I decided to go out for a walk on the river trail, and so I wouldn’t be bothered getting hot ‘n sweaty, I dressed to run. I even pondered a short run, but it was mid-afternoon on a Sunday and opted not to.
I walked to the lake but stopped to take a few photos, so did not record it as exercise. The walk back I did record, the stats are below.
Here are the photos:
Brunette RiverBurnaby Lake, just west of Cariboo DamA leaf on the river trail, getting way ahead of itself
Stats:
Walk 132 Average pace: 9:09/km Location: Brunette River trail Distance: 4.02 km Time: 36:43 Weather: Sunny Temp: 22°C Humidity: 50% Wind: light BPM: 109 Weight: 168.1 pounds Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Total distance to date: 939.01 km
I missed Wednesday’s run for reasons, so had three days of rest going into today’s jog. Would the time off help or hinder? Either was possible!
It turns out it probably didn’t matter, because the important part was the weather–it was cloudy and only 14C, which is near-perfect running conditions. I opted to start out with a little more pep and ended with a flourish–my final lap was 5:28/km. My overall pace was 5:40/km, almost 20 seconds better than Monday’s run. My BPM was a bit higher, at 154, but given the effort, it’s understandable.
Also, I did not encounter any issues, despite the speedier effort. I also didn’t run into any bad luck, given that it’s Friday the 13th.
What I did run into were birds. I saw a strangely large number of birds. At one point, crossing a field post-run after using the drinking fountain by the playground, a barn swallow circled me a few times, flying low over the grass, his wings scissoring effortlessly through the air. In all, I saw:
American crow
American robin
Barn swallow
Canada goose
European starling
Rock pigeon
Mourning dove
Northern flicker
Song sparrow
Spotted towhee
Probably others I am forgetting
Anyway, it was a good way to end the week.
Looking south across the lake from the viewing platform, post-run.
Stats:
Run 932 Average pace: 5:40/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 9:33 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 38:32 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 14°C Humidity: 73% Wind: light BPM: 154 Weight: 167.8 Total distance to date: 6,495 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (90/184/274)
Success on both counts, woo. Although my first three km were all around the six-minute mark, I finished stronger and barely slipped under, for an overall pace of 5:59/km. BPM was 152, which felt right, given it was a little warmer.
But not too warm, as I again began my run before 9 a.m. It got up to 20C during the run, which is fine.
There were no complications during the run, though there was a bizarrely high number of people with dogs in the first km or so, like everyone had decided to all go out at the same time. All the dogs were on leash and well-behaved, though.
And I got my first full-on look at a garter snake this spring, as it slithered directly across the trail in front of me, probably deciding to book it when it sensed me approaching, which was maybe not the best idea, because I had to dodge a bit to avoid stepping on it.
After the run, I saw this sign warning of bears with superior eyesight:
Overall, a good start to the week. Temperatures should be a bit more seasonal for the remainder of the week, but I’m going to keep in the habit of heading out early.
Still Creek, post-run, looking west.
Stats:
Run 931 Average pace: 5:59/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 8:56 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 30:06 Weather: Sunny Temp: 19-20°C Humidity: 77-73% Wind: light BPM: 152 Weight: 168.4 Total distance to date: 6,490 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (85/171/256)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: early morning calm.
When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to see my Garmin watch was telling me it was a Rest Day. It will normally do this on a day after a run, but i did not run yesterday. I later realized it was likely due to my body battery being low. Two nights ago my sleep score was 57/100 (poor) and last night it was 68 (fair), meaning the ol’ body battery hadn’t recharged that much due to bad sleep.
As I started today’s run, it once again reminded me it was a rest day and only suggested making the run short and low intensity. Previously, I had decided that when my watch told me it was a Rest Day, I would obey it. OBEY THE MACHINE, and all that. Today, I really wanted to get out and run, so I compromised by running a full 5K, but doing so at a much more casual pace.
That pace ended up being 6:11/km, with every km being over the six-minute mark. And that’s fine. Somewhat amusingly, this much slower pace was achieved at the exact same BPM (151) as Wednesday’s run, which was 19 seconds faster on average. Due to this more casual gait, I did not experience any issues or complications. There was a sign early on warning of a mower ahead and when I came to the intersection between the regular trail and the Piper Mill Trail, I opted for the former, because it would be easier, and maybe I’d avoid the mower.
I did avoid the mower, in that I never saw it at all while completing a full loop around the lake. I have no idea where it went.
The trail was relatively quiet as I got off to my earliest start of the year, beginning my run at 8:46 a.m. This allowed me to beat the proverbial heat, as it stayed 17C for the entire run, and the sun was only notable along the Cottonwood Trail. On the walk back, around the 9-10 km stretch the number of people increased significantly. Maybe that’s peak walking time or something.
