Outdoor runs

Run 515: Orange haze

Run 515
Average pace: 5:41/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 6:18 pm
Distance: 8.02 km
Time: 45:36
Weather: Smoke haze, sun
Temp: 29ºC
Humidity: 46%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 154
Weight: 159.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3998 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

The change in the weather not only brought much warmer temperatures, it also brought–thanks to a switch in the winds–a high haze of smoke carried in from the forest fires burning in the interior. The entire day was cast under a hazy sun, with the light an eerie orange.

This made running feel a bit like being on an alien world. Also the fact that the air had the quality of soupy smoke and it was hot as heck. The sweating returned in abundance, though the humidity meant I kind of self-hydrated through the run, unlike Saturday’s cooler but drier run that left my mouth parched.

I was a bit concerned starting out due to this combination of unpleasant conditions and planned a conservative run. Indeed, save for the first and last km, which were faster, my pace was remarkably steady. Weirdly, though, it didn’t feel nearly as bad as I’d expected.

It was hot, but the haze kept the sun from beating directly down. There was an intermittent breeze. The heavy humidity kept me from drying out. And while the air was filled with “fine particulate matter” (fancypants talk for bits of stuff from the smoke), I couldn’t specifically detect it. I didn’t come out smelling like a campfire, anyway.

I was surprised by the number of other jogging fools out with me. We are all masochists.

In the end I actually beat Saturday’s pace by three seconds (albeit over a shorter distance) and felt a lot better doing it.

Two other things I’ll mention. Somewhere between the 5 and 6K mark I heard the scissoring of legs behind me and to my left. A moment later a runner zipped by me. He was really trucking, which seemed silly to me, given the conditions. I thought of goosing my pace a bit to keep him in sight and see how long he could maintain his torrid pace but he was out of sight in nearly an instant, a phantom on the trail.

A short distance before the increasingly rickety Deer Creek Brook bridge and I saw him coming back, having short-turned before the bridge. As he went by I noticed that his mouth formed a perfect O. His face had the same look one might observe of a fish that’s been out of water just a tad longer than it would like. Given this heart-attack-imminent look, I didn’t feel so bad about being left in his dust.

Speaking of heart attacks, I had my music set to shuffle play and They Might Be Giants’ song(let) “I’m Having a Heart Attack” came on. I felt a bit uneasy at this possibly providing unintentional narrative to my run so skipped to the next track, which was The Cure’s “Hot Hot Hot.” It’s like the music knew.

Overall, this turned out to be a surprisingly decent run. Here’s hoping the trend continues, as the next two runs are likely to be under similar conditions.

Run 514: The 10K that felt like 100K

Run 514
Average pace: 5:44/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:53 pm
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 57:34
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-25ºC
Humidity: 37%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 153
Weight: 159.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3990 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

I indulged in a bit of a lazy morning and started today’s run early in the afternoon as a consequence. In terms of temperature it wasn’t too bad, only a few degrees hotter than the morning and at 24-25ºC still below the “this is kind of too hot” point. On the northern side of the lake I sweated a bit but didn’t sweat much at all on the southern side. A good breeze helped, too.

For whatever reason, though, I was tired for the whole run. Even the walk to the lake was a bit slower than recent days. Because it was afternoon I choose to go with a steady but slower pace, anyway, but my legs especially just seemed to lack the fuel to carry me much beyond a plodding pace that averaged out to 5:44/km. This isn’t terrible–in fact, it’s about what I would have expected for my first 10K last weekend (where much cooler weather helped), but it was still enough that by the 6K mark I seriously considered calling it. I also mulled pausing the run or walking for a bit.

In the end I turned my mind to other things to distract myself and got through the full 10 km. There was no photo finish. 😛

The trail itself is seeing construction/resurfacing along several areas. The rocky section by the 5K marker I complained about previously did indeed turn out to be a base layer that has since been covered over with crushed gravel. It looks like most of that stretch that floods is going to be built up with new material, leaving only a few other small areas that are still affected by heavy rains.

The work on South Shore trail and Avalon trail doesn’t appear to have progressed much, though I’m curious to see how they resurface Avalon. It’s a shared use trail that horses are allowed on and is the only place on the Burnaby Lake Loop with a rock dust surface, which is very fine and maybe better for horses? Most trails feature either crushed gravel or compact dirt. I’m assuming they’ll keep it the same for the horses. Won’t someone think of the horses?

