Run 434 Average pace: 5:37/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.16 km
Time: 28:15
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 17-19ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 166
Stride: n/a
Weight: 160.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3482
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
Also unofficial walk-your-dog-unleashed day based on the number of people I saw with their dogs off-leash (nearly every dog I saw).
Today was my second run after the six weeks off and the weather was near-perfect, though a bit poopy if you were just looking to go outside to celebrate Canada Day. The temperature stayed in the high teens and the sky was cloudy, making it a lot more comfortable than last Sunday’s run in the sun with unseasonably high temperatures.
I again worked to maintain a steady but not fast pace and the conditions allowed me to do so more easily today. I ended with a pace of 5:37/km, besting Sunday’s pace by 14 seconds. My BPM were also down to 166 from 169–still higher than what I’d expect when I’m conditioned but about right for this early in my renewed running.
My big concern was The Leg. The calf and muscles behind the knee (not the knee itself) of the right leg began to feel a bit sore midway through the run but the soreness peaked early, never getting worse nor getting bad enough to affect my pace. Even better, the soreness disappeared on the nine km walk back home, which was done at a fairly brisk clip of 8:42/km. I am pleased by this result, though I’d have preferred no soreness at all. I’m guessing I’d have needed to sit out for two to four months to guarantee that.
Still, I am happy with the progress made. I am tentatively planning on a third run on Sunday so we’ll see if things stay the same or improve. If they get worse instead I will be sad and make a sad face.
Run 433 Average pace: 5:51/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.26 km
Time: 30:50
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21-26ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Stride: n/a
Weight: 161.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3477
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I held off running for longer than planned due to a combination of weather (resuming runs in the rain makes for fine alliteration but it’s hard to motivate yourself to begin again while getting soaked) and general trepidation (mainly the fear of resuming too soon and risking aggravation of injury).
But today I finally committed to myself to head out on a basic 5K for the first time in six weeks.
I started by sleeping in. Whoops.
I eventually headed out around noon and started the run clockwise at Burnaby Lake around 12:30. Today also happened to be the day the summer switch got flipped back to ON and it was 21ºC when I started and rose to 26º by the end. It felt quite warm and I was thirsty and sluggish and the idea of aggravating injuries seemed the stuff of fantasy because I felt like I was barely moving.
My pace turned out to be 5:51/km, ten seconds slower than my last run but in line with what I’d expect after the month and a half of inactivity. My heart rate was up significantly, from 160 bpm on the previous run to 169 bpm today, but that can be attributed to the heat and greater overall strain in running.
On the plus side the only negative effect was my left foot feeling a little sore but not enough to slow me down or really make a difference. It was more like an annoying bug you can’t swat away. That analogy sucks but mainly it wasn’t an issue. I did not feel any other pain or soreness during or after the run, so that was encouraging.
The current plan is to resume a regular set of 5K runs and see how they go and eventually move back to 10K. I’ll try another 5K on Tuesday and see if it goes well. If so then yay. If not, then boo. It’s pretty simple.
The trail was in good condition overall, most of the puddles having dried up after recent rains–except for one giant puddle that was hidden around the corner, at the end of the path that leads out to the athletic fields. This puddle was big enough to be unavoidable and had the curious effect of leaving my feet utterly soaked even as I felt as parched as a nomad wandering the desert without a handy bottle of Gatorade.
Overall I am pleased that I got through and got through without any pain. We will see what Tuesday brings.
This injury of the right leg is bizarre, puzzling and a tiny bit scary because it is bizarre and puzzling.
My last run was a little over two weeks ago, on May 15th. Since then I have continued my 5K walks during lunch (with one exception, on a rare soggy day) and have also walked about the same on the weekends. The pattern has typically been the same: a slower pace than before the leg was hurt, but varying from pretty close to normal to decidedly on the pokey side (though still a brisk pace for the average person).
The weird part is how the ankle is behaving. Sometimes in the morning or after sitting for an extended period, like in a meeting, it gets very stiff and sore, enough that I almost limp while walking on it. In the best case this will largely vanish after walking for just a few seconds at a normal pace. The worst case will see the pain/limping disappear after a few minutes, replaced by a general achiness.
