326/501 km)

I postponed my run for a day due to my left calf getting weird and achy while I slept Tuesday night. I think it was just a weird sleeping position thing, but erred on caution.

Also, the weather was looking nicer for Thursday.

And it was nice! I mean, it was sunny and no wind, but also the coldest run of the fall yet–a chilly 3C to start and only 4C by the end. I wore two layers up top and my running pants and was fine. My arms felt a little chilly walking to the lake, but it was quite acceptable.

As expected, I warmed up pretty quickly, turning in a good first km, slowing a bit on the second, but then the third and fourth I edged over the six-minute mark. Egad. I believe this was a combination of still recovering from the week off, plus the colder temperatures. I wasn’t pushing, and as such my usual effort, plus the cold = slower. I did push a bit for the final km, which came in the fastest at 5:31/km. My overall pace of 5:50/km is still perfectly good. And my BPM was the same as Monday’s run at 155, despite the chillier temperatures.

Other than the slowly sinking boardwalk being a tad slippery in spots, the trail was fine and conditions, as noted, were otherwise pretty good. I did get some of that strobing effect when I was returning on the back half of the 5K, where the sun (still fairly low in the sky) flickered through the now bare tree branches. I could have avoided it by doing a full loop around the lake, but felt…disinclined to do so today.

Overall, though, a nice, if brisk, run. And no rain. I am likely going to run next on Saturday, and so far the forecast looks milder and decent for that.

Stats:

Run 828
Average pace: 5:50/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 9:55 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 29:21
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 3-4ºC
Humidity: 85-82%
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Weight: 168.4
Total distance to date: 6030 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (165/314/479 km)

A week ago I did my first 10K in seven months, then the next day, I stretched my left leg out repeatedly on top of my right leg while sitting in my office chair. This was apparently a bad idea, because it left my left knee feeling rather sore. The right knee, usually the problem child, was fine.

I decided to pass on Wednesday’s run to allow the left knee to recover. Then I did the same on Friday, favouring caution.

Finally, today rolled around, and I decided to give it a go, planning a short counter-clockwise loop. As often happens, I changed my mind and did a full loop around the lake, 5K running, 5K walking. And it was fine.

The left knee did start to ache a little around midway through, but it actually receded away as I kept running and feels fine afterwards, as I type this, so I think I am past the weird leg-folding incident. Continuing to be cautious, I will likely stick to 5K runs for the rest of this week, though.

As for the run, it went better than expected. I started slow, which was unsurprising–I was being careful, I was cold, and I’d had a week to get soft and flabby. But my pace improved as I went, and my final average of 5:47/km is perfectly cromulent. My BPM was higher at 155, but I chalk that up to the cold and the week off. I actually felt pretty good.

Remembrance Day was on Saturday, which meant most people got today off, so the trail was much more crowded than it would normally be on a Monday, but that was also fine. There were no egregious trail hogs, dogs were leashed, with only a few exceptions. Everyone was just enjoying the cool but mostly sunny conditions.

Plus, I saw a rainbow!

Stats:

Run 827
Average pace: 5:47/km
Training status: Recovery
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:51 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 29:02
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 8ºC
Humidity: 84%
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Weight: 170.2
Total distance to date: 6025 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (160/306/466 km)

Last week I had pondered doing a 10K run for the first time since my knees issue started up, and today as I headed out, I knew a few things:

• That I would run at the lake
• That I would go counter-clockwise
• That I would do a full loop, even if it was 5K

When I got to the lake, conditions were very similar to Friday. Despite the forecast giving a better than 50% chance of rain, it stayed dry, and my single layer was fine in the balmy, calm conditions. I thought about trying for 10K and began at a slower pace. My first km was a pokey 5:58/km. Even slower than I planned. I did pick up the pace a bit, getting to 5:46/km by the fourth km, but when I hit 5K and found myself still going, my pace seemed to naturally slow. And slow some more. My times starting creeping past the six-minute mark. Not surprising, given how long it’s been since I last ran a 10K. By the 9th km, I was at 6:06/km and wanted to finish stronger. I applied gentle boosters (my BPM only rose to 154) and it was enough to lift my final km to 5:39/km, bringing my overall average down by two seconds. Nice!

I get a bit obsessed with numbers.

M<y legs could definitely feel the extra distance, with all the muscles being all, “What is going on? What is happening?!” but I’ll see how the knees feel later today and tomorrow. The left hip seemed to appreciate the slower start.