There was a notice posted at several entry points to let people know the Cottonwood trail would be closed for a few weeks to have its footbridge replaced, starting July 31. Indeed, I could see piles of gravel and three steel girders near the bridge as I ran by. Since there’s no detour route on the Cottonwood trail, this means the loop will not be doable for at least two weeks.

Those two weeks exactly coincide with my vacation, when I played on…running the loop. I’ll have to run clockwise to Still Creek and double-back, which will get me 10K. Not as satisfying as a full loop around the lake, but better than a kick in the pants. I’m hoping that, as with the boardwalk replacement in 2012, the time estimate is overly generous and it only takes them a week or so to complete. It’s not a big bridge. I clear it in about four steps.

I wonder if they might target the bridge at Deer Lake Brook. It’s bigger (and has stairs at both ends) and when I ran on it today it felt especially bouncy on the eastern end. It hasn’t felt bouncy before. Bouncy is not a good quality for a bridge to have.

One bonus of heading out later was fewer people out in general (and no cyclists, yay). Still, I’m glad I finished the run, both for the achievement and because finishing meant it was over. This is one of those rare times when my two-day break before the next run will feel truly welcome.

Run 513: The first 8K of 2017

Run 513
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 6:30 pm
Distance: 8.02 km
Time: 44:35
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22ºC
Humidity: 56%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 161.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3979 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

Three differences between Tuesday’s run and tonight’s:

  • It was 22ºC instead of 28ºC. This was very good.
  • I ran 8K instead of 7K, taking advantage of the longer clockwise route. This was nice because the longer runs build up my stamina.
  • My pace was 5:33/km vs. 5:37/km. See the first bullet point: Cooler really does equal faster.

I was a bit concerned at the start Due to some weird gas in the stomach. I could feel the water I had before the run sloshing around. It seemed a good bet that cramps were to follow, like some scene from an irritable bowel syndrome TV commercial. I started out a bit slower than normal but the cramps never materialized and the gas passed (ho ho).

For the first half of the run I actually ended up feeling fairly energetic and only felt like I was pushing in the last few km as I worked to maintain my pace (my last km was also the fastest).

For the third run in a row I sweated like some kind of robot designed specifically to sweat. A sweatbot. I have no idea why I am sweating so much but it’s on the verge of being irritating as it constantly threatens to sluice down into my eyes. If I end up having to get a headband I may cry a little.

The trail work on the Avalon and South Shore trails doesn’t seem to have progressed much in the last few days but just before the 5K marker (not the 5K mark of the run, the actual 5K marker of the Burnaby Lake Loop) the trail was covered with fresh gravel. Except it wasn’t really gravel, it was more like just plain rocks. I have no idea what they’re doing there but it ain’t friendly for running. Or walking. Maybe it’s intended as a base to allow drainage after they put the crushed gravel on top. There are spots in this section that do flood after a good rain. But for now it’s not exactly feet-friendly.

I passed quite a few other joggers tonight. Not too many pedestrians and no cyclists, so yay.

Overall, a good if excessively sweaty run.

Run 512: A very sweaty 7K

Run 512
Average pace: 5:37/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 6:30 pm
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 39:38
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 28ºC
Humidity: 41%
Wind: light
BPM: 159
Weight: 160.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3971 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

Tonight’s run was a bell curve covered in sweat.

With the temperature up around 28ºC I adopted a steady-but-not-quick pace, hoping to endure the heat. I actually managed better than expected, coming close to Saturday’s pace (5:37/km tonight vs 5:34/km on Saturday). While that run was 3 km longer, it was also 11 degrees cooler. You kind of notice a difference like that.

At the midway point I could feel cramps threatening, so I eased up, then picked the pace back up for the last few km when the potential cramp crisis passed. Other than that the only other real issue was sweating. I sweated a bunch, especially around the forehead, where it always dribbles down and threatens to get into my eyes. No wonder headbands became so popular in the 80s.

They still look too dumb to wear. My finger can wick sweat away at no extra cost.

I felt a little bad for the people riding the SkyTrain with me on the way home. I’m pretty sure I didn’t smell spring fresh. Or summer fresh. Or any kind of fresh.

The only other complication came when I turned onto the Piper Mill Trail. A large group of nature enthusiasts were gathered and studying pine cones or something. They also blocked the entire path. Even though any of the dozen or so could have seen me, not a single one acknowledged my presence or moved to let me pass. I actually had to stop and then make my way around them off the trail. I hope they got attacked by a swarm of rabid butterflies, the jerks.

Still, even the nature-loving but people-hating clods could not take away from this run going better than expected.

