After my Rest Day™ yesterday, I felt compelled to do some exercise today. While I don’t mind running in the rain (I don’t like it, either), today it is more monsoon than light drizzle, so to the treadmill it was!
I opted to mostly walk, but after hitting 3 km, I ran until I hit the 30-minute mark, which gave me a total distance of 3.46 km. Exciting stats below!
Speed: 6.5-9.0 (6.5-9.0) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 8:36 (8:36/km) Time: 30:00 (26:05) Distance: 3.46 km (3.03 km) Calories burned: 262 (273) BPM: 121 (130)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill workout.
View from the dam, pre-run. Light showers and gloomy. But mild!
Today, I finally decided it was time to go outside, not to just touch trees, but to also run amongst them, so I got dressed1Not to imply I sometimes go out naked or anything. and headed to Burnaby Lake, with vague plans, dependent on the weather and how I felt.
In the end, I did another mini 2.5 km run to round out the last one, which featured the trip on the sidewalk. Today, there was no tripping and no running on sidewalks. Instead, I did a loop around the side trails and, unlike the previous run, I didn’t have to stop to take a break mid-way through.
I was slower, though, but given that it’s been 50 days since my last run outside, that’s to be expected. Everything went relatively fine, other than the obvious lack of stamina.
I wore my old Saucony Switchback shoes, since the Speedgoat 6’s are now falling apart and full of holes. They were ultimately a disappointment and I’m looking for new shoes that will not feature “goat” in the name.
Overall, this was a good return. The weather was mild at 9C, but two layers seemed right, given the intermittent light rain and wind on the walk to and from the lake (the lake trail was not breezy). I’ll go for another run on Friday and see if I can manage an actual 5K then.
An inquisitve goose, post-run. Should I honk? Hiss? Poop?
Stats:
Run 907 Average pace: 6:15/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 11:23 a.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 15:39 Weather: Overcast, light showers Temp: 9°C Humidity: 82% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 170.1 Total distance to date: 6,390.0 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (n/a)
I didn’t do a workout yesterday, on my usual workout day and felt bad, so I did a workout today. Problem solved!
I started today’s workout at a speed of 6.5, but curiously, my times were lagging behind the speed the treadmill was set to. This annoyed me, so at roughly the 2.25 km mark, I cranked it up to 9 and jogged for the remainder. Jogging still feels much harder than it should, stamina-wise.
However, I managed to get through 3 km and called it good.
I am now thinking I may try regular runs again next week.
Stats:
Speed: 6.5-9.0 (6.0-6.5) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 8:36 (9:35/km) Time: 26:05 (30:01) Distance: 3.03 km (3.13 km) Calories burned: 273 (271) BPM: 130 (137)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
My wee 2.5K run on Wednesday proved one thing: Taking 37 days off is an excellent way to reduce your stamina to nothing.
Today, I mulled how much I wanted to do that and settled on doing a 30-minute brisk walk on the treadmill instead. I may resume actual running next week, but my priority for the moment is just regular exercise and improving my stamina.
I think I actually sweated more today, too. And as always, the weather was mild and pleasant indoors.
I started at a more leisurely pace f 6.0 then ramped up to 6.5 for the majority of the workout, hence the more leisurely pace as noted below. BPM was up, though, because I remain soft and flabby. This should improve over the next few weeks. Excelsior!
Stats:
Speed: 6.0-6.5 (6.7-8.0) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 9:35 (7:26/km) Time: 30:01 (15:04) Distance: 3.13 km (2.03 km) Calories burned: 271 (159) BPM: 137 (127)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
Today is February 5, 2025. The last time I ran was, as mentioned in the title, December 30, 2024. That was 37 days ago, or just over five weeks. The last time I ran was on the river trail, with a brief trip out to the sidewalk, where I tripped and landed hard on my hands. I wanted to give my hands time to heal a bit before running again, even though, as you probably know, you don’t use your hands to run. Or at least not in the same way you use your feet.
Still, it seemed prudent.
Then the infection resumed, this time in my kidney and I spent 11 consecutive days visiting hospitals for IV treatment. Then I felt I should give my body time to recover from the infection, the antibiotics and other miscellaneous trauma.
Then it snowed.
I actually checked the river trail yesterday and as of then, the trail, though covered in a few cm of snow, actually seemed like it might be doable for running. The snow is very light and pliable, not hard and icy. I don’t know if it’s still that way now, as we are experiencing overnight lows well below freezing at the moment.
Regardless, I didn’t think it was a good idea to tax myself further on my first run in 37 days by doing it in the snow and in freezing temperatures, so onto the treadmill I went.
And I felt every one of those 37 days off. Normally, a 2.5 km run is a blip for me, but I could feel the burn (not the good kind) about a km in. Around the 8-minute mark, I briefly paused the workout to give my lungs a break. I paused again around the 13-minute mark (I probably could have pushed through, since it was only another minute, but I was not feeling adventurous).
My stats may be slightly better, especially for BPM, because of the breaks, but not by too much. Each was only a few seconds.
One stat that doesn’t show is my peak heart rate–163! That is quite high for a treadmill workout and a good indication of how soft and flabby I am.
