Exercise

Run 477: Running to stand still (two nights in a row)

Run 477
Average pace: 6:06/km
Location: Canada Games Pool (treadmill)
Distance: 4.81 km
Time: 29:22
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Wind: n/a
BPM: 163
Stride: n/a
Weight: 163.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3775 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPod nano (for music) and Matrix treadmill (for running)

Feeling crazy I decided to do another treadmill run just 24 hours later. It was either that or sit and eat everything I could find. I’m still having a little trouble curbing the urge to stuff my face, though I’m getting better.

I made a few tweaks to my setup. I left the phone in the locker and swapped in my olde iPod nano for music. I last used it for a workout on September 23, 2014. I removed some old music, added some new music, synced and it was good to go. I also opted to just keep my Fitbit One in my shorts pocket instead of clipping it on because it’s not like there are dramatic sweeping movements made while jogging on a treadmill.

Despite all of my careful preparation I forgot to start the timer on the Workout app on the watch until about the 1:14 mark, so it recorded a little under 5 km. Alas.

It was also about that time that I noticed the fan was not working. The fans are mounted ahead and to the left of the machines so there is no way to reach them without stopping or pausing your workout, getting off the treadmill, making whatever adjustments, getting back on and essentially starting your jog over again (but not totally over). I left it and hoped for the best. The difference was noticeable. I was sweating sooner and felt hotter, but not the sexy kind of hot, just the “this is gross and uncomfortable” kind of hot. My mouth also got about as dry as a hotter summer run. I am going to bring a water bottle next time.

On the positive side, I improved in several respects. My BPM was down, from 166 to 163, and my pace dropped from 6:13/km to 6:06/km. Not bad for one day of progress.

My next trip to the pool will probably be back on the elliptical but I may whimsically change my mind and jog again. The elliptical is a more pleasant experience and though I burn fewer calories on it (unless I switch to Mountain Goat Mode or something that simulates stair-stepping up a cliff face) the difference isn’t enough to bother me.

While I like the relative convenience of having a fitness facility nearby that lets me get some exercise in, I miss being outside and running the trails. If you had told me that this winter I’d be unable to run due to snow for at least six weeks (and realistically I’m betting it will be closer to two months) I would have uttered a solid LOL in your general direction because that would be ridiculous. And yet here we are with a semi-permanent layer of crusty, ice-covered snow still all over the place.

Run 476: Dreadmill

Run 476
Average pace: 6:13/km
Location: Canada Games Pool (treadmill)
Distance: 5:15 km
Time: 32:08
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Wind: n/a
BPM: 165
Stride: n/a
Weight: 166.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3770 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone 6 (for music) and Matrix treadmill (for running)

And so it was that I returned to the Canada Games Pool for my second-ever treadmill run. I spent several minutes just standing on the thing trying to figure out all the options. I finally settled on choosing the 5K Run option and set the speed to 6 (out of 10? 100? I have no idea). I left the incline at 0 because running up hills is unfun when the hills are real so I doubt the experience is enhanced much on simulated hills.

It took me a bit to get to the point where I could let go of the handlebars and jog like I normally would. There’s that moment or two when you first let go and the treadmill is tugging away at your feet, wanting to throw you off like a hapless dolt on America’s Funniest Home Videos. And while I felt my feet shift slightly a few times I was pretty stable the rest of the way.

I still don’t like the treadmill. It captures the mechanic of running–moving your legs back and forth–but there’s none of the verve, the stuff that makes running enjoyable. Instead of seeing the scenery and experiencing an ever-shifting series of dips and curves and variety, you just keep moving in place on that rubber mat that forces you to literally go through the motions to avoid flying off.

My pace was way off but I’m not sure how accurately it reflects my usual running pace when I’m outside. I finished at 6:13/km, which is super-slow. On the other hand, my last run was on December 4th and a month+ of no jogging is going to have an effect.