The worst instance of the latter happened Friday at work after a one hour meeting. The ankle was astoundingly tender, I was hobbling about enough to draw concern from co-workers, then, while climbing the stairs to the second floor to check a lab, I found it hurting so much I had to stop walking and just hung on to the railing with both hands, afraid I might not be able to hold myself upright otherwise.
I checked the lab and by the time I came back down the stairs I was walking normally again, with no sign of a limp and no real pain. I even did a little jig to demonstrate to a co-worker how suddenly A-OK I was.
It is weird. I don’t understand it. But I know I don’t like it and each day it feels like I’m not getting any closer to a return to running. I may have to call in the experts. By which I mean go to the doctor.
Not because of my bum, but because of my right leg, which is not so much right as it is wrong.
At least I’m still getting some exercise with my daily walks at “a very brisk pace” as My Fitness Pal likes to describe them. I skipped Tuesday’s run and will skip tomorrow’s, too (Thursday). I may run Friday if the leg miraculously feels much better, but that seems quite unlikely.
At this point if someone offered me two choices:
A) $500,000 with no strings attached
B) healthy legs for the rest of my natural life
I would seriously consider option B. In fact, I would choose option B. $500,000 would buy a lot of ice cream to console myself with, but my waistline, general fitness and overall mental well-being would be better-served by legs that behaved themselves.
If option A was $1,000,000 I’d at least consider taking it and think about buying a bike. Bikes are good exercise, as long as you stay away from cars and large trucks that can knock you out of your shoes.
Run 432 Average pace: 5:41/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 56:57
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 160
Stride: n/a
Weight: 162.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3472
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
The FIRE DANGER signs are already up on the Brunette River trail and at Burnaby Lake, the earliest I’ve ever seen them, another sign (or two) that the climate is changing. It feels like summer has shifted forward by about a month.
Ironically, it was cloudy and cool today and we may get a shower or two soon, so the signs may come back down pretty quickly. In the meantime, the cooler weather made for pleasant running conditions.
As has been the case of late, I headed out with great trepidation, concerned about The Leg. I took a pre-emptive Advil before leaving and the walk to the lake was of no great consequence. My plan was still the same as weeks past, to maintain a steady but not speedy pace, to be as gentle as one can be when spending 50+ minutes pounding your feet on a gravel and dirt trail.
The first few km were fine and I was cautiously optimistic, but I’ve seen this happen before, only to get hit by the persistent aching shortly after.
Which is what happened. I adjusted my pace down and mulled ending the run at 5K. Instead I pushed on and in the end I don’t feel any worse for having done so. The soreness extended from the hip through the knee (though the knee itself was fine) and into the calves. The ankle, which I had previously feared may be injured, was fine, to my great relief.
The soreness is different than pain. Pain is not just unpleasant to run with, it debilitates. It makes you stop if you’re smart (I’m mostly smart) because it’s your body telling you something is broken and you need to lay off so the healing can begin. This refers to actual physical healing, not the kind politicians talk about. Persistently sore muscles simply make the run more unpleasant and tiring.
In the end I finished with a pace of 5:41/km, my second best pace for a 10K this year. This was not my intention, though at one point near the end I picked up the pace because it felt like doing so was shifting my gait enough to make the aches more tolerable. Looking at the splits, my pace is all over the place, a veritable roller coaster. I can’t say I noticed this while running, but it seems my body was making adjustments on a kind of auto-pilot. Cardio-wise I felt good for the entire run. If my right leg matched my cardio I’d probably feel like a super-powered being while jogging.
The trail was a lot less crowded due to the clouds, which was nice. There were stretches where I didn’t encounter anyone for several minutes. This may not seem like much but given the traffic the lake gets, it’s quite noticeable when you experience it. I wonder how it would feel to do an entire run without seeing anyone else. Would it feel spooky? Weird? Indescribably pleasant?
If seeing something cute at the end of a run is a good omen I should be set for the rest of the summer. Having just finished and walking toward the dam, I spotted a goose about to cross my path, heading to the river. Normally this close proximity would result in the goose hissing at me and possibly flapping its wings in a menacing gesture, as humans aren’t supposed to be part of goose planet and why are we here, anyway? Instead it continued to waddle across the trail. I gave it room and noticed about half a dozen goslings trailing behind it, with another adult goose bringing up the rear, acting as shepherd. It was adorable. It almost made me like geese. But not quite.