Run 511: The first 10K of 2017

Run 511
Average pace: 5:34/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:45 am
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 55:52
Weather: Overcast, light showers
Temp: 17ºC
Humidity: 82%
Wind: light
BPM: 159
Weight: 160.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3964 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

Today I planned to run my first 10K of the year. And I did.

Today the forecast said it might shower. And it did.

But I didn’t care! It actually didn’t start to shower until nearly the 9 km mark and even then it was more of a light drizzle than rain.

I headed out early because I knew it would be a lot harder to motivate myself if it did start to shower before I got outside. Once I’m out and heading to the run I’m committed, regardless of the weather. Well, I’d probably reconsider if the weather was erupting volcano or something.

I started around 9:45 a.m. and it was around 17ºC, so pretty comfy for running, especially without the sun beating down from above (not that I don’t love you, sun–you can come back now). It had sprinkled earlier so the air was still quite humid and I sweated copiously during the run. Again, this was different than sweating from the heat of the sun. I’m not sure how to describe the difference. It was wetter? Everything was wetter.

There were actually quite a few other runners out, including an entire gaggle that came running in together just before I started near the dam. Pedestrians were fewer but still more plentiful than expected, given the gloomy sky. I guess clouds aren’t as scary on weekends.

I started with a slower pace, knowing I was likely to commit to a full 10K, and kept the pace very steady, with no greater than a ten second variance at any point. In fact, here it is, straight from the Activity app:

10K run July 22 2017

I found some pep at the midway point and again in the final km, when the end was in sight, but stayed pretty consistent, otherwise. Even better, I had no issues at all–no cramping, no soreness in either foot. I had no real doubt I’d push through to 10K but the first long run of the year you never know until you’re actually out there. A pace of 5:34/km for the first 10K is pretty good for me. It’s better than some of the 7K times I’ve pulled recently.

Also I forgot to mention it, but I saw a cute brown bunny hop across the trail in front of me on Thursday’s run. I don’t think bunnies are supposed to be there, so it was probably a released pet or the offspring of the same. It was still very cute.

Overall, I’m pleased with today’s run and the week in total. This is the first time this year I’ve done an extended run all three days: 7K. 7K and 10K. My amazing math skills tell me that’s 24 km. Not too shabby.

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Run 510: Cloudy with a chance of speed

Run 510
Average pace: 5:27/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 6:25 pm
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 38:23
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 48%
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Weight: 161.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3954 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

A few things were different for tonight’s run. It was several degrees cooler and cloudy, so weather-wise it was much nicer for running. I decided to go clockwise on the lake portion instead of counter-clockwise like I normally would.

And the biggest difference: a much faster pace. Compared to Tuesday’s 5:41/km, tonight I came in at 5:27/km, a fairly substantial improvement. I started again with a not-pushing-it pace (5:18/km for the first km) and while I dipped toward the middle as I usually do, I never felt like I was bogging down and regained speed, ending with the last km at the same pace as the first.

The sun poked out for a few moments here and there but that was it.

The other remarkable feature of the run was the clouds apparently scared away everyone else. I saw a few people near the dam as I was starting out and then saw no one else until after I finished my run and was walking past the athletic fields. It gave the run a real Omega Man vibe. It was weird but also kind of nice. Who knew clouds were so scary?

Overall a good effort and a nice bounce back from Tuesday’s hot ‘n humid jog.

Run 509: Steady summer sojourn

Run 509
Average pace: 5:41/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 6:42 pm
Distance: 7.02 km
Time: 39:58
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Humidity: 36%
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Weight: 160.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3947 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

The weather for tonight’s run looks very similar to Saturday’s but in this case looks are indeed deceiving as it felt much warmer than the 25ºC would seem to indicate. I took preemptive action by starting out at a slower, steady pace and then just tried to stick to it for the entire run. I did find myself slowing a bit more overall around the midway point–by coincidence the same time by body suddenly decided it was a good time to have a bowel movement, even though I told my bowel in a very stern tone to do its business before we headed out. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, jostling your innards about while running is not an optimal action when you gotta go.

But I put it out of mind and by the 5K point felt fine. I even felt fine as I wound up at the 7K mark, not nearly as tired and out of breath as on Saturday–a good thing!

I was actually a little concerned about my calves. I’ve been power-walking on my lunch breaks (walking at a pace around 8:45/km or so) and I can definitely feel the muscles stretching as they get worked over by my merciless pace. They were fine for the run, though. I may ease up a little on the walks, anyway. The irony of injuring my leg while walking would be a bit too rich.

