Exercise – Page 21 – creolened.com

Hooray for new running shoes (2023 edition)

August 16, 2023

After some years, I have returned to the goat.

Specifically, the Speedgoat trail runners, made by HOKA (they like their name to appear SHOUTY). These are the Series 5, and unlike the last pair, they did not come with a note inside the box stating the colours would leech into whatever socks you wear with them.

Here they are lovingly placed next to my current shoes, the Saucony Peregrine 12s:

Ragged and worn on top, snazzy and new on the bottom

I would normally grumble about having to get new shoes, except:

The Peregrines have actually lasted about as long as one might expect
I’ve been wanting to get shoes with more cushioning for the last few months, anyway. The Peregrines are Super Neutral¹ when it comes to cushioning.

As I skipped my usual run today to get the shoes (though I did walk about 50 blocks to pick them up, which must have burned a few calories), my tentative plan is to run tomorrow. Checking ye olde weather forecast, the Apple weather app is calling for a high of 28, which is not much cooler than what we’ve been experiencing, but it’s still a little cooler and will be cooler still if I head out in the morning. Hopefully the new shoes will be a delight. At this point I don’t even care if they turn my socks blue, orange and yellow.

Run 797: Shirtless (not me)

August 14, 2023

Here’s how the temperature went this morning:

Wake up: 18C. This is the overnight low.
Head out for run: 22C
Start run: 24C
End run: 25C
Get back from run: 28C

In other words, in less than three hours, the temperature has gone up 10 degrees. It is hot.

I headed out early, though perhaps not quite as early as I’d have liked, but I need my beauty sleep! Still, it was before 10 a.m. and not too bad when I started, but there was very little breeze, which is good for Dry Mouth Syndrome, but not really good otherwise. The sun beat down on me for almost the entirety of the Cottonwood Trail. The humidity was relatively high.

It felt like it was taking a lot more effort to produce worse results. Still, I can’t be too disappointed. I am still recovering my form and my knees (a tiny bit stiff, but otherwise fine). My left hip acted up on the walk to the lake again, but for the run didn’t seem to be a factor. Taking these things into account, I can’t be too piqued by a slovenly pace of 6:10/km and a BPM of 156.

A few other people were also out jogging. One of them ahead of me was wearing a blue t-shirt and white shorts. I lost track of him for a few minutes when the trail got bendy, but when it straightened out, he had taken his short off. Hubba hubba. Would it provide incentive to keep me going, to close the gap? He was not running fast. For a time I was edging slightly closer, but when we hit the Cottonwood Trail I felt my energy start to drain away, and he pulled a bit ahead. With his shirt off and his long white shorts, he looked like a boxer trying to find the fight. My luck turned when he stopped at the bridge over Still Creek. I got full opportunity to ogle up close. He rated about half a hubba hubba. A hub.

After the run I supped from every available fountain. Here’s how I rate them:

Fountain by the playground at the athletic field: Shoots water about a km out, but the button is super stiff, so it takes an unusual amount of effort to press and hold. Fountain also sits in sun all day so water always starts out hot. 6/10.
Fountain by dam. Shade much of the day so water cools quickly, but flow is so weak you almost have to perform mouth-to-mouth on the fountain to get a drink. 6.5/10.
Fountain at Hume Park, near the water play area. It’s the perfect height for adults, has good flow and the water isn’t piping hot to start. 9/10.

Also, right near the end of the run, I passed another guy running shirtless. He was a hubba. Curiously, he was doing these weird spinning movements before setting off, which reminded me of a boxer.

Overall, the run kind of went as expected, maybe a little worse. Conditions look to be the same on Wednesday, so I’ll see if I can set out earlier.

