Exercise

Run 390: The still slow mid-week run

Run 390
Average pace: 5:27/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.06 km
Time: 27:36
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22-24ºC
Wind: moderate to breezy
Calories burned: 374
Weight: 157.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3179
Device used: iPhone 6

Tuesday’s run was delayed a day because I was feeling strangely tired and in fact I didn’t go into work today (Wednesday). After sleeping in and supposedly shaking off whatever is afflicting me I decided to try a run at the lake early in the afternoon.

The walk there was noticeably slower than usual, an ominous sign–though I didn’t feel awful or anything. I headed out and didn’t feel bad but didn’t feel great, either. I made an effort to not push so I wasn’t expecting to set any land speed records.

I had two big drops, 11% after 2 km and an unexpected 4% drop for the last km. These combined to give me a mediocre pace of 5:27/km, six seconds slower than my previous 7K run and 13 seconds slower than my last 5K. Blargh.

The good news was no complications. The right tendon felt a bit stiff at the start but warmed up quickly. The left foot behaved right up until the very end of the walk home.

The walk home was probably the highlight. It was only fractions of a second off my fastest pace for a walk that length (about 9 km). I was ranting in my head about things I am unhappy about and this apparently translates directly into walking speed. I may have to apply it to my next run.

The other highlight was how quiet the trail was. I miss mid-afternoon weekday runs. I’m not anti-social but a trail sans people is nice for a solo runner. Maybe I’m a little anti-social.

The FIRE DANGER: LEFT FOOT run

Run 389
Average pace: 5:50/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 58:30
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-25ºC
Wind: moderate to breezy
Calories burned: 744
Weight: 158.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3174
Device used: iPhone 6

Good news: My right Achilles tendon felt significantly better on today’s run and was a complete non-factor. Once warmed up I really didn’t notice it at all.

Bad news: Everything else.

This was a fairly terrible run. It started with me making the crazy decision to try my Merrell Apollo “to the moon!” shoes again. With the New Balance MT110s starting to wear I am thinking more about replacements and the Merrells have been worn only a few times so they are still virtually brand new. I put them on, the fit was snug but comfy. I notice the even more minimalist sole compared to the MT110s but everything seems okay as I pad around in the condo with them, so I head out. Within three blocks my left foot starts to hurt. I don’t blame the shoe (Merrell PR people seeing this via Google Alerts, relax! The Merrell shoes are very nice.) but it’s clear the knobbier trail-ready soles of the MT110s may be a better choice.

I head back, put on the MT110s and head out again. I have walked 1.6 km so far and essentially gotten nowhere. But now my left foot feels better with the additional support. I am not overly hopeful but you never know.

It is warm and only the breeze keeps it from being just this side of uncomfortable. I start out and for the first 2 km my pace is decent if not great. Then the bottom falls out. Then my left foot starts to hurt again less than 4 km in. It starts to hurt even more. I feel tired. I think about stopping.

I press on, plodding, aching, gritting my teeth. At one point my left hip starts to hurt just a tiny bit, its way of saying, “Hello, remember me? I remember you!” It stops hurting but a short time later I feel vaguely nauseated. By now the pain in my foot has peaked so I keep going. I actually pick up the pace for the final km but finish with a very slow 5:50/km pace.

Bleah.

On a possibly more positive note, I may have figured out the root cause of my left foot issues. My shiny new theory involves the desk I sit at when I am working/playing on/staring at my computer. Previously I used a foot rest to insure good posture but the current alcove with my computer setup is on a hardwood floor, making it impossible to use the foot rest, as either it or the chair will go sliding all over the place. A mat is the obvious solution but I’ve been lazy. neglectful and generally terrible in getting a mat. What I’ve come to realize is that I often slouch and then brace myself against the wall with–you guessed it–my left foot!–to keep from sliding out of the chair and into an awkward lump under the computer desk. I often keep my foot squashed against the wall until it hurts, then move it away and move it back again when I’ve forgotten that squashing it up against the wall hurts (I apparently forget this a lot).

I am going to get a mat, sit up straight and see if the foot improves. If not it’s off to the doctor and amputation! Or maybe some kind of magic cream or something. The magic cream would be preferable.

