Outdoor runs

Run 648: Holy lack of stamina, Batman

Run 648
Average pace: 6:28/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:53 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 32:33
Weather: Clouds and sun
Temp: 19ºC
Humidity: 53%
Wind: light
BPM: 163
Weight: 175.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 4850 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (210 km)

I would say it’s hard to believe it’s been 70 days since the last time I ran outdoors–March 22, just days after everything started getting locked down in B.C.–but when you look at my stats, it’s actually quite easy to believe, because I was not so much slow as struggling to keep moving over a distance I would in peak condition find trivial to run.

I knew I was in for a challenge when I walked the 4 km to the lake and saw my pace averaged 10:02/km. It would normally be about a full minute faster. And this was just walking.

Undaunted and without madding crowds due to the early afternoon start on a weekday, I made a pit stop at the Jiffy John (no sanitizer–boo, are they trying to give us Covid?) then set off on a five km course counter-clockwise around the lake, setting a steady pace and knowing that the goal was merely to finish.

And finish I did, though at several points it felt like the run was going to finish me instead.

You can see graphically what happened in this map of the run (Apple, please make these maps available on iPads and the web, thanks, and change them back to being light instead of dark. Dark is weird and ugly. Or at least make it a toggle):

The GPS did not fail twice, but my body did!

As you can see, I started out slow and occasionally–such as when the ground slopped downward–got a little faster before going slow again. Partway into the Piper Mill Trail my lungs were ablaze and I had to do something to keep them from scorching from the inside out, so I paused the run, then resumed once my breathing and heartrate settled a bit–before I reached the end of the Piper Mill Trail, at least.

I puttered along until I got about two-thirds of the way down the Cottonwood Trail. Again, I struggled to keep going and paused for a minute before resuming, after which I was abler to keep going through to the end.

My total time was a perhaps worst-ever 32:33, with the average overall pace being 6:28/km. I’m certain that is my slowest average pace ever. It certainly felt like it.

But I did it and while I may be sore as all get-out tomorrow, right now I don’t feel too bad. My BPM was 163, which is actually lower than my previous run, but this was likely due to the fact that my pace was so incredibly sluggish.

I did refill the tank to run a bit on the way back, though, so I have some dim hope that things will improve if I keep getting out there.

The weather was decent–pleasant, but not hot, partial sun and a light breeze. There weren’t a lot of people out, and the majority of those that were made little to no effort at physical distancing, except where it was impossible to avoid, such as on the narrow boardwalks. A surprising number of joggers were out and even more surprising, I passed one of them somehow. They must have been in casual running mode.

Despite some recent heavy rain a few days earlier (which was unusual compared to the weather trends we’ve seen this spring), the trail was in good shape, so puddle jumping was not needed, with one major exception.

This section of trail was completely submerged for some reason. Luckily, it’s right off the fields and you can actually detour around it by heading up the access road and hooking left at the first turn-off to rejoin the main loop.

A river runs through it…but shouldn’t.

Overall, while I am a bit shocked at just how slow I was, I can’t say that I was surprised at being slow and finding the run a bit of a struggle. Seventy days is a long time between runs. I will try not to go another seventy days before the next one.

Run 647: The first pandemic run

Run 647
Average pace: 5:48/km
Location: Brunette River
Start: 1:42 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:13
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12ºC
Humidity: 55%
Wind: nil to light
BPM: 166
Weight: 171.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4845 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (205 km)

Technically today was not my first run since the global pandemic started, but it was the first since, to frame it colorfully, shit got real, with lots of closures and a huge emphasis on “social distancing”, which I will get to in a bit.

First, this was my first run in three weeks. I’m not sure how I managed to go another three weeks without doing an outdoor run. I swear I’m not lazy. Today I headed out in mild conditions wearing my light long-sleeve shirt and would have been fine in a regular t-shirt, as it was not cool in any way (in all senses of the word).

I wasn’t sure if I was going to run at the lake or the river, so I walked to the end of the river trail to give me more time to decide. Given how many people were about, I chose the river trail, as it would be easier to keep some separation between myself and potential plague carriers.