View of Still Creek and bridge, post-run

Stats:

Run 797
Average pace: 6:10/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:48 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:59
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-25ºC
Humidity: 69-64%
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Weight: 166.7
Total distance to date: 5865 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (535 km)

Run 796: Knees hold up, shoes say hello to all the gravel

August 11, 2023August 11, 2023

Conditions were back to normal, so I slathered on the sunblock before heading out today, though I skipped the water bottle, as humidity was still sufficiently high (and remained so for the duration). I opted to go clockwise and started stronger than expected with an opening pace of 5:45/km. This fixed itself shortly after. 😛

I was somewhat concerned going in, but not because of the knees. My left hip was acting up just walking to the lake, but it actually didn’t prove to be a factor in the run. Various tendons and muscles protested a bit during the run, mostly from stretching, I think, and as I type this the knees themselves seem to be holding up.

My shoes both have conveniently gravel-sized holes in them. The left one has a hole that is becoming more of a rift, and after the run I emptied a lot of small gravel from it. The right shoe has a single, smaller hole, yet a sizeable chunk of gravel managed to perfectly negotiate the hole and get under my foot. What I’m saying is it’s time for new shoes.

I felt okay during the run, though my pace dropped with each km, until I finally reversed in the last one and came in under at 5:55/km, a bit slow for the “easy” way, but I’ll take it. OTOH, my BPM was a mere 149, so maybe I was just slacking!

I saw a family of four on bikes post-run near the athletic fields. They were resting alongside the trail when I started my walk out, and I never saw them again, so maybe they did not actually attempt to further ride on the trail like the bad, very wrong people they were!

A few dogs were off-leash, too, but fortunately well-behaved. I guess it was Rules-free Friday or something. I also had to dodge both a guy with a weed whacker and another with a full-size mower thingie on a tractor. So much dodging.

Surprisingly, after the run, I had enough pep to keep up a decent walking pace. This is encouraging!

Anyway, the run was overall fine. Next week is looking to be very hot, and I am not looking forward to it, but we shall see.

Stats:

Run 796
Average pace: 5:55/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:05 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:43
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 64%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 167.0
Total distance to date: 5860 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (530 km)

Run 795: Slightly damp

August 9, 2023

Today’s run was a change-up, weather-wise. With the forecast ominously calling for “heavy rain” I expected a good soaking and indeed, it was showering as I headed out. But the rain soon tapered off to an intermittent drizzle, and it remained pretty much dry for the run itself.

Temperature-wise, it was a whopping 10 degrees cooler than Friday’s run, at 17C. This was nice. The humidity was literally twice as high, at 90%. This was…fine. It felt a bit muggy, but wasn’t that bad, and was definitely better than dreaded Dry mouth Syndrome.

I chose to do a short counter-clockwise loop at the lake and it went fine. My pace was improved on Friday, which was nice, and I came oh-so-close to getting under 6:00/km again. The knees behaved, though the left hip was acting ornery. It settled down on the walk back home.

The trail proved to be in good shape, despite the rain–no puddle dodging required!

Overall, not bad, especially considering I missed Monday’s run and had four days off–a little longer than I’d like.

Stats:

Run 795
Average pace: 6:00/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 11:41 a.m.
Distance: 5.04 km
Time: 30:15
Weather: Cloudy with some light drizzle
Temp: 17ºC
Humidity: 90%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 166.8
Total distance to date: 5855 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (525 km)

Run 794: Running on a hot afternoon is unsurprisingly not the best running experience

August 4, 2023

It still beats tripping on a tree root or falling over a dog, though.

I was doing stuff in the morning and kept thinking, “I need to get out and do my run before it gets hot” and all of a sudden it was past noon and oops.

It was just past 2 p.m. and 27C when I ran, which is the hottest it’s been in a while. Humidity was 45%, so I brought the water bottle. Oddly, though I sipped from it a few times during the run, my mouth never got super dry and at times it felt more humid than the numbers indicated. Weather is weird, yo.

But the hot sun had a definite effect, and I knew I was in for a slower run when my first km on the “easy” way around the lake was 5:59/km. My average heart rate was down to an even 150, though. I couldn’t muster the effort to raise it much beyond that, really.

