Exercise

A somewhat labored Labor Day run

Run 348
Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Cloudy with some sun, humid
Temp: 19-21ºC (felt like 24ºC)
Wind: light
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2927

Today’s run was disappointing in one way and nicely rewarding in another.

The disappointment came in a slower pace, 5:21/km vs. Saturday’s 5:18/km. I attribute most of this to it being noticeably more humid. The temperature was a bit warmer but it felt warmer and muggier. Looking at my time I clearly started sagging, though during the run it didn’t feel that bad. The foot also began to hurt, but not as much as Saturday. I think I’ve been crunching it in unfavorable ways when sitting at the computer. I need to get slippers or something so I can’t do that.

The other thing of note is how crowded the trail was. Starting out at the dam I saw more people than I think I did on my entire run done at the same time on Saturday. Apparently the thing to do on a statutory holiday is go to the lake and walk or jog. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this very thing before. It’s weird.

Also, in addition to the usual bear signs:

Bear in area sign
Here be bears (maybe).

A new one was added, warning “Bear sighted in area”, along with a number to call, presumably so they can send someone over to murder the bear that was sighted. I don’t know if they actually murder them, maybe they tranq them and relocate them but shooting things dead seems to be the popular solution these days so that’s what I’m assuming.

Anyway, it adds a little spice to the jog to know an actual bear has been spotted on your route. It won’t be long before the bears head off to hibernate and the signs come down, though, to be replaced with “Yeti in area” signs.

The rewarding part of today’s run was the total distance for the year to date. At 438.7 km I have now passed my run total for all of 2013 (!) with four months to go. In 2013 I ran 436.1 km. Mind you, my average pace in 2013 was 5:08 and this year it’s 5:16 so…eh, you take what you can get.

A somewhat slower end-of-vacation run

Run 346
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Hazy high cloud
Temp: 17-22ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2907

Today’s run was a little disappointing in that I fell back four seconds on average to a pace of 5:17/km. All of the conditions were just a little worse than Wednesday–a little warmer, a little less breeze–but not bad. I started out slower but still at a reasonable pace but fell flat between the 6 and 9K mark, where I could definitely feel myself getting tired.

I pushed on for a solid finish, picking the pace up by 3% but it wasn’t enough to overcome the sluggish middle.

Body-wise I felt fine, with nothing causing any undue discomfort.

On the plus side, I crossed the 2900 km threshold and this marked my ninth consecutive 10K run, which I think is the most I’ve done in a row since 2012.

The sleeping in pays off run

Run 345
Average pace: 5:13/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Sunny, very humid
Temp: 16-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2897

I took a slightly different approach to my run this morning by starting an hour later than usual. This meant it would be a bit warmer (bad) but would also be less humid (good) and as a bonus, an extra hour of sleep. The forecast indicated it was only going to get up to 22ºC for the day so the trade-off seemed worth it.

And it was. I shall cherish this rare triumph of planning ahead. It was both cooler heading out–about 16ºC–and not quite as humid. The sun was intermittent, with hazy high cloud dominating and as a special bonus there was a very welcome light breeze blowing through much of the run.

My right hip was feeling a little creaky, probably from the combination of longer runs and the MegaWalks™ I’ve often been doing on the non-run days (I’ve put in probably close to 150 km of walking since my vacation started on August 2) but not enough to affect my pace and it loosened up over the course of the run.

This was my best 10K pace in awhile, nudging my previous best from last week at 5:13/km. Oddly, the third km was once again my fastest and the times between the first three km and the last three km were remarkably consistent, the only downside being the sprint at the end was somewhat less sprinty than usual:

  • 1K 5:08
  • 2K 5:07
  • 3K 5:02
  • 8K 5:16
  • 9K 5:17
  • 10K 5:15

The combination of returning to work next week and the sun starting to set earlier will soon make it a challenge to get in full 10K runs while it’s still light out, but at least the long term forecast looks to be mainly clear with seasonal temperatures, so we may finally have bid farewell to the Africa hot weather for the summer.

Another warm ‘n muggy run with another bonus coyote sighting

Run 344
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Sunny, very humid
Temp: 18-24ºC
Wind: nil
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2887

Conditions were nearly identical today vs. Friday except it was sunny, which meant it warmed up more over the course of the run. Humidity was very high again, starting around 85% and I sweated copiously as I am wont to do in these conditions.

I didn’t wilt quite as much, though, and managed to shave off two seconds, making my average pace a slow-but-still-improved 5:18/km. Another nice aspect was no weird pain or other glitches. I did begin flagging around the 8K mark but picked up nicely in the last km, finishing strongly. Weirdly, my third km was my fastest at 5:10 vs. 5:12 for both the first and second km. If it hadn’t been so muggy I probably could have turned in a much better time but alas.