I’m going to use the runs this week to make a determination over whether to continue or take some real time off to allow proper healing to take place. So far things don’t seem to be getting worse, but if they’re getting better the pace may be a bit too slow to really count. I don’t want to take time off as this is peak running season, but if I do that should still give me time for the second half of summer. We shall see.
Run 431 Average pace: 5:28/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.01 km
Time: 27:24
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 157
Stride: n/a
Weight: 163.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3462
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
After a week without runs (skipping Sunday and Tuesday) I decided to try out a mild 5K along the river tonight.
It went…okay. I improved my pace over my previous 5K by seven seconds, although 5:28/km is just a tad on the pokey side at this point in the season. The right leg felt sore but was tolerable and doesn’t feel any worse post-run. There were about four times during the run where my weight seemed to shift into the magic “no load-bearing weight” zone and the right leg would want to fold up. Keeping pace allowed me to plow through these brief, albeit unpleasant moments. Paradoxically, it seemed easier to not hit these points by running faster, as my gait would lengthen and change enough to avoid hitting that especially sensitive spot around the ankle.
Overall, I don’t regret going out and I don’t think I’m any worse for it. The run was not exactly fun, though. On the plus side, the weather was faboo, another eerily summer-like evening long before actual summer arrives. I know it’s probably just a foretelling of the doom to come as global warming ramps up, but it’s still nice for now.
I’m planning to go out again on Sunday but will wait until then to make a final call. If by Sunday my leg has inflamed to twice its regular size and causes enough pain to result in spontaneous blackouts I’ll probably skip the run and eat apple strudel instead.
After 40% hemming and 60% hawing I finally decided to not run today. After doing some thinking and various amounts of walking, my self-diagnosis is I’m bipolar. Just kidding.
I am reasonably confident that the right leg is sore due to muscles being stretched and not due to any kind of injury with the bone (a bone injury would be very bad). The reasons for thinking this are I can walk at a brisk pace despite the soreness and it does not get worse the farther I travel. It’s quite tolerable. Also, the pain seems to have diminished over the last day or so. I wouldn’t be comfortable running again just yet but I’m hoping the worst is over. I’ll see how the leg feels on Tuesday and if it doesn’t feel bad I may try a slower run on the river trail. I’m also fine with sitting out the full week. I’ll just do sit-ups or something (I won’t do sit-ups).
It still bugs me that I am pretty much injury-prone at this point. Was it the twenty years of not exercising at all? Is it because I mysteriously decided to stop stretching before and after running? Karma? Ancient curse? Klutz gene? I may never know. But I’ll work through it. My sexy* figure demands it.
Run 430 Average pace: 5:35/km
Location: Langara Golf Course trail (CCW)
Distance: 5.00 km
Time: 28:02
Weather: Sun with some cloud
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 164 pounds
Total distance to date: 3457
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
Straight-up, the right leg hurt on this run. At times it felt almost normal, at others I shifted just so on it and it almost felt like it might buckle. The good news is that while I can still feel it a little some hours later it’s not anywhere close to the pain of last August (it just feels a bit sore now) and stretching both before and after the run likewise did not cause any sort of pain.
Still, it is worrying. I will be very cautious on Sunday’s run and will stretch and do helpful stuff in the meantime.
The run itself felt very similar to the first one in terms of where I slowed and quickened my pace but overall the right leg left me with a more sluggish pace of 5:35/km vs. the first run with 5:26/km. Cardio-wise I probably felt a little better.
Weather-wise, it was entirely pleasant, with sun and a light breeze. The whole thing would have been fine if not for the leg. The large amount of uphill running is very different and a lot more demanding than my usual runs, though, so I suspect that was a factor in how the leg felt, too.
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Updated to add more tags for easier searching, as this is one that features my late Tom Tom Runner Cardio watch.
Run 429 Average pace: 5:23/km Location: Brunette River trail Distance: 5.03 km Time: 27:10 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 17ºC Wind: light to moderate BPM: 156 Stride: 182 Weight: 164.1 pounds Total distance to date: 3452 Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6 and TomTom Runner Cardio
Tonight I headed out for a cautious run, with clouds overhead but otherwise unseasonably mild and with a nice breeze to keep things from getting too warm, which is not something you normally worry about here on May 3rd.