While both knees came through fine, I did notice my upper left leg/hip was sore. It’s possible I may have tweaked a muscle in it before the run, maybe while stretching. I don’t think it’s serious, but it probably had some impact on the overall run, and was more noticeable on the walk home. My training status remains Productive, though!

At several points during the run I thought about pausing and taking a break, but kept putting it off and then the run was over, so that worked out. I’m no quitter, etc. etc.

I am tired, though. At least I have multiple days to rest now.

And I was finally able to take a photo of the new playground, because apparently no one wants to play when it’s 27C.

The fountain features SunBlast™ technology, to insure every drink is searing hot!

Stats:

Run 794
Average pace: 6:06/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 2:13 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:42
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 27ºC
Humidity: 45%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 168.2
Total distance to date: 5850 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (520 km)

Run 793: Now with pictures

August 3, 2023August 2, 2023

The right knee was fine.

But I again felt like the run was taking more effort than it should have. Temperature was fine, humidity should have been okay, starting at 56%–not too high, not too low. My BPM of 151 overall indicates I was not exerting myself too much–and yet for much of the run it felt like a bit of a slog. Am I just that much off my peak? Is the humidity being tricksy and affecting me more than I realize?

I may try running earlier in the morning on Friday to get some kind of comparison.

Given that my knee held up, I can’t complain too much. I did a short loop and the Garmin Forerunner approved, keeping my training status at Productive.

Overall, not bad, just…fine.

And now, a map to illustrate all the highlights (?):

If it’s easier, I run on the right side of the trail. Also, no matter how much you zoom in, you will not see the tractor. Sorry!

Stats:

Run 793
Average pace: 6:00/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop¹Short loop means I ran about half the distance, then doubled back to finish the run.)
Start: 11:10 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:10
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22-23ºC
Humidity: 56-52%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 166.3
Total distance to date: 5845 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (515 km)

Run 792: A tiny new route extension

July 31, 2023

Knees: I felt the right knee twinge a bit in the latter part of the run, but it wasn’t hurting, and I don’t think it impacted my performance. As I write this an hour or so later, the knee is feeling fine.

After Saturday’s mega-birding trek, my upper right leg/hip started to feel sore and while it began feeling better through Sunday, I was still unsure on whether I’d run today. This morning, however, I felt fine, so headed off for a minimalist river run¹. Conditions were good—sunny but not hot and humidity exactly the same at 53%, which meant my mouth wouldn’t get overly dry. I brought the water bottle and used it twice, though could possibly have skipped it.

And even though my average pace was back below 6:00/km, I felt weirdly sluggish and tired for the run. I wasn’t overly exerting myself–my BPM was down to 149 for large portions of the run, so I’m not sure what it was. In any case, I finished and overall it was okay, but not like socks-rolling-up-and-down fantastic or anything.

Regarding the tiny new route extension: When I run the river trail, I normally run past the gate at the end of the trail/service road and down the sidewalk to the intersection of Cariboo Road and Cariboo Place. Today, I daringly ran on past it, as detailed in the shot of the run map below. Why did I do this? Was I feeling extra zany? Trying to escape, somehow? Blazing a new trail? I think I secretly wanted to end the run a bit earlier, so I wouldn’t have as far to walk back. In reality, the distance would still be about the same, but psychologically it would feel like less. The mind is a strange place.

I will ponder what to do on Wednesday.

Stats:

Run 792
Average pace: 5:56/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:15 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:49
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 53%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 167.3
Total distance to date: 5840 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (510 km)

Run 791: It’s kind of the humidity

July 28, 2023

I headed out today a bit later than I would have liked, and with humidity around 53%, decided to bring the water bottle.

But first, the knees! They were a tiny bit stiff after the run, and on the walk home, but not overly so, and for the run itself they were fine. I will monitor over the weekend, then decide whether to go ahead with Monday’s run or not. At this point, I expect to go.