I’ll try again with similar settings and see how the next pseudo-run compares. Going by the forecast it will probably be weeks still before I can begin running on trails again and then longer still to do it after work when there’s enough daylight.

Have I mentioned before that I’m ready for summer?

Running Update, January 8, 2017 (spoiler: no running)

There is still a wacky amount of snow on the ground nearly a month after the first snowfall this winter (which technically began before it was actually winter). This means running outside is still not feasible unless I want to constantly fall down, which I do not.

It rained today and through some miracle of nature, the rain did not turn into snow, so the existing snow has been denuded somewhat. It will take a lot more of this for it to finally go away.

The good news is there is no snow in the forecast and if the forecast is at all accurate we should see temperatures climbing to 6 or 7ºC in a week or so, which will be absolutely balmy compared to the last 30 days. Mix that in with some more rain and my prediction is I’ll be able to run outside again before the end of the month, meaning I might still be able to run every month this year (outdoors).

In the meantime, I plan on substituting treadmill or elliptical workouts at the Canada Games Pool in the meantime, as I’ve got to get my slovenly fatty self back into shape even if the outside is transforming into New Arctic.

The elliptical and old men bathing

Today I finally remembered what exercise felt like. With a fresh layer of snow falling on New Year’s Eve and a forecast that calls for either clear skies or yet more snow, it’s looking iffy for running outside any time in the next few weeks (which will make it more than a month overall, kind of boggling for this region, really).

Instead of continuing to lament the icy conditions and eat Bugles, we headed to the Canada Games Pool. After soaking for a bit in delightfully warm swirl pool, I changed into my usual running gear and headed upstairs for the first exercise in weeks. It turned out all of the treadmills were occupied by people still determined to stick to their New Year resolutions (this will change dramatically in the next week or two), so I opted to use the elliptical instead.

I cleverly remembered to track the elliptical workout on my Apple Watch (and got a shiny badge for it) and was surprised that it and the machine seemed to be in almost perfect agreement on calories burned. The machine gives you a variety of pre-set workouts to choose from. Given that I am fat I chose “weight loss” and began 30 minutes of walking in place.

The first ten minutes went by without concern. After that, I started to sweat and my legs felt funny, as if they had turned to marmalade. I kept on and the marmalade feeling went away, replaced by a more general sensation of muscles being used in ways they were not used to. Which is to say, they were being used.

While everything seems fine now, I suspect that come the morning my legs will eagerly reminding me of the thirty minutes of action I put them through today.

Here are the stats, straight from the elliptical display (I think the distance may be miles):

Distance: 2.37 miles (?)
Calories burned: 260 (I sprinted at the end to get to a nice round number)

The Apple Watch recorded more calories, in part because I forgot to stop the workout for about five minutes after. Sayeth the watch: 374 calories, with a BPM of 154 BPM.

Also, when we first entered the swirl pool I swear the average age of the men (and it was exclusively men) using it was 90. On the one hand, it was nice to see so many gray old men out and being active (sort of). On the other hand, it felt a little weird to be the young guy at 52. Eventually, some younger guys showed up and even a few women, too. One guy was busy dunking his Apple watch in the water. I hope it was a Series 2 or he’s out $500.

Overall the experience went well and I look forward to doing again in our new frozen wasteland that once allowed people to run outdoors.

Run 475: Cold and slow

Run 475
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 28:04
Weather: Clear, windy
Temp: 5-6ºC
Wind: Moderate to high
BPM: 172
Stride: n/a
Weight: 160.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3765 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

It was downright chilly today and a strong breeze before the run made it feel cooler still. Temperatures hovered around 5 and 6ºC for the run but my long-sleeved t-shirt has extra long sleeves, so I was able to keep my hands covered until they warmed up a few km in. After that it was fine, plus those first few km made me look like I had no hands, possibly earning unintended sympathy from passersby, noting my triumph over adversity.

