Outdoor runs

Run 378
Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.01 km
Time: 26:51
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 375
Weight: 161.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3099
Device used: iPhone 6

Tonight, feeling tired and not really into it, plus with my lower legs still a little sore from the beginnings of a new regular run routine, I decided to do something different. Instead of trying for a burst at the beginning and end, I would instead just find a comfortable pace as quickly as I could and then try to maintain it for the rest of the run. I knew this would almost certainly mean the run would be slower but I was curious. And tired.

I ended up being a little slower than on Tuesday (5:21/km vs. 5:19/km) but felt much better during the run. My breathing was more relaxed, I never felt like I was exerting or gasping for breath. The drop after the first km was a little smaller but I still had a fairly massive drop in the last km, perhaps a reflection that I’m still a fair ways off from peak form. I even pushed a wee bit at the end but it just seemed my tiredness caught up with me. It was also warmer and a bit more humid, which may have been minor factors as well.

Still, I liked the results overall. A slightly slower pace in exchange for a much more comfortable experience is a win for me. In fact, I’m giving myself a tiny imaginary gold trophy right now. Yay for me!

I may try a full 10K on Sunday using the same method. My official time will probably be six hours. But I’ll be comfy!

Also, the Nike app/site is strangely rounding down so instead of showing me at 3100 km, it insists I’ve only run 3099. This is why I hate math.

Run 377
Average pace: 5:19/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.01 km
Time: 26:38
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 21ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 375
Weight: 161.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3094
Device used: iPhone 6

I consider this run a major success because I didn’t swallow a bug.

Compared to last Tuesday I was slower but still dramatically faster than Sunday so I consider it a win.

There were no major issues but I did have fairly big drops after the first and fourth km, which brought down my average.

Still, an improvement is better than a kick in the athletic cup.

Run 375
Average pace: 5:32/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:52
Weather: Overcast, some sun
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 377
Weight: 162.8 pounds <0.2
Total distance to date: 3085
Device used: iPhone 6

Run 376
Average pace: 5:46/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:58
Weather: Overcast, some sun
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 377
Weight: 162.8 pounds <0.2
Total distance to date: 3090
Device used: iPhone 6

Having two very solid runs during the week, I still found myself approaching the weekend run with some trepidation, because the mid-week runs were so much better than my previous efforts. It seemed odd. Good, but odd.

My plan was to take the best of the mid-week runs by starting on the river trail, then to continue on to the lake, possibly stretching out to 7K instead of 5K. Looking at the first 2 km of the run, I could see my pace was already well off, though the drop from the first km to the second was about the same. On Thursday I finished the first km at 4:46/km and today lagged behind at 5:00/km, ending with a lousy overall pace of 5:32/km, a big drop from the mid-week efforts.

I walked for the next 15 minutes mulling why this happened but have no good answers. Difference in the time of day? Temperature? Humidity? Alignment of moon/planets?

I then decided to do another 5K because why not? I was halfway around the lake so I’d have to walk it, anyway, and running would get me home sooner to lay down and think further about being slower. Starting just past the bridge at Still Creek, I ran a second 5K and my pace was unsurprisingly slower at 5:46/km but I actually didn’t feel too bad (I got a small stitch in my lower right side on the first run). I took solace in the fact that I did 10K, albeit in a bit of a cheaty fashion.

The only downside came around the 3K mark when I saw a large bug ahead of me. When I say large I’m not talking giant African beetle that can cut your fingers off with its pincers, more like something a little smaller than a housefly but way bigger than a gnat. The reason I saw it at all was because of its size. It flew straight into my mouth, like a bullet fired from a gun. Then it got lodged in my throat. At first I thought I had managed to swallow it (trying to stay positive, I kept thinking free protein, free protein) but it became clear I had not. I started to cough and this moved it into a position where it grew exponentially more irritating. I started gagging and choking. I mixed in more coughs for variety. I was less than a km away from hitting 5K, I didn’t want to stop.

Finally it seemed to go down. I ran into another cloud of them and tried punching the bugs, with limited success. I actually improved my pace over the last km, perhaps lifted by the sense that I was no longer choking to death.

Overall, I am disappointed at my slower pace for these runs, but quietly satisfied that I managed two 5Ks. I am most curious to see what Tuesday will be like.

Run 372
Average pace: 5:42/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:42
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 19-22ºC
Wind: high
Calories burned: 385
Weight: 163.8 pounds <1.2
Total distance to date: 3070
Device used: iPhone 6

Today’s run was much the same as last Sunday’s, except it was warmer and I was a bit slower. I didn’t have the energy to do a real final burst but the last three km were steady, a plus.

I didn’t end up running during the week because I am bad and lazy. I’ll try again this week, guilting myself into it somehow.

