Outdoor runs

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)

Because I ran and walked over 53,000 steps on Wednesday and Thursday, I skipped Friday’s usual run and went today instead, on a weekend. Dun dun dun!

And actually, it was fine. Weekends are not stat holidays and even though the trail was moderately busy, traffic was never an issue. Lots of people out jogging, too, in all shapes and sizes.

Conditions matched my arbitrary optimum–15C, cloudy and a light breeze. I went clockwise, but kept the brakes on a bit. The left knee did twinge at one point, and the knees felt a bit stiff on the walk home, but during the run they were generally behaved. My pace was 5:49/km, but my BPM was also lower, so it all works out.

There were times during the run where my mind wandered off, thinking about other things, which hasn’t happened a lot since The Knees™, so I am taking this as a positive sign. There were also stretches where I just felt kind of good–relaxed, enjoying the feel of the trail, the fresh air, all that nature stuff. It was nice.

If my knees seem okay, I may try for a 10K later next week. But we’ll see.

Stats:

Run 818
Average pace: 5:49/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:07 a.m.
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 29:17
Weather: Cloudy, some early sun
Temp: 15ºC
Humidity: 79-81%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 166.5
Total distance to date: 5970 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (105/205.5/310.5 km)

It was sunny and calm as I headed out today, initially planning a short loop at the lake. I changed my plan on the fly (as I often do) because the trails were more crowded than expected, so I opted to run halfway around the lake, as the crowds tend to thin the farther you head down the trail. And this was the case!

My pace was pretty much what I consider around average now, coming in at 5:46/km, just a second off the river run two days ago. I had to work harder at the lake, and BPM ticked up to 156 as a result.

The left hip was there, but tolerable. The knees seemed to handle the run fine, and only felt a slight bit stiff toward the end of the 9 km or so walk back home after.

A decent number of people were running, one bad woman had a large dog off-leash–and she was throwing a ball down the trail. Bad woman! I was done my run at this point, but started running again just to put space between me and them.

Speaking of bad people, another post-run incident nearly happened on the first boardwalk, when a runner came around a blind corner–on my side of the boardwalk. She was cutting into the corner and as a runner, this is something you never do when you don’t have line of sight, precisely because you could run into someone, as she nearly did into me. Bad runner!

I also saw a topless guy running, which is not exactly common for mid-October, and he had the weirdest arm movement I’ve seen in a while. It was kind of asymmetrical, each arm moving not just at a different time (which is normal) but in different directions, like he was subtly directing unseen traffic. He also had a big beard that looked thick enough to hold up a bowling ball, so maybe that was helping him with his form, too.

The thing I think stood out the most for me, though, was the second boardwalk, which has had little signs saying repair plans are underway, but in the meantime no horsies or vehicles on the boardwalk, please. These signs have been in place for well over a year. In recent months, parts of this boardwalk have developed a definite lean. That lean seems to be accelerating by the week now, because today it was starting to look less like a boardwalk and more like an old-time wooden rollercoaster, with the way sections were dipping and bending. Maybe I’ll take pictures next time, before it collapses into the marsh.

Anyway, the run itself went fine, I am hoping the knees will remain fine today and tomorrow, and I currently have no idea what I want to do run-wise on Friday, other than some kind of running.

Stats:

Run 817
Average pace: 5:46/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:49 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 298:02
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 14-15ºC
Humidity: 77-73%
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Weight: 167.4
Total distance to date: 5965 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (100/192.5/292.5 km)

Today I decided to finally edge out past my summer of 5K runs, to see if the knees would survive a longer run. My goal was to run at a more modest pace and to go 7..5 km. As a bonus, this would, combined with my 2.5(ish) km mini-run last week, allow my stats to once again be nice round numbers in terms of distance (I did fudge the numbers a little, but by actually under-reporting, to make things neat ‘n tidy).

I found a nice pace and kept at it fairly steadily throughout the run, resulting in a BPM of 151, just shy of my preferred target of 150. This gave me an overall average pace of 5:50/km, which, while slower than I’ve been lately, is still perfectly cromulent.

In terms of stamina, there was no issue at all. I could have done 10 km, but didn’t want to overly stress the knees by doubling my usual distance. So far they seem to have come through without exploding or anything. The hip was relatively well-behaved during the run, too.

Weather-wise, it was close to ideal: 13C, cloudy and with only a very light breeze. The trail was also much emptier than Monday. which was nice. I did pass a cyclist on the Cottonwood Trail, but she was moving slowly and had her head down, as if she knew she was being a Bad Person, so it didn’t bother me much. Worse was one of those bite-size dogs getting under my feet post-run as I climbed the staircase between Lower and Upper Hume Park. It was off-leash and the owner was definitely a Bad Person.

Overall, though, a fine run, and I’m hoping to do a full 10K soon™.

Stats:

Run 815
Average pace: 5:50/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:31 a.m.
Distance: 7:51 km
Time: 43:51
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 13-14ºC
Humidity: 85%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 168.1
Total distance to date: 5955 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (90/175.5/265.5 km)

Oh, and it is also a statutory holiday, a day I vow to never run on (but always do, then regret it later).