This turned out to be surprisingly difficult, despite the river trail actually being a gravel service road that is wide enough to (barely) accommodate two vehicles passing by each other. Why? Because people are dumb or indifferent. Observe below.

Good people: Walking close to each other, staying on one side of the trail. Lots of room to pass by without getting close.

Bad people: Spreading themselves as far across the trail as possible, making it impossible to keep the recommended safe distance away, which is six feet or two meters, depending on how metric you are. For example, two friends (?) were walking down the trail, but they were walking down the middle and also had some strangely large gap between each other, effectively providing three narrow channels for me to choose from. This would be like if every chalice at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was poison. You can’t help but to choose poorly.

There was another pair that did the opposite, which creates nearly the same issue. One was walking a dog (all dogs were leashed today, which was nice, if odd, to see). One walked on the left side of the trail, the other on the right, with a gap between them that again left me insufficient space to squeeze through as per social distancing recommendations. Why would you even walk like this? It would be like walking on opposite sidewalks down the street. Do they secretly hate each other? Does one of them have dog allergies? These two ended up making me alter my run.

Oh yes, the run. It was surprisingly stressful because I did not want to have to keep carefully dodging around people who could potentially be carrying COVID-19, I just wanted to run. I almost felt like stopping early to I could just get out of there. After going between the two–let’s call them “space” people–I realized that given where they were, I would have to pass between them at least two more times to complete my run. I opted to turn around early before getting to them the second time and when I got back to the entrance I was at about 4.5 km done. I ran off the trail and onto the sidewalk on North Road, figuring I’d do the last 500m by running into and through Lower Hume Park. It was then that I saw directly on the sidewalk a huge group of people. I mean, this is something I never see. It’s like they specifically appeared to induce anxiety in me. I waited a few moments for a gap in traffic, then crossed over to the empty sidewalk on the other side.

I didn’t hit 5K as soon as I would have liked, so had to turn out onto the field and finished as I ran across the baseball diamond. It felt a little weird.

The actual run itself was fine, especially given the three weeks away. My pace was 5:48/km, better than expected (though as always the river trail is more forgiving than the lake), though my BPM ticked up a bit to 166, though it’s possible my general fretting may have contributed there. I was pretty tense the whole way, only relaxing a bit during those rare moments when no one else was in sight.

I actually wished it had been raining so these people would have stayed home to watch Contagion on Netflix.

I’m not sure when I’ll run outside again. Maybe when the weather is miserable, which will ironically make me happier.

Run 646: Technically running

Run 646
Average pace: 6:08/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:49 am
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 30:49
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 7ºC
Humidity: 66%
Wind: strong
BPM: 162
Weight: 169.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4840 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (200 km)

Although I have run and done many walks on the treadmill since acquiring it in early December 2019, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a run outdoors. A large chunk of this has been due to having the flu and then almost immediately getting a cold as follow up.

Today I finally headed back to Burnaby Lake for the first time since December 29th, just over two months ago. Yikes.

The weather was a bit brisk (in fact, three degrees cooler than it was in late December) so I wore two layers, which was a smart choice, especially with a somewhat strong breeze also blowing.

I started out slow to keep myself from tiring out quickly, but that turned out to be a formality, as slow is the only speed I could achieve. The back half of the run felt not exactly like a slog, but slog-like. I kept moving. I was glad when it was over. I surprised myself by actually finding the energy to run a bit afterwards on the way back home.

The pace of 6:08/km is very slow but unsurprising, given the long layoff. Oddly, my BPM remained exactly the same as the last run, a bit up there at 162 but well below a level that I would be uncomfortable with. I did not think about my knees at all during the run and only thought of them briefly on the walk out as I felt the entirety of both legs start to stiffen and get sore in real time.

I expect the soreness to persist through tomorrow.

The trail itself was mostly dry, but sections are still in terrible shape, with parts collapsed and marked by traffic cones, others hastily patched up and the usual boggy parts by the fields requiring fancy footwork to avoid the feet getting mud and water-soaked.

Because it was the weekend and not raining, a decent number of people were out. One dog was kind of snippy toward me and another jogger. I didn’t notice so much because the music blocked out its yapping and it was low enough to be mostly out of my field of vision. I did turn back and see it going after the jogger that passed me in the other direction. Dumb dog (owner).

