Run 415 Average pace: 5:52/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 7.02 km
Time: 41:13
Weather: Sun and cloud mix
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: low
BPM: 166
Stride: n/a
Weight: 167.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3362
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
The nicest thing about today’s run was the weather. There was some actual sun! When it wasn’t sunny it was still mild with little wind, so my choice to wear a short-sleeved shirt proved wise.
I bought a pair of Brooks Cascadia 11s and tried them out today. Unlike the Hoka’s they have a neutral stance, similar to the other trail runners I’ve had. At first they seemed fine, if a tiny bit snug, but more in that new shoe way than anything. After awhile my left foot started to hurt but it was in a way that felt different than the Hoka’s. The foot actually felt like it was going numb, the side effect of which was that it did not seem to hurt as much.
Unfortunately the numbness subsided and then it hurt more than the Hoka’s. Not enough to affect my pace, but enough to be noticeable. Worse, they failed the shoe lace test, with the right shoe coming untied with about 500 or so meters left in the run. If I really want to I can solve this with better laces or superglue or something.
The walk home the left foot felt initially worse but then, almost paradoxically, felt better as I continued to walk. As expected, there was no color bleeding on the shoes.
In the end I was a bit disappointed by the Brooks. I’ll try them again, but I’m thinking they may end up relegated to becoming street shoes like my last pair (which actually turned out to be very comfortable in a role they were not designed for).
The run itself found me feeling a bit tired, especially toward the end. My pace was a bit slower but only a touch, but I really wanted this run to end. I kept looking at my watch and you know what happens when you do that.
Heart rate was down slightly, though.
Overall this run was decent to middling. I didn’t feel like I made progress but neither did I feel like I back slid, either.
Oh, and the bug? Around a kilometer in I suddenly had this huge need to hack. Fortunately it didn’t persist but I’m pretty sure it was caused by the intake of a big, juicy bug. The sun has no doubt awakened a bunch from the numerous ponds dotting the edge of the trail. Also, the skunk cabbage was super-stinky today. It definitely motivates you to pick up the pace.
Run 414 Average pace: 5:50/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CW
Distance: 7.45 km
Time: 43:28
Weather: Rain, rain, rain
Temp: 9-11ºC
Wind: low
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 170.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3355
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
Today is the first day of spring and I’m pretty sure we hit our quota of rain for the season already. I know because I was there.
As I headed out, it was about 9ºC, which is relatively mild. A light rain was falling from the moment I stepped outside and it did not let up the entire run. It actually started coming down fairly hard toward the end. Fortunately it had not been raining for long before I went out so while there was a good amount of puddle hopping there was only one small spot that required especially dexterous maneuvering.
My lower legs still emerged covered in a spray of dirt and more curiously, a fair amount of bits of bark.
There were few people out given the weather, but the split was even between walkers and runners. Everyone looked very wet. Most walkers eschewed umbrellas for sturdy raincoats with hoods. Most of the runners just got soaked. Like me.
I started feeling a bit of a burn and then a stitch in my left side, a sure sign that my early pace was exceeding my grasp. I slowed down and eventually the stitch subsided. I tried picking up the pace toward the end and the splits bear this out, with the last 1.5 km being a bit brisker. That first km was 5:13/km, altogether too fast for my current level of fitness. Fortunately my body is not shy about sending signals to the effect of “OH MY GOD ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?! YOU ARE, I CAN TELL. SLOW DOWN, IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY, SLOW DOWN!”
My overall pace of 5:50/km is my best of my weekly runs and I even ran a decent bit more than intended, going 7.45 km instead of the planned 7 km.
The left foot was hurting a little but it was pretty minor and I don’t feel it affected my pace.
I am as pleased with this run as I am displeased with the weather during it, so pretty pleased!
I am tentatively planning on starting thrice-weekly runs again by heading out after work on Tuesday, probably on a 5K on the Brunette River trail. We shall see.
Run 413 Average pace: 5:56/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 7.05 km
Time: 41:55
Weather: Overcast, showers
Temp: 7-8ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 168.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3348
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I headed out earlier today to beat the rain and beat some of it.