Here’s to becoming gradually less soft and flabby over the coming weeks, hopefully while staying upright the entire time.
Run 906 (treadmill)
Speed: 9.0 (9.0) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 5:41 km (5:38/km) Time: 14:13 (28:19) Distance: 2.51 km (5.03 km) Calories burned: 166 (330) BPM: 141 (140)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
The good news: I completed my first run in 28 days!
The also good news: My pace of 5:53/km was slightly better than expected, given the extended time off (due to infection).
The not good news: At the 1.95 km mark, I tripped on the sidewalk just past the river trail and gravity won. Summary:
Laceration of left elbow. Did not break the skin.
Scraped right knee. It’s a pretty standard scrape.
Left hand: Torn skin, bloodied.
Right hand: Torn skin, bloodied, but more so. The right hand absorbed the majority of the fall.
Wound/Bandage update: I appear to have hurt my upper left thigh somehow. There is no visible bruise, but a few lacerations. It is very sore. It also seems my right wrist absorbed a lot of the impact and when I flex it a certain way it becomes very unhappy. Not a sprain (I think), just sore.
I now have four bandages/gauze covering various parts of my body. Kids, learn from me: Tripping on a sidewalk is not cool. Don't do it, no matter what those other kids say.
But let’s start from the start. I have been battling a bacteria infection for most of the month, and the last time I ran was on December 2nd. I felt I was ready to run again, so did my stretching and opted for a short 2.5 km run on the river trail. I dressed accordingly (running pants, rain jacket) and headed off. The first km was better than expected, with a pace of 5:46/km (I was expecting something closer to six minutes). I figured the second km would be slower, and it was, but not for quite the reason I expected.
When I run the river trail, I normally head past the gate at the far end, run down the sidewalk to where Cariboo Place meets Cariboo Road (they like cariboo around here), then turn and head back. I was heading toward the intersection when my left foot managed to perfectly connect with an uplifted section of sidewalk, causing me to trip. I had time to ponder whether I would regain my balance or go down. Given the momentum, it was inevitable that gravity would win, and it did.
I want to say I looked to my right and could actually see the skin tearing on my right hand, but that doesn’t seem possible, so maybe my brain was adding spice. As I laid on the ground, I did look at my right hand, which was bloody, then my left hand, which was also bloody. I paused the workout.
I stood up and, with nothing actually broken or sprained, resumed the run, being a bit more cautious on the sidewalk part. I kept going and finished the 2.5 km, with an average pace of 5:53/km, which is decent for a run that included me falling down.
Other than the tripping part, I experienced no issues or discomfort. This is good and is encouraging for regular runs going forward.
The hands are cleaned and bandaged now, but are stinging a little. Getting them cleaned and bandaged was a bit of an ordeal. They will probably sting for a while yet.
I am including photos of both my left and right hand, taken shortly after the fall (just after I finished the run), so the blood looks very fresh, like I had just murdered someone. The photos are behind spoilers, for obvious reasons. This looks worse than my previous tripping incident: Run 449: Foot meets tree root, tree root wins
NOTE: Bloody hands
Left handRight hand
The scene of the crime.
Stats:
Run 906 Average pace: 5:53/km Training status: Strained Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 1:47 p.m. Distance: 2.51 km Time: 14:47 Weather: Cloudy, some sprinkles Temp: 5°C Humidity: 90% Wind: light BPM: 149 Weight: 166.0 Total distance to date: 6,387.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (157.5/284/441.5)
For the first time in a week, I convinced myself to run outdoors, in nature and stuff. It was just past noon by the time I started, but thanks to chilly low clouds, it still felt like early morning. I wore my running pants and while shorts might have been fine, I didn’t feel overdressed.
I opted to start the week gently on the river trail, and my first lap was surprisingly swift at 5:31/km. I quickly ran out of proverbial steam, falling to 5:41, then 5:44 before picking up the pace and eventually ending where I started at 5:31/km. My overall was 5:37/km, which is perfectly cromulent. My BPM was 150, which is also fine.
There were a few people on the trail, but not many dogs. I don’t think I saw any on the trail. I did see two Great blue herons, but they were hanging out on the river, not the trail.
Overall, a good start to the week. It was nice to run outside and not get rained on. I will savour it while it lasts.
Post-run: Another shot of the river, but with bonus heron hanging out.
Stats:
Run 905 Average pace: 5:37/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 12:02 p.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:13 Weather: Low cloud Temp: 6-7°C Humidity: 79% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 168.6 Total distance to date: 6,385 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (155/280/435)
Once again, I hemmed, I hawed, then it was too late to do a proper outdoor run, so I got on the treadmill and wrapped up my run inside less than 15 minutes before the sun set (if the sun had been out today). It is already getting dark.
The main reason for the H&H was the weather. It was chilly in the morning–about 4-5C, but I can dress for that. It was drizzly, but promised to be merely “mostly cloudy” later, but seemed to stay kind of drizzly. For running, drizzle is worse than rain because it is finer and mists over my glasses, making it hard to see. I did not relish facing the combo of cold and drizzle.
