Outdoor runs

Run 466: Bear with me

Run 466
Average pace: 5:05/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 25:44
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 15-17ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 172
Stride: n/a
Weight: 154.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3715 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I woke up this morning feeling a little off–stuffed up sinuses, dry throat. I felt a bit better after having breakfast but didn’t get out for the run until nearly 11 a.m.

It was a bit cool and slightly drizzly along the river trail but the threat of rain seemed small. As I approached the Cariboo dam and my usual starting point at Burnaby Lake, the threat of bears grew significantly.

More precisely, a guy came up to me and said there was a mother bear with two cubs up ahead. I asked where and he said “around the corner,” said corner being right next to the damn–my starting point. I debated for a few moments on my options then decided the risk of being mauled by a protective mother bear, no matter how small, was not worth it. I turned around and did a 5K on the river trail instead.

At this point I had a tremendous pressure headache and that perhaps spurred me to run faster in order to finish the run sooner and get home. My first km turned out to be a speedy 4:55/km and my overall pace was a best-for-year 5:05/km. By the end the headache had diminished and I wasn’t being chased by bears, so that’s good enough for me.

My BPM was unusually high at 172, perhaps signalling a combination of accelerated pace and oncoming illness of some sort.

It is fantastically busy at work and we have a skeleton crew tomorrow, so I can’t really skip out but for now and for the moment I know the run went well and I shall think of this as I collapse face-down on the bed.

Run 465: Tired? Faster!

Run 465
Average pace: 5:07/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 25:52
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17ºC
Wind: moderate
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 155.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3710 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Tonight I felt a bit droopy heading out. In fact, I didn’t really want to run at all. But I did and a strange thing happened.

I felt pretty good. I felt rather zippy.

Without any issues nagging me, I maintained a solid pace and finished by tying my best 5K pace this year, 5:07/km. Oddly, the time of the run, 25:52 minutes, is not only a numerical palindrome, it exactly matches the time of my 5K on September 13, exactly one week ago. That is some spooky consistency.

I changed up the route once more tonight, wanting to again avoid having to double back. I ran past the river trail, turned north up Cariboo Road to the train crossing, then turned and came back (in large part due to the fact that there was an actual train crossing), headed to the start of the trail, then continued on across North Road and into Lower Hume Park. I hit the 5K mark just shy of the stairs leading into Hume Park (the upper part). This is cutting it close because stairs means no more trail and the running part gets a lot trickier.

The wind was a bit stronger than usual tonight, which was kind of nice, and the sun is now low enough that it only pokes through some of the lower tree branches. This is also nice because running while the sun is shining directly into your eyes is sub-optimal.

Overall this was a surprisingly good effort. The only down note was noticing how many trees have leaves that are starting to turn. We are on the cusp of fall (two days away), increasingly shorter days and the end of being able to run after work without developing some kind of amazing night vision (the sun set at 7:12 tonight, about fifteen minutes after I finished the run). I haven’t figured out how I will deal with this because my usual solution has been injury so I don’t run at all in the winter, but if I stay healthy I may just need a plan.

Run 464: Late, tired and crowded (but sunny!)

Run 464
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10:03 km
Time: 55:50
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17-19ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Stride: n/a
Weight: 154.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3705 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

This morning I simply could not rouse myself. I was having weird and wonderful dreams, including one where I was flying in a park. That’s flying without any sort of aircraft or balloon. It was neat, especially since I never crashed.

I finally got up around 10 a.m. then puttered about, washed my running clothes, weighed the pros and cons of going out for a run today, found the list of cons was somewhat trivial, so finally at 12:35 p.m. I set off, under pleasantly sunny skies and a comfy temperature of 17ºC.

Ominously, my left foot was already hurting as I got to the lake. My right leg was also a bit stiff.

I opted to run clockwise, thinking most of the walkers would be heading toward me, making our interactions less awkward. This was met with partial success.

The left foot bugged me for a bit, then got better, then bugged me for a bit again and finally settled down. I’d say it was a factor but a minor one. The right leg was about the same. I felt tired, though. The last few km I had no gas left to push at all, so I just keep on trucking, finishing with a pace of 5:33/km, a few seconds off my best but in line with my recent runs (and faster than last Sunday, actually).

Despite the rain yesterday the trail was in good shape so no puddle-dodging was needed. People-dodging was, as the trail was quite crowed. Most people stepped out of the way but one particular group was a bit oblivious and I just had enough room to stay on the trail as I squeezed by, despite repeatedly calling out to warn of my approach.