And the dogs! There were a fair number of dogs being walked at the lake, but all of them were on-leash. Hooray. Maybe people are more rule-abiding on Mondays.

Overall, I am glad to finally have gotten another 10K in. If nothing else, I will finally have an answer to how the knees will hold up to the extra effort. The last 10K I did was on April 7th (Run 769) of this year–seven months ago! I did not expect to take this long to try again. I noted after a 5K run for Run 771 that my knees had felt stiff after the previous two 10K runs (Run 770 was a sort-of 10K). Little did I know what was to come.

Also, my pace for that last 10K on April 7th was 5:41/km, which is faster than most of my 5K runs since have been, showing that there has been some long-term impact due to the knees, even if it’s just me being more cautious in how fast I run.

Still, it felt good to do a full loop around the lake again. We’ll see how good it feels later!

Run 826
Average pace: 5:55/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:36 a.m.
Distance: 10:03 km
Time: 59:25
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 10-11ºC
Humidity: 86%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 168.6
Total distance to date: 6020 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (155/293/448 km)

I was yet again not feeling it for today’s run, but donned my running clothes (just a single layer for the top this time, which was sufficient) and headed out in mild and more seasonal conditions.

And it was fine. My upper right leg felt a bit stiff and I think I need to resume doing the upper leg stretching exercises again. I started out a bit faster than Wednesday, ticked slightly slower for the middle, then finished strong, with the final km coming in at 5:26/km. It actually didn’t feel that fast to me, which is good, I suppose. I came in at what is now my average pace of 5:45/km, but with the bonus of a nice low BPM of 149.

Despite rain yesterday, conditions were good, and the trail was clear, for the most part. It really wasn’t until just after the run that I encountered a surprising number of off-leash dogs and a pair of cyclists. You can see both of these in this handy photo I took as I began my walk out from the lake:

They can’t take away from what was a perfectly good run to end the week, though. Maybe I’ll try a 10K next week. Maybe.

Run 825
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:21 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:55
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 11-12ºC
Humidity: 90%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 169.2
Total distance to date: 6010 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (145/285/430 km)

I’ll explain the title in a moment.

First, a clothing note: I wore two layers (undershirt, long-sleeved shirt) and it was fine for walking but too warm for running, especially with little breeze. The long-sleeved shirt would have been sufficient.

It was 11C, which is not particularly warm, but actually feels kind of warm compared to 5C. Again, there was little wind, but I was unmotivated and running (ho ho) late, so I decided to do a short counter-clockwise loop. I started sluggish, but that was OK, then did something that doesn’t happen that often: I got progressively faster each km. Observe:

• Lap 1: 5:57
• Lap 2: 5:55
• Lap 3: 5:49
• Lap 4: 5:39
• Lap 5: 5:37

Fun factoid: My best pace came during the fourth km, where I briefly hit 5:16/km.

The two things I noted today were a lot of photographers or people taking photos and a lot of squirrels. The two may have been related.

As for the run, it was fine. At some point early on, my legs felt a bit cranky and stiff, but it went away, and I felt good on the walk home. There were no issues, even as a pair of putt putt cars approached me nearly in tandem at one point. I don’t know why the park workers would drive together like that, but I’m sure it was important in some nature-related way.

Toward the end of my run, I passed a guy jogging while pushing a stroller. A short time later, I looped around and started back. Eventually I caught sight of him again and began catching up. He was clearly younger (probably in his early 30s) but you know, pushing a stroller does slow you down a bit. Too fast and the stroller goes up on two wheels on corners. But a funny thing happened. He either heard me or saw my shadow, because he looked behind and saw me approaching–at this point I had already moved to the left to pass. After spotting me, he picked up speed, like one of those drivers that is suddenly, “Uh uh, you ain’t gonna pass me, buddy!” And indeed, he started to widen the gap. A bit after that, I diverted left to the Conifer Loop, and he stuck to the main trail. I didn’t see him again, so I’ll assume I either won, or he got sucked into some mysterious forest portal and was never seen again.

In all, and especially given my motivation, this was not a bad run.

Stats:

Run 824
Average pace: 5:48/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 12:20 p.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 29:09
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 11ºC
Humidity: 67%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 168.3
Total distance to date: 6005 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (140/272/412 km)

It was the coldest run of the fall, again! This was the first time it never climbed into double digits. The shady parts of the trail were frosty, but it wasn’t frozen or slippery where I was running, so I only had to worry about tripping on my own feet. Which I did not do.