So I hit the treadmill again, so at least I was good and did my exercise. The only change was not ramping up the speed in the last km. This resulted in me having a faster pace at the end. Go figure.
I ended up with a faster pace than last time, but lower BPM, so that’s nice. Now I rest.
Stats:
Run 904 (treadmill)
Speed: 9.0 (9.0-9.3) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 5:38/km (5:41/km) Time: 28:19 (28:39) Distance: 5.03 km (5.04 km) Calories burned: 330 (338) BPM: 140 (142)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
More stats (the only stat changed is total distance):
Run 902 Average pace: 5:34/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 10:04 a.m. Distance: 5.04 km Time: 28:01 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 5°C Humidity: 86-83% Wind: light BPM: 153 Weight: 168.0 Total distance to date: 6,380 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (150/277/427)
I accidentally overslept this morning. Having extra-refreshed myself, I dithered all morning and finally got changed for an early afternoon run, then dithered some more and finally it was too late before it gets dark (the sun sets at 4:19 today), so I just did a treadmill run again.
As this is the third in a row, I have decided to increment the run total on my outdoor run workouts, since I’m putting in roughly the same effort and distance on the treadmill.
The one disadvantage to the treadmill, other than being not nearly as interesting and varied as running outside, is I miss anywhere from 3 to 13 km of walking to and from where I run, which adds up! Perhaps I will step outside before dinner to touch a tree. In the meantime, stats!
I think the slower pace, longer time, lower BPM and calorie burn can all be attributed to how I started the run. On the previous run, I started the treadmill on a slower walking pace, then ramped up and only started timing the run once it was up to its max speed of 9. Today, I started the treadmill (when you push the start button, it defaults to moving at Speed 1), then pressed the Speed 9 button and started timing right after. I’m not sure how long it takes to go from 1 to 9, but my initial lap was 5:46/km and subsequent laps were all around 5:33-5:36 (except for the last one, see below).
Strangely, I tried ramping the speed up for the final lap again, to 9.3 (faster than previously) but still ended up slower. I’m not sure how I can run slower when setting the treadmill to move faster, but maybe I don’t understand physics. Or it’s just a hint to go back outside. Which I will totally do on Wednesday!
Stats:
Speed: 9.0-9.3 (9.0-9.2) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 5:41/km (5:35/km) Time: 28:39 (28:07) Distance: 5.04 km (5.03 km) Calories burned: 338 (347) BPM: 142 (149)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
More stats (the only stats changed are total distance and the run stats for the shoes):
Run 902 Average pace: 5:34/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 10:04 a.m. Distance: 5.04 km Time: 28:01 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 5°C Humidity: 86-83% Wind: light BPM: 153 Weight: 168.0 Total distance to date: 6,375 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (165/277/427)
It doesn’t happen too often these days, but I again found myself short of my 10,000 steps daily goal and I have stinkin’ badges to earn.
I decided a 2 km walk on the treadmill would do the trick (it did), but ended up running for the second km (albeit at a slower speed of 8, rather than 9), which means I am growing increasingly tolerant of running on the treadmill. Probably a good thing with temperatures starting to get colder and the possibility of the “s” word getting higher.
The second km pace was 5:41/km, which is not bad for a planned walk.
Stats:
Speed: 6.7-8.0 (9.0-9.2) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 7:26/km (5:35/km) Time: 15:04 (28:07) Distance: 2.03 km (5.03 km) Calories burned: 159 (347) BPM: 127 (149)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
Brunette River, pre-walk. Brightness before the next storm.
I went out to stretch my legs this afternoon and ended up walking to the lake. Since I was there, I figured why not make it an exercise walk coming back. So I did.
Since I wasn’t dressed for running, I didn’t do any running, but as a strict walk, my pace was pretty perky at 9:00/km. The weather was mild and cloudy, and it seems I just beat the incipient showers by the time I got back.
I took a lot of photos on the way to the lake, where I found the water fountain has been locked up for the winter (and probably a good chunk of early spring, if history repeats), but there were still some nice leaves here and there providing colour.
In all, a pleasant and unexpected bit of exercise.
Stats:
Walk 129 Average pace: 9:00/km Location: Brunette River trail Distance: 4.02 km Time: 36:14 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 9°C Humidity: 84% Wind: low BPM: 114 Weight: 168.6 pounds Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Total distance to date: 926.94 km
I mean, it looked windy outside, but it was probably 50-50 on it being strong enough for flying debris. Despite mild temperatures and no rain, I opted for another treadmill run.
It as the same as the last one, except I bumped the speed up from 9 to 9.1, then 9.2 for the last quarter km or so. Ironically, my pace slowed down. So much for science!
My overall performance was better, though, with a stronger start and more consistent overall pace.
I don’t want to do something crazy like get used to running on the treadmill, so I will probably try to run outdoors next time. I’m also curious to see if the fountain remains open because I get curious about weird little things like that.
Stats:
Speed: 9.0-9.2 (9.0) Incline: 1 (1)
Pace: 5:35/km (5:47/km) Time: 28:07 (29:08) Distance: 5.03 km (5.03 km) Calories burned: 347 (355) BPM: 149 (148)
Parenthetical numbers are from the previous treadmill run.