Overall, not a fast run but a good run.

Run 508: A worse 7K (but achievement earned)

Run 508
Average pace: 5:36/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:57 p.m.
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 39:30
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Humidity: 37%
Wind: light to strong
BPM: 164
Weight: 161.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3940 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

Good news: I earned the National Park Challenge badge that Apple had set for today. You had to complete a workout that covered at least 5.6 km, the distance between Old Faithful and Mallard Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Completing this meant I had to do more than a 5K run, regardless of how I felt, and I love me some achievements, so…

I got off to a much later start than intended because I slept in till 10 am. To put that in perspective, on a normal Saturday run I would be more than mid-way through the run at 10, not laying in bed. I finally got started on the actual run itself just before 1 p.m. I chose to set a deliberate pace and just get through it nice and steady, as it was warmer (up to 25ºC) and more importantly, it felt a lot warmer than that. Despite a breeze that was at times strong it never felt cool or refreshing, just windy.

Getting to 5K felt a bit like a slog but I pushed past it and entertained thoughts of stopping at 6K, as I’d still meet the challenge. I passed the 6K marker, though, and somehow had enough reserves to complete a full 7K, which made me feel a bit better about feeling a bit worse.

My pace of 5:36/km is seven seconds off my best 7K this year but it actually edges my Burnaby Lake-only runs, so it didn’t turn out as bad as I thought it might. I also kept a fairly decent pace on the walk back over the 7+ km.

Then I had a bath and a nice nap.

The trail was surprisingly sparely-populated despite being a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, but there were people out and aboot, several of whom were rather annoying, each in a different way.

In order:

  • a pair of male cyclists tearing down the trail toward me. I had just come down the bend heading toward the bridge at Still Creek. I called out to the second that bikes were not allowed on the trail. Still Creek, less than 100 meters away, has prominent No Cycling signs so they knew what they were doing. I hope some parks workers caught and fined them (and they were starting work on re-surfacing parts of the South Shore Trail so they were out, too).
  • a wedding party taking pictures on the aforementioned bridge at Still Creek. This is not a big bridge and they were standing in a row across it, completely blocking the way. I stopped and the photographer may some motions to them and I and another person went through, though I’m still not sure if the photographer was just re-arranging people or being nice and letting us pass without having to wait through a full photo shoot. Tip: If you’re taking wedding pictures in a public place, don’t block the only access to get through!
  • as I was nearing the 7K mark and running out of fuel–I did not have a spectacular finish today–a woman ahead of me suddenly started jogging. It turned out she was doing the world’s weirdest set of intervals. She would run maybe a hundred meters–which even at a slow pace is maybe 20 seconds of jogging–then walk for awhile and repeat, over and over. But for the first bit, where I was trying to finish my run, she kept a pace that put her just barely ahead of me and I had no reserves to power past her. It was even more annoying because she would drift from the left to the middle to the right and back as she ran.

I finally did find a reserve and managed to squeeze by her. Despite walking the rest of the way, I almost kept up with her until near the very end, some three km later. She also started out wearing a light jacket. Now, it’s common for joggers to overdress and I’ve done it more than I’d care to admit (though I just admitted it, oops) but picture the conditions today. It was early afternoon in mid-July, it was 25ºC, it was clear with absolutely no chance of precipitation. Running in such conditions makes you sweat quickly. Why would you wear a jacket? Did she really think she would feel cold? Blargh.

I actually met another cycling couple as I was heading out of the park but they seemed nice so I warned them bikes were not allowed and workers were in the park who might potentially fine them. They were apparently confused by a sign at the end of Cariboo Place (the short road that goes from the RV park to Cariboo Road) that seemed to indicate the Central Valley Greenway continues in Burnaby Lake Regional Park, when in fact, it actually continues by turning north and then west down Government Street. Checking the signage on Google Map’s Street View does indeed make it look a bit ambiguous. The sign is at an angle that could be pointing north or across the street, to Burnaby Lake. Once you cross, though, the signs at the lake entrance are unambiguous. There are no less than three saying bikes are not allowed and one provides directions to the actual Greenway route.

The couple seemed appreciative of the help but were still chatting when I left so I have no idea if they ignored everything I said. Hopefully not as they really may have been fined if caught.

Finally, as mentioned, there are signs warning of re-surfacing along the horse trails and South Shore Trail that started on July 10. The trails will stay open but while South Shore needs work–and it would finish what they started a year and a half ago–in my opinion the Cottonwood Trail is in more urgent need of resurfacing. There are long stretches that have a lot of exposed tree roots and every time I jog through there I need to do a little dance to avoid them all. I suppose they’ll get to it eventually.