Overall the results were decent, despite how I felt, so I’m pleased enough. I also passed the 3,700 km threshold, so yay me.

I noticed a new warning sign at the entrance to the park after my report of a bobcat/lynx in the area:

not the cats you feed Tender vittles to
No parking, no bikes. Wild cats OK.

Perhaps it means the area is now rated Restricted. Which it is if you have a bike. And I saw a pair of cyclists heading over as I left. If they did go ahead into the park I can only hope a bobcat punctured all of their tires. That would be a nice kitty.

Run 463: Omega Man-style in the rain

Run 463
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 26:46
Weather: Rain showers
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light to nil
BPM: 164
Stride: n/a
Weight: 155.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3695 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Concerned (obsessed?) that I wouldn’t hit my step/activity goals on this soggy day (I am leaving soon to see a movie with a friend, which involves a lot of sitting, as you might imagine) I pondered what to do? Go for a walk? In a downpour? Not likely.

Go for a run? In a downpour?

I waited till noon and the torrential rain eased up to light showers, I donned my running clothes and headed out for a wacky, unplanned 5K. The temperature was a full ten degrees cooler than Thursday evening–14ºC–but would be fine for a run.

Literally as I moved out from under cover of the building entrance the light rain mist turned back into a downpour. I thought about going back in and waiting more but in the span of a few moments I was already soaked, so I just kept heading out.

The start of the run was a comedy of errors as my wet fingertip formed a perfect barrier against the face of my Apple watch, causing erratic or non-responsive behavior. I used Siri where I could, then dried my finger as best as I was able (it’s trickier than it sounds when you’re in the rain and already drenched) and finally began my run.

Apparently my body reacted to the rain with some form of shock because the first two km were very slow, both coming in at 5:35/km. The last three were much faster (coincidentally it stopped raining by the end) and my overall pace ended at 5:18/km, only slightly slower than Thursday.

I can’t blame others for impeding my progress in the first few km. As the title of the post alludes to, I did not see a single person on the run, the first time that has happened in quite a long time. People really don’t want to spend an early weekend afternoon slopping about in the rain by the river.

Speaking of slopping, my newer Hoka Speedgoats produced this effect on my socks:

Can you guess what color my running shoes are?
Can you guess what color my running shoes are?

As for the run, I felt fine, though the first few km did feel like I was putting in more effort, perhaps because I just wasn’t mentally prepared for doing something as zany as a spontaneous run in the rain. The run ended in another comedy of errors, with the watch only tracking the first 36 seconds of my walk back before abruptly shutting off tracking without warning. My only thought is somehow the sleeve of my shirt somehow triggered it or it’s not as water-resistant as Apple claims. Not terribly impressed, either way.

The Series 2 Apple Watch, which came out yesterday, happens to be fully waterproof. Hmm.

Run 462: A slight route change, new map and so very tired

Run 462
Average pace: 5:16/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 26:34
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 171
Stride: n/a
Weight: 156.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3690 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I had already planned to take it easy for tonight’s run, deliberately holding back after pushing it on Tuesday, to help reduce the risk of re-injury. I’m a wee bit paranoid about it now.

It also helped that I was dead-tired after work and didn’t especially feel like running, anyway. I set off right on time, though, and conditions were unusually balmy for mid-September, with the temperature 24ºC. As before, the dun is now low enough that it doesn’t feel as warm as the temperature would suggest.

For music I opted for random Billy Joel and iTunes uncannily managed to pick from among his weakest songs, so not exactly inspiring stuff to jog to. Nonetheless, I hit a comfortable pace and finished with a more relaxed 5:16/km.

The one change I made to the route was to extend it past the end of the feeder road that leads to the river trail by hooking right onto Cariboo Road and right again down Government Street. I ran until I hot the halfway mark and then turned back, the intention being to avoid the switchback at the end of the run where I reach the end of the trail, double back for about 500 m then come back one more time. This is necessary to hit 5 km as the trail is only about 2 km long. It worked out but I’m undecided on whether I’ll stick to this. The major potential downside is having a train show up after I’ve crossed the tracks, which would force me to idle for about 5-7 minutes and see if the new auto-pause feature of the activity app really works.

Speaking of the app, tonight’s run was the first with my iPhone updated to iOS 10 and the watch updated to watchOS 3. The activity app has a few new options and improvements when it comes to running. The default display shows more metrics (though I’ve pruned it back a little for readability by removing current pace, since seeing that just makes me squirrely) and the run summary now includes temperature (though it still uses Vancouver data, which can be significantly different from where I’m running. Tonight it was 24 but the app reported 17), humidity, elevation and–finally–a map of the route. I only wish the map was available on the web so I could see it on a display larger than a smartphone’s.