Anyway, it was a decent run. I don’t feel bad about adopting a slower pace and was even surprised (in a good way) when at the end the watch declared my training status as Productive and not what I was fearing (Overreaching). This afternoon, I rest!
View of the lake looking northeast, post-run. The liy pads have asserted their annual dominance.
Stats:
Run 930 Average pace: 6:11/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 8:46 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 31:03 Weather: Sunny Temp: 17°C Humidity: 78-76% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 167.6 Total distance to date: 6,485 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (80/158/238)
I got off to an even earlier start today, with the run beginning at exactly 9:30 a.m. It was cloudy, which was nice for the run, and stayed relatively humid.
I didn’t see many people until post-run, likely due to the early start, which was also nice.
My start was fine, at 5:49/km, but I was mildly alarmed when I slipped to 6:00/km for the second km, and made an effort to go a bit faster after, finishing with an average of 5:52/km, a few seconds slower than Monday, but also with a lower BPM. Overall, no issues and the run went well.
I am contemplating a 7.5 km run soon™, but want to get my average pace down a bit more, since this will add roughly 15 minutes to my current run time. Still, I suppose it’s a good sign that I’m even thinking of this.
Onto Friday next.
Bridge over Still Creek, post-run.
Stats:
Run 929 Average pace: 5:52/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 9:30 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:29 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 16°C Humidity: 76-73% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 166.0 Total distance to date: 6,480 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (75/145/220)
I got an earlier start today and slapped on the ol’ sunscreen. The conditions were near ideal–mild, some high cloud, and I felt decent starting out, once again at a slightly more relaxed pace.
The good news is I was under the six-minute mark for each km and improved my post-stomach virus average to 5:50/km. By the fifth km, I was starting to feel a little bit tired, but in retrospect it’s because I was pressing so hard to keep from flagging that my pace for the final lap was 5:39/km. Nice!
Overall, no issues on the run, not as many people out, likely due to the earlier start, and generally, it went well. As my pace improves, I’ll begin planning an eventual increase to 7.5 km, which I’ll probably do twice, then make the leap to 10K, hopefully without any body parts exploding, imploding, falling off or swelling up.
Also, a little way after finishing the run, I saw a cute bunny noshing on grass on the side of the trail. I guess it was so consumed (!) by the food that it was unmoved by my presence, so I got a picture (it’s not a great picture, but it’s recognizably bunny):
Overall, a good start to the week. Here’s hoping I am not further plagued by misadventures and can just, you know, go for runs every other day like a normal, healthy human being.
Still Creek, post-run.
Stats:
Run 928 Average pace: 5:50/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:44 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:22 Weather: Sun with high cloud Temp: 15-16°C Humidity: 71-67% Wind: light BPM: 152 Weight: 168.9 Total distance to date: 6,475 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (70/132/202)
I had no particular goal today, except to hopefully be faster than Tuesday–and I was!
With my BPM edging up only slightly to 151, I managed to shave 13 seconds off Tuesday’s pace and come in under six minutes, at 5:58/km. Not bad. The second km was the only one over six minutes, but as on Tuesday, I improved on the stretch.
I opted to go clockwise and apparently the resurfacing has moved over to the Freeway Trail, as I didn’t have to detour at all, which was a nice bonus. The weather forecast had it as mostly sunny and a high of 24, so for the first time this year, I slapped on some sunblock before heading out.
It turned out to be 18 and cloudy. Still, better safe than sorry. It was still humid enough to stave off any dry mouth and for the most part, the run was comfortable, with no issues. At one point I ingested a piece of cottonwood dander, which is suboptimal, but at least we’re no longer seeing giant clouds of the stuff.
Around the 3 km mark, I was approaching a bend in the trail and saw on the opposite side a tan-coloured dog. A moment later my brain corrected this to coyote, but it was adopting a very passive posture, so I just keep jogging. As I got nearer, it turned and casually walked just far enough off the trail to be tucked in the brush, but still visible. It watched me pass and probably re-emerged shortly after. It looked kind of mangy, but I’m not sure if that’s because they shed in the warmer months or because it was malnourished or something. I kind of felt bad for it. I’m not sure how much they have to eat around the lake. Plus, you can’t go far without bumping into people, which must be annoying for them. I mean, I’m annoyed by people.
Speaking of people, there were more than a few today and some were doing weird things, like crowding on the boardwalk and not making room or, as I approached from behind, splitting and forcing me to run between them (this is bad for several reasons). I also had to dodge around an off-leash dog. Despite these things, I remained unperturbed and maintained my zen.