The rest fell on me.
The day was cool and a strong breeze made it cooler still. The sky looked semi-threatening and the forecast indicated I’d complete my run before any real rain would start. Just over 2.5 km in, having just exited the Piper Mill Trail, a light sprinkle began. It remained much the same for the rest of the run, picking up a little toward the end.
After the run it turned into a downpour, so the last four km or so I got thoroughly soaked. It was the kind of weather that would have made it very difficult to motivate myself to get out in, so the decision to start early was wise indeed.
I opted to run 7K and managed it without issue, coming in with a slightly slower pace that pretty much equals out to the 5K pace of a few weeks ago. That’s nice to see.
The left foot was a tiny bit sore during the run but perfectly tolerable. I experienced no other issues.
There were no cyclists on the trail today. Hooray! There were several unleashed dogs. Boo! The runners started outnumbering the walkers as the weather worsened but other than a few dedicated walking groups, traffic was pretty light.
The strange crashing happened somewhere after the 9K mark when I was walking out, a few hundred meters shy of the Avalon Trail. I heard a loud crash just behind me and to my right. I snapped my head back (after leaping into the air) and couldn’t see anything immediately obvious but the woods here are marshy and filled with deadfall. There was a very large branch weighing down on other fallen timber and I suspect that may have been what I just heard. Recent storms with high winds and heavy rain have created optimal conditions for trees and branches to come down and there were several chainsawed trees along the trail that hadn’t been there last week. The fact that it seemed to be happening while I was there made me eye every slightly leaning tree for the rest of the trip around the lake.
Nearly every tree leans slightly at Burnaby Lake.
I escaped unscathed, apart from getting completely drenched and overall the run was a success. I increased my distance, maintained my pace and felt fine after. Now that Daylight Saving Time has kicked in, I should be able to start doing 5Ks after work soon™.
Note: The Speedgoats are still bleeding blue into my soaks for the fifth run in a row. I may pick up a different pair of shoes this week or at least see if I can exchange these ones as they’re clearly defective or my feet have new mutant color-absorbing abilities that coincidentally only activate when I’m wearing the Speedgoats.
Run 412 Average pace: 5:54/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CW
Distance: 6.06 km
Time: 35:50
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: moderate
BPM: 166
Stride: n/a
Weight: 169.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3341
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
The forecast thundershowers did not materialize for today’s run and though it sprinkled a little before and after the run, I once again lucked out by having the run itself stay dry. The recent rain meant the area around the fields required some nigh-impossible puddle-dodging, however. This is the last stretch of trail around Burnaby Lake that hasn’t been effectively shored up, so regular rain will often still produce mini-lakes that force you to go into the field to avoid. In this weather the field’s edges are bog-like, so it’s not much of an improvement. Basically, you don’t want to be wearing nice shoes here.
It was also 11ºC again, but with the wind gusting less, it felt much milder. It was nice.
Speaking of shoes, the fourth time out the Speedgoats still bled blue onto my socks, however the blue is a lot less prominent now and maybe in another half dozen runs or so it might stop. That’s still not really acceptable, but it is something to look forward to, sort of. The laces again felt loose on the walk back, but remained tied.
The skunk cabbage did not stink this week. It will stink again, though, as sure as spring officially arrives in two weeks.
Two cyclists rode past me as I began my walk back along the Cottonwood Trail. I thought evil thoughts as they went by (“Crash into each other!” “Get attacked by insane squirrels!”) but really, all I’d like is for people like them to use the roughly billion other trails and spaces in the lower mainland where cycling is allowed.
The run itself was largely a repeat of last week, with the pace within the mathematical margin of error at 5:54/km (it was 5:53 last week). However, I did push out to just over 6 km instead of the usual 5 km, so I was effectively faster. The extra km did not prove taxing so I’ll probably continue ramping up toward doing a full 10K loop again.
Overall, I was pleased with the effort. I can tell I’m making progress as much of my thought process during the run has shifted to various random things and away from “Dear god, when is this run going to end?”