The watch for fires and bears run

Run 388
Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 37:40
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 26ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 520
Weight: 159.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3164
Device used: iPhone 6

Good news: I beat my last 7K pace by a solid eight seconds.
Possibly bad news: My right Achilles tendon was sore and stiff to start, felt better after warming up, but I could still feel it a little through most of the run.
Good news: The tendon did not affect my pace.
Conclusion: I think it may still be sore but not actually injured.

I did a 7K run tonight and though I felt a little tired along the middle stretch I still finished with a pace of 5:21/km, easily beating my previous 7K pace of 5:29/km. By the end of the run I felt pretty good and other than the tendon being a bit sore there were no other issues worth noting. It was sunny and warm but not humid so it didn’t feel uncomfortable. It still seems a bit weird to have this summer-like weather so early. Today could easily have been a day in mid-August.

Speaking of weird, the fire danger signs they put up after a long dry spell were up at Burnaby Lake today, the earliest I’ve seen them go up in the four years I’ve been jogging there. Right next to them was a bear warning sign. I’m expecting a third sign soon showing a bear on fire. A smokey bear, if you will.

Noteworthy bits: My first km was 4:32/km, one of my fastest of the year and my pace improved for the last three km after I flagged, especially on the second and fourth km (moreso the fourth, the second seems steeper because the first km was extra-zippy).

Overall I am pleased with the result and cautiously hopeful that the tendon is just sore and out of shape. This weekend I will be looking for new trail runners as I’m climbing ever-closer to 400 km on my New Balance MT110s (and have probably passed that if you count the walk before and after each run). I am leaning toward getting another pair of minimalist shoes but haven’t made up my mind yet because my mind is all fickle and indecisive.

The post-Kamloops run

Run 387
Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:20
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: light to none
Calories burned: 371
Weight: 159.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3157
Device used: iPhone 6

After missing Sunday’s usual run (due to travel back from the mountains/boonies) I was concerned how my first run in four days would pan out. It was sunny and warm but pleasantly so. The run was faster than my previous 5K and one of my better efforts of the year so overall I was pleased with the result. I experienced no noteworthy issues.

I was originally planning to do another 7K river/lake combo run but due to YASP (Yet Another SkyTrain Problem) I got home later than usual and opted for the basic 5K. 5:14/km may not be lightning fast but I can guarantee that for about two hours I was definitely running faster than the Expo Line trains.

The Kamloops run

Run 386
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: North Thompson River Trail (Kamloops)
Distance: 5.06 km
Time: 26:46
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light to none
Calories burned: 374
Weight: 159.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3152
Device used: iPhone 6

For a change of pace I decided to run in Kamloops, some 400 km or so away from Vancouver.

By coincidence my partner’s sister’s daughter was having her high school graduation/convocation ceremony around the same time so we hitched the trailer to the truck and made a good ol’ camping trip out of it (more on that in other posts).

After some unseasonal rain, it was not overly warm for the run (Kamloops has what is probably the closest to a desert terrain in Canada), hitting about 23ºC. High cloud blocked the sun for the most part so conditions were pretty good.

I ran along a dike that parallels the Thompson River as it is conveniently a few blocks away from the sister’s house. The only downside is that it was relatively short, only about 2 km in length. I decided to do a 5K so I could get a direct comparison to other recent 5Ks. My pace of 5:17/km was a couple of seconds slower than my last 5K, so not much difference. Physically the biggest change was probably elevation, as Kamloops is 345 m above sea level, compared to where I normally run, which is roughly 0 m above sea level, give or take a meter or two. As it turned out, that’s not enough of a difference to have made me pass out from thin air or anything. It felt mostly like any other run.

There were a few people out walking dogs and the desire to let dogs roam free (ie. off-leash) seems universal, though the majority were either leashed or were down closer to the river, running through the tall grass and collecting brain-destroying ticks and keeping out of my way. Other than that the run was fairly ordinary, though I’d have preferred a faster pace. I’m still inching (centimetering?) toward peak form, so that’s probably still a ways off yet.