As always when you encounter multiple groups of people on the trail, some seem unaware that others are in fact using the trail, too. Fortunately I never had too much trouble moving around them, but the baffling inability handle interaction with others in a public space will always continue to annoy me. I try to not let it, but it does.

A mystery of sorts emerged just as I was heading out from the lake. My right hip suddenly became sore. It felt fine on the run and the 5K walk out of the lake, so I’m not sure why it turned on me long after the fact. Maybe it’s a trick hip now. I don’t like tricks. It seems mostly fine now.

Overall, this was not a bad run after more than 60 days off. I was tired, but never felt gross and wanting the suffering to end like nothing else in the world. I just kept going and going and then was done. I’ll try to run again next weekend and see how it compares.

Run 645: Slow with traffic cones

Run 645
Average pace: 6:01/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:44 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:14
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 10ºC
Humidity: 76%
Wind: light
BPM: 162
Weight: 171.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 4835 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (195 km)

Back to Burnaby Lake for the first time since November 24 (more than a month ago) and it was like I’d never left, at least in terms of pace, as it came in at 6:01/km, a rounding error away from the previous pace of 6:02/km–but technically still faster!

Most of the run was fairly consistent and I would have come in under six minutes if not for the third km, where my pace dropped to 6:10/km. This drop was due to two things: I was admittedly tired (I haven’t run outdoors much lately and it is a lot more demanding than being on a treadmill), but also because I kept gawking over to my right, which undoubtedly slowed me down. I was again staring at the clearcut mentioned in my last post on running at Burnaby Lake. It just looks so very weird now, like the whole of civilization has suddenly been revealed, the illusion that you’re running in the woods has been literally stripped away. This time, though, there was more evidence on the reason for the massive tree removal. Earth-moving equipment was in place and you could already see dirt piled up and plowed alongside the existing railroad track, indicating that the trees were removed to either allow them to shore up the existing track area or possibly expand it to include new track.

It still looks about as attractive as you’d expect a clearcut to be.

The run itself was done in remarkably mild conditions, with the temperature a balmy 10ºC–well above normal–, along with little wind and even the sun poking out a bit here and there. While the weather was surprisingly pleasant, the trail was not. Several sections–including resurfaced areas–are collapsing due to the aggressive inflow of water. Keep in mind that the fall hasn’t even been abnormally wet, too. There were numerous cones dotting the trail to mark soft spots and areas where the surface was crumbling away along the edges. The area leading up to the Cottonwood Trail was especially bad, as was the stretch immediately after it that leads to the bridge at Still Creek.

Surprisingly, despite occasional and somewhat large puddles, the area by the fields was not flooded and I escaped with my feet dry. Here’s hoping more resurfacing and shoring up has been scheduled for sooner than later.

Overall I didn’t experience any issues, just that “yep, not exactly in peak form” feeling, though my BPM was lower than the previous run, which was nice. That was probably due to being in slightly better shape (thank you, treadmill!) and also the warmer conditions meaning less strain.

It was nice to be back outside, and I did run a fair bit on the walk out from the lake, so all of my pep hasn’t yet abandoned me. We’ll see how it goes the next time when I run with actual wind resistance and stuff.

Run 644: Down by the riverside

Run 644
Average pace: 5:45/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 2:58 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 28:52
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 7ºC
Humidity: 76%
Wind: light
BPM: 170
Weight: 1706. pounds
Total distance to date: 4830 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (190 km)

After messing around on the treadmill for a few weeks, I could not deny that today the weather was perfectly fine for running outside. I did deny it, a little, and as a result got a late start, not beginning until almost 3 p.m. Because of this, I opted to run at the river, rather than the lake, but compensated a little by walking to the far end of the trail before starting.

Conditions were actually pretty similar to the last run back in November, with little wind and partly sunny skies. I made no plans to push, I just wanted to complete 5K without any embarrassing pratfalls. Or falls.

And I did! Perhaps the workouts on the treadmill have made a difference (though the river vs. lake is generally a faster, easier run), but I lopped an entire 17 minutes from my previous pace, coming in at an average of 5:45/km. I experienced no cramps or other issues, just a general sense of still not being in great shape. But it was okay.