OK, back to the run. As it turned out, the DMS¹ was minimal and I only sipped from the bottle once, around the 2K mark. I think I would have been fine without it, but if the humidity had been even a few percentage points lower, I’d have been pining for it. Noted for future reference.

I took the “easy” clockwise route and the first two km were under six minutes, but not by a lot. It was hotter and I felt like I was working harder and getting less out of it. The trend continued as every km I got slower, though my heart rate was a nice 151. I turned it around on the last km, where my pace picked up, but not enough to end with an overall of 6:05/km. Based on how much of a slog it felt like, I’m actually OK with that.

Overall, not exactly the fantastic end-of-week flourish I was hoping for, but it was perfectly adequate.

Stats:

Run 791
Average pace: 6:05/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:30 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:35
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24ºC
Humidity: 53%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 167.1
Total distance to date: 5835 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (505 km)

Run 790: Witnessing the two-phone run

July 26, 2023

Today I did the full deal–run around the lake (5K) and walk back.

My right knee again survived!

I kept my pace in check, but still managed to come in under the six-minute mark, even running the “hard” way (CCW) around the lake. Conditions were decent–only some sun, but no threat of rain and humidity was high enough to mostly avoid dry mouth, though it did get drier as the run progressed (but not much).

The most notable thing with my body were my various leg muscles again feeling the burn–this is normal, given I am still well off my peak after the 18-day layoff (and an even longer one in May). Here’s hoping everything keeps holding together, and I don’t need to break out the duct tape.

I also managed to keep my BPM down to 152, which was nice, given the lake trail is more strenuous than the river. Overall, I am content with the results.

Now, the two-phone thing: I have never used one of those straps that keeps your phone on your arm while running. Doctors and sporty health experts recommend against them, because they pout you slightly off balance. They also probably make you sweat like crazy. I’ve always used a SPI-belt™ to tuck my phone in a pouch around my waist. Currently, I swing the phone around, so it sits snug in the small of my back and it essentially disappears for the run.

Today, a guy wearing a bright red t-shirt jogged past me around the 3K mark. I didn’t mind, as I am still a long way off from being in shape enough to feel that competitive urge strike. Also, he wasn’t running a lot faster, so I was able to track him up to the 5K mark, where he stopped running. I also stopped and got a drink, which allowed him to resume running and I didn’t see him again.

But what I did see while he was running ahead of me for those 2 km was a phone strapped to his left arm. And another phone strapped to his right arm. Dual phones! I’ve never seen this before. It looked heavy and awkward and sweaty. Why would someone do this? These are the possibilities I came up with:

One phone was a dummy phone, there to provide counterbalance to the other
Personal phone on one arm, work phone on the other (a friend suggested this one)
Couldn’t decide between Android and iOS
Other phone was actually an old school iPod
Each phone was playing in mono, when combined they play in stereo!
Extremely paranoid about main phone failing during a run
Trying to start a kooky new fashion trend

View of the lake around the 5K mark, post-run

Stats:

Run 790
Average pace: 5:56/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:40 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:49
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 19-20ºC
Humidity: 65%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 166.4
Total distance to date: 5830 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (500 km)

Run 789: Oh the humidity (but in a good way)

July 24, 2023

For the first time in awhile, the forecast called for showers. In fact, the weather app even said heavy rain. Gasp! As it turns out, they also predicted a lull in late morning/early afternoon, which is when I ran, and it remained dry. The titular humidity was high, but without the sun beating down on me, it didn’t feel overbearing, it just meant no DMS¹.

I still go out every run concerned about the right knee, but again, it was fine. In fact, my first km was a zippy 5:46/km. This alarmed me and I went wildly in the other direction for the next one before generally averaging a pace under 6:00/km, the first time I’ve done that in some time. The lower temperature and cloud cover helped.