After the run I saw what I’m pretty sure was the same coyote in the same spot along the Brunette River trail. He was on the other side of the fence this time and saw my approach so nimbly bounded…a short distance back. Then he turned and watched, with his head sticking up above the wild grass, as I walked back. Then he disappeared off into his coyote house or whatever it is they live in. He seems to have taken up residence, which is odd given the location is fairly well-traveled by walkers, joggers, park workers and CN employees. Maybe he wants to be adopted.

The silly humid mid-August run

Run 343
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Cloudy, very humid
Temp: 18-21ºC
Wind: nil
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2877

The threat of rain loomed over today’s run but as I headed out the sky brightened and the sun even made a brief appearance midway through the run. That was probably the highlight.

I noticed immediately upon stepping outside at 8 a.m. that it was a tad muggy. It turned out the humidity was over 80%. Today was a textbook example of the olde expression “it’s the heat, not the humidity” as the temperature for the run was a perfectly reasonable 18-21ºC.

For the first km it was fine and without the sky dumping great amounts of water on me, my pace was actually two seconds faster–5:04 vs 5:06/km. My fate was written in the next split, though, when my pace drooped an impressive 5%, to 5:17/km, five seconds slower than the previous run’s split. This doomed me to an overall slower average pace of 5:20/km, a disappointing way to end the week but considering I was jogging through liquid air, perhaps not too bad.

I had an amazing four separate encounters with one of those two-seater vehicles the park workers tool around the trails in. I passed it near the start of the run as the woman was placing back a pole she had removed to give the vehicle access to the Avalon Trail. Shortly after doing this she caught up to me, I moved aside and let her pass.

A km or two later and she came rolling up behind me again, having ventured off to the Freeway Trail before looping back to the trail I was on. I again let her pass as running ahead of her would have required bionic legs or something. Weirdly the third time she managed to be ahead of me but the fourth time I again managed to come out ahead of her and this time was headed toward the second boardwalk. I assumed she would not try to bring the vehicle on it, as it’s not really designed for vehicles. It still felt like a low-rent version of Duel.

Other than the stupid amount if humidity, the only other things of note on the run were:

  • my left foot was feeling a bit sore beforehand but still held up. I could feel it but I don’t think it slowed me down.
  • my right ankle mysteriously twinged with pain two separate times, each time lasting perhaps 30 seconds or so. I was fine before and after and there is no pain at all now in the ankle. It reminded me of the equally mysterious knee pain I felt for one run in the summer of 2012. It’s like the body randomly picks some part to briefly remind you that you’re getting older and are fallible or something. Stupid body.

Having seen my times go the wrong way this week, I am hoping next week is a) drier and b) drier.

 

The very wet mid-August run

Run 342
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: Heavy rain
Temp: 18-17ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2867

I dedicate the following songs to today’s run:

Here Comes the Rain Again
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
The Rain is Falling

And of course:

Goodbye Blue Sky

I spent an hour this morning trying to out-wait the rain before giving up, going out and getting drenched. The light rain changed to a heavy rain well before I got to the lake and by the end of the run my shirt and shorts were clinging to me like very clingy things and it felt like I had picked up an extra ten pounds from the weight of the water in them.

I ended up a few seconds slower than the previous run, coming in at a pace of 5:18/km. This was likely due to the extra navigation required to maneuver around the copious number of puddles that grew even as I made my way around the lake. At several points the puddles were more pools than I just had to plow through.

I did experience a minute or so of light pain in a muscle somewhere between the left calf and knee but it appeared suddenly and left the same way. The legs felt fine afterward.

The lower temperature–it actually got cooler as I ran–meant I had enough energy to pick up the pace for a strong finish, which was nice to see.

A surprising number of people were out walking the loop, particularly along the Cottonwood Trail and near the start of the Avalon Trail. Regulars, perhaps. It was somewhat annoying because they all had giant umbrellas that effectively blocked any easy way to pass by. The roar of the rain also meant they were oblivious to my approach. I managed to avoid going in the ditch, though.

I also saw about half a dozen dedicated runners getting soaked to their collective hineys. Most were dressed like me in shorts and t-shirts but one was wearing a jacket. That sounds sensible for a run in heavy rain but at 17-18ºC it wasn’t cold so he probably ended up extra sweaty underneath. Kind of a lose-lose situation on a day like this, really.

