Exercise

After calling off Monday’s run due to Xtreme Wind™, I headed out today under a cloudy sky, but no discernible breeze.

I opted to start by the dam for as an old-time throwback to how I used to begin my runs. It was 7C, but my two layers kept me warm.

I surprised myself with an unusually brisk first km, coming in at 5:24/km. That slipped all the way to 5:39/km by the next lap, but I improved my pace after, including a record for the Garmin watch with fastest 1K to date–5:18/km, which is how I finished.

I pushed a bit at the end, but not excessively, and I did pause the run to take a few shots of a fallen tree (photo below), but I don’t think that gave me an appreciable boost.

No issues–either with my body or with dogs/other people/trees occurred, so the run went well, apart from the nice pace.

The most notable thing, other than my zippy performance, was the state of the trail a few days after the storm. I could see a few spots where smaller trees had been cleared, plus a lot of debris still on the trail in places (the Cottonwood Trail was especially bad). Sections of the trail, especially earlier on, had been badly scoured and will need to be repaired, though the uneven bits were at least easy to avoid.

In all, a good run, a reminder that nature isn’t to be messed with, and a refreshing break from The Rains.

Stats:

Run 899
Average pace: 5:31/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:00 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:46
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 7-8°C
Humidity: 83-79%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 166.3
Total distance to date: 6,345 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (135/257/392)

I skipped running on Friday, not because I was lazy, but because I was tired of running in the rain. I ran in the rain on Monday and Wednesday and did not want to run in the rain again yesterday. And it rained pretty much the entire day.

But with birding called off this weekend and the weather looking somewhat dry, at least for the morning and early afternoon, I opted to run today.

Success! It did not rain during the run. It sprinkled a little on the walk back, but even that was minimal.

I wore two layers, which proved handy, as it was only 8C for most of the run, my first single digit outing of the fall. Hello November!

Despite several dogs being off-leash, there were no issues, either with the dogs or with my body. I had my usual dip in the middle, but finished strong and, curiously, with the exact same time as the previous run, 28:21 minutes. I don’t know if I could ever pull that off again. My average was somehow a second faster, though, probably due to the magical world of rounding numbers.

The river remains pretty stinky with dead salmon. I repeat, this is probably the worst mating/reproductive system in the world, with the possible exception of the male praying mantis getting his head torn off and eaten by the female after they do the dirty.

Despite the odour, it was a good outing and a nice (and mercifully dry) end to the week.

Stats:

Run 898
Average pace: 5:38/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 1:03 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:21
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 8-9°C
Humidity: 90%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 167.1
Total distance to date: 6,340 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (130/244/374)

Although the stats make today’s run look very similar to Monday’s, there are a few key differences:

• I ran at the lake, not the river trail, which is a tougher course, so having a slightly better pace means I actually did more than a little better.
• It showered lightly today, Monday was a constant downpour.
• I actually got warm enough today that I took the jacket off halfway through the run (it came in handy on the walk back when the rain picked up, though).

I was hoping to beat the rain today, but alas, did not. Because it started right as I stepped outside, I came back in and switched from two layers to one layer + jacket. I need a lighter jacket for running that can still hold up to rain, though. As noted above, I doffed it partway through the run.

As for the run, the full house is in reference to my lap times:

1. 5:41
2. 5:41
3. 5:36
4. 5:36
5. 5:36

I can’t remember the last time when I had so many laps match up like that. Kind of weird and random. The overall pace of 5:39/km was nice, as was the 150 BPM. I had no issues, though I admit I kept looking at my watch for the last km, so I may have been pushing a bit to maintain that 5:36 pace for three consecutive km.

The rain wasn’t too bad, though it’s always preferable to have no rain. As expected with this weather, the trail was pretty lightly populated.

Overall, a decent effort. I’m hoping that Friday’s run will be drier, but the current forecast makes that seem…unlikely. We’ll see!

Stats:

Run 897
Average pace: 5:39/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 10:58 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:21
Weather: Rain showers
Temp: 10°C (feels like 7)
Humidity: 74%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 150
Weight: 167.1
Total distance to date: 6,335 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (125/236/361)

Two things I wasn’t as a teenager.

My goals today were:

• Start a bit earlier
• Pretty much maintain the same easier pace as Monday
• Get back before possible showers

I achieved two out of three. But it’s not what you might expect.

I got my Garmin Forerunner 255 about two years ago (November 2022) and it has been tracking my runs dutifully since. Today I got two new records on it, one for fastest 1K and another for fastest 5K. How did this happen? I’m not entirely sure!

When I headed out, I mulled just doing the river trail, in a sort of “just get it done” way. Someone had a large dog off-leash, though, and though the dog seemed well-behaved, they can act differently/squirrelly when you are running, so I kept walking to the lake. I initially chose to do a short loop clockwise, but partly through it, and with the skies actually mostly sunny, I decided to just keep going and did a regular 5K.

My first surprise came at the 1K mark, with a pace of 5:33/km, much zippier than expected. My second km was 5:39/km, but the surprises just kept coming. I must emphasize that I was not trying to run faster at all. Conditions were obviously better (the performance rating for the run was +3) and temperatures were lower at 13-14C (which is perfectly comfortable for a run), but still.

The fourth km came in at 5:26/km, which made my eyebrows pop in surprise, possibly with a cartoon sound effect. I normally push just a little for the final stretch, and my last km came in at 5:19/km–the record 1K pace.

The overall pace was 5:30/km, which is 16 full seconds faster than Monday’s run. Which is a lot.

I obviously didn’t encounter any issues during the run. I did encounter other runners, including a topless guy (I mean, 13-14C is fine, but I’m not sure I’d want to do it topless) and the spitfire (technically post-run). My legs felt slightly stiff toward the end of the walk back, but seem fine as I type this. We’ll find out tomorrow.

For now, I will bask in this brief moment of glory.

Stats:

Run 893
Average pace: 5:30/km (record with Garmin Forerunner 255)
Training status: Strained
Location: Burnaby Lake
Start: 11:04 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:39
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 82-80%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 167.3
Total distance to date: 6,325 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (110/215/325)

1. Strained is defined as “Your training load is optimal, but your HRV status indicates accumulated fatigue. Be sure to give yourself enough time to recover.” ↩︎

I was back to a morning run today, albeit a late morning. I pondered whether to give myself an extra rest day, as I was surprisingly sore after Saturday’s run, but in the end I couldn’t resist the call of sunny, summer-like weather.

My plan was to do a short loop and to run at a more relaxed pace. Mission accomplished on both counts, with my pace coming in at 5:46/km, three seconds slower than Saturday. Unlike recent runs, I didn’t sag midway through, but actually picked up the pace after the second km, and had a stronger finish (5:37).

No issues to report: well-behaved dogs and dog people, no bikes, no crazy number of slugs to dodge. It was unusually warm, but only for this time of year. It felt nice, and this may be one of the last warm-feeling runs of the season, so I savoured the sun instead of cursing it, as I sometimes do in the summer.

I can tell I’m going to be a bit sore again, but hopefully not as much as after Saturday’s run, so I should be okay to go again Wednesday.

In all, a perfectly cromulent start to the week.

Stats:

Run 892
Average pace: 5:46/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake
Start: 11:41 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:02
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 18-19°C
Humidity: 62-59%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 167.0
Total distance to date: 6,320 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (105/202/307)