Also helping was keeping this a minimal run–head to the river trail (1.5 km walk) and then immediately run 5K, then turn around and come back. Oddly, even the walk there, which takes about 15 minutes, yielded an Overachieving for my training status, even though the watch had suggested a 36-minute workout. Technology!

I’m just glad my body appears to be no longer actively falling apart for the moment.

Next run should be on Wednesday, when we’re back to a mix of sun and clouds, though still cooler than normal.

Stats:

Run 789
Average pace: 5:52/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 1:25 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:31
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 17ºC
Humidity: 79%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 165.8
Total distance to date: 5825 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (495 km)

Run 788: My body only weighs 40 tons!

July 21, 2023July 21, 2023

First, the knee: It’s fine! No issues while running and none after. The legs were a bit sore after the run, in all the muscles that are part of my stretching routine. At one point coming back on the river trail, the knees felt like they were getting stiff, but it passed.

Now, for the run. I checked the weather beforehand, and it showed humidity at 46%. Ruh roh! I took the water bottle, but when I got to the lake and checked again, the humidity was 65%, so I didn’t need it. Who knew New West and Burnaby could be so dramatically different? The earlier start also meant the temperature stayed at a comfy 21C throughout.

Although I’m still averaging over six minutes per km, I did lop off a full eight seconds from Wednesday’s pace, which was nice. I ran the “easier” way by going clockwise (it trends more downhill this way). Other than almost breaking 6:00/km on the first km, I was pretty consistent throughout, which was also nice. I didn’t flag at the end or in the middle.

This was the first run where I had audio on for the Garmin Forerunner and it lowers the volume on music, then announces in a somewhat robotic-sounding female voice, “Lap x, 0:00” where the numbers are your pace for the lap. This means I don’t need to look at the watch at all, except to check my heart rate. Speaking of heart rate, the better conditions today allowed me to be faster while maintaining the same BPM as Wednesday, at 156.

I may come to regret doing the “full deal” by going all the way around the lake, but I have at least two full days to recover before my next run, so here’s hoping the legs and all parts therein behave and recover nicely. For now, I am pleased with today’s result.

Stats:

Run 788
Average pace: 6:07/km
>NEW< Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:26 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:44
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 65-61%
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Weight: 166.5
Total distance to date: 5820 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (490 km)

Run 787: Why does my body weigh 80 tons?

July 19, 2023

My plan today was to go slow ‘n steady. I did this!

It was weird, because even though it was slightly cooler and humidity was slightly higher, it felt a lot warmer, even with the occasional breeze kicking in. I chalk this up to the difference between the more open river trail vs. the much more sheltered and narrower lake trail. In short, I spent more time under direct sun.

I felt like I was plodding the entire way, as if I was running on Jupiter. At around the 3.5 km mark, I thought the right knee was going to act up, but it never really did. It feels fine now, post-run, but I’ll update this post if it feels sore or stiff later in the day.

On the one hand, even though I ran a full 5K, I improved on all my stats from the previous run–better pace, lower BPM. On the other hand, I felt like a lumbering sea lion. All that time off really adds up.

As far as DMS¹ goes, I experienced what I’d call minor DMS. I took my water bottle with me, but ended up not clipping it to the belt, because the belt has lost enough elasticity that the bottle sags and pulls it down. I kept it in my left pocket, and it wasn’t obtrusive for running, even when full. I did take one sip mid-run, but was fine otherwise, so the apparent bad zone for DMS starts when the humidity drops somewhere below 50%.

Overall, it was nice to complete a full 5 km run with my knee and body intact. I think I made the right call sticking to the river trail today. I’ll mull over the options for Friday, when the weather may be a bit cooler.

Stats:

Run 787
Average pace: 6:15/km
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 10:53 a.m.
Distance: 5.04 km
Time: 31:27
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25-26ºC
Humidity: 54-52%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 156
Weight: 166.4
Total distance to date: 5815 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (485 km)