The forecast today was Heavy Rain, so I was prepared to get good and soaked. Which I did. It rained the entire time, and it rained steady almost the entire time. Thanks to very little wind, it actually didn’t feel that cold, though.

Now, you’d think that even though today was a stat holiday (technically Saturday was National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, but most people actually get today off), there wouldn’t be many people at the lake due to the heavy rain.

You would be wrong.

There was a surprising number of runners out (I saw six just as I arrived at the dam), and a lot of people just out for a walk, because you when get a bonus day off, why not spend it walking around a lake in a hard rain? Also, about half the people with dogs had them off-leash, possibly because of the rain (?) One dog ran toward me and I did not like the idea of even a friendly but muddy, wet dog jumping on me. I advised the owner to leash her dog, and to her credit, she did!

As for the run itself, I originally planned a short loop to reduce the amount of time I’d spend out in the rain, but as I ran, I suddenly decided I didn’t want to turn around and run back the way I came, so I did a full loop (5K run, 5K walk) and got Very Wet. The knees were fine, the left hip was relatively well-behaved, and my BPM was a bit higher at 154, but not unexpected, given the conditions and temperature. The pace of 5:41/km is pretty good, considering my shirt felt like it was holding about five litres of water by the end.

In all, a good run to start the week, but I won’t object to it being a little drier next time.

Stats:

Run 814
Average pace: 5:41/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:47 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:38
Weather: Rain
Temp: 12ºC
Humidity: 88%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 166.6
Total distance to date: 5947.6 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (82.6/163/245.6 km)

A weird thing happened today.

I was fast!

I did not plan on being fast. Since the whole knee thing started, I have been afraid of being fast.

I started the run late, just after 1 p.m., but it was still on the cool side, only 13C to start. Humidity was still relatively high, and there was a decent breeze blowing, so conditions were actually quite decent. Due to the late start, I opted to do a short loop clockwise at the lake, which saves me having to walk the extra 5 km to get back to the beginning.

I had to use the Jiffy John™ before starting, and heard voices outside it while I was inside. I waited for the inevitable and sure enough, someone tried yoinking the locked door open. When I came out they made some vague joke, but I just continued on, I had a run to do! I also later discovered the two colours used to denote the door being closed/open (red/green) can be hard to distinguish by certain colour-blind people, so I’ll cut them some slack. Maybe instead of colours, they could use symbols. I’ll leave it to your imagination what those symbols should be.

Anyway, the run! I had no plan, I was just going to run steady and see how it went. I was pleasantly surprised when the first km came in at a speedy 5:38/km. I was equally surprised when the second km was the same. I varied slightly above that for the next two, then finished with a very surprising pace of 5:22/km, which also resulted in an award in the Garmin app for fastest 1K (second one in as many days, woo).

I achieved the overall pace of 5:36/km while also having a lower BPM of 152. Really, it all seemed a bit weird.

The knees seemed fine again. There was a twinge once, but nothing more. The left hip was present, but not overbearing or anything.

One dog on the trail was off-leash and ahead of its (bad) owners, but it was not particularly excitable and didn’t present a problem. The trail was not overly busy, especially considering it was Friday.

Now I wait and see how the legs hold up over the weekend, with two days to rest and recover. I ran four days this week, three of them in a row. We’ll see how wise this was soon!

For now, I bask in the mild glory of exceeding my own expectations.

Stats:

Run 813
Average pace: 5:36/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (short loop, CW)
Start: 1:06 p.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:11
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 13-15ºC
Humidity: 67-65%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 167.7
Total distance to date: 5942.6 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (77.6/150/227.6 km)

I ended up only doing one run last week because my Friday run got replaced by spontaneous birding. That was a good call for the last day of summer, because so far fall weather has sucked corn dogs.

With high winds a possibility, I set out this morning, only to find it unusually calm. It wasn’t even raining. After about 20 minutes of walking, the rain did arrive and it rained from that point forward, so the run was rather soggy. The wind didn’t start to pick up until I was almost back from the run, so that was nice.

I wore my long-sleeved t-shirt and at first it felt a bit warm, but overall it wasn’t bad. It got thoroughly drenched, however.

Despite the rain, conditions on the trail were actually decent, and it was busier than expected, with people determined to go for a walk regardless of the weather. Several had those absurd giant beach umbrellas. I’m not sure the massive size really makes much difference.

I started with a good pace and thought of just cruising along, but ended up pushing a bit–I think the clamminess of the rain made it feel like I was putting in a little more effort, and ended with a decent 5:46/km pace and a slightly higher BPM of 158. Maybe next time I’ll try to stick to 150 and see what results I get.

The left knee twinged once late in the run, but that was it, and the left hip flared bright right around the 2K mark before going mostly quiet again. The hip is probably the most annoying part of the runs right now.

Overall, a pretty good start to the week, considering I had five days off. Here’s hoping Wednesday is a little drier (forecast suggests it may be!)

Run 810
Average pace: 5:46/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:29 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:59
Weather: Showers
Temp: 15ºC
Humidity: 88%
Wind: light
BPM: 158
Weight: 166.6
Total distance to date: 5930 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (65/134/199 km)