Outdoor runs

The last Africa hot run of 2014 -or- The please, is it over yet? run

Run 353
Average pace: 5:41/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.06 km
Weather: Sunny, hot, humid
Temp: 21-31ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 734
Total distance to date: 2963

This is one to forget.

First, the good:

I finished the run.

Now the bad:

Everything else.

This was my first 10K in two and a half weeks, my first run in five days and to make thing interesting, I overslept and instead of heading out at 8 a.m. when it was relatively cool I went out after 11 a.m. when the temperature was already at 21ºC and climbing.

By the end of the run it was 31ºC. You notice a ten degree rise in temperature over 10 km.

My left foot was also feeling a bit sore before the run, was hurting 5K in and was crying mother by the 8K mark.

The first km was surprisingly spry, with a nice pace of 4:56/km but the bottom fell out after and by the sixth km my run map had changed from a ribbon of sprightly green to hellish red. I managed a minor uptick in the final km but my final pace was a horrible 5:41/km.

Conditions were appalling, with the air a thick, warm soup, the trail clogged with large groups of walkers (some sort of run/event that I never quite caught the name of, though there were hats and t-shirts), not to mention two cyclists–one actually had the courtesy to be walking his bike, the other was with the event and pulling a large carriage behind his bike. He was going too fast and came around a corner on a narrow part of the trail. I narrowly avoided collision. I almost came to a complete stop on the first boardwalk, there were so many people on it.

By the end I was just glad to be done and took solace in the fact that it couldn’t possibly be worse on the next run, unless I got eaten by a bear or hit by a derailed train. It would also likely stand as the last Africa hot run of the year. I can’t say I will miss them too terribly.

The post-cold slower run

Run 352
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.13 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 24-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 373
Total distance to date: 2953

Five days between runs and missing one due to a cold meant that tonight’s 5K was bound to be slower and it was, neatly reversing the progress I’d made the previous run, with a pace of 5:17/km, the same as two runs back and a full seven seconds off my previous 5:10/km.

Although I didn’t feel especially sluggish and conditions were actually quite nice (light breeze, cooler) it was clear the cold and time off had worked against me. Or maybe it was the phone, which I used again. Yeah, that’s it. Stupid phone.

Speaking of stupid, I chose the option to lock the phone during the run, thinking this would prevent it from accidentally activating or doing weird things. But that’s what “slide to unlock” is for. What this meant is that at the end of the run, while still running (don’t want the pace to fall off) I had to enter my 4-digit passcode. This is not easy to do while running. In fact, I found it impossible. I ended up using the pause button on the earbuds to allow me to slow down enough to unlock the phone. I then resumed pace and then properly ended it. This meant the run stretched out a bit farther than normal for a 5K, to 5.13 km.

The other minor technical SNAFU was at the start. Because it’s a bit fiddly getting the phone into the spibelt I opted for the maximum 9-second countdown before the run begins. Despite this the run still started before I could get the phone securely tucked away. Fortunately it didn’t affect my first km pace.

The second and final km both saw big drops of 9% and 6% and here the phone provides a useful breakdown of where exactly I…broke down.

The second km drop-off happened as I hit the final bend on the Conifer Loop, not too long past the 1 km mark. I lost a lot of gas after a good start but maintained a steady pace after that until the last km. That last km drop-off also happened on a side trail when I did my second trip down the Spruce Loop, though I’m sure mucking about trying to actually stop the run had an effect, too.

Overall a disappointing run but not too surprising given the time off and lingering effects of the cold.

iPhone, iRun

Run 351
Average pace: 5:10/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.05 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 374
Total distance to date: 2948

Tonight I got all wacky and decided to use my iPhone and the Nike+ app to track my run instead of my iPod because why not? I grabbed my spibelt, slapped the phone in and headed off.

It was a little warmer than the previous run starting out but because I also started later it cooled off quickly and felt quite comfy. Assuming the GPS wasn’t a dirty liar, I actually started out fairly strongly and maintained a consistent pace up until the last km, which is where the course twisted all over the place (including over the dam) and also went up a steep (for Burnaby Lake) trail.

The phone defaults were a bit off, so it credited me 20 more calories burned than reality (it had my weight set to 170 pounds instead of 159) and it was set to not only call out distance but also time, giving me a km by km estimate of my pace. My pace was improved, so this turned out to be encouraging rather than discouraging. I’ve since turned that part off.

My planned route was to go clockwise to where the main trail splits, then turn left and loop back around on the longer Freeway trail. My ability to calculate distance is apparently really bad, as I neared the end of the route with about another km to go. I decided to keep running, headed over the dam and back up the trail counter-clockwise. After a bit I was thinking I should have heard the 400 m warning but that doesn’t seem to happen on the phone app, so I just sort of guessed where to turn around, doubled back and hoped I would complete 5K before ending up out in the street.