I’m not sure why the BPM were so much higher tonight. It may be a glitch with the updated watchOS or maybe it’s just a reflection of me straining while feeling very tired. We’ll see how it changes for Sunday, which could be a cooler and soggy run.

Overall, though, I’m content with tonight’s results.

Run 461: Pushing it, thanks to Olivia Newton-John

Run 461
Average pace: 5:07/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 25:52
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Stride: n/a
Weight: 157.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3685 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

When I got home tonight I did not want to run. I was feeling slothful and the idea of not running had a sexy, alluring appeal.

But the guilt set it and eventually I set off, albeit about 45 minutes later than usual. While it was still light for the run, it was shade the entire way and getting dark within minutes of getting back home.

Although it was 20ºC, it felt cooler because the sun was tucked behind the trees. I started out, felt an unusual spring in my step and instead of resisting the impulse to speed up, I indulged it. After the first km I did back off, but only for a short time. I picked up the pace again and while being serenaded by the cheesy yet undeniably catchy second half of Xanadu (the ELO half, or more precisely, the better half) I made my way to a zippy 5:07/km pace. I’m alive, indeed.

I checked the splits and that first km came in at 5:00/km exactly. However, I pushed just that wee bit more on the final km and it came in at 4:58/km, the first time this year (and quite a long while) that I’ve managed to get below the five-minute mark, so that was nice.

My right leg behaved itself, though I could feel it for a part of the run.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the energy level and result, especially considering I was firmly in sofa mode when I got home.

Run 460: The Perils of starting late

Run 460
Average pace: 5:36/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10:04 km
Time: 56:26
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 161
Stride: n/a
Weight: 156.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3680 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I slept in about an hour later than intended this morning and then poked about before finally getting out to run. As a result, only the first ten minutes of my run was in the morning and the rest in the afternoon. The temperature didn’t vary from 18ºC, though, and while it didn’t feel hot, it certainly felt warmer than the last few evening runs. I produced sweat!

I was initially planning to run clockwise but some cones and small signs indicated that the Running Room was having an event and the idea of running counter to potentially dozens of potentially inexperienced runners, along with the usual Sunday crowd, convinced me to go counter-clockwise instead. Given that I didn’t start until noon, I was fairly certain the event would be in clean-up mode but you never know, so off I went.

The run was a definite mixed bag. Time-wise it was better than many 10Ks, though a bit slower than some at 5:36/km. My left foot started to hurt at the halfway point but after a few km it settled into a tolerable kind of quasi-soreness. Around the same time the right leg began to feel sore and for a space of ten minutes or so the balanced each other out with competing mild agonies. The right leg also settled down and by the end of the run I wasn’t feeling uncomfortable.

I skipped the side trails, opting to assiduously follow the distance markers. As I passed the 10 km sing my watch reported 9.96 km. Impressive.

A few complications from people produced near-incidents and I chalk this up to my later start, as later usually means more people. On two occasions people remained utterly oblivious to my presence and I nearly had to abandon the trail to get by. On the second occasion I actually verbally warned a couple ahead of me with “On your left!” to which there was no reaction. Nearly upon them, I added, “Coming through!” and it was only as I literally brushed by that the woman on the left suddenly realized I was there. How is this even possible? I do not know. I am not a sneaky runner.

I also nearly had a dog incident. I passed another group of oblivious people and they had a dog off-leash. Fine, I passed them, let them enjoy their bylaw violating ways. But then the dog rushed up on my left and then cut in front of me–the exact same maneuver that led to me falling flat at China Creek Park lo those years ago. The only thing that prevented a repeat this time is the dog moved farther ahead of me before cutting over, giving me time to actually react. I made a “Really?” gesture with my hands then flashed a dirty look back at the group of people. I wanted to say something but wanted to just keep running more. I then nearly tripped going up the steps on the bridge at Deer Lake Brook, properly distracted by the dog. At this point I began to worry if I was going to get through the last three km upright.

But I did.

Next time I am not sleeping in.

Run 459: A comfy run in the rain

Run 459
Average pace: 5:16/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 26:33
Weather: Light showers
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 157.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3670 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I skipped Tuesday’s usual run because I was wiped out from work. This is not normal, but the first day of classes for the fall semester when you work at a college IT help desk can do that to you. I came home feeling like I’d walked 20,000 steps. Which I had.

