Exercise

I debated whether to go out today and what to do if I did. Do that 3K run I’ve been putting off? Walk? Walk/run? Hide? Well, maybe not hide.

In the end, I went for a walk/run and discovered we had been in the middle of a very recent windstorm. This was evidenced by:

• The fact that it was still very windy
• The trails were littered with leaves, twigs and in some cases, full branches that would leave a mark or two if they clobbered you on the way down

I felt a bit pokey walking to the lake, but picked up the pace on the way back, bringing my overall pace to 8:35/km, which is perfectly cromulent. As mentioned, the wind was very windy, but I didn’t encounter much in the way of flying debris. The wind did factor in my decision to not run at the lake, though. (others were there running, however, and it was probably fine). I did see a bunch of goslings with some parents, which was nice. They are still in their cute stage.

Even better than baby geese, my right ankle did not protest in any way during the running segments today. Yay.

Overall, it was good to get out after skipping yesterday. I am birding tomorrow, so may go out on Saturday for some form of exercise.

Some of the wood-based victims of the wind:

Stats:

Walk 110
Average pace: 8:35/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 9.02 km
Time: 1:17:35
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 18°C
Humidity: 61%
Wind: strong, with gusts
BPM: 120
Weight: 169.8 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 832.65 km

I was going to do the other part of my 5K today (the 3K part) after not doing it on Friday for reasons, but then slept in (bad), though I had a good sleep (uh, good). In the end I did a good old-fashioned walk-run, with a fair bit of running mixed in, including one full km of uninterrupted running at a pace of 5:30/km.

The only AOC¹Area of Concern was my right ankle. Right near the end of that 1 km stretch, it started to twinge again. I stopped running (as planned) and when I tried a bit later, it twinged once more, but then seemed to settle down. I don’t think it’s actually hurt/sprained/broken or anything, but it’s weird and off-putting. I have enough trouble with my knees now, I’d like the ankles to behave. Maybe I need to look up ankle workouts.

As for the experience otherwise, it went well. The weather was mild, with a light breeze and a mix of sun and cloud. Humidity was high enough to avoid DMS²Dry Mouth Syndrome, always a nice bonus.

The title of the post is not in reference to me, as I try to keep my form functional when running. There was a guy who ran past me, though, who had a unique running style. He was also wearing a polo-style shirt, which is super rare for running (it’s 99.9% t-shirts and the other 0.1% is shirtless). Usually when you run, you pump your arms up and down. It kind of happens automatically. Some pump fast, some pump slow, some pump with gusto, some pump in a more minimalist manner. I am pretty average here. The main thing that is common to all runners is the motion is vertical.

This guy was doing it horizontally. He almost but not quite looked like he was flailing his arms. It did not seem very aerodynamic. He ran past me to the end of the river trail and circled back, so I hastily grabbed a photo as he went by, to see if I could capture the arm motion. I was partly successful:

Anyway, despite the late start, it was nice to get out and move my body.

Stats:

Walk 109
Average pace: 7:58/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 1:11:53
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 17°C
Humidity: 63%
Wind: light
BPM: 130
Weight: 170.7 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 823.63 km

Today I whimsically (?) decided to walk 10K instead of 8K. Why? I don’t know! But I did walk, without any real running, because I ran yesterday and I’m running tomorrow and I don’t want to scare my knees.

Instead, I walked at a gradually increasing pace to the lake, then went around the Spruce and Conifer Loops before heading back.

The biggest changes:

• Slower pace of 9:05/km (no running, as mentioned)
• It was 25C! It didn’t feel overly warm or anything, thanks to a strong breeze.
• 10 km! So far, this has not had any noticeable side effects.

I wore sunblock for the first time this year, but it’s Hawaiian Tropic, and it has this weird fruity smell I don’t really like, so I may have to go back to Banana Boat. We’ll see.

I am over 20,000 steps on the day as of 5:31 p.m. I think I’ll take it easy now.

Stats:

Walk 108
Average pace: 9:05/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 1:31:01
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25°C
Humidity: 40%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 114
Weight: 170.4 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 813.61 km

Today, I had to decide¹Technically, I didn’t have to decide anything. I could have stayed in bed and eaten nacho chips all day. The thought did cross my mind.: Walk or run?

I figured I’d start a walk and once I got to the lake, I’d make the decision there. Easy peasy.

And the walk there was quite pleasant compared to yesterday: A bit warmer, with increasing sun and no rain. None! Yay!

Once I got to the lake, I opted not to run, because it was getting late in the afternoon and I still felt I wasn’t quite ready. But I did do a lot of running on the 4 km back and got a sense for how a longer run might go. I did one solid km of running for the 6th km and my pace was surprising–5:27/km! Much faster than I might have expected.

Curiously, my right knee/leg actually felt better when running. The tendons behind the knee felt a bit tight when walking, but felt fine when stretching for the running bits. My shins suddenly made themselves known, but that’s normal after a layoff from running. Overall, I feel it went well.