I didn’t feel like I was overly pushing myself but it definitely felt like I was putting in more effort. I’m not sure if it was the cold, the wind or some combination of factors but my BPM was higher, my place was slower and overall the results were not nearly as dazzling as last week. One factor was the trail itself, dotted with enough puddles and muddy stretches that a lot of dipsy-doodling was required to navigate.

I also think I’m finally past my fear of the side trail after The Big Trip. It helps that most of the foliage is stripped away now, making visibility on the trail quite good. The only real chance of tripping now comes from paying absolutely no attention.

The park itself must have had some special event going on because the parking lot near the dam was completely full. In five years of jogging at Burnaby Lake I have never seen it full, let alone full to the point people were parking on the road leading in. It was odd. Adding to the oddness, the trail was not packed with people. In fact, given the sunny conditions, there were fewer people out than I expected, though most of them were acting as if it were National Don’t Leash Your Dog Day.

Overall, the run was mildly disappointing in terms of pace, but I should be working in more runs during the week soon and my stamina will get closer to where it was in the summer. If I stay healthy this will be my first full winter of running in several years. I look forward to ice and snow hazards to go along with tree roots, dogs and hail.

Run 374: Cold and wet, just the way I (don’t) like it

Run 474
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:05 km
Time: 26:58
Weather: Rain, cloudy
Temp: 6ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 162
Stride: n/a
Weight: 160.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3760 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I was going to run on Saturday but the weather was monsoon-like all day and I did not feel like running in a monsoon, so I settled on my usual Sunday run.

Come this morning and the weather was monsoon-like again. I waited and it got better, then reverted to monsoon-like. It kept doing this until mid-afternoon at which point I either had to head out regardless or skip the run as it would be too dark to do more than bumble about and run into a tree.

By the time I headed out the rain had eased to a light shower and it actually stopped for most of the run before resuming with more light showers at the end. I caught another break as the wind was low and stayed that way until the walk back, when it started picking up. It was fairly chilly at 6ºC, especially combined with the rain, and it took about two km before my hands didn’t feel like fleshy ice blocks.

I encountered a total of six people: two couples, one with a dog, and two people walking solo, one also with a dog. The couple with the dog had the dog on a leash and it was struggling mightily to get to me. They were smart dog owners.

The woman walking alone had her dog off-leash and was playing some cutesy game where she and the dog stood about 25 or 30 meters apart and she excitedly called the dog to her and it came running and (fortunately) kept running past me instead of seeing how tasty I was (it looked like a Doberman or a Doberman cross). She was a dumb dog owner. I later saw she had put the dog on a leash, possibly because she encountered the other couple with their dog, so I guess she was semi-smart in the end.

Oh right, the actual run.

My pace is usually faster on the river trail and that held true today, with my pace coming in at 5:20/km vs. last week’s 5:31/km. BPM was also slightly down, so that was nice. I still need to get back to more than one run per week, though. This feels like treading water, except there’s no water, I’m just treading.

Still, this was an entirely decent run, especially given the conditions and my enthusiasm for going out into the perfectly ordinary late November weather.

Run 473: Uninteresting but in a good way

Run 473
Average pace: 5:31/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 27:51
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 11-12ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 165
Stride: n/a
Weight: 159 pounds
Total distance to date: 3755 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I am tentatively planning on attending a NaNoWriMo Write-in Sunday to revive my sputtering novel and so shifted gears and did a run today, Saturday, instead.

It seemed like there were fewer people out and aboot. If this is typical of Saturdays I may have to consider switching weekend run days permanently.

The weather was mild enough for me to opt (wisely) for t-shirt and shorts. Most of the other joggers I saw were bundled up in jackets, gloves, toques and multiple layers. I was sweating just looking at them. I was fine in my usual gear.

The walk to the lake felt strangely effortless, despite me turning in a decent pace. My run was a tad slower than last week but I also felt more relaxed while running, not really pushing at all and also not feeling like I was struggling as before, with that sense of mercy when the run had ended. The pacing pattern matched, with the fast first km, slower second, then progressively faster after that to the end. My BPM was also down, closer to the normal range for runs.