Here’s hoping Friday’s run is a wee bit drier.

The beating the heat 10K run with bonus coyote sighting

Run 341
Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Mainly sunny, some high cloud
Temp: 16-26ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2857

Another early start to beat the heat and with the high forecast at a sizzling 36ºC I had plenty of motivation to get out there before the rubber started melting on the soles of my runners.

I had a strong start and this had me hopeful early on as I ran clockwise through the nicely shady Avalon trail. I kept up a good pace right through to the 5K mark. A dip at the 6K mark can be attributed to two factors: a stitch that was threatening (but never kicked in, fortunately) and the fact that this also coincided with one of the few uphill stretches of the run, just past Still Creek, ascending toward the Cottonwood trail.

At this point my pace settled in at a slightly slower level. The temperature, much like last Monday, was rising very rapidly by this point and the last few km I was beginning to tire, enough so that I couldn’t rally for the last 400 m push.

I did end up with an overall pace of 5:14/km, a full nine seconds better than the previous run and edging closer to my 5K times, so I am pleased overall with the results.

The weather this week appears to be very unsettled, with lower temperatures and the possibility of thunderstorms or good old-fashioned rain. Our Africa Hot summer may be winding down at last.

Bonus coyote sighting: I forgot to mention a few runs back I encountered not one but two gold and black snakes doing that slithering thing across the trail. The first had already crossed and was already in the grass (just like a snake). The second was only making his way across and actually seemed a bit sluggish, like he was feeling lazy. Can snakes feel lazy? Anyway, the point is there are animals out and aboot now.

This was made even more explicit as I walked back along the Brunette River trail. I spotted a dog walking along the trail ahead of me and saw no sign of any owner. The dog also seemed to be walking not like a dog. It’s hard to describe. A moment later I realized it was a coyote, about the size of a medium dog. I knew the exact moment it detected my presence because it suddenly started trotting toward the fence and slipped into the restoration area. It emerged atop a large upturned stump and watched warily as I passed by. I smiled at it. It probably thought I was an idiot.

After getting a safe distance past it got off the stump and disappeared off to do whatever coyotes do. Hunt lazy snakes, maybe.

It looked a bit like this one:

coyote
A coyote thinking coyote thoughts.

The more better 10K run

Run 340
Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Mainly sunny, some high cloud
Temp: 15-20ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 772
Total distance to date: 2847

My goal today was to simply improve on Wednesday’s time and I did. Woo! My average pace was 5:23/km, still slower overall but five seconds better than my previous pace.

I ran counter-clockwise and skipped the Piper Mill Trail, as I knew I’d still finish well before reaching my starting point. Speaking of optional trails, yesterday I used the GPS-enabled RunKeeper app on my iPhone to do an exact circuit of my usual run loop at the lake and it came out to 10.5 km. This was even a little farther than my actual run route because I will normally start on one side of the dam and finish on the other. This means that running the three optional trails appears to be adding very little to my total run distance, perhaps only about 200 m or so. I’ll probably stick to them because the side trails tend to be a bit cooler and less traveled.

I didn’t encounter any issues during the run. As with the previous runs, the left foot felt a bit sore on the walk home afterward but was fine for the run itself. No stitches, cramps or other ailments came up.

My pace was probably helped by the coolest temperatures of the week, starting at 15ºC and rising only to 20ºC by the end. It actually felt a lot warmer when I got home to find the condo 25ºC with the AC running.

And with my first 30K week of running in a very long time behind me, I now take two days to rest and recover.

The slightly faster 10K run

Run 339
Average pace: 5:28/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce Loop, Conifer Loop and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Mainly sunny, some high cloud
Temp: 18-21ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2837

Today’s run was set up the same as Monday’s–same time, same direction. And the result? Almost identical, oddly enough. My average pace was 5:28/km, one whole second better than the prior run (and eight seconds faster in total: 54:54 vs. 55:02). Helping me achieve this tremendous speed improvement were slightly cooler temperatures and some high cloud that conveniently blotted out the sun on many of the exposed areas of the trail.

Other than that, it was pretty much a repeat of yesterday with a few kinks ironed out. I could feel a stitch threaten about the same point but it never materialized, and my feet and hip both held up nicely, especially considering I’ve walked about 60 km over the past five days alongside the two runs. The leg muscles are a little sore but that’s to be expected. My left foot was also a bit sore on the walk home but it was more an irritant than anything. I’m 99% convinced my foot issues were mainly due to the tight fit of the Adidas shoes.

Onward to Friday and hopefully the beginning of regaining some actual form. These times kind of suck.