The Sunday run all over again

Run 385
Average pace: 5:40/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 56:50
Weather: Cloudy and humid
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 743
Weight: 159.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3147
Device used: iPhone 6

This run was very similar to the previous Sunday’s run, down to a mere second difference in average pace. I had no major issues and the cloudy sky meant the trails were lightly populated (yay).

For a change I ran the section of freeway trail I had to use in 2012 when the first boardwalk was being replaced. Without the sun beating down it wasn’t too bad and it was probably nicer than the rest of the south shore, which felt weirdly muggy once again.

In fact, I am hard-pressed to add much more. It was a solid if unspectacular result and I am neither backsliding nor vaulting forward.

The roving band of runners run

Run 384
Average pace: 5:29/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 7.02 km
Time: 38:29
Weather: Sunny and humid
Temp: 24-26ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 519
Weight: 160.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3137
Device used: iPhone 6

I decided to stretch a bit and do a 7K run instead of the usual weeknight 5K. I ran the river trail then headed to the lake and ran another 5K to Still Creek then made my way to the nearby Burnaby Lake SkyTrain station for a nice ride home.

My pace was 5:29/km, which is slower than my last 5K (5:15/km) but faster than my last 10K (5:39/km). With it being quite warm and muggy as well, the results are about in line with what I expected and I had no discomfort or pain, just the usual stiffness starting out.

There were plenty of other runners out enjoying the summer-like conditions, including the titular roving band, about a dozen or so jogging as a group clockwise around the lake. Even though they formed a giant, multi-legged blob on the trail, they kindly and quickly adjusted to allow me to pass by without having to throw myself into a ditch first.

I ended the run a few hundred meters from the SkyTrain station, then did a bit of a sprint on the pedestrian overpass (for some reason it almost always triggers my latent acrophobia so I like getting past it as quickly as possible). I stopped at a convenient fountain for a few welcome sips of water, then lightly jogged into the station just as a train arrived. Timing! The downside to this is I didn’t have a chance to really cool off and the olde train had no air conditioning. As I sat down my body turned into a furnace and I sweated profusely for a few minutes while waiting for my body temperature to settle back to something normal. When I got home my shirt was so bathed in sweat I actually had trouble pulling it off. This is not something I would expect to be a problem in May. All said, I’d still take it over rain.

Sunday looks like it may be cloudy and perhaps a tad cooler. We will see.

The seemingly slower yet actually faster run

Run 383
Average pace: 5:15/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 26:21
Weather: Mostly sunny, some cloud
Temp: 24-27ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 369
Weight: 160.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3130
Device used: iPhone 6

I was feeling cranky and the day turned unusually warm when I went out running tonight. At the end of the run the reported temperature was 27ºC. That’s kind of crazy. It even felt a bit muggy.

I got off to a slow start but at least got the phone into the belt without going through a contortion act like on Sunday. I picked up the pace and as I neared the 2K mark I felt surprisingly comfortable, almost relaxed. But then I passed the usual 2K mark, kept going farther and was suddenly really cranky. There was no way I could be running slower.

I pushed a bit on the way back and the right Achilles tendon, feeling sore, smoothed out. That was good. A cramp threatened on my lower right side. That was bad. And I started to feel tired from everything. Also not so good.

Still I ended with an improved pace of 5:15/km, a full eight seconds better than my run one week earlier, which was also a follow-up to a 10K. So overall I end up being pleased with the result. Weird.

The technical difficulties run

Run 382
Average pace: 5:39/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 56:38
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 19ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 740
Weight: 161.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3125
Device used: iPhone 6

For my second 10K run of the year my goal was to simply improve on my pace over last week’s. Mission accomplished! I went from 5:51/km to 5:39/km.

Bizarrely, the third km was the fastest. I was helped by the weather, which was mild and overcast. The first km was an unusually slow 5:27/km and this was due to technology (and my clumsy hands) failing me. Specifically, the Nike app was still set to play music through the app. I don’t like this because it always shuffles songs, even when you choose an album. I forgot to change the setting so aborted my run to fix the music. Next I had to pace around for a good bit before it finally got a good GPS signal. When I finally started, I couldn’t get the iPhone into the pocket of the spibelt and found myself shoving it behind the belt instead. I’m trying to keep up a good pace while fiddling with all of this and it obviously didn’t work. The second km was even worse, like my body suddenly decided it was very tired. But things improved after that and my pace picked up on the third, ninth and final km.