My training status also finally ticked over from Recovery to Maintaining. That’s what shaving 42 seconds off your pace will do, I guess.

I’ll walk again tomorrow, then see if I’m finally ready to run on Wednesday. It will have been 26 days since I last run by then (about the same as last year, when I went 25 days between runs with a similar injury), but I think these walks have done a good job of getting me ready.

Stats:

Walk 107
Average pace: 7:58/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 8.03 km
Time: 1:03:55
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 60%
Wind: light
BPM: 132
Weight: 169.6 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 803.59 km

Sunday and I’m walking again! I didn’t exercise-walk yesterday, but I did go for a walk. Today it was exercise-walk again, with some bonus running.

First, the weather. It kinds of sucked. It was cooler than normal, though 12C isn’t that cold, but I wore my long-sleeved shirt anyway. And it rained steadily the entire time. It was one of those, “Just get started and get it over with” kind of exercises, though the bonus lack of wind meant it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I listened to music, I ran on and off repeatedly, without issue.

Well, one issue: Right after I finished the 8K (I was running at the time), I stopped tracking, began walking again, and my right knee felt really creaky. It’s fine now, but the timing and suddenness seemed weird.

Other than that, it went well. I never try to fall into the “must go faster” mindset, but I kind of did, a little, today. I lopped 19 seconds off my previous pace and my BPM went from 118 to 131, reflecting how much time I spent running.

I’m still undecided on running tomorrow, but I will at least do an exercise-walk, regardless.

Hopefully with less rain, mud and generally slippery conditions.

Stats:

Walk 106
Average pace: 8:40/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 8.03 km
Time: 1:09:36
Weather: Rain
Temp: 12°C
Humidity: 91%
Wind: light
BPM: 131
Weight: 169.0 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 795.56 km

Today I walked to the lake and back and at first I started slower and my thought process was “This is fine” (non-ironic version) because I walked over 27,000 steps yesterday and my tendons and muscles and things were a little tired.

But I found my pace picking up, so I suppose I wasn’t that tired. I also experimented a few times with some short bursts of jogging (no more than 30 seconds or so at a stretch) and it was…okay. Not painful or anything. Creaky, I suppose. But it has been almost three weeks since I last ran. My BPM hit a max of 152, so I was achieving a regular run pace, though interestingly, my overall BPM stayed exactly the same as Wednesday, at 118. The weather may have helped a bit, too. It was less breezy and warmer in a pleasant sort of way.

Also, there was a meeting on the trail near the dam consisting of adult geese, their two goslings, plus two pairs of wood ducks…and their ducklings. It was like they were all just hanging out together. A bit odd. Maybe a coincidence? Perhaps this is how gooseducks happen.

Anyway, in all it went well. I will continue these walks and possibly try a run on Monday, when the weather promises to be a bit damp and when running would seem better than walking (in the rain).

Stats:

Walk 105
Average pace: 8:59/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 8.03 km
Time: 1:12:07
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20°C
Humidity: 38%
Wind: light
BPM: 118
Weight: 169.1 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 787.53 km

The walking speed, not the temperature.

I headed out a bit earlier and conditions were pretty much the same, though I’d say it felt a wee bit warmer. The biggest difference was my pace and BPM. Compared to yesterday, my BPM went from 126 to 118, while my pace dropped from 9:13 to 8:58/km. Yes, I averaged under 9 minutes per km for 9 km. I was not expecting this. But maybe I just felt good getting out, and the weather was pleasant and there were baby geese and all.

My plan is to do an hour-ish walk every day when I’m not running, save for Sunday and birding days (usually Saturday). This should help keep me fit, while having less impact on knees and other sensitive parts of my body. It also lets me pause and take photos, and touch trees. As a side bonus, maybe it will also help me lose some weight if I don’t gorge myself upon arriving back home.

Stats:

Walk 104
Average pace: 8:58/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 9.02 km
Time: 1:20:56
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 14°C
Humidity: 50%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 118
Weight: 168.6 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 779.5 km

My first official™ walk since January. There was no snow this time.

Today marks the 18th day that I haven’t run, due to the latest knee incident. I think I’m about ready to start running again, but thought it might be prudent to do a few walks first, to get the limbs limbered.

I started with a gentle set of stretches, then headed off to the lake and back. It was sunny, but also breezy. I did not exactly have sweat pouring off me, which is actually a nice thing.

I kept up a good pace, most dogs were leashed (it was mid-afternoon, apparently near peak dog-walking time) and even a gang of four roving nerds on scooters were mindful of me on the river trail. The pair of geese that have been shacking up near the dam have babbies! But only two (that I could see). Still, adorable.

My training status on my watch has now gone from Detraining to Recovery. Woo. Go me.

Stats:

Walk 103
Average pace: 9:13/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 8.02 km
Time: 1:13:58
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 14°C
Humidity: 52%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 126
Weight: 168.9 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 770.48 km