The trail was muddy in spots but puddles had dried. I got a break and managed to miss the rain. Tomorrow looks like it will be soggy. I kind of liked running today because now I can look forward to just lounging about working feverishly on my novel all day tomorrow.

Overall, this was an unspectacular run but given how in frequent the runs have been in the last month, that alone was something worth celebrating.

Run 472: Rainy with a chance of unleashed dogs

Run 472
Average pace: 5:28/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 27:34
Weather: Light rain
Temp: 10ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 173
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3750 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Apparently the appropriate headgear for rain is a baseball cap based on what I saw on today’s run. A few people had hoods but most were relying on droopy, soggy ball caps to keep their heads…um…wet.

I headed out in the early afternoon, waiting for the rain to stop and finally realized that wasn’t going to happen. Ironically when I headed out, it did stop (until I got to the lake).

Given the erratic behavior of the watch in the rain, I chose to lock it this time after starting the run and it worked. Hooray.

Save for a few seconds and a strangely higher BPM (I’m wondering how accurate it is or how out of shape I am), the run was nearly identical to last Sunday, with an overall pace of 5:28/km and the same pattern as last week–faster first km, a retreat in the second, then faster from there up until the end. I avoided running along the athletic fields because the trail was muddy and filled with puddles a-plenty, meaning the area around the field would have been a complete swamp.

I saw a few other runners but most of the others out were the ball cap-wearing people, soaking up the rain. One guy headed out with his dog just before I started and a) had his dog off-leash b) had one of those ball sticks used to throw balls for dogs to chase (which he did) and c) was often seen jogging to catch up to his dog, which was always running ahead of him.

Idiot (the guy, not the dog).

The trail was sparsely populated overall, though, which was nice, and my dexterous ducking of puddles kept me from getting completely mud-splattered. But not entirely (this is post-run, when I was sitting on the SkyTrain, not sitting on the toilet):

muddy shoes

Amazingly there was almost no color bleeding from the shoes. I guess it’s all leeched out by now, so that’s good. Or at least better than before.

This week I may start running during lunch or on a treadmill after work. Somewhere I’ll be running, anyway. In theory.

Run 471: Tacky, with bonus happy dog in poop

Run 471
Average pace: 5:26/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 27:28
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 170
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3745 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I ran in the morning today and discovered there was some hiking club out in force (several of them carried little hiking club flags with them), so the first half of the run was especially crowded, though fortunately everyone was spread out. I had to dipsy-doodle around remnants of puddles from yesterday’s monsoon more than people. My clever plan to start the run closer to the park entrance to avoid getting to the soupy part of the trail near the fields was thwarted when it turned out the entire stretch along the field was a soupy, lake-sized mess of unavoidable puddles. Hopefully one day they will actually shore up that entire section so it doesn’t go underwater every time it rains.

I started out well then immediately fell back quite a bit on the second km. Surprisingly, I rebounded on the third km and kept improving my pace, finishing at the same pace I started, 5:18/km, with an overall average of 5:26/km (itself a surprisingly nine-second improvement over last Sunday’s run). The only thing I can think of here–because I was not crackling with boundless energy when I arrived at the lake–is that the crowds inspired me to get the run over with as soon as possible. So I did.

The legs were a little stiff after, something that will probably persist until I get back into a regular routine again (once a week is regular but not really often enough for the muscles to readjust).

Other than the high heart rate (my walking BPM was higher today than some of my previous runs, yikes) I am pleased by the effort. I experienced no issues, other than feeling a tad tired toward the end.

The poop was on the Brunette River trail where it seemed a lot of people were choosing to let their dogs walk unleashed, allowing them to fully enjoy the first full day of standard time. One woman was consistently walking ahead of her snow-white canine, completely unaware of what it was doing. And what it was doing was finding a nice big pile of poop in the middle of the trail that hadn’t been cleaned up and rolling around in it in a kind of doggy ecstasy.

I like to think it was karma at work.