I vowed to stay on track by running tonight and despite ominous clouds, I stayed true to my vow. Due to a light rain and a temperature of only 14ºC I donned my long-sleeved Nike shirt, though in the end a regular t-shirt would have been fine (because there was virtually no wind, so it never felt overly chilly).

Somewhat unusually I fell into a comfortable pace quite early and stayed there for nearly the entire run. Looking at my splits I had the usual drop at the 2km mark but actually got progressively faster to the end of the run, with my final km pace being 5:03 vs. 5:07 for the first km. Until about the last 500m I never tried to push beyond this comfy pace so I am surprised to see I kept picking up speed.

The right leg felt fine for the first half of the run, began to feel a bit stiff in the second half, but began to feel better again before the run ended. It is weird, my right leg. I can handle weird better than injured, however.

The rain was pretty light and wasn’t even a nuisance on my glasses like it usually is, thanks to the aforementioned lack of wind. The trail was all but deserted, save for a cyclist or two. I know it makes me seem anti-social but I kind of like running Omega Man-style.

Overall I’m pleased with this run. It is probably the most relaxed I’ve felt while doing a 5K in a long time.

Run 458: Snakes, side trails and people everywhere

Run 458
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10:09 km
Time: 56:05
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 156.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3665 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I was still a bit concerned about the stiffness in my right leg so my plan today was to run steady but not push so I expected my pace to be lower–and it was, but only by a few seconds, coming in at 5:33/km. More importantly, the leg behaved and there were long stretches where my breathing was relaxed and I just felt good, that feeling where you feel like you could keep running forever or until your shoes completely fall apart.

There was some sun heading to the lake but it vanished behind the clouds for the run. The promise of sun and a slightly later start meant the trails were packed, with both joggers and walkers a-plenty. Reluctantly, and for the first time since I tripped, I opted to take all three side trails, to help avoid the crowds.

The good news is it worked. The side trails were completely clear and I remained upright the entire time. Here’s the tree root hazard report:

Spruce Loop: one root on the left side of the trail (not an issue as I was running on the right)
Conifer Loop: massive root that crosses the entire width of the trail and sits in the open. It’s impossible to miss seeing it. There is one other prominent root, on the left side. This is the Evil Tree Root, the one I tripped on. It was in the sun today and looked deceivingly harmless.
Piper Mill Trail: a few small roots located in the middle of the trail

While I settled into a comfy pace for most of the run, the starting km was an unusually brisk 5:03/km, the closest I’ve come this year to breaking the five minute mark. This is not a mark I expect to break, so seeing the time was a bit of a surprise.

I spied a garter snake slithering rapidly into the brush ahead of me. It was much faster than the python I saw a few weeks ago. It probably sits lower on the food chain than a python, though. For reference, this is what it looked like:

Western garter snake

I am happy to report no dogs off-leash and every runner and pedestrian was polite and alert. Overall, a surprisingly pleasant run.

Run 457: Never mind the tree roots, here come the cars!

Run 457
Average pace: 5:31/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10:05 km
Time: 55:32
Weather: Clear
Temp: 17ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 158
Stride: n/a
Weight: 157.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3655 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

With more time than originally expected, I did a 10K to round out the week of running, with the sky cloudy and the temperature 17ºC. The wind was light but felt a little brisk. Winter is clearly on the way as of September 1st.

For some reason my right leg was feeling a bit stiff on the walk to the lake, which struck me as odd as it felt fine yesterday and I didn’t run or even do a walk yesterday, other than trekking around on the job. I chose to hold back a bit for the run as a result, and while the soreness persisted into the run, it settled down and I don’t feel it made any real impact. I didn’t feel uncomfortable, at any rate.

The trail was pretty quiet but two people were blatantly violating the unspoken “walk on the right” rule. I got out of the way for one, reluctantly, while the other opted to pass on my right, which was pretty much where the trail did not exist. He managed to stay upright.

Despite yesterday’s rain, the trail was dry and puddle-free, apart from some water on top of the dam (and I didn’t run on the dam). It did rain after the run, so I am happy to have dodged that.

When running clockwise there is one notable danger point and that’s where Roberts Road leads into the parking lot for the Burnaby Lake Rowing Pavilion. When running counter-clockwise you emerge from the trail and cross the street with a clear view in both directions. When approaching from the other side you have a giant wall of vegetation creating a blind spot on your left–the side where traffic will come in from. It looks like this, courtesy of Google Maps street view:

Where joggers and cars hopefully don't meet.
Where joggers and cars hopefully don’t meet.