I was successful in not needing to run into the street.

Overall the run went fairly well and my pace was a much-improved 5:10/km.

I think I’ll keep using the phone for awhile. Seeing the route drawn out on a map afterward is kind of neat.

The next big test comes on Sunday when I go back to a full 10K. I vow not to sleep in and run when it is Africa hot. Really!

A shorter recovery (from embarrassment) run

Run 350
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.04 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 373
Total distance to date: 2942

Tonight the bar was set low: run only 5K, beat my horrible pace of 5:37/km of the previous run. Given that I was only running half as far and had yet to turn in any 5K even close to being as awful as 5:37, the odds were in my favor.

Fortunately nothing conspired to prevent the gimme of a better run. My pace was slow for a 5K at 5:17/km but a whopping 20 seconds better than my previous outing. The overall pace was faster than the first km of my last run (5:17 vs. 5:18). I was even trending toward my fastest km on the last one. The only downside was a bit of a sag between the 3 and 4K mark. The run was very consistent otherwise.

My stomach threatened to cramp about halfway through but never quite got there and with the shorter distance my left foot and other assorted body parts all behaved.

As a bonus, the low sun meant lots of shade and cooler temperatures. I sweated more from the effort than from the heat.

Overall, an encouraging effort after Black Sunday. Now I need to start getting the times down again.

A very slow Africa hot run with bonus snake

Run 349
Average pace: 5:37/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Sunny and hot
Temp: 27-30ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 743
Total distance to date: 2937

My original plan today was to get up early and run after breakfast to beat the predicted heat (a high of 27ºC). Instead I slept in and didn’t head out until noon. On top of that the temperature climbed higher than forecast, topping out around 30ºC.

This was my worst run of the year, bar none. With six days off and coming off an unimpressive previous pace of 5:21/km, I managed to be significantly slower again. It was hot, I was tired, I started out poorly (5:18 for the first km) and had no hope of recovering. Although I didn’t make any special effort, I did manage to pick up the pace a little in the final km, the one bright spot in an otherwise dismal run.

My left foot began to hurt toward the end, though I don’t believe it was a significant factor on my pace. My stomach felt off but not bad, just weirdly on the verge of cramping or something.

The calorie count is reduced because I adjusted my weight down on the iPod Nike app, from 165 pounds to today’s more svelte 159 pounds. Lighter me = fewer calories burned. I can live with that sort of trade-off.

Other than it being quite warm, the only other notable aspects of the run were a family of cyclists (grr) and how close I came to stepping on a snake (very). Mr or Mrs Snake was not crossing the trail like others have in the past but was fully stopped, perhaps enjoying the relative cool of this particular shaded section. I spotted it around the same time my foot started coming down directly on it. Fortunately snakes can really boogie when they need to and it hustled off before getting accidentally smooshed. That’s all I would have needed, the added guilt of murdering a snake to go along with being tired and over-heated.

Here’s hoping the next run is better. I’m setting the bar low on this one.

A somewhat labored Labor Day run

Run 348
Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Cloudy with some sun, humid
Temp: 19-21ºC (felt like 24ºC)
Wind: light
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2927

Today’s run was disappointing in one way and nicely rewarding in another.

The disappointment came in a slower pace, 5:21/km vs. Saturday’s 5:18/km. I attribute most of this to it being noticeably more humid. The temperature was a bit warmer but it felt warmer and muggier. Looking at my time I clearly started sagging, though during the run it didn’t feel that bad. The foot also began to hurt, but not as much as Saturday. I think I’ve been crunching it in unfavorable ways when sitting at the computer. I need to get slippers or something so I can’t do that.

The other thing of note is how crowded the trail was. Starting out at the dam I saw more people than I think I did on my entire run done at the same time on Saturday. Apparently the thing to do on a statutory holiday is go to the lake and walk or jog. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this very thing before. It’s weird.

Also, in addition to the usual bear signs:

Bear in area sign
Here be bears (maybe).

A new one was added, warning “Bear sighted in area”, along with a number to call, presumably so they can send someone over to murder the bear that was sighted. I don’t know if they actually murder them, maybe they tranq them and relocate them but shooting things dead seems to be the popular solution these days so that’s what I’m assuming.

Anyway, it adds a little spice to the jog to know an actual bear has been spotted on your route. It won’t be long before the bears head off to hibernate and the signs come down, though, to be replaced with “Yeti in area” signs.

The rewarding part of today’s run was the total distance for the year to date. At 438.7 km I have now passed my run total for all of 2013 (!) with four months to go. In 2013 I ran 436.1 km. Mind you, my average pace in 2013 was 5:08 and this year it’s 5:16 so…eh, you take what you can get.