Run 411 Average pace: 5:53/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CW
Distance: 5.35 km
Time: 31:30
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: moderate with occasional strong gusts
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 169 pounds
Total distance to date: 3335
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
For my third weekly run I changed things up a little by running clockwise and running a wee bit farther, as the 5K marker is about 300 m further along the trail when approaching from this direction. The forecast threatened thundershowers but fortunately the rain held off entirely, though it was occasionally quite gusty. Despite being quite warmer than the last run, the wind was sharp enough to produce a chill on the walk to the lake.
The Speedgoats again bled color into my socks so grr on that. On the plus side, my left foot held up better. I tried to pace myself on the first km again and pretty much failed, with a pace of 5:21/km, much faster than the rest of my run. I’m not sure how much extra energy it would give me for the remaining four km, anyway.
I generally felt more energetic, which is nice with a lowly once-per-week pace and look forward to seeing even more rapid improvements when I resume running multiple times per week.
My pace was improved again, from 5:56/km to 5:53/km. Not much but I’ll take it.
A family of three were riding bikes, including the inevitable kid-wobbling-like-he’s-going-to-fall-over, one of my favorite things to encounter on the trail. Another guy was riding solo and he looked a bit sheepish when I shot him The Look as I jogged by. Here’s a good way to avoid feeling sheepish: DON’T RIDE YOUR BIKES AT THE LAKE.
The trail was a bit puddle-filled in places but only required a bit of minor dodging and the next sign of spring (after the early budding of trees) was in the air. And the air stunk. Specifically, the skunk cabbage is beginning its annual bloom and this earliest stage is among the stinkiest. Fortunately the stink was confined to a stretch adjacent to one of the boardwalks.
Overall, a satisfactory effort. I’m still undecided on wearing the TomTom but may do so next time.
Run 410 Average pace: 5:56/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 5.13 km
Time: 30:32
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 6ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 166
Stride: n/a
Weight: 168.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3330
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I replicated last week’s run, doing the same route, with one change: I used the orthotic insoles in my Speedgoats. While my left foot did hurt, it started to hurt much later and minimally enough that I didn’t consider it a serious issue during the run.
Despite a few sprinkles en route to Burnaby Lake, it remained dry for the entire five km and the trail was in much better shape, with the need to dexterously dodge and weave and sometimes plunge straight through puddles being unnecessary.
The Speedgoats proved to be a mixed success again. They passed the shoelace test but as I was nearing the dam on my walk back the lace on the right shoe was on the verge of coming undone. Had I still been running, I’m sure it would have, so I consider this a technical fail. Worse, the color leeching happened again. This time the only moisture in the shoes came from my feet sweating but this was enough to leave prominent blue stains on both socks. I’ll probably be taking them back to Kintec for a refund or exchange (likely an exchange, as I have to believe this is some sort of flaw in a specific production run).
I tried to pace myself a little better at the start of the run but mostly failed there. My first km was 5:24/km, fell to 6:10 for the second km and stayed in that general vicinity for the remainder of the run. The pace was a five second improvement, which was nice. My heart rate was also lower, which is also good. I expect to be sore again but not quite as sore.
I may wear the Tom Tom watch the next time just to compare (it also syncs to my Nike+ account).
Overall, I was hoping for small improvements and got them, so I’m pleased. Now I just need to finish runs without ruining more socks.
Note to self: If you run regularly, then don’t run at all for just over four months then don’t run again for another two months, you may find that two days after the second-run-in-six-months your legs will still be pretty freaking sore.
It’s kind of embarrassing, but not surprising.
Daylight is lasting just long enough now for it to still be a little light when I get home from work, teasing me about the days ahead when I’ll actually be able to run after dinner once again. The current lack of light post-work means I have some time to get into a comfy new stretching routine before regular runs resume. I look forward to making my legs sore without having to run at all.
Run 409 Average pace: 6:01/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 5.18 km
Time: 31:56
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 9ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 171
Stride: n/a
Weight: 171.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3325
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
For the past month or so I’ve been planning on resuming running, having completed an entire run back on December 20. In fact, I was hoping to get a monthly streak going for 2016. That didn’t happen because I got sick, got better but was recovering, sort of got sick again, then actually did get sick once more. This weekend I felt sufficiently recovered from all of that to get out and run.
