Exercise

It is sunny and dare I say actually warm today so I was inspired to do something I have not done in nearly a year of running — run on consecutive days. I know that makes me not hardcore or something, but there you have it.

Today I went all out, though. Or halfway out, at least, doing another 5K run. I felt fine during the run and feel fine after — no pain and the only soreness is from overnight, when three weeks of not running caught up with all those unstretched leg muscles. I suspect they’ll be a bit stiff tomorrow, too, but it wasn’t anything that affected the run itself.

The temperature rose to an early spring high of 15ºC and the wind also picked up, strong enough at times to tug at my cap. I hate that. The sun felt very distinctly warm but not hot. It was pretty nice, overall. The same jogger was on the trail from yesterday, running clockwise, a compact woman in her early 20s who apparently manages to breathe through her nose as her mouth appeared to be clamped firmly shut every time she passed me. To a non-runner this may sound like no big thing but to me, there is absolutely no way I could take in enough air through my nose to keep me going while jogging. Maybe I just have small nostrils. Not that hers were flaring like a bull’s. Anyway, it seemed odd, so I mention it.

I improved considerably over yesterday’s pace without consciously trying. I just worked at a steady, natural gait. The shock came at the end — not when I got the stats on my run but hearing the voice of Tiger Woods congratulating me for the first time since the whole scandal broke last November. With him back golfing and having done the live TV confession thing, it may be that Apple and Nike thought it was time to let him speak again to all the joggers plugged into the Nike+ doohickey. For the record, he said, “Tiger here. You’ve completed 250 miles, way to go.” It was nice, if a little late — I had passed 250 miles on yesterday’s run.

A remarkable 12 second improvement in my overall pace. I definitely shook off the cobwebs today.

Full stats (yesterday’s times in parentheses):

Total distance: 5.03 km (5:04 km)
Overall average pace: 5:21/km (5:33/km)
1st km: 5:05 (5:12)
2nd km: 5:10 (5:20)
3rd km: 5:15 (5:25)
4th km: 5:18 (5:29)
5th km: 5:21 (5:33)

Today was my first run in three weeks, since yoinking my left calf. I don’t think the injury was that serious but it seemed wise to give it ample time to heal before venturing out again. As expected, my time was pretty slow but I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort during or after the run, so I’m tentatively planinng on a full 10k on Friday.

The conditions were close to ideal. It was very mild — around 14ºC — and sunny, with a light breeze. The trail was slightly damp from previous rains but firm and the ruts from a few weeks back were smoothed out. A few other joggers were on the trail, along with a couple of people walking their dogs. And the fountain was working, woo. It almost felt like an early summer day. Ah, summer.

Because it was a short run, here are the complete stats as recorded on the Nike+ sensor:

Total distance: 5.04 km
Overall average pace: 5:33/km
1st km: 5:12
2nd km: 5:20
3rd km: 5:25
4th km: 5:29
5th km: 5:33

Breakdown: Much slower to start and the second lap also reflects the slower pace, as I added a whopping 8 seconds. After that you can see me starting to settle into a steadier pace, with times increasing more gradually.

I might try to break 5:30/km for Friday’s run. That would mark an improvement while not pushing myself too hard in the ramp-up to a more regular running regimen.

Very mild and sunny today, the trail was in fine shape, though it looks like the forecast will result in a few puddles come Friday if it stays accurate.

I have been having some digestion issues lately — gas from both ends (bleah) and a rumbly stomach/intestinal tract. I almost didn’t run today because of this but went out anyway, drawn by the siren song of a nice day.

My start was pretty good, just over 5 minutes and the first 2 km were very close time-wise. The middle stretch I began to feel rather blah and my calves also started to ache a bit, bringing my overall time down. At around the 8k mark a new jogger showed up and came onto the trail just ahead of me. His pace set him maybe 100 meters ahead of me and although I couldn’t catch him, I managed to keep up with the pace he fell into it. He started pulling a little ahead after a few minutes and I resigned myself to not catching up. Then something happened. He may have started to slow but I definitely turned it up a notch, tapping into the fresh reserves brought about by the runner’s high. My last 2 km have only a 2-second spread, which is pretty good for a finish. Even better, I managed to actually close the gap and was about to pass the other runner when he suddenly departed the trail and headed up the hill and out of the park.