Run 470: A leafy return to running

Run 470
Average pace: 5:35/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5:08 km
Time: 28:25
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 157.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3740 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Twenty six days later and I am finally running again. Early in the month I was felled by an especially nasty cold. That wiped out any chance of running for two weeks, then I lost another week because I was still not feeling great and after work runs were no longer possible because of that whole getting-dark thing. I’ll eventually come up with a plan for dealing with that but for now, today arrived and I was finally feeling up to a run.

I kept it to 5K because of the long downtime (and I feel that was the right call) but conditions were otherwise pleasant–a cool but not cold 12ºC, with little wind and clear skies.

The run went about as expected, which is to say I was much slower than usual given the long layoff. I started out not bad at 5:16/km for the first km but then dropped way off. On the plus side, the drop stabilized and stayed consistent and I actually picked up the pace toward the end, even as I began to feel a bit tired. The only negative I felt while running was a pressure headache, a remnant of the still-somewhat-lingering head cold.

The trail around the fields was a bit soggy and was the reason I ended up with some mud splats on my shoes and up my calves. This is to say that I was dry for about 99% of the run. It was literally in the last few meters that I faced unavoidable puddles and mud. Not that I mind, but if I can choose between mud and no mud, I usually go with no mud.

There were plenty of leaves on the trails but pleasantly, the conditions were not slippery.

My legs are starting to feel a little sore tonight but they shouldn’t get too bad.

Now I just need to figure out where to run during the rest of the week.

Dark running

Or to be more precise, no running.

The last time I ran it was getting downright gloomy by the end of the run. I was then felled for two weeks by an especially stubborn cold. Now that I am recovered the days have grown so short that the sun is setting before I can even head out for a run.

This presents a dilemma because I do not have built-in night vision and even if I did I’d probably get chased by vampires out there in the dark, anyway.

My options for running now are:

  • run around the golf course during lunch. This is a so-so option because I’m not crazy about the route, it cuts into my lunch, I’d have to figure out some way of having a shower afterward (because most days it’s going to be wet) and did I mention I’m not crazy about the route? Because I am not.
  • run on a treadmill at a place like the Canada Games Pool, which, despite the name, does indeed have treadmills. I’ve done this before and I’m even less enthusiastic about running on a treadmill than I am about running around the gold course. It feels weird and unnatural.
  • run at a location that has artificial lighting. First I’d have to find one and second it would need to be close enough to be practical. I don’t want to spend half the evening just getting to the place and back. This would also likely mean running at a track, not exactly a thrilling activity but sometimes you gotta takes what you can get.
  • don’t run. This carries the explicit danger of replacing running with eating, specifically with eating delicious in-season shortbread. I do not want to go from a runner’s physique to a shortbread physique.
  • some other magical solution that I haven’t thought of yet.

I must ponder. In the meantime I will probably miss runs this week, but should at least head out for a weekend run on Sunday, unless there are bears again.

Run 469: Slowly, in the gloom

Run 469
Average pace: 5:22/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:08 km
Time: 27:18
Weather: Cloudy, some drizzle
Temp: 15-13ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 173
Stride: n/a
Weight: 154.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3735 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Tonight I had no real desire to run. I felt tired (see previous post) and the threat of rain was tangible. Nevertheless I donned my jogging duds and headed out, completing a somewhat slow 5K. For reference, my 10K on Sunday had an average pace of 5:23/km. Tonight my pace was 5:22/km. Granted I was trucking along on Sunday and tonight I was content to simply maintain a steady if unspectacular pace.

There were no issues otherwise. The weather was cool but comfortable and apart from some very light drizzle at the end, it remained dry. The most noticeable change was how much gloomier it was compared to just four days ago. It was gloomy. Where the tree canopy is thickest it was nearly dark. I suspect that I’ll only get another week or so of runs in after work before it gets too dark without some kind of bionic night vision suddenly manifesting itself.

In the meantime I’ll chalk tonight’s run as “at least I went out and did it.”