Being outside reminded me of how different it is than the treadmill. It’s cold. You have wind resistance. Did I mention it’s cold? You never know what that giant unleashed dog is going to do. The river trail kind of stinks a little. But when it isn’t stinky, it’s nice to run on a course that actually has turns, to feel that breeze, even if it freezes your cheeks, to see other people, even if they have giant unleashed dogs.

And I was pleasantly surprised by the pace, though the BPM is right on the edge of what I’m comfortable with.

In all, though, a nice return to the great urban outdoors.

Run 643: Harvest of destruction (Also: a slow return)

Run 643
Average pace: 6:02/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:35 am
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 30:17
Weather: Sunny, some cloud
Temp: 9ºC
Humidity: 77%
Wind: light
BPM: 175 (?)
Weight: 172 pounds
Total distance to date: 4825 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (185 km)

Exactly three weeks and two pulled muscles later (one lower back, one upper thigh) I returned for only my second run of November. I was expecting to be slow, generally lack stamina, and so planned on only doing a 5K.

It was a good call.

I started out slow (6:10 on the fist km), got even slower (6:19 on the second) before finding some energy reserves on the third km, where I got my best results, a relatively zippy 5:41/km. After that it was downhill again, with the final km almost exactly mirroring the first.

Other than lacking energy I felt fine–no cramps or other issues. The pulled muscle in my leg didn’t hurt at all while running and seems fine now. I just had no gas in the tank.

Strangely, although the workout app claims an average BPM of 175 (which is high and plausible after three weeks of slothfulness), there is no heart rate data otherwise, just this message:

The heart rate for the walks before and after the run recorded without issue, so I’m not sure why it didn’t work for the run. Maybe I was running so slow it got confused and shut off.

The conditions were okay. It was clear, but felt colder than the 9ºC would indicate. It had rained earlier, so there was some piddle jumping, but the only really bad spot was that one section by the field that always floods. It was flooded and after trying to skirt around it, I gave up and just plunged through. My feet are almost dry now.

The harvest of destruction came as I approached the Cottonwood Trail just past the 3K mark. For reasons unknown, almost every tree between the trail and the train tracks had been cut down. It looked like a clearcut. I expected to see protesters locking arms together. A lot of bramble had been cleared out, too, but sloppily enough that the trail was covered in twigs and other detritus. Further, recent rains had hit this part of the trail especially hard, carving lines and further exposing tree roots in what is already the tree root-iest part of the trail. It’s the worst I’ve seen it in eight years of running here. Hopefully Cottonwood is next on the list for resurfacing, as it’s clearly overdue.

Crowd-wise it was not as bad as expected, though a gaggle of photographers completely and utterly blocked the path on the Piper Mill Trail. I actually had to stop and wait for them to part to get through. Why do people completely block the trail? Do they think no one else will ever use it except them? Perhaps.

Speaking of using the trail, I saw a pair of cyclists on the way in carefully studying the map, the one that clearly states NO CYCLING in multiple spots, and which includes directions to alternate routes. I confirmed that bikes were not allowed and directed them to the alternate route. They seemed displeased and I can’t blame them, because a bike lane on a road is not as nice as a trail around a lake, but they actually turned around and left, so kudos to them.

Overall this run went about as expected. I will cling to that third km where I briefly hit my stride as an example of how I can still run decently, as long as I, you know, actually go out and run.

And now I am off to dry my feet.

Run 642: Two weeks later, two seconds slower

Run 642
Average pace: 5:52/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:33 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 58:47
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 6-7ºC
Humidity: 84%
Wind: light
BPM: 160
Weight: 169.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 4820 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (180 km)

I did not run last weekend for various reasons that I sum up as runner ennui, a term I just made up now. The weather was nice, I just lacked any motivation at all. I can’t even say I was feeling lazy, I just felt a total lack of ambition.

This weekend, the weather was again nice, but chilly, so I donned my layers and headed out, taking advantage of the (still dumb) switch back to Pacific Standard Time. Although I left around 9:45 a.m. it felt more like 10:45 a.m., which worked to my advantage.