Otherwise today’s run had no complications. The left foot was sore on the walk back but about the same as it’s been, no better and no worse. It bugs me, that foot. I shake my fist at it.

Run 371
Average pace: 5:36/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:13
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 14-16ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 384
Weight: 165 pounds <1
Total distance to date: 3065
Device used: iPhone 6

After the abysmal effort of last Sunday I knew I was bound to do better today. And I did, hooray!

My pace of 5:36/km is slow in the grand scheme of my running but is my best pace so far this year. I didn’t feel tired heading out and even had enough pep to push a tiny bit during several stretches. I started out strangely disoriented, as for the first time in awhile I began thinking about other things while running (good) and was taken by surprise by the announcement that I’d hit the 1K mark (neither good nor bad). Surveying my surroundings, it seemed I was farther ahead than seemed plausible to have hit 1K, suggesting the GPS was going nutty (bad). As it turned out, I was thinking I was running counter-clockwise when I was actually going clockwise.

I blame it on being so fully absorbed in the task and not going loopy.

The run proceeded without any cramps or other issues and only one cyclist, a little kid on a bike following a jogging parent. It was almost cute (no cyclist is ever cute). The main complication came at the second boardwalk, where a large group of adults, kids, dogs and strollers were assembled and largely not moving, part of some gathering or another. This is the primary reason I don’t like weekend runs, the trails are often filled with people on official outings. Surprisingly, they parted not unlike the Red Sea and I threaded my way through only having to ease up on my pace a little.

The rest of the run was uneventful and the left foot, though sore again on the walk back, was tolerable.

Overall, an encouraging run after last week’s terrible slog.

Run 370
Average pace: 5:59/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:06
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 16-21ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 385
Weight: 166 pounds
Total distance to date: 3060
Device used: iPhone 6

I skipped the run last Sunday because I was feeling fat and lazy. I was also actually fat and lazy.

Vowing not to skip again, I suited up today under unusually summer-like conditions, with clear skies and the temperature climbing to a balmy 21ºC by the end of the run.

On the plus side, I experienced no issues in terms of cramps or other discomfort, there were no cyclists on the trail, the two large groups of walkers I encountered were well-organized and didn’t block my way and the weather, of course, was gorgeous. Although it felt warm it was not uncomfortable (the lip-smacking is in reference to my mouth and lips feeling dry, something I wouldn’t normally expect in mid-April conditions. The trail itself was in good condition, having been dry for some days, so no puddle-dodging required.

The one bad part, other than the left foot feeling sore post-run (most keenly on the last 2.5 km of the walk home) was my pace. I was super slow, managing to come in 17 seconds over my previous pace on Easter. It was my first 5K in a long time in which I finished with a time over 30 minutes. Within the first few hundred meters I knew it was going to be a slog and I simply could not muster any gas to even finish with a pseudo-sprint. Put it this way: my first km was 5:34/km. I was in danger of having feisty old grannies walking by me.

I dropped 19% after 2 km to 6:38/km before finding some small reserve of energy, finishing each of the next three km with a pace of 5:54 or 5:55/km. I am somewhat encouraged that at least the bottom didn’t keep falling out. I am further mollified by the fact that I ran at the same pace three years ago, on April 16 2012. I am less mollified that it was a 10K run. I probably would have ended a 10K today curled up in a ball near the side of the trail.

Still, my plan is to resume my thrice-weekly runs starting this week, so the next is set for Tuesday. I’ll gauge in the next week or so if I’m ready to jump back into 10Ks again.

I’ve also added my weight to the stats at the top of each jogging post to see if it correlates at all. I’m currently 166 pounds, with a target of 150 pounds (my average weight in 2012 when running was around 145 pounds). Will shedding those 16 pounds make me fly like an eagle, albeit an eagle with strangely human legs? We shall see.

Run 369
Average pace: 5:42/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:44
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 14-16ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 385
Total distance to date: 3055
Device used: iPhone 6

I missed last Sunday’s run due to a flu-like virus that made bed more appealing than jogging, but was ready if not exactly raring to go today.

Conditions were once again terrific, with sun and mild temperatures. I expected the pleasant weather, combined with the holiday, to result in crowded conditions but while there were plenty of people about, it wasn’t bad at all navigating the trail.

However, I saw so many cyclists I lost count. The first was at the park entrance, contemplating the map of the lake while surrounded by conspicuous NO BICYCLES signs. I later saw him just after I’d finished the run, about 5 km in. Oddly he was off the bike and taking a  photo of what seemed to be nothing in particular. The second cyclist was also at an entry point looking at a map. I didn’t see him again so maybe he got taken down by an off-leash dog.

A father and young son nearly plowed into me at a corner. Thanks for teaching your kid to be a Jerk, pops!