A somewhat slower end-of-vacation run

Run 346
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Hazy high cloud
Temp: 17-22ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2907

Today’s run was a little disappointing in that I fell back four seconds on average to a pace of 5:17/km. All of the conditions were just a little worse than Wednesday–a little warmer, a little less breeze–but not bad. I started out slower but still at a reasonable pace but fell flat between the 6 and 9K mark, where I could definitely feel myself getting tired.

I pushed on for a solid finish, picking the pace up by 3% but it wasn’t enough to overcome the sluggish middle.

Body-wise I felt fine, with nothing causing any undue discomfort.

On the plus side, I crossed the 2900 km threshold and this marked my ninth consecutive 10K run, which I think is the most I’ve done in a row since 2012.

The sleeping in pays off run

Run 345
Average pace: 5:13/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Sunny, very humid
Temp: 16-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2897

I took a slightly different approach to my run this morning by starting an hour later than usual. This meant it would be a bit warmer (bad) but would also be less humid (good) and as a bonus, an extra hour of sleep. The forecast indicated it was only going to get up to 22ºC for the day so the trade-off seemed worth it.

And it was. I shall cherish this rare triumph of planning ahead. It was both cooler heading out–about 16ºC–and not quite as humid. The sun was intermittent, with hazy high cloud dominating and as a special bonus there was a very welcome light breeze blowing through much of the run.

My right hip was feeling a little creaky, probably from the combination of longer runs and the MegaWalks™ I’ve often been doing on the non-run days (I’ve put in probably close to 150 km of walking since my vacation started on August 2) but not enough to affect my pace and it loosened up over the course of the run.

This was my best 10K pace in awhile, nudging my previous best from last week at 5:13/km. Oddly, the third km was once again my fastest and the times between the first three km and the last three km were remarkably consistent, the only downside being the sprint at the end was somewhat less sprinty than usual:

  • 1K 5:08
  • 2K 5:07
  • 3K 5:02
  • 8K 5:16
  • 9K 5:17
  • 10K 5:15

The combination of returning to work next week and the sun starting to set earlier will soon make it a challenge to get in full 10K runs while it’s still light out, but at least the long term forecast looks to be mainly clear with seasonal temperatures, so we may finally have bid farewell to the Africa hot weather for the summer.

Another warm ‘n muggy run with another bonus coyote sighting

Run 344
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Sunny, very humid
Temp: 18-24ºC
Wind: nil
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2887

Conditions were nearly identical today vs. Friday except it was sunny, which meant it warmed up more over the course of the run. Humidity was very high again, starting around 85% and I sweated copiously as I am wont to do in these conditions.

I didn’t wilt quite as much, though, and managed to shave off two seconds, making my average pace a slow-but-still-improved 5:18/km. Another nice aspect was no weird pain or other glitches. I did begin flagging around the 8K mark but picked up nicely in the last km, finishing strongly. Weirdly, my third km was my fastest at 5:10 vs. 5:12 for both the first and second km. If it hadn’t been so muggy I probably could have turned in a much better time but alas.

After the run I saw what I’m pretty sure was the same coyote in the same spot along the Brunette River trail. He was on the other side of the fence this time and saw my approach so nimbly bounded…a short distance back. Then he turned and watched, with his head sticking up above the wild grass, as I walked back. Then he disappeared off into his coyote house or whatever it is they live in. He seems to have taken up residence, which is odd given the location is fairly well-traveled by walkers, joggers, park workers and CN employees. Maybe he wants to be adopted.

The silly humid mid-August run

Run 343
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Cloudy, very humid
Temp: 18-21ºC
Wind: nil
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2877

The threat of rain loomed over today’s run but as I headed out the sky brightened and the sun even made a brief appearance midway through the run. That was probably the highlight.

I noticed immediately upon stepping outside at 8 a.m. that it was a tad muggy. It turned out the humidity was over 80%. Today was a textbook example of the olde expression “it’s the heat, not the humidity” as the temperature for the run was a perfectly reasonable 18-21ºC.

For the first km it was fine and without the sky dumping great amounts of water on me, my pace was actually two seconds faster–5:04 vs 5:06/km. My fate was written in the next split, though, when my pace drooped an impressive 5%, to 5:17/km, five seconds slower than the previous run’s split. This doomed me to an overall slower average pace of 5:20/km, a disappointing way to end the week but considering I was jogging through liquid air, perhaps not too bad.

I had an amazing four separate encounters with one of those two-seater vehicles the park workers tool around the trails in. I passed it near the start of the run as the woman was placing back a pole she had removed to give the vehicle access to the Avalon Trail. Shortly after doing this she caught up to me, I moved aside and let her pass.