Run is a bit generous, though. My pace was so slow you may be excused for thinking I used a walker for assistance. In my defense:
I was wearing new shoes for the first time, the Hoka Speedgoats. New shoes usually lead to slower runs the first few times.
I am obviously still not 100% after battling multiple viruses
I am really out of shape, and what little shape I have is reminiscent of a pear
my left foot (you know, good ol’ #@$%!) was hurting even before I started
That said, conditions were decent, with the rain holding off apart from an occasional sprinkle, and the 9ºC proving balmy enough that I could have worn a regular t-shirt and not the long-sleeved one (the running jacket, which I briefly considered, would have been way too warm).
I elected to break in the custom orthotics with the new shoes, even though I’ve been wearing them relatively trouble-free for weeks now. This may have been a mistake as halfway to Burnaby Lake the left foot started to hurt. It remained tolerable so I stuck to my 5K plan, once more using my Apple Watch and iPhone combo. It seems reasonably accurate but distance seems to be a little generous, with me hitting marks slightly before I’d expect. I’ll probably switch back to the TomTom for the next run.
The first 500 m, on the spiffy resurfaced section of the trail, went fine. No matter how out of practice, that first stretch you always feel great. I knew this would change and braced for it. As I moved onto the Spruce Loop trail, it changed. Suddenly it felt like I had lead weights in my shoes, in my lungs and possibly tucked away in other spots. I thought about pausing the run, about walking for a bit, but instead I pressed on and let my pace drop.
Somewhere between the 2.5 and 3 km mark the second wind kicked in, though it was a gentle kick. This was still enough for the lead weights to go away. My pace didn’t especially improve but I felt a lot better and finished out the run without any further undue suffering.
I walked back from the lake and the left foot, while still sore, did not present a notable obstacle.
Overall, I’m disappointed at the sluggish pace, but it is totally in line with the conditions of the run. I am pleased I got out and completed the full 5K and look forward to more runs soon. The addition of the custom orthotic will be interesting to observe, as it’s bound to be quite noticeable when running vs. walking (I don’t particularly notice it now during my day-to-day walking).
The Speedgoats were a mixed bag. On the plus side, they passed the shoelace test, with both remaining tied for the entire duration. The right shoe felt a tad loose on the walk back but still remained secure.
On the other hand, they did nothing to prevent the left foot from hurting. I think I’m pretty much doomed to all shoes being like this without an orthotic in them. Stupid foot.
More distressing was the fact that my socks had blue stains on them from the interior of the shoes. The trail was wet and squishy and I came out of it with mud splattered up my legs and my feet not exactly drenched but very much damp from a few unavoidable plunges through water. The interior of the shoes had a few wet spots and these appeared to allow the color to leech from the shoe to the sock, the first time I’ve had this happen in any running shoe. I was kind of shocked, actually. This shouldn’t happen, especially in a trail runner. I’ll be looking into whether this is a known defect of the Speedgoats or just bad luck on my part (49 reviews on the official Hoka site did not yield any mention of the issue).
Today I had my left foot examined by a certified pedorthist. I got an official report and am heading back on January 21 to get an orthotic device that I will use in my walking-around shoes and running shoes. This is basically a fancy insole specifically molded to the shape of my foot and designed to minimize pain in the gimpy parts of my foot.
Here are the highlights (?) of my assessment:
Postural Observations Bilateral: Medium MLA, Hindfoot Valgus
Balance weak when single leg stance bilaterally
[Insert joke about Hindfoot Valgus being my new punk band name here]
The second line about balance is a polite way of saying I really suck at standing on one leg. My sense of balance is not weak, it’s silly and nearly non-existent. I could be on a tightrope a meter wide and still find a way to fall off. I don’t know why this is, but it’s been this way as long as I can remember.