I took Friday off, so had four days off and was very unmotivated. I had no idea if I would even run at all. In the end, I surprised myself by doing a 5K at the lake, running clockwise, and going all the way around. My pace was a bit slower and my BPM a bit higher than the previous run, but I chalk that up to the noticeably colder temperatures. I wore an undershirt and my long-sleeved Nike shirt, and was fine. There was little wind, which also helped.

I remember not thinking about the knees during the run (good) but noted again the left hip (bad). In fact, just as I was nearing the end of the run, it seemed to go really off-kilter, making the final stretch more interesting than planned. It’s fine now, but I do wonder what is going on and if I’m going to have Classic Old Man Hip Problems (COMHP, which is so close to the much better CHOMP). Maybe I’ll consult AI about it. Or my doctor. One or the other.

Overall, though, I’m happy with the result. It was fairly quiet for the run, and I am happy that I went for a full loop while notching my official™ 6,000 km (I’ve run more, but didn’t track in the early days).

Stats:

Run 823
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:11 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:57
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 6-8ºC
Humidity: 79-74%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 168.2
Total distance to date: 6000 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (135/264/399 km)

My goal today was to just hit around 150 BPM, meaning a likely slower run. As a pleasant change of pace, it was sunny, though at 10C at the start, the coldest run of the fall to date. It was fine once I got started.

I planned a short loop going clockwise and noticed a new sign before heading out:

Now, the odds of encountering a bear are pretty small. By the time the sighting is reported and a park worker puts up the bear signs, the big lug has probably moved on or gotten picked up by someone while hitchhiking on nearby Highway 1. But it made me think, maybe this is a sign (ho ho) to shake things up a bit, so I did!

Specifically, I ran about 2.6 km and instead of just heading back the way I came, I detoured at a convenient side trail that connects to the Freeway Trail. The Freeway Trail is a place I normally avoid. It’s completely exposed (no tree cover), so tends to be brutal in the summer, and, as you might guess, it’s close to the freeway, which is not really conducive to tranquil runs through the forest. But today I wanted a change, so I took it. Because the trail is fairly straight, it improved my overall pace, though my left big toe came to regret it.

Why the toe regret? Multiple times I kicked loose gravel with the tip of my shoe, launching said gravel into the air, only to have it land on the not-padded top of my shoe, right above the big toe, and then, as my foot would lift to take the next step, the gravel would ricochet off in a way that actually smarted a bit. Basically, my big toe was acting like a rock launcher.

The Freeway Trail was fine, otherwise. I did not see anyone else in the approximate 2 km I ran along it.

Post-run, a guy jogged past me and made a beeline to the water fountain, only to find this:

He immediately started checking his watch, as if he totally didn’t want a drink, anyway. Sadly, this means people will need to BYOB to the lake for probably the next four months or so. Stupid winter and freezing temperatures.

Overall, the run went well. I hit my goal of 150 BPM and got in a good pace while doing it at 5:43/km. My left knee felt a bit stiff as I started walking back, but it limbered up before I got home. It seems okay now. I ponder what to do for Friday, but at least the weather still looks good.

Stats:

Run 823
Average pace: 5:43/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 12:37 p.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:48
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 10-11ºC
Humidity: 54%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 168.1
Total distance to date: 5995 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (130/251/381 km)

I normally run three times a week, on set days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This means I get one full day off between runs and at the end of the week, I get two days off because it’s the weekend, baby.

Last week, I shoved my entire run schedule ahead a day for various reasons, which meant that I had a decision to make:

• Run as I normally would on Monday, with only one day of rest instead of the usual two
• Skip the last run on Saturday so I would get my normal weekend rest
• Push the whole schedule ahead again like some nutty person might do

I opted for the first option, and it’s like my Forerunner knew! I did my walk to the lake and when I checked my stats it declared my training status: Strained! Strained from walking!

It said I was also Strained for the run and the walk back home. It’s Strained all the way down.

My assumption is that my watch has learned my normal running schedule and “knows” that today’s run put me into a spot where I’m doing more than I normally would in a particular set of days. It’s telling me, “Whoa, don’t get all crazy here!”

I’m curious to see what it will report on Wednesday.