I experienced some concern around the halfway point when my right ankle started to hurt. Not drastically or anything, just in a way that was unrelated to the Achilles tendon. I tried working out a kink or recalling if I had twisted it in some way. In the end it worked itself out after a few minutes and felt fine for the rest of the run. Just the body being temporarily weird, hopefully.

The trail was not as busy as it would normally be on a Sunday due to the cloudy conditions and the temperature never budged from 19ºC so conditions were pretty comfortable. I was put off by a group of cyclists right at the start of the trail near the dam but they were either heading out or had realized they shouldn’t be there and were sensibly leaving. Dirty cyclists.

Also I had to use the loo before running but the porta-potty was occupied by someone taking a little too long to make me want to be the first to use it after they were done. Instead I found a nice spot tucked around a big ol’ tree not far from the dam, did a scan to make sure no one was close by to have me arrested for indecent exposure…then looked down and saw someone else had used the exact same spot mere minutes earlier, judging from the evidence. It was a bit weird because it was literally the exact same spot.

Anyway, here’s to the next 10K being better still and with less peeing and cylists.

 

The early nearly Africa hot run

Run 381
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:38
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 26-24ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 376
Weight: 161.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3115
Device used: iPhone 6

Work was again exhausting. When I got home I began stuffing apple strudel and tortilla chips into my face. I was not motivated to run, I was motivated to gorge, then hibernate.

Further killing my desire was the unusually warm weather–the Weather Underground app on my phone was reporting 28ºC when I headed out for the run. That is zany hot for May. It’s zany hot for June, July and August, too.

Yes, I did go out. The secret to the running routine when you’re feeling unmotivated is to just change and go outside. If you don’t think about it, the routine can carry you along to where you’d feel bad about not continuing.

I pushed a wee bit more during the first two km and yielded positive results. Instead of a significant drop after the second km, it was a mere 1%. My overall pace of 5:17/km was six seconds better than Tuesday, not bad considering the increased temperature and humidity. A cramp threatened to materialize in my lower right abdomen but never quite gelled (if cramps can indeed gel) so my pace never truly sagged.

Overall an unexpectedly decent outing.

The kind of sweaty run

Run 380
Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 27:05
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 376
Weight: 162.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3110
Device used: iPhone 6

Although the temperature was again around 23ºC it felt much warmer, the warmest run for the year to date. As a result I sweated even more than on Sunday. I do not normally think of sweating a lot on mid-May runs.

I was feeling very tired going in, mentally exhausted from work, and also coming off my first 10K on Sunday and a 16+ km walk yesterday. I expected a plodding pace. In the latter half I found enough energy reserves to push during the fourth km (my fastest stretch, actually) and again for the last 500 m after pooping out just prior to that. The result was a mediocre pace of 5:23/km, two seconds slower than my previous 5K. I call it a wash. A sweaty, stinky wash.

The right Achilles tendon felt a little sore but it was fine by the end and I had no other real discomfort, just sluggishness and such. One day 5Ks will seem easy again.

The methodically paced first 10K of the year run

Run 379
Average pace: 5:51/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10.0 km
Time: 58:42
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 753
Weight: 162.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3104
Device used: iPhone 6

Today my plan was to run 5K and then run farther if I had the energy for it. To facilitate this I again chose to run at a deliberate pace, rather than try pushing for the need for speed.

I was indeed slower, but, as planned, I felt no great discomfort or anything while running, save for an occasional hint of a cramp in my left shoulder, which continues to be strange. The weather was pleasant and the sun was warm. I even sweated a little.

My pace was a tepid 5:51/km, but I completed a full 10 km and never felt like I was struggling. It felt decent. The trail was clogged with people, due to an event apparently taking place. I saw two people with flags but couldn’t make them out. What I could make out were the vast crowds stretched out all along the trail, forcing some clever weaving and dodging at times. You can tell the regulars from the non-regulars because the latter tend to never realize there are other people on the trail.

Still, I stayed upright the entire time and finished 10K without difficulty. I am emboldened to continue and improve.