As it was sunny, the lake was packed full of people, including a large number of runners, many running in pairs or small groups. I generally navigated most of these groups fine, but there were a few near-misses thanks to the ever-baffling lack of situational awareness that some people exhibit, even though they have functioning eyes and presumably functioning brains. In one instance two girls stood off to the side of the trail. A half second later I would have passed, but one of the girls, even though she saw me, still chose to step out into my path rather than wait that half second, then seemed confused about what she had done. Baffling!

A group of four runners were running abreast of each other, taking up the entire width of the trail. The one on my side moved very slightly in, giving me barely enough room, because falling back for a moment is apparently an inconceivable horror. I don’t understand people.

A family of cyclists were camped out on the Still Creek bridge with one of the kids having some issue or another. They were close to the trail exit, so I said nothing and just moved around them. Another cyclist, riding fast and not paying much attention, caught me by surprise at a corner and left me sufficiently stunned by the near-collision that I didn’t even know how to react. I finally turned my head around and mumbled something about no bikes allowed. He was long gone.

But enough about the weird, crowdy people. As mentioned, it was cool, but I wore two layers and warmed up quickly. I chose a modest pace, stuck to it and only felt a bit of a stick in my lower-left side for a few minutes early on, before it went away. My fastest pace was the final km, at 5:41, edging the start by one second. Generally I felt good and the trail was in good shape, other than the marshy area past the fields, which was filled with puddles and generally damp despite no recent rain. Maybe the swamp is backing up. This is one of the last areas that really needs to be resurfaced.

The best part may be my BPM dropping back to 160, which is a full 21 beats lower than the previous, rainy run. I can’t say for sure with only a single data point, but it would seem cold + rain = heart works a lot harder, where cold alone doesn’t have as much effect.

Overall, a solid effort and about what I was expecting. I am actively looking at treadmills, so here’s hoping I can continue runs indoors now that the standard time perpetual dark mode™ has been enabled for the next four months.

Run 641: People ‘n puddles

Run 641
Average pace: 5:50/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:35 am
Distance: 10.05 km
Time: 58:44
Weather: Rain
Temp: 8ºC
Humidity: 92%
Wind: light
BPM: 181
Weight: 165.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 4810 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (170 km)

I once again planned to run Saturday and ended up running Sunday. The weather today was predicted to be cats and dogs so I arranged the day before to have Jeff gently push me to head out in the morning when it would likely be pouring and I’d likely be thinking about how warm and dry it was inside.

This is exactly what happened. After about half an hour of gentle persuasion I changed and headed out into the rain.

I wore shorts and two layers up top–a sleeveless t-shirt with the long-sleeved Nike short over top, as it was an unseasonably cool 8ºC. This turned out to be a good choice. Yay for dressing for the weather.

As per the forecast I didn’t expect the rain to stop and it didn’t, though it varied in intensity over the course of the run. Luckily the wind was nearly calm, so it didn’t feel even colder. I had a surprisingly sluggish start, with the first km coming in at 6:01/km, and finished strong at 5:40/km, with an overall pace of 5:50/km. This is a bit slower than the last run, but given the weather and slow start, pretty decent overall.

There was a running event earlier in the morning and they still had their tents set up on the south side of the dam, so rather than starting over by the 9K marker, I began on the other side of the dam. This meant my run went “long” and I didn’t hit 10K until I was actually running across the dam. If I’ve finished a run on top of the dam before, it’s been long enough that I don’t remember. The top of the dam is always covered in puddles when it rains, so it was a splashy end.

Speaking of puddles, this was definitely a run where I had to dodge and weave frequently around puddles large and small. At the athletic fields, the usual part of the trail that floods was flooded as usual and after a quick assessment I realized there was nothing to be done but to go straight through, so my feet got dunked good just shy of the halfway mark. They seemed to be fine after. I would have liked to have seen how the runners in the race handled that part. It’s not an insubstantial puddle (the parks people should really fix the whole stretch one day, there is essentially no drainage at all).