Results:

Total distance: 10.02 km (previous: 10.02 km)
Average time/km: 5:26/km (previous: 5:23/km)
Best time/km: 5:02/km (previous: 5:02/km)

The list of things that irritate me will be posted below soon™.

Or: Things That Irritate Me When I am Running.

First, the good news. I was not anticipating today’s run, as I felt I was still in the “getting back up to speed” phase but I set off under sunny skies and mild temperatures. There was a breeze again but not anything like last week’s gust-o-ramas. Midway through the run I felt pretty good. I hadn’t experienced any real discomfort and would only go on to feel a little cramp in my stomach around the 8km mark. My time turned out to be 5:23/km, a whopping 8 second improvement over Friday and only three seconds off my best pace ever. I’m quite pleased by this and hope I can maintain this pace on Wednesday.

As it was quite a nice day there were lots of people at the park. A regular who does a workout on one of the balance bars found the set he normally uses occupied and instead sat in his car and smoked pot.  I’m not sure if he was intending to exercise afterward or not. It would probably be an interesting sensation, at the very least.

Now, the golfer mentioned in the subject line. I have seen him once before and today he started by doing the same thing, positioning himself in a spot where there was an excellent chance one of the balls he was whacking would go flying across the path ringing the park. Likewise, a guy kicking around a soccer ball was observed kicking it not once but twice across the path. I am happy to report that glares, karma or something inspired both of them to finally alter their positions to minimize ball-on-innocent-bystander contact. There were several other examples of people being generally oblivious to other people around them. I had a woman with a dog (off leash, of course) nearly step in front of me just as I was coming up. She stopped at the last moment and meeped a quiet, “Sorry!” Another woman farther up the trail looked, saw me coming, then started to step onto the trail directly in my path. Fortunately it seems her brain was able to work out the physics of the two objects (me and her) and saw that a collision would be the result and stopped to let me by.

Finally, I was approaching the part of the path that has the playground on the right and a baseball diamond fence on the right. It is the only part of the path where you get funneled along the path with nowhere else to go. As I get close I observe a couple walking their dog ahead of me. There is a very narrow strip of grass on the left that I can use to get by them should they not squeeze over a smidgen. Instead, just as I close, the dog suddenly cuts left and the three of them form a virtual wall. It is the first time in 10 months of running that I have had to come to a complete halt as my path was totally blocked. The dog owner then realized that there are other people in the park and pulled the dog over. Thanks, mister!

Anyway, that’s really just minor grousing. It seems people regularly don’t consider the others around them and even after they do, the knowledge is never retained, so the next time they have to learn it all over again. Oh well. The important thing is soccer guy, golfer man, dog man, dog lady and dogs did not prevent me from having a very spiffy run.

Results:

Total distance: 10.02 km (previous: 10.02 km)
Average time/km: 5:23/km (previous: 5:31/km)
Best time/km: 5:02/km (previous: 4:58/km)

Under a sky of veiled sunshine and with the trail dry (re: free of puddles) I completed my run amidst a fairly large group of walkers, joggers and people out with their dogs. At one point I had to thread my way between two elderly ladies on the right and a guy walking his dog on the left. Fortunately I remained nimble enough at that point to do so.

I had a few minor moments of cramping and discomfort but nothing major. However, after the first few km my legs began to feel like they had sleek invisible lead weights attached to them. I pressed on as best I could and fought to not give up early. By the time I finished I was feeling a bit better and my endurance was fine, as usual. I think this was the real test day for getting back into a regular routine and I seem to have come through it okay. The best part may have been at the end when I discovered the fountain was once again working. Cold and fresh post-run water, hooray!

This incredibly cute guy with a shaved head was walking a little white ball of fluff again. He has one of those insanely radiant smiles. Just thought I’d mention this for no particular reason.

My results ended up being identical to Wednesday in terms of average pace, coming in at 5:31/km. Much of the run was faster, however, so it seems I slowed more down the stretch, due to the whole legs-turning-to-lead thing. It will be interesting to see how Monday’s run compares after two days of rest.

Results:

Total distance: 10.02 km (previous: 10.03 km)
Average time/km: 5:31/km (previous: 5:31/km)
Best time/km: 4:58/km (previous: 5:07/km)

Mostly because when you see them they’re so darned cute you want to stop and say “Aw” and it disrupts your aggressive, manly running routine.

I saw such a puppy today but soldiered on.