Generally this is not a problem as there is very little traffic and on a weekday, who would be coming out to the rowing pavilion, anyway? Someone in a small blue car with no brakes, apparently. As always, when I approach from the dangerous side, I swing a bit wide so I can see any vehicles ASAP and if it looks clear, I run across to the safety of the trail on the other side (it was shortly past that point that I ran into the bobcat/lynx, so safety is a relative thing). The blue car emerged at nearly the same moment and I quickly pulled in close to the edge as it sped by. It was obvious the driver was not expecting pedestrians. He or she was a dummy, not to mention reckless. But I got by and finished the run.

The pace was only slightly off my previous 10K and I’m happy with that. Sunday’s forecast currently looks perfectly pleasant, so here’s hoping it remains such. Almost every other days is a variation of “rain because summer is over, suckers.”

Run 456: Holding back while moving forward

Run 456
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 26:57
Weather: Clear
Temp: 19ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3645 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

If there’s a word I’d use to describe tonight’s run it would be nice. I was wary of the right leg being stiff from Sunday’s run and conditions were comfy, so I adopted a more relaxed pace. Even so, I still came in at 5:20/km and with no discomfort. It did feel like I was on the edge of some cramping a few times, which made it easier to justify the moderate (yet still reasonably zippy pace). The combo of the pace and temperature of 19ºC meant my heart rate was lower, too, which is always a plus.

I headed out later than normal due to a late dinner but the bonus side effect of that is the sun had dipped behind the trees, so I didn’t have to engage in a staring contest with it on that one part of the river trail.

Overall, this was a mellow, almost relaxing run. I’d practically forgotten what it was like to run without the elements conspiring against me.

If the forecast holds up, there’s a better than 50% chance that Thursday’s run will be soggy. I’m hoping not because I prefer rain-free runs to not rain-free, but I’ll head out regardless, hoping that one day someone will invent technology that keeps glasses dry when it’s wet out.

Run 455: A difference of degrees (16 of them, to be precise)

Run 455
Average pace: 5:28/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10:03 km
Time: 54:57
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 17-18ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 165
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3640 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Today was my first post-vacation 10K, coming nine days after the last one, when it was 30ºC. It was also my first run since this Thursday when it was even hotter at 33ºC. The weather has changed and I’m reasonably confident the last hot days of summer are over. With the sky overcast and the temperature a mere 17ºC (which is, in fact, almost ideal for summer running and is perfectly fine even if you’re strolling out and aboot), I set out this morning to find out just how much of a difference 16ºC could make.

As it turns out, a lot!

My pace last Friday was a molasses-like 6:01/km, one of the few times I’ve slipped past the six minute mark. I was not impressed. I was sad. I felt old. And slow. And sweaty. I remember struggling to pull my shirt off I was so sweaty, like the start of some porn scene gone horribly wrong.

Today I decided to start exactly at the 0 km marker and run the exact, official Burnaby Lake Loop, to see how well the markers matched the GPS. When I strode past the 10 km marker the watch showed me at 9.88 km–pretty close, really.

And when I passed that 10 km marker I was not bathed in sweat. I actually only sweated a little, mostly in my favorite spot, which is around the sides of my temple. Why these spots generate so much sweat I do not know. Maybe my brain is mentally jogging at the same time. My pace turned out to be 5:28/km, not only handily eclipsing the previous 10K but also besting my fastest 10K post-injury, which was 5:41/km.

The only downside is the right hip area started to feel a little sore when I applied thrusters. Moderating my pace corrected this, though it still feels a little sore tonight and I suspect it may be a bit stiff tomorrow. I’m not overly concerned as it feels sore rather than hurt.

Given the cooler conditions there weren’t as many people out but still more than I expected. There were a lot of runners, including more cute young male runners than I am used to seeing. I only point this out because almost all runners I see, male or female, tend to be in their 30s or older. I didn’t recognize most of these runners (I see a few regulars most days) and one of the young guys was absolutely drenched with sweat, as if he was in a bubble where it was still 33ºC.

Other than the small degree of soreness in my right leg, the run went very well. For the first time in a long time I actually felt a second wind on the back half and my pace picked up after the usual midway drop. It was nice.

Tuesday’s forecast is currently calling for around 21º about the time I am running, which is warmer but still much cooler and the rest of the week looks like poop from a summer weather perspective, with a chance of rain and highs in the upper teens. I’m liking the temperatures but could do without the rain. I’ll take the rain (to quote R.E.M.) over more 30ºC+ temperatures, though.