Speaking of parks people, I encountered a putt putt car on the Conifer Loop, something I wasn’t expecting. Maybe the driver was trying to avoid the main trail out of courtesy to the other runners. And speaking of people, for the first few km I encountered far more than expected. A few were running, a few had dogs, but most were just out walking, many without umbrellas, and all very wet. As I exited the Conifer Loop I saw a pair ahead of me that I’d have to dodge, then another pair approaching from the other side, so I had to navigate between all four. I was not expecting this on such a crappy day. Why were these people not home, safely warm, and getting drunk while playing cribbage? I don’t know.

For most of the run after, people were few and far between, and my pace picked up toward the middle of the run, then see-sawed after until a strong finish on the dam. The one area of concern was my BPM, which shot way up to 181. That is high, but perhaps just reflecting the cold and wet. As I get used to the conditions I should see that come back down. If not I will be alarmed and consider staying home and getting drunk while playing cribbage.

Overall, this was a good run for a couple of reasons. I experienced no issues during the run, and just as importantly, I did the run, knowing how bad the conditions would be.

Run 640: A properly prepared stat holiday outing

Run 640
Average pace: 5:44/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:25 pm
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 57:27
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 11-12ºC
Humidity: 71%
Wind: light
BPM: 164
Weight: 166.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 4800 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (160 km)

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada and the weather was cool, but clear. Knowing how past runs have gone on stat holidays, I expected crowds and planned for it. And my planing paid off!

Yesterday I wasn’t sure I’d be running at all. I was congested, had a pressure headache and was certain I was coming down with something. My legs had that “wet noodle” feeling that usually means the onset of a cold or worse. But today the noodles were firmer, though the congestion and sinus pressure persisted, so maybe just allergies?

I took a blast of decongestant spray to my nose, then set off around 11:45 a.m. I wore my long-sleeved Nike shirt and while a short-sleeved t-shirt might have been fine, I didn’t feel overly warm in the Nike shirt. There was a light breeze and the sun was out, though it is already not providing much in the way of summer-like warmth anymore.

I chose to run clockwise, which worked out especially well today, as most people travel the lake in the opposite direction, meaning I’d be running toward most walkers and unless they were strolling with their eyes shut, they would see me approaching and presumably do something to let me by (I can report all did). For those I approached from behind, I switched to calling out, “Behind you!” to those who gave no indication they didn’t see/hear me coming–and it worked! Yay.

For this run, I opted to maintain a steady pace throughout, unsure how I would feel. Indeed, by the 6K mark I was feeling a bit tired, but pressed on, got my second win and finished with a near-identical pace compared to Thursday, at 5:44/km. Even better, my BPM was down to 164. Other than getting a bit tired midway through, I experienced no issues or complications, despite the heavier-than-usual traffic.

It doesn’t escape me, either, than I’ve been rather lucky with the weather being so nice for these runs. I know one day it will be raining and I won’t want to run, but the rain will persist and I’ll have to. Then I’ll grouse about it here. 😛

I saw another snake on the trail, and like the one on Thursday, it may no attempt to move as I jogged by. This must be “fall snake” behavior, where they are too preoccupied soaking up rays to keep warm to bother getting out of the way unless they really have to. Or a bunch of snakes are slithering onto the trail and lapsing into comas or dying. I’m not a snakeologist, I don’t know.

The next run will likely be on the treadmill at the Canada Games Pool, as sunset is happening around 6:20 now, which is before I usually finish my runs. Plus the weather this week looks stinky. But I might try one more during the week before declaring them done until the spring.

Run 639: The pause that fertilizes

Run 639
Average pace: 5:43/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:55 pm
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 57:15
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 10ºC
Humidity: 46%
Wind: light
BPM: 168
Weight: 166.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 4790 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (150 km)

After missing a week of runs due to illness and in one case poor planning/laziness, I finally set out today on a rare mid-week afternoon run, since I had to take the day off for workers to put tape on and then paint our condo door and drill a hole above said door for a new fiber drop (fiber drops are being added to all suites).

Upon waking up it was an unseasonably cold 0ºC. Yes, actual freezing in the second week of October. I planned on running around 10 and by then it was up to 6ºC. I was delayed for a variety of reasons (laziness not being one this time) and finally headed out around noon.

One of the delays was sensing I had to use the potty before heading out and wanted to make sure I got that out of the way first, because running and having to go, especially when the going is pooping, is a bad combination.