The early bird avoids the sunstroke run

Run 338
Average pace: 5:29/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Spruce Loop, Conifer Loop and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 16-26ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 2827

This was the earliest I’ve headed out on a run, taking advantage of my vacation time to skip sleeping in and run lots instead.

I headed out shortly before 8 a.m. and officially started my run at 8:33 a.m. The temperature was showing around 16ºC when I left, though it was probably a bit warmer by the time I started, and was up to 26ºC (!) when I finished, though it was perhaps a degree or two lower given how rapidly it was rising.

Still, it was noticeably cooler on the run–not actually cool, mind you, just cooler than the sweltering jungle-like heat that has persisted for such an unusually long time. I actually saw dew on shaded grass!

I started out clockwise and was perhaps not surprised to encounter many other joggers and walkers taking advantage of the early morning temperature. It seemed a bad omen when I encountered a cyclist right at the start but I spotted no others after that and apart from someone smoking (this seems inevitable once they post the “Fire Danger – No Smoking” signs, everyone else was being polite and such.

I could tell I was slower from the start but my objective today was not to break any land speed records, but to simply complete a full loop of the lake, something I hadn’t done since July 6–almost a full month ago. I was partly successful in that I did 10K and could have kept going but given my slower pace, the loop would have ended a bit shy of the 11K mark and I like even numbers so 10K it was.

If my pace improves even a small amount for the next run I should be able to so a full 11K.

Other than the slow pace of 5:29/km–and that was proportionally faster than my last 5K–the body held up fairly well. My left foot and hip both behaved and I only felt a slight stitch in my side for a few km toward the end. It affected my pace but probably not by more than a few seconds and wasn’t entirely unexpected given how long it’s been since I’ve done a full run.

Still, this leaves me confident that I can manage at least the same if not better on Wednesday. We shall see.

The too hot to run run

Run 337
Average pace: 5:22/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce Loop, Conifer Loop and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 2.53 km
Weather: Sunny and very muggy
Temp: 31ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 195

I thought I had my salvation with me for this run–a water bottle, woo! I tried using it with the included belt but the belt just felt too weird and bulky so I ended up just carrying the bottle. It wasn’t a big bother, I just switched off hands occasionally. As a bonus, each hand I switched from suddenly felt much lighter.

But having the water bottle ended up not helping because unlike Tuesday’s run, this one was much more humid, so I wasn’t drying out the same way. Instead I was sweating out my own body weight in, uh, sweat. It was so muggy and hot that I began to feel a little nauseous about 2 km in and decided to pull the plug at the halfway mark and walk the rest of the way.

Of the summers I’ve been jogging, this has been the Africa hot-iest by far. But with three weeks of vacation ahead I can now start running in the morning before the earth is fully baked. I’m hoping it makes for a welcome change.

The understandably terrible run

Run 336
Average pace: 5:27/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce Loop, Conifer Loop (2) and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Sunny and very muggy
Temp: 27ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 387
Total distance to date: 2814

It was 27ºC when I headed out on tonight’s run. Warmer than I’d like but not as warm as some previous runs. I was hoping it would be semi-tolerable. I wore my New Balance MT110 minimalist shoes for the first time in a long time, to see if the extra room helped my accursed left foot.

The good news is I finished the run without fainting, throwing up or spontaneously exploding.

The other good news is the MT110s were fine. My foot started to feel a little sore after the run but only a little. I remember why I like minimalist shoes. They’re light, flexible and provide a firmer, more natural grip on the trail. I’ll keep wearing them for now.

The best news of all: the laces never came untied!

The bad news: this was the most uncomfortable run I’ve had all year. It was very warm but worse, very muggy. This is in part due to the time of day–between 5 and 6 p.m. the sun is low and the earth is fully baked, yet to to cool off for the evening. The wind also tends to die down late afternoon. I was sweating like crazy, my mouth was parched, my stamina was sucked away over the course of the 5 km like I had a vampire hanging off my neck the entire time. While km to km my time didn’t drop drastically (in the usual 2-3% range) I started out slow (5:14 for the first km) and added 4-8 seconds each km, ending with a dismal pace of 5:27/km.

This time it definitely wasn’t the equipment, it was all me. I almost packed it in at the 3K mark but pressed on, even as I felt queasy from the heat. I even managed a minor uptick in speed for the last 400 m.

If conditions are the same on Thursday I am taking water with me, even if I’m forced to wear one of those giant foam hats with the beer cans on the sides. Except using beer would probably not be a good idea.

On a scale of one to five collapsed joggers, I rate tonight’s jog four out of five collapsed joggers.