A pair of bikes were parked at Still Creek but I think they belonged to a couple of guys that were kayaking, so I give them a pass. A family of six starting in as I was heading out of the park I offer no such benefit of the doubt. May they all have suffered flat tires and collisions with each other.

There were probably more I’m forgetting but you get the idea–it was biking madness like I’ve never seen it before. Blergh.

As for the run, it went about the same as last time, only a few seconds slower. A stitch in my lower left side popped up to annoy me like a biker about the 3K mark but I pushed through it. There were no other issues to speak of, just the usual early season rust. I will start regular runs soon.

Run 368
Average pace: 5:39/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.06 km
Time: 28:34
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 394
Total distance to date: 3050
Device used: iPhone 6

Another mild day and a bonus weekday afternoon run due to an at-home online course that ended at 1:30. The main advantage of running during the week is the relative lack of people/dogs/renegade cyclists on the trail and such was the case today.

My only goal again was to improve my pace and I did, woo! My pace of 5:39/km was seven seconds better than my previous run and my best time so far this year (only four runs in, but I’ll still take it).

The only complication was a cramp in my right shoulder. This has never happened before and is odd as I don’t run on my shoulder. The cramp threatened to spread down to my right side but never quite did.

I started out fairly strong and this predictably led to a big drop-off at the 2K mark. I gained time on the third and fourth km, though, before falling back a bit on the last km. I did manage to pick up the pace on the last 200 m or so (the Nike phone app doesn’t do the countdown like the iPod app, which makes it harder to judge when to put on the gas for the final stretch).

In all, another small improvement on my way to a regular running schedule.

Run 367
Average pace: 5:46/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:02
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 392
Total distance to date: 3045
Device used: iPhone 6

For the previous two Sundays I gave into the allure of sitting on my duff come Sunday and did not run. This weekend was shaping up to be a repeat, especially since I did a brisk 16 km walk on Saturday, burning plenty o’ calories and thus justifying a burst of non-activity on the following day. But on Sunday the sun part of the day lived up to its name and then some. It was too nice to stay inside, so I changed into my jogging clothes and headed out.

That’s the good news. The better news is this run was an improvement on my previous run in pretty much every way.

I went out early afternoon and the temperature was an unusually balmy 16ºC (about five degrees higher than the monthly average). I ran counter-clockwise, shaved three seconds off my previous pace (a still-slow 5:46/km but these are early days in the running year). I did not suffer any stitches, cramps or foot weirdness. The only real issue was just generally being out of shape. After the first km the rest of the run was manageable but not exactly pleasant.

And even though it’s only the first week of March, I could already see the yellow bulbs of skunk cabbage starting to appear along the lake edge, ready to stink to high heaven any day now. Many trees are already unfurling freshly green leaves, weeks ahead of the start of spring. It’s nice but also a little odd given I half-expect to still need mitts and instead find myself wearing t-shirts.

As I mentioned previously, I did in fact practice putting the iPhone into my new large pocket spibelt and found it worked best without the case. I was able to get it into the pocket on the run without the comedy of errors that was my previous run’s experience. These little details matter when you are setting out to light your lungs on fire for the next half hour.

All told, it was a solid effort for the third run of the year. Here’s to each run getting a little faster, a little sleeker, a little sexier.

Okay, I’ll settle for faster.

Run 366
Average pace: 5:49/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.09 km
Time: 29:38
Weather: Foggy early then clear
Temp: 5-8ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 397
Total distance to date: 3040
Device used: iPhone 6

It was foggy and chilly heading out this morning so I opted for a long-sleeved t-shirt and was glad I did as the mist was not the sort of thing you’d cuddle up on the couch with.

Today’s run was a mix of good and bad. On the good side, I actually improved my pace over the last two km and my post-run recovery was much faster than the previous week. Additionally, my drop-off from the first to second km was not as steep (11% vs. 16%).

On the bad side, my overall pace and time was slower. This was mainly due to developing a stitch in my lower left side during the first km. It stubbornly persisted through most of the run and instead of going away it migrated up into my chest where it hurt in a different way. My first km in particular suffered, being much slower, before I managed to pick things up a little. Still, it was a decidedly unpleasant run. Here’s hoping I can run stitch-free next time and see some real improvement.

The other thing of note was the complete bobbling of the new large-pocket Spibelt™® at the start of the run. Purchased to accommodate my larger iPhone 6, I not only failed to stuff the phone into the belt before the run timer started, I managed to get the run paused, restarted and paused several times before it finally seemed to sort of work. I say sort of because while it did indeed track the run, the sound coming from the phone sounded like something you’d hear from a speaker with a loose wire, with a weird cutting out/fuzziness. My guess is a clash between the earphone connector on the phone and the zipper of the belt. Oddly, I never had the issue with the iPhone 5c.

I may need to practice with the belt before the next run.