Overall, a respectable run but nothing fancy. The achievement was decent consolation to the average pace.

Run 507: A better 7K

Run 507
Average pace: 5:29/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 6:47 p.m.
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 38:37
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 49%
Wind: light
BPM: 162
Weight: 163.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3933 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

My first post-camping 7K saw me improve my pace from my previous best of 5:37/km to 5:29/km. Not too shabby. I started strong but was definitely feeling the effort by the midway point. I pressed on for a good finish and didn’t encounter any issues along the way, always a nice bonus.

Conditions were very similar to Tuesday’s run, though I had the breeze at my back instead of pleasantly blowing into my face.

There were a few walkers at the lake but it was fairly quiet overall, also a nice bonus.

I actually can’t think of more to add. This run definitely felt like it took more to keep a decent pace going but I stuck with it and got a decent payoff at the end. Onward to Saturday!

Run 506: One week off, many weeks faster

Run 506
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:34 p.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 26:41
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23ºC
Humidity: 43%
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Weight: 163.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3926 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

My last run was 10 days ago, a few days before we left for our camping trip to Manning Park. I didn’t run while camping, though I did a lot of hiking (so much that it was usually impractical to try to fit a run in). Despite this, I was still concerned about how well I would do tonight.

It was sunny and warm, but not uncomfortably so and there was a light breeze that was especially nice when running eastward. In other words, conditions were entirely decent.

I felt I got off to a good start, likewise felt good about the last few km, but felt the pace dip a bit in the middle–kind of a typical performance for a good run. And indeed, that turned out to be the case, as my pace was a peppy 5:18/km, just three seconds off my best pace of the year (which happened just before I got that nasty cold in May).

The feet were fine and everything else held together nicely. My cadence felt especially good tonight for some reason, as if I had rediscovered a form I didn’t realize I’d lost. The third km saw me slow a little, but I think I was just tuckered from the pace of the opening km. I recovered and had a strong 4th and 5th km.

Overall I’m quite pleased that the time off didn’t impact my running. I’ll probably stretch to a 7K run next time, which should bring me back to earth a little. Until then I shall walk on sunshine.

Run 505: Patriotic Canada Day jogging

Run 505
Average pace: 5:37/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:55 pm
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 39:35
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18ºC
Humidity: 61%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 158
Weight: 163.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3921 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

Patriotic in that it was July 1. I didn’t jog while draped in the Canadian flag or wrapped in back bacon or anything.

I headed out a bit later this morning compared to last Saturday, but it was also a little cooler, so temperature-wise it was fine, right around 18ºC, and a slightly stronger breeze helped through the exposed parts of the trail.

I started out fairly nimble, had a not-terrible second km drop-off, dropped off a little further by the third, then stayed remarkably consistent for the rest of the 7 km. By the 5K mark I was feeling good enough to keep going (and my pace briefly improved) but by the time I wrapped up at 7K I was happy to stop and declare it good.

There were no major issues on the run, I just felt a little sloggy compared to the zippy run on the river Thursday. On the plus side, I had no issue extending to 7K, unlike last Saturday, and the 5:37/km pace matches what I hit doing the combined river/lake run last week–an easier course.

Overall, a decent effort and a decent result.

Run 504: Now with carbon steel legs

Run 504
Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:52 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:09
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Humidity: 46%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 164.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3914 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

I ran a strange new variation of the river trail tonight, walking to the midway point, then running to the end (west), all the way back (east), returning to the midway point, then heading back to the start (east again). I did this mainly to avoid having to run past a large cluster of kids smoking some of that wacky tabacky.

The first few hundred meters were weird. It was warm and seemed more humid than it really was. I had some difficulty getting a regular breathing rhythm going. I even had a few moments where I wondered if I could even complete the 5K at all. I settled in not long after, but continued to feel the effort for most of the run.

As it turns out, this was because I was running much faster than I have been of late, coming in at a reasonably peppy 5:23/km, a full 14 seconds better than Tuesday’s (admittedly longer) run. It felt like the second km was much stronger than usual and that turned out to be the case. The first km was 5:19/km and the second km was only one second behind at 5:20. The last km was 5:18–the fastest–but overall this was my most consistent run in a fair while. Even my BPM was lower at 154.

The right heel felt a bit sore today but for the run it behaved and was not a factor.

The inevitable off-leash dogs behaved themselves. Cyclists provided a wide berth. All in all, a good run.