I also did my first Apple Watch vs. TomTom Runner Cardio test, wearing the Watch on my left wrist as per usual and the TomTom on my right wrist. I probably looked like a dork but that’s okay. Also, anyone who thinks the Apple Watch is bulky should really compare it to something like the TomTom because the Apple Watch looks downright petite next to it.
The results between the two devices were not outlandishly different but they were different. The actual timing of the run on each device is slightly shifted because I bobbled the start time on the Watch when Siri wouldn’t cooperate but the TomTom had already started tracking.
Stats:
Apple Watch
TomTom Runner Cardio
Time
27:10
26:42
Average pace
5:23/km
5:18/km
BPM
156
154
Distance
5:03 km
5:03 km
Calories
331
367
The biggest difference for me is pace. I haven’t looked into it but I suspect the Apple Watch is doing some kind of manipulation of the data where the TomTom simply presents it raw, as it was recorded (and is more accurate from that perspective). The TomTom is also hooked into my Strava and Nike+ accounts and each of those also interpreted the pace differently:
TomTom Runner Cardio
5:18/km
Apple Watch
5:23/km
Strava
5:27/km
Nike+
5:31/km
I’m officially™ going with the Apple Watch since I’ve been using it regularly and it still makes me look reasonably zippy.
As for the actual run, I set out a relatively gentle pace and this is reflected by the TomTom’s stride stat of 182. This is steps per minute and the ideal zone for most runners is between 160 and 190. Being at the upper end reflects the cautious approach I took, minimizing how much I stretched out as I ran. Surprisingly my pace was still essentially tied with my previous best 5K this year.
The right leg still felt a bit sore, especially around the upper area, but not enough to make running painful. By comparison, tonight’s run felt a lot more comfortable than Sunday’s.
I may try the dual-wielding watches again on Thursday if I run the Langara trail, as I’m curious to see the pace breakdown on a map. If Apple adds maps to the Fitness app, I would probably never switch away from it.
For tonight’s run, I’m pleased that I was able to get through without the right leg feeling worse and, in fact, feeling a bit better. I am guardedly hopeful that the muscles will heal up as I continue to run not like a cheetah.
Run 428 Average pace: 5:45/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 57:39
Weather: Suny and warm
Temp: 16-20ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 159
Stride: n/a
Weight: 164.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3447
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I had two concerns going into today’s run, one entirely cosmetic, the other a little more substantial.
The cosmetic one concerned my new shoes and the potential for “color migration.” The more significant concern was how my right leg would feel as it started feeling sore after last Tuesday’s run and has been a bit sore since.
There’s good news, iffy news and bad news.
Good news: I made it through the entire run and walk back. Although my pace was off last Sunday’s spectacularly fast average, at 5:45/km it was still better than previous runs despite the soreness. My more deliberate pace also meant a BPM on the lower side at 159.
Iffy news: The first few km the leg felt fine but starting aching during the 3-4 km stretch. I briefly thought of shortening the run to a 5K. I pressed on and somewhere around the 5-6K mark the endorphins kicked in and it didn’t feel too bad. It continued to not feel bad the rest of the way and I kept on at a steady pace through to the end. The soreness extends beyond the injury of last year, with what feels like multiple muscles affected. The good news is none of this comes anywhere close to the blowout that happened last August where I experienced very sharp pain that actively inhibited my ability to run altogether. It just aches like muscles that have been worked a bit harder than is ideal.
I’m hoping that by stretching and being careful not to push that the muscles will continue to slowly improve while I still run. I’ll take time off if I need to but I’m hoping that won’t be necessary.
Bad news: The new Speedgoats are a complete bust. Not only did the color bleed, it’s even worse than the first pair. My socks look like they’ve been tattooed or branded:
On top of that, the right shoe was chafing against one of my toes, leaving the skin raw. It actually hurt more than my leg. At this point I would refuse another replacement pair. I’ll just put up with these until the bleeding stops (8 or 9 runs) and then get a different brand next time. This sort of quality control (“lol quality control??”) is not acceptable.
I got out fairly early, starting the run at 9:53 a.m. It was already 16ºC and went up to 20 by the end of the run. I actually felt sweat run down my face, not something I normally expect for the first day of May.