By noon the temperature was a relatively balmy 10ºC, but I still opted to wear my gray long-sleeved shirt. In retrospect the lighter Nike shirt would have sufficed, or even a regular t-shirt, as I only felt a bit cool on the walk back and that was mostly fixed by keeping my hands in my pockets. Even a decade later, I can still manage to overdress.

I opted to go counter-clockwise today and set a moderate pace, not wanting to go all crazy post-recovery and post-not running for a week. I had no real issues and despite the incredibly nice weather–a perfectly clear sky and little wind–the trail was not particularly crowded. But.

But around the 2K mark I spied a group of four women walking ahead, just past Piper Spit. Further beyond them the trail splits three ways, one to the Nature House (closed), one continuing the lake loop, and the third leading to the Piper Mill trail, which was my destination. I figured they would stick to the main trail and if they got to the intersection first, I would not have to navigate around them.

This did not happen.

Instead, I closed the gap and as I approached (the trail is narrow here, so I knew I could not dip of to the sides to go around), I cleared my throat and stomped my feet a little more forcefully to let them know I was approaching. This, it turned out, was an error. I should have just yelled, :Behind you!” As it was, the two women in the back were to the right, so I could pass them on the left. The two in front were on the left, meaning I would need to deke over and pass them on the right. There was not a lot of room, but enough to do this.

Except the woman on the right suddenly decided to shift to the right, putting herself directly in my path. I moved as much like a ninja as I could to avoid a collision, and ended up putting both hands on her shoulders to keep myself from plowing her over. Without stopping I apologized and kept going. She stood frozen as if she had seen some cosmic horror. Maybe I look that bad when running.

Anyway, it was unsettling, but didn’t really throw me off, and though I encountered others after, they all obligingly moved out of the way when they were blocking my path.

I had no issues during the run and was never in any doubt I’d manage the full 10K–until about the midway point. My stamina was still fine. My knees were behaving. My legs and feet were cooperating. So what was the issue?

In a word, my bowels. I suddenly had to go…again.The halfway point us by the fields and I thought of pausing the run to use the washroom at the nearby clubhouse (the door even says JOGGERS on it). I decided I could wait–a wait that would be about 27 minutes before the Jiffy John was at hand at the end of the run.

I was wrong.

Around the 6K mark I began to question the wisdom of skipping the washroom. By the time I was hitting the first boardwalk I was actively looking for a place to duck off the trail to do my business, not unlike a bear in the woods. I spotted one just past the boardwalk, made my way into the brush and behind a large and hopefully concealing tree. I did my business, avoided using leaves as surrogate toilet paper because I imagined what it would feel like later if I wiped my butt with poison ivy, and returned to the trail, lighter, but not faster. In fact, this coincided with my slowest point in the run. I picked up the pace a bit, fell back again, then made another effort on the final stretch to finish with a respectable overall pace of 5:43/km, pretty much right in the middle of my first two 10Ks.

The cold definitely had an effect on the run. While I felt fine my body was clearly working harder, both being a bit off and due to the cold. My BPM was 168–still below the 170 threshold, but not by much. Still, I felt fine, never winded or creaky.

Overall, a good run, despite the unwanted call of nature butting (heh heh) in.

Run 638: It should have rained

Run 638
Average pace: 5:36/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:54 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 56:08
Weather: Partly cloudy, sunny
Temp: 13ºC
Humidity: 40%
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Weight: 164.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 4780 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (140 km)

I don’t mean it should have rained because I wanted it to rain, the trail was just so packed with people today that a little rain would have kept most of them at home playing Jenga, drinking beer or both. But it was mostly sunny and not too terribly cold, so there was a lot of people.

To be fair, most were quite obliging at making room for me as I passed by. There were a few occasions when a group of three would span the trail and become confused as I got close (“Which way do I turn to get out of the way? Aiieee.”) and one little kid almost tottered right into my path because dad was too busy watching something fascinating on his smartphone, but generally it was fine.

An off-leash dog (almost all were off-leash today) managed to avoid poking me with the gigantic branch it was happily carrying clamped in its jaws, so that was good, too.