As for the run itself, it was the coldest of fall yet at a mere 11C. I wore my long-sleeved shirt because it looked like it might be windy, and it was, with occasional gusts. The long sleeves definitely helped on the walk to the lake.

Given the strained report, I opted to run at a gentler pace and came in at a perfectly decent 5:48/km. My BPM was lower, too, at a mere 149 BPM. I felt pretty decent, the knees did not explode or anything. Even the left hip seemed like it was less interested in announcing its presence.

Also, no dog incidents, woo. The trail was pretty lightly populated, though there were people scattered throughout on walks.

Overall, a nice start to the week.

Stats:

Run 822
Average pace: 5:48/km
Training status: Strained
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 12:19 p.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 29:09
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 11ºC
Humidity: 77-72%
Wind: moderate, some gusts
BPM: 149
Weight: 167.8
Total distance to date: 5990 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (125/243/368 km)

KNEE KNEWS: My knees were feeling a bit stiff by Thursday evening, after the very soggy run that morning. This led to some trepidation but by Saturday morning everything was feeling pretty close to back to normal.

I started out today pondering whether to give myself an extra day of rest or to continue with my altered schedule this week, and if so, whether to go all-in or scale back.

In the end I went for the full loop around the lake, even briefly entertaining the thought of a 10K, but I’m not totally mad, so I stuck to 5K. I did start late, though, after sleeping in a bit, so I didn’t actually begin the run until almost 1 p.m.

Conditions were similar to Thursday temperature-wise, but it was merely overcast, with no breeze at all. It was nice to not get utterly drenched, just as I thought it would be.

But it was also…a Saturday.

Overall, it wasn’t bad for a weekend run. There were more people, especially in the first km or so, but they were generally fine. There were two dog incidents, though. Grr (not a dog growling, that’s me).

Incident 1: I am nearing the end of the Conifer Loop, just starting to round a corner when a medium-sized dog comes dashing around, immediately followed by another, both off-leash. This is one of those things where your eyes see things, but there’s lag before your brain interprets what is happening. It took me a moment to realize these were two dogs off-leash “playing” with each other, not coyotes looking for fresh babies or something. After rounding the corner, I aw the presumed owners, a pair of girls who seemed delighted by it all. I was not delighted, as the dogs nearly collided with me. I told them it might be a good idea to leash their dogs.

Incident 2: This was more minor, as I could see it coming. A smaller (but not small dog) was walking off-leash ahead of its owners. It was walking on the right side of the trail–the side I am running on. It kept walking straight toward me. It did not move. At the last moment, I had to deke around it to avoid stepping on it and crushing its doggy spine. I didn’t say anything to the owners, but probably had a pretty good frowny face going.

Fortunately, the run was otherwise free of such incidents and I actually felt pretty good. It was chilly, but not cold, with the cloud cover hanging low enough to reduce visibility in the distance. My BPM was lower at 151, but my pace was improved at 5:42/km. I am pleased with the results.

As I type this an hour or so later, the knees feel a little stiff, but not sore or achy. We’ll see how they feel tonight!

Stats:

Run 821
Average pace: 5:42/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:58 p.m.
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 28:42
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 14ºC
Humidity: 87-83%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 168.3
Total distance to date: 5985 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (120/235/355 km)

Today I was making up for skipping yesterday’s run due to The Rains. My plan was simple: Get out and run, then get back, while remaining relatively dry.

Success! For the run, it was cool but without much wind, it was fine. I wore my long-sleeved shirt in case it did rain, but that proved unnecessary. It stayed overcast through the run, but waited until literally moments after I finished before a light drizzle began to fall. It eventually petered out, and I was mostly dry by the time I completed the 4 km walk home.

As for the run, I did a short loop (again, to minimize the chance of getting caught in horrible cold rain, plus I wanted to start the week doing something less demanding) and overall it went well. BPM was slightly higher, but so was my pace. I started out blazing at 5:35/km, then dialed it back for a more moderate pace afterwards. The left knee stiffened for a few seconds at one point, likely due to some specific terrain, but it went away quickly and the knees otherwise behaved themselves. The left hip stayed quiet until about 3 km in, then protested in a low, growly voice after that I was able to mostly ignore.

Now I ponder two things: When to run next, and how far. Obvious choices are Thursday and 5 km, but we will see.

Stats:

Run 819
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 10:39 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:59
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 12ºC
Humidity: 90%
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Weight: 167.7
Total distance to date: 5975 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (110/213/323 km)