A km or two later and she came rolling up behind me again, having ventured off to the Freeway Trail before looping back to the trail I was on. I again let her pass as running ahead of her would have required bionic legs or something. Weirdly the third time she managed to be ahead of me but the fourth time I again managed to come out ahead of her and this time was headed toward the second boardwalk. I assumed she would not try to bring the vehicle on it, as it’s not really designed for vehicles. It still felt like a low-rent version of Duel.

Other than the stupid amount if humidity, the only other things of note on the run were:

  • my left foot was feeling a bit sore beforehand but still held up. I could feel it but I don’t think it slowed me down.
  • my right ankle mysteriously twinged with pain two separate times, each time lasting perhaps 30 seconds or so. I was fine before and after and there is no pain at all now in the ankle. It reminded me of the equally mysterious knee pain I felt for one run in the summer of 2012. It’s like the body randomly picks some part to briefly remind you that you’re getting older and are fallible or something. Stupid body.

Having seen my times go the wrong way this week, I am hoping next week is a) drier and b) drier.

 

The very wet mid-August run

Run 342
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Heavy rain
Temp: 18-17ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2867

I dedicate the following songs to today’s run:

Here Comes the Rain Again
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
The Rain is Falling

And of course:

Goodbye Blue Sky

I spent an hour this morning trying to out-wait the rain before giving up, going out and getting drenched. The light rain changed to a heavy rain well before I got to the lake and by the end of the run my shirt and shorts were clinging to me like very clingy things and it felt like I had picked up an extra ten pounds from the weight of the water in them.

I ended up a few seconds slower than the previous run, coming in at a pace of 5:18/km. This was likely due to the extra navigation required to maneuver around the copious number of puddles that grew even as I made my way around the lake. At several points the puddles were more pools than I just had to plow through.

I did experience a minute or so of light pain in a muscle somewhere between the left calf and knee but it appeared suddenly and left the same way. The legs felt fine afterward.

The lower temperature–it actually got cooler as I ran–meant I had enough energy to pick up the pace for a strong finish, which was nice to see.

A surprising number of people were out walking the loop, particularly along the Cottonwood Trail and near the start of the Avalon Trail. Regulars, perhaps. It was somewhat annoying because they all had giant umbrellas that effectively blocked any easy way to pass by. The roar of the rain also meant they were oblivious to my approach. I managed to avoid going in the ditch, though.

I also saw about half a dozen dedicated runners getting soaked to their collective hineys. Most were dressed like me in shorts and t-shirts but one was wearing a jacket. That sounds sensible for a run in heavy rain but at 17-18ºC it wasn’t cold so he probably ended up extra sweaty underneath. Kind of a lose-lose situation on a day like this, really.

Here’s hoping Friday’s run is a wee bit drier.

The beating the heat 10K run with bonus coyote sighting

Run 341
Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Mainly sunny, some high cloud
Temp: 16-26ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2857

Another early start to beat the heat and with the high forecast at a sizzling 36ºC I had plenty of motivation to get out there before the rubber started melting on the soles of my runners.

I had a strong start and this had me hopeful early on as I ran clockwise through the nicely shady Avalon trail. I kept up a good pace right through to the 5K mark. A dip at the 6K mark can be attributed to two factors: a stitch that was threatening (but never kicked in, fortunately) and the fact that this also coincided with one of the few uphill stretches of the run, just past Still Creek, ascending toward the Cottonwood trail.

At this point my pace settled in at a slightly slower level. The temperature, much like last Monday, was rising very rapidly by this point and the last few km I was beginning to tire, enough so that I couldn’t rally for the last 400 m push.

I did end up with an overall pace of 5:14/km, a full nine seconds better than the previous run and edging closer to my 5K times, so I am pleased overall with the results.

The weather this week appears to be very unsettled, with lower temperatures and the possibility of thunderstorms or good old-fashioned rain. Our Africa Hot summer may be winding down at last.

Bonus coyote sighting: I forgot to mention a few runs back I encountered not one but two gold and black snakes doing that slithering thing across the trail. The first had already crossed and was already in the grass (just like a snake). The second was only making his way across and actually seemed a bit sluggish, like he was feeling lazy. Can snakes feel lazy? Anyway, the point is there are animals out and aboot now.

This was made even more explicit as I walked back along the Brunette River trail. I spotted a dog walking along the trail ahead of me and saw no sign of any owner. The dog also seemed to be walking not like a dog. It’s hard to describe. A moment later I realized it was a coyote, about the size of a medium dog. I knew the exact moment it detected my presence because it suddenly started trotting toward the fence and slipped into the restoration area. It emerged atop a large upturned stump and watched warily as I passed by. I smiled at it. It probably thought I was an idiot.

After getting a safe distance past it got off the stump and disappeared off to do whatever coyotes do. Hunt lazy snakes, maybe.

It looked a bit like this one:

coyote
A coyote thinking coyote thoughts.