As for the run itself, although I had some dips in pace, this run felt a lot more natural in terms of where I was faster or slower. Speaking of faster, I came out of the gate flying. I wasn’t really aiming for that and suspected it would catch up to me quickly (it did) but still, the opening km was 5:07/km, the closest I’ve come to dipping below the 5-minute mark in a long time. I did not experience any of the creakiness starting out as I did on Thursday, so perhaps I was excited at being able to run without restraint.

The second km my pace drooped to 5:34/km–still faster than Thursday–then further still to 5:48/km. But over the next four km my speed improved until I finally started to tire at the 8 km mark. I flagged a bit at 9K (5:55/km) but finished the last km with a pace of 5:43/km and an overall pace of 5:36/km–just one second slower than my 5K three days ago.

I was very pleased with this.

Other than feeling a bit tired around 9K, I actually felt pretty good throughout, with no discomfort or other issues. Stamina was fine. Everything was fine, really.

I chose to wore my heavier long-sleeved shirt, thinking it might be a bit cool and breezy. It was on the walk to the lake and the temperature stayed around 13ºC or so, which is actually fine for running. When the sun came out, I was a smidgen too warm, but not terribly so. The lighter long-sleeved shirt or even a regular t-shirt would have been fine.

On the river trail heading to the lake I saw what I think were the same gaggle of runners I’d seen going topless some weeks ago at the lake. None were topless this morning. The clothing was all over–most had t-shirts and shorts, but some opted for long pants or long sleeves, and one also had a jacket. The guy with the jacket was definitely overdressed. I imagine he runs in a parka in December. At the lake I saw a guy wearing a muscle shirt…and gloves. I mean, even when it’s cool, my hands warm up and start sweating in minutes. With gloves? Yuck.

Walking back from the lake I passed a large group of cyclists, which seemed to provide a kind of symmetry to the runners. I liked that. Plus none of them rode too close or cut me off or anything. Nice cyclists.

Tuesday’s forecast looks good so far. I’m wondering just how gloomy it will be by the time I finish my run. The sun sets at 6:50 p.m., which is about five minutes before I get home (and roughly five minutes before I finish my run). The days of after-work runs are drawing to a close for another year…

Run 637: Also inconsistent, but with bonus being slower, too

Run 637
Average pace: 5:35/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:23 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:14
Weather: Clear
Temp: 15ºC
Humidity: 68%
Wind: light to nil
BPM: 168
Weight: 166 pounds
Total distance to date: 4770 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (130 km)

Conditions for tonight’s run were good, with the temperature only slightly cooler than Tuesday, but still dandy for running. I knew almost as soon as I set off that this run was not going to proceed as well, though.

For whatever reason–perhaps the shock of doing a full 10K, followed by a 5K and now another run–my legs were creaky and sore. Not just the knees, but the shins and upper leg muscles, too. It took a few minutes to warm up, but they were okay after that. This early stiffness convinced me to maintain a moderate pace–helped even more later by a stitch threatening to develop–and I correctly predicted I would end with a pace over 5:30, coming in at 5:35/km.

A few puzzling aspects, though. For one, my BPM was the highest its been in awhile at 168 and I’m not sure why. Because it was cooler and my body was working harder to stay at the same level? That seems like the likeliest explanation. I’m curious to see what BPM will be after the next post-work run (though there won’t be a whole lot of those left for the year, it was already noticeably dimmer running tonight vs. just two days ago).

The other puzzling part was a repeat of the wild inconsistency. As I said up top, I did not fire the afterburners or put in any extra effort, I just keep going steadily–and indeed, I felt fine stamina-wise–yet my pace is all over:

First km: 5:22
Second km: 5:42 (a whopping 20 second increase)
Third km: 5:49
Fourth km: 5:25 (a 24 second decrease)
Fifth km: 5:39 (14 second increase)

I would not have guessed that my speed shifted up or down so dramatically at any of the above points. It’s weird.

I’ve had two anomalous results now with the Series 5 watch, but maybe it’s just a coincidence. The overall pace for both runs seems about right, so in the end it looks okay, but the huge shifts in pace are strange. I’m curious to see how this will play out at the next run, which should take place at the lake. If the forecast stays accurate, my luck will hold and I’ll get another run free from rain. And I won’t complain. (I’m a poet.)