Gait Assessment Bilateral: Time Of Heel Lift Early
Mtt arch collapse / splay
The first line was interesting to me. When I first gave serious thought to running back in 2009 my reading on the subject left me with the impression that heel injuries were common and and that a good stance would greatly reduce or eliminate the chance of injury. And in over 3,000 km of running I have never hurt my heel. Unfortunately this may have lead to me indirectly causing other problems. When I am striding–walking or running–I lift off my heel early, which tends to result in landing on the front of my foot harder than I might otherwise. You can probably guess which part of my left foot hurts.
Significant Clinical Observations:
Mr. James [I always feel weird when people call me Mr. James, partly because it makes me think of my dad and partly because it sounds like I’m being addressed a a teacher] presents with pain under left metatarsal heads. He has medium arch height, limited ankle dorsiflexion, dropped metatarsal heads with callousing bilaterally [interpretation: I have ugly feet. I was also asked if I had some sort of fungal infection because my toenail are like ten little mini horror shows]. He has limited ankle dorsiflexion leading to early heel rise and more pressure at forefoot during gait. Orthotics recommended to aid in shock absorption and take pressure off metatarsal heads. Footwear with good cushioning and forefoot rocker recommended as well as home footwear. Calf stretches regularly strongly recommended in treatment plan as well [this was a big thing; basically I’m as flexible as a board and need to change that].
I went home with a pair of sandals designed to cushion the proper parts of my feet. I’m to wear them around home, which is something that makes me feel old man-ish but if they work, it beats not old man-ish with an aching foot. I was also persuaded to get a new pair of running shoes with the aforementioned forefoot rocker, specifically the Hoka Speedgoat trail runners. Yes, the name is absurd. Will I get the urge to chew on tin cans as I run? Perhaps. It features “Balanced Meta-Rocker Geometry” and this particular feature is startlingly noticeable when you walk around in the shoes. I’m curious to see how they feel when running. They look like this:
The testing/assessment took about an hour and consisted of me walking/running on a treadmill and having my feet poked, prodded and stretched to see where it hurt, as well as the standing-on-one-leg thing. Fortunately the balancing part was not critical. The biggest takeaway as far as what I can do, apart from getting the orthotic, is to stretch multiple times every day and especially before running. Ironically, I used to stretch before running but after hurting an Achilles tendon back in 2012 I became concerned (paranoid?) that the stretching was increasing the chance of me injuring myself by overdoing it. The pedorthist (a nice woman named Lynne) told me this would be pretty much impossible to do without engaging in a level of excessive stretching idiocy that a rational human would not be capable of. This mostly reassured me.
I may try the goat shoes as soon as tomorrow.
To paraphrase the first Star Trek movie, The Foot Adventure is Just Beginning…
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Updated tags for better searching and to note this was the first run using an Apple Watch (Series 0).
Run 408 Average pace: 5:42/km Location: Brunette River trail Distance: 5.0 km Time: 28:35 Weather: Overcast Temp: 7ºC Wind: light BPM: 172 Stride: n/a Weight: 165.3 pounds Total distance to date: 3320 Device used: Apple Watch (debut, Series 0) and iPhone 6
Here it is a mere four and a half months later and I’ve completed my next run, which I was totally not expecting.
Dedicated spambots scraping this blog for running articles may recall that my last run was on August 3rd, the first official day of my vacation. The run ended with my right hip (not actually my hip, as it later turned out) being hurt sufficiently that I knew I would be out for the rest of the summer or, as it turned out, almost the rest of the entire year.
Once I had sufficiently mended we were past summer and into fall and the days grew short and it was difficult to run after work. Running on the weekend also proved difficult because I just plain lost my mojo.
Today I had a Clif Bar for lunch (usual as I quest toward my target weight of 150) but a short while later I caved and had an apple strudel. It was loaded not only with sugar but also guilt. I had made a vow to stop snacking, and this was a clear violation. I soaked in the tub and contemplated how this, along with a planned pasta dinner, would contribute to The Fattening. I felt bad.
I decided to run.
I got changed and because this wouldn’t be an “official” run, I chose to not wear the TomTom watch. Instead I thought I’d give my fancy new Apple Watch and iPhone a workout (ho ho), using the Watch’s Activity app.