In all, a good run to end the week.
Still Creek, post-run, with bonus crow.
Stats:
Run 927 Average pace: 5:58/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 10:34 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 30:00 (the watch said 29:58, so it must have rounded up later) Weather: Cloudy Temp: 18°C Humidity: 58% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 167.2 Total distance to date: 6,470 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (65/119/184)
A week ago I had a great run, with a good pace. I was hitting my stride. I noticed my stomach felt a bit funny as I walked home, but didn’t think much of it at the time.
By 8 p.m. I was violently ill.
Gruesome details of illness
I threw up the entire contents of my stomach. Trust me, I know it was everything. I followed this by thoroughly ejecting everything in my bowels. It was a very thorough experience.
Today was my first run (I skipped yesterday because I felt I was not quite ready and also tomorrow, which is a normal run day, is supposed to be weirdly hot, so I’m doing Tues/Thur instead of Mon/Wed) since then, so I approached with a bit of caution. The plan was to take it easy, which I did.
In fact, I found the first km downright pleasant and discovered that was likely due to a leisurely pace of 6:15/km. I then dipped further to 6:19/km before finally finding a little more mojo and finished thusly:
6:13
6:08
6:00
This gave me an average of 6:11/km, which is very slow, but fine. I didn’t want to push. My BPM was lower, too, at only 149. The weather was sunny, but pleasantly so, and it was humid enough to avoid DMS1Dry Mouth Syndrome.
The resurfacing is continuing apace, and the detour on the Freeway Trail is much shorter now (I ran CCW, so was unaffected for the jogging part). They’ll likely switch from the Southshore Trail to the Freeway Trail soon, as they were patching potholes on the latter.
There were a decent number of people on the trail, as the weather was quite nice, including one naughty cyclist riding along the sports fields. A guy was walking ahead of me, post-run, and I angled myself a bit to force the cyclist over to the edge of the trail. He noticed this, as he muttered about mew not getting out of his way as he rode past. I informed him that cycling was not allowed on the trail. Hopefully he got attacked by the geese further up.
But in all, a rather pleasant run and a nice return.
The view just before the bridge at Deer Lake Brook, post-run.
Stats:
Run 926 Average pace: 6:11/km Training status: Peaking Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 10:33 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 31:05 Weather: Sunny Temp: 16-17°C Humidity: 58% Wind: light BPM: 149 Weight: 167.3 Total distance to date: 6,465 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (60/106/166)
I missed my usual Monday run (this is not becoming a pattern, I swear!), but like with Friday’s missed run, made up for it by going out the next day.
The forecast was around a 50% chance of light rain, but it didn’t look too bad, so I gambled and went out wearing just the usual t-shirt and shorts. It actually turned out to be partly sunny, so my gamble paid off, woo. Once I got to the lake, I opted to go clockwise, then remembered the detour on the Southshore Trail due to resurfacing…and went, anyway.
My first km was 5:49/km, which is not bad, but not fast. I felt fine, though, so just kept motoring along. My watch gave me a +7 on conditions for the run, which is possibly the highest it’s ever been. I was skeptical, but intrigued.
The second km was also 5:49/km, which is definitely a good sign. Shortly after this, I had to divert onto the Freeway Trail. The detour lasted a little over a km and I made it back onto the Southshore Trail just before the second boardwalk. My pace was 5:48–slightly faster!
By the time I was nearing the 4 km mark, I was feeling a little tired. I made a deal with myself: If my pace was slower, I’d briefly pause to rest, then continue. But my pace was 5:43/km–faster still! So I kept going, pushed a bit and ended with a final lap of 5:37/km, the first time I’ve gotten below 5:40 in a while. My overall pace was 5:46/km, eight seconds better than Saturday.
No issues experienced, though the lake was kind of overflowing, forcing me to divert slightly to avoid a few mega-puddles that had formed on the trail. Since it was an early afternoon run, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of crowds, but it was overall pretty quiet, likely due to the morning showers.
Overall, a good run. I attribute my success to the soothing stylings of The Moody Blues’ album Long Distance Voyager, which I listened to for the run.
Bridge over Still Creek, up close, post-run.
Stats:
Run 925 Average pace: 5:46/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 1:10 p.m. Distance: 5.02 km Time: 28:58 Weather: Mostly cloudy Temp: 13°C Humidity: 72-69% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 150 Weight: 172.8 Total distance to date: 6,460 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (55/93/148)
A weird Saturday run because I was just too lazy to run yesterday. That’s it, no good excuse!
I knew today would be soggy, so I opted to run the river trail, to reduce overall drenching time. As I got to the trail, I briefly considered going to the lake, because it was only lightly spitting, but figured that was a good way to insure a downpour. So the river trail it was.