The trail was not overly crowded and I’d say there may have been slightly more runners than walkers. Apparently some event was taking place at the rowing pavilion or nearby as its parking lot was completely full. Whatever it was, all the people were squirreled away off the trail, which was okay by me.
I’m not sure what to expect on Tuesday’s run and haven’t decided if I’ll try the less familiar Langara trail or go back to the Brunette River trail, which is a gentler run.
I picked up my new Hoka Speedgoat shoes today (note: if you live in a condo, do not have Purolator deliver to your home address unless you also work at home because you will never see the delivery person or your package. Instead, have them take it to a local depot whose business hours coincide with your work schedule, forcing you to go there on the weekend, a day before the five-day holding period ends, after which the package gets transferred to Purgatory, as described in Dante’s Inferno). These are replacements for my original pair which had a nasty issue with color bleeding. Most of my running socks are now blue/white instead of just white.
The overall color is much more subdued yet also has a zany neon-like strip along the bottom to keep it from looking staid:
The color is officially called Astral Aura/Acid, to which my reaction is to nod my head and back away slowly. Still, I like the color scheme. However, the shoes came with this tag:
“Due to the nature of the material used some color migration may occur during wear.” Hmm, I say. This tag was not on the first pair of shoes. Nor have I seen it or anything like it on any other pair of shoes ever. It appears to be a direct warning that you will end up with color-stained socks (or feet if you go sockless). Questions come to mind, questions like:
why would anyone make a shoe using a fabric that bleeds color?
why if you absolutely need to use such a fabric would you not at least do something to mitigate the issue during manufacturing?
really, why would you do this?
seriously, this is a built-in flaw. Who thought this was a good idea?
did someone think this tag would stave off complaints when the color bleeding happens?
how many phrases did they go through before coming up with the wonderfully neutral-sounding “color migration”? The color doesn’t bleed or stain–it migrates, just like birds in the winter, except in this case it’s color instead of birds and it’s migrating to your socks instead of to the south, and it’s not just for the winter but forever unless you have detergent that works on migrating colors.
I’ll be wearing the shoes tomorrow so I’ll know soon enough how the potential migration goes. At least my feet will look nice as they’re getting stained.
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Replaced golf course image with newer, larger image, added some additional tags.
Run 427 Average pace: 5:26/km Location: Langara Golf Course trail (CCW) Distance: 5.05 km Time: 27:32 Weather: Sun and cloud Temp: 15ºC Wind: light BPM: 160 Stride: n/a Weight: 163.9 pounds Total distance to date: 3437 Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
For the first time since last June I ran somewhere new. It was somewhat exciting!
I have long thought about running the trail around the Langara Golf Course. It’s next to my workplace, which means during the week I can run at lunch and not have to spend part of the evening jogging when I’d much rather be loafing. The course is just long enough at 2.7 km that I don’t get the sensation of running in circles, which sometimes happened with China Creek Park’s 550 m loop. Except for a small paved stretch near the tennis courts, it’s a combination of packed dirt and gravel.
On the negative side, there is always the chance of getting clobbered by a stray golf ball.
You can see parts of the trail below but most of it is hidden by trees (image taken from Google Maps):
Langara Trail
Running counter-clockwise (as I did), the lower-right corner is where the trail starts sloping uphill. It’s not a steep incline but it is longer than the ones I experience at Burnaby Lake. My first loop my legs felt ablaze as I tried to maintain speed. My second loop I was in more of a rhythm and handled it better. I will likely use my TomTom on the next run so I can get an actual map showing where my pace goes from “yay fast!” to “legs now hate me forever.” I should point out that the left (west) side of the trail is almost completely on a similar but downward slope, which is almost a zany treat for a runner.
My right leg felt a bit sore afterward (and felt a bit sore after Tuesday’s run, though it felt fine on the run itself). I’m not too concerned as I am stretching before and after runs now and it doesn’t feel like the muscles are on the verge of being blown out. I am prepared to eat crow (or possibly a running shoe) on this if I am proven wrong, however.
With a new course, I wasn’t sure what to expect and it felt like I started too fast. It took me probably half the run to really settle into a comfortable pace and the uphill portion is going to be a drag on my times until I get used to it. Overall, though, I was pleased by the effort and my average pace of 5:26/km was in line with my other recent 5K runs.
And I indeed enjoyed some sweet, sweet loafing tonight.