Setup was simple. I chose Outdoor Run, it advised me as this was my first run that I should run for at least 20 minutes to let the watch suss out my average pace. I planned 5K so this would not be an issue as I have not recently had bionic legs surgically attached.
I decided to walk the length of the Brunette River trail first, then start the run at the opposite end. This would get me heading in the right direction on the home stretch. I wore my usual gear, though the t-shirt was swapped for the long-sleeved version. This was not an unwise choice as it was 7ºC, not exactly tanning weather.
Upon arrival at the river trail I noted the bear sign was still up. It’s December 20th, I’m pretty sure the bears have gone south or started hibernating or whatever it is they do in the winter.
Using the watch, I selected my running music (from 1987, see previous post), chose the Outdoor Run activity and set the distance at 5 km. I tapped the Start button and three seconds later I began my first run in a good long time.
I kept the pace deliberate and actually had no trouble completing the full 5 km. A stitch threatened early on but never fully materialized and the only discomfort I felt was the usual “this is what it feels like to use certain muscles again after not using them for 18 weeks.” The left foot started to hurt but stayed tolerable. I stuffed toilet paper into the shoe to help provide extra cushioning but toilet paper squashes easily, something I forgot since I’m not in the habit of squashing it.
My pace seemed about right, given the layoff: 5:42/km. I broke the five-minute mark on the first km, slowed over the next three and picked up on the final. Again, this is all more or less normal. The BPM came in at 172, much higher than the 160 of my last run back in August. I’m not sure if this is accurate and thus worrisome, or inaccurate and no big deal.
While everything worked well enough with the Activity app, it is too self-contained and lacks some stats to really prove useful in the long term. I may try the Strava app on my next practice run, as it’s supposed to be spiffy.
Three other things of note on the run:
There were a lot of fishers out there and more people in general than I expected
As I looped back to the entrance of the trail, a Metro Vancouver worker was removing the bear sign, as if he had read my mind; for reasons unknown (conspiring with bears?) the other sign at the western end of the trail was left up
Some dope with a dog let his dog off-leash and while he was bent over tying his shoe on the other side of the trail, the dog came running after me, nipping and barking at my heels. It wasn’t scary so much as annoying. I shot the guy a dirty look as he called Cujo back, then observed, with no surprise, as they headed off, the dog was still unleashed. I pondered what it would take to get him to decide it was a good idea to put the leash back on (he had a leash with him). I decided nothing would because he was a stupid, selfish jerkface.
I now wait to see how my body feels tomorrow (I’m thinking a little sore but not bad). I could potentially run again in three days, but may wait until next weekend. The important thing is I ran, I survived, I worked off that strudel, and I’m curious to go out and do it again.
Now that the days are growing shorter, colder and wetter, it seems the perfect time to resume running. I am tentatively planning my first run after two months of recovery for next weekend (October 3-4). It will be a 5K, I will jog at a timid pace and I will emerge uninjured. Or else.
I ran in the heat
Until my leg, it went “Ow!”
Walking, the new black
Okay, that’s pretty terrible, but in my defense I’ve got some kind of bug or virus or whatever it is I can walk a half dozen blocks, go down a flight of stairs, then feel exhausted and ready for a nap by the time I climb back up them (which describes my after-dinner walk tonight. I wanted to see how much of the tree destruction had been cleared. The giant tree on Sherbrooke had been chainsawed and piled on the side of the road but the smaller tree on Fader was still toppled over, albeit now with caution tape around it. It’s also not resting on the power lines. I wanted to check out if any clearing had been done down on the Brunette River trail but after climbing back up the stairs in Lower Hume Park–the trees at the bottom were still blocking the way–I was feeling more like exploring the comfort of being tucked under the sheets than the great outdoors.)
As to the running, the right leg is legitimately starting to feel better. I’m cautiously hopeful that with some physio and a few weeks of stretching exercises I may be ready to run again before the end of September. By then, of course, the light will be fading quickly after dinner and I’ll have little time to get runs in, but I’ll figure something out. At least it won’t be Africa hot.