I started strong at 5:45/km, but on the second km I dropped all the way to 6:05/km. I silently said a George Takei-style “Oh my” to myself, then…ran exactly 6:05/km for the third lap.
This could not stand. Also, I wasn’t sure why I was being such a laggard. I picked up the pace to 5:51/km then finished with 5:40/km, bringing my overall pace to 5:54/km, which is better than Wednesday, so I’m calling it good.
I also had another Crotch Incident™ with the shorts, but this time I was able to make the required adjustments without needing to stop. My left foot also felt a bit crampy, but this is unrelated to running, as it was feeling stiff and crampy last night, too. I assume imps are beating and twisting it at night while I sleep.
Conditions were otherwise decent. It was mild, with little wind, and the rain consisted mostly of some sprinkles to start, then was mostly just cloudy later, with the sun poking out just for a few moments at the very end. The earlier rain meant there was both puddle and slug dodging. There was some people dodging, too, but not too many people were out.
Overall, a good, if late, finish for the week.
The river, post-run: Lush and bright.
Stats:
Run 924 Average pace: 5:54/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 131 p.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:38 Weather: Cloudy, some drizzle Temp: 13°C Humidity: 83% Wind: light BPM: 152 Weight: 171.7 Total distance to date: 6,455 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (50/80/130)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Cool and cloudy, just the way I like it (during late spring and summer)
I headed out a little later than intended, but still safely ensconced in the morning hours, plus as a bonus, it was cloudy and cool (for running, this is a legit bonus).
I opted to run counter-clockwise and started near the fountain by the dam, instead of the 0K marker. This saved me from having a prominent hill to climb up right near the beginning of the run. This turned out to be wise, as my energy level was a tad low.
I missed Monday’s run for reasons (pretty good reasons, really!) but this meant I’d had six days off since my last run, which is about three more than I’d like. I felt the time off.
The good news is that despite having three km just over the six-minute mark, I still came in under, at 5:57/km, thanks to a decent-ish start and a finish where I put in a little extra effort.
I had only one notable issue during the run, just over 2 km in: my shorts started chafing around the crotch. This is not a good place for chafing! I paused the run for a few moments to adjust and it seemed fine after, but it was weird. I don’t like weird on my runs, unless it’s something like someone else jogging up beside me to give me a cheque for a million dollars or something. That is the kind of weird I can handle.
The only other issue was post-run, and it was steering clear of these guys, who popped out onto the trail just as I approached:
In all, a not bad effort for mid-week and the time off. I look forward to the time when running 5Ks feel “easy” again.
Still Creek, post-run.
Stats:
Run 923 Average pace: 5:57/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 10:53 a.m. Distance: 5.02 km Time: 29:57 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 12-13°C Humidity: 80-76% Wind: light BPM: 154 Weight: 171.9 Total distance to date: 6,450 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (45/75/120)
Admittedly, the new socks aren’t particularly noticeable. The new shorts are the latest iteration of the Nike Stride Dri-Fit running shorts I wear. They have changed again since I last bought a pair:
They now offer a compression short liner, which I did not opt for. I do not want to wear tight-fitting shorts under my loose-fitting shorts.
The zippered pocket is now in the back (it used to be in the back before, so this is actually a regression to how it used to be placed).
It has little reflective lines on the back, near the bottom, for improved visibility.
The drawstring now hangs out the front instead of being tucked inside. I do not like this and have already yanked the drawstring back inside the shorts.
Other than these changes, they’re pretty much running shorts. The zipper feels much smoother and the fabric has that nice new fabric feel to it. Maybe they made me faster, because I shaved five seconds off my previous pace.
The big change, of course, was going out in the morning. It was cooler and I started out (and finished) much stronger than the previous run, with no stops along the way and no individual km over the six-minute mark.
A tendon on my right knee feel a little hinky to start, but it settled quickly and is not an issue now. I otherwise experienced no problems. For a brief time, I even felt kind of good!
My BPM was up to 155, but it maxed out at 160, so I’m not concerned. I definitely felt I was putting in more effort.
Mini poopmonsters are all over the place now, though they were not actually on the trail itself today, which is handy for avoiding getting chased/hissed at by an adult.
Also, the bears are apparently back:
Anyway, a nice way to round out the week.
Still Creek, looking east. Very still, much creek.
Stats:
Run 922 Average pace: 5:51/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 10:26 a.m. Distance: 5.02 km Time: 29:24 Weather: Sun and high cloud Temp: 14-15°C Humidity: 56-54% Wind: light BPM: 155 (max. 160) Weight: 172.4 Total distance to date: 6,445 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (40/62/102)