After the long layoff I found all of my leg muscles rather sore yesterday and today, their protest at being forced into action again. Despite this I completed my run under sunny skies, a 9ºC temperature and a rather brisk wind gusting up to 28km/hr coming from the northwest that kept threatening to turn my cap into a flying object.

My goal was simple: to improve on Monday’s run and get closer to my previous best. I achieved this goal by shaving four seconds off my average pace. My legs will scream their appreciation tomorrow morning, I am sure.

Total distance: 10.03 km (previous: 10.03 km)
Average time/km: 5:31/km (previous: 5:35/km)
Best time/km: 5:07/km (previous: 5:01/km)

You lose 15 seconds off your best pace. Not exactly a big surprise.

My last run was on March 5th but my last 10k run was back on February 26th, when the Winter Olympics were still underway. It feels like ages ago.

My goal today was to simply shake off the rust and get back into the game and I succeeded, as the run proceeded without any difficulty, it was just sluggish (but still better than some other previous times). The trail was muddy in places but not terrible, the sky was overcast and the temperature was an early year high of around 12ºC. A light breeze was welcome.

The corner with the sewer stench still smelled like a sewer but the odor covered a larger area. I’m wondering if it’s due to nearby construction. A fine member of the Parks Board also drove a tractor down one half of the trail, leaving deep ruts in the soft dirt/mulch that makes up the trail. Thanks, mister!

For the rest of the week my goal is to start getting my times back to where they should be. I’m also planning on entering the Sun Run for the first time when it takes place on May 9th. As I don’t run on roads, I’m hoping it will not be too painful on my piggies.

Results:

Total distance: 10.03 km (previous: 10.05 km)
Average time/km: 5:35/km (previous: 5:20/km)
Best time/km: 5:01/km (previous: 4:54/km)

After the disaster of my 2.61k run I was determined to do better and I did, but not by much.

The conditions were good, if a bit breezy and I got off to a good start. I flagged badly after, though, adding six seconds to the third and fourth km. My calves began to ache and around 4k I began experiencing cramps, as well. By the 5k mark the cramps had eased up a bit but I still bailed, only completing half a run. Still better than the previous but my next goal will be to get back to a full 10k.

A few brief appearances by a couple of other joggers but the light rain and muddy conditions kept most people from the park today. As the rain eased off a few dogs came out to let their owners go for a walk.

With the temperature again close to the 10ºC mark, I think it’s pretty much officially shorts weather until the fall. I did wear a jacket but may opt to just get a bit soaked in a single layer next time.

I got off to a good start and was determined to stick to my plan to keep up the pace. This was evidenced by being four seconds ahead of the previous run at the halfway mark. By coincidence I also had a burning desire to quit at 5k but pressed on and managed to hit that velvety smooth runner’s high shortly afterward. While not precisely easy the rest of the run went smoothly and my overall pace leveled off, which seems to be a nice trend (as opposed to the pace getting longer and longer each km).

I ended up with a pace of 5:20/km, beating my previous best by three seconds. I am now closing in on the pace I had on my original 5k runs. This was also my first run to come in under 54 minutes.

Because we’ve had some rain the last few days the usual muddy parts of the trail were, well, muddy again, with a few puddles here and there. Rather than jog around it, I decided to meet the puddle at the SE corner head-on and try jumping it. I picked where I wanted my foot to land but the spot was gooshier than I anticipated, causing mud and water to spray up my leg, as depicted below.

After one impressive plunge I noticed a rather septic-like odor and at first dismissed it as coming from one of the many trucks in the area. But there it was again when I splashed through the puddle on the next lap. It very clearly smelled like poo. For the remainder of my run I stretched just that much further to clear the puddle and its foul material entirely.

A few laps short of finishing my right shoelace came untied due to getting loosened by the constant jog/wet cycle, forcing me to stop and retie the filthy, soggy thing, thus getting questionable puddle water on my hands (along with rather gritty mud). I managed not to run my eyes for the rest of the run. I finished the run by jogging slightly farther than normal because the iPod was not popping up the menu when I hit the menu button and it took me 0.02 km to trick it into working. I gently curse technology again.

Results:

Total distance: 10.05 km (previous: 10.02 km)
Average time/km: 5:20/km (previous: 5:25/km) <– best to date
Best time/km: 4:54/km (previous: 5:03/km)