Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 398
Total distance to date: 2536 km
Circumstances prevented me from running on Friday as I would have according to my Run Schedule-0-Matic® and then again on Saturday, meaning I had three full days off before running again today.
Logically you might think three days of rest would result in a better run but with my body still getting used to jogging again, three days is instead just enough time to start losing what little edge I’ve developed in the past few weeks. I also always seem to do worse with a route change-up.
When I started off running clockwise around Burnaby Lake I couldn’t immediately tell if I was slower. My left foot was feeling a bit stiff but worked itself out. I kept on and then developed the dreaded stitch. Much like the previous one it never really went away and when I had about 500m to go it was bothering me enough that I was briefly tempted to stop running altogether. I pressed on and even got a little bit of that homestretch spurt going but in the end my pace fell back to a pokey 5:20/km.
I couldn’t blame conditions, either, as it was mainly sunny, mild and with a light and pleasant breeze blowing.
I did achieve a milestone for this year, though–my first week with three runs, just like in the olden days. Woo. And I’m still feeling the after-effects of the runs less and less with each outing. Woo x2.
Average pace: 5:12/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.02 km
Weather: Clear
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 398
Total distance to date: 2531 km
Tonight’s run was the opposite of Monday’s. I initially felt stiffness in the shins and my endurance pegging but then I found my pace and fairly early on at that. The discomfort washed away and I completed the run a full ten seconds better than the previous pace at 5:12/km. It’s also my best run so far in 2014.
I may run on Friday or opt to wait the extra day and do a bit more on Saturday at the lake. Plus the lake has cute ducks.
Average pace: 5:22/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Clear
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 399
Total distance to date: 2526 km
This was my first run on the Brunette River trail in awhile and tonight the river smelled a little stinky.
Speaking of stinky, my run was less than swift. I felt tired and never felt any momentum. Even the usual little burst at the end of the run was flaccid. I ended up five seconds off the previous pace, coming in at 5:22/km. While I expected to be slower, as this was my first run-one day off-run in awhile it was still disappointing.
The final irony is that I did the run while listening to the R.E.M. album Accelerate. Thanks a lot, R.E.M.
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Cloudy, light showers
Temp: 10-8ºC
Wind: strong
Calories burned: 398
Total distance to date: 2521 km
The wind was blowing up to 25k/hour so I chose to head out wearing my running jacket. My logic was that I’d be fine in a long-sleeve t-shirt if it was windy or if it rained but not both. And the sky looked like it was preparing to stir up a nice brew of wind and rain.
As it turned out, I escaped the rain until after the run ended. At that point it showed on and off for the walk back. The wind blew fairly consistently, though, so I didn’t particularly regret the extra cover the jacket provided.
About halfway through the run I developed a stitch in my gut and it was just strong enough to inhibit my pace. I didn’t want to end up slower than the prior run (falling back is rather discouraging early on when you’re trying to build on each run) and even goosed it a little at the end. I was rewarded by shaving off an entire second off my previous run, coming in at 5:17/km. Sure it’s small enough to be a rounding error, but I’ll take it.
The trail was replete with many a puddle that required dodging and one alongside the athletic field that was so huge I opted to take the field around it–until I discovered the field was a quicksand-like sodden mess. I managed to pick my way along the muddy left edge of the monster puddle.
I also encountered a man with his young boy riding their bikes. I said nothing, as there seems little point when they’ve already reached a place where they’d have already passed at least three “no bikes allowed” signs. I guess it was good they were not racing along.
Speaking of racing along, a pair of women were walking along with both of their dogs off-leash. No surprise here, but the one dog, a collie, was hyperactive and racing off the trail, into a nearby stream, under a small footbridge, back onto the trail and then was off again into the stream. There are several signs along the trail (the parks people really like signs) noting that the streams are fish habitats and dogs are to be kept out. Were there fish eggs in this stream the dog would have shredded them into oblivion. Again I said nothing. It’s not like these people don’t know, they simply don’t care. The best I can do is hope karma deals with them appropriately.
Too bad I don’t believe in karma. 😛
Back to the actual jogging–this marked the first time in months that I completed three runs in the space of a week. Weird! The left shin felt a tony bit tender afterward but other than that the feet and legs are fine and the overall level of post-run stiffness has diminished noticeably.
My next run will probably be a 5K on the river trail so I won’t have as direct a comparison to these last three runs, but it will still be interesting to see how it goes. Excelsior!
Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.04 km
Weather: Cloudy, light showers
Temp: 9-10ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 399
Total distance to date: 2516 km
The sky was partly clear when I headed out today but it proved to be all tricksy and deceptive, as it quickly clouded over as I headed to Burnaby Lake. The showers held off for the actual run, producing only a very light drizzle toward the end.
After the run it rained for the next 5K and stopped after I exited Burnaby Lake Park. It was a very localized shower, apparently.
The run felt a little harder compared to Sunday and I hopefully took this to mean I was picking up the pace, though for the first half I couldn’t tell. It turned out I was right as I shaved a full six seconds off the previous run, coming in at 5:18/km. Still slow as heck but not bad for a second run after a long layoff.
In other good news the feet felt more comfortable, and the muscles generally did not feel as sore during or after the run.
My next run will either be Friday or Saturday. It looks to be wet but I think I’m past the newbie stage now where bad weather is a convenient excuse to stay home and eat my weight in potato chips.
The title for this post comes from the fact that a train rolled past me while I was jogging along the Cottonwood Trail stretch. I should mention that it was on the track that parallels the trail, not actually on the trail with me. Why do I find trains so cool? I don’t know. But I do.
Average pace: 5:24/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.04 km
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 9-10ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 399
Total distance to date: 2511 km
With about 50 days separating my last run with today’s I was a bit concerned about how it would go but not overly so.
To insure maximum soreness the day after I did a walk around Burnaby Lake on Saturday, about 17 km or so in total.
I started out around 1 p.m. and it was a pleasant early spring day. The lake was a-hoppin’ with activity and dogs roamed free as they usually do. None parked a cold snout in my crotch so I was not especially bothered. You could tell spring was in the air by the stench. The skunk cabbage was just on the cusp of blooming and it is legion along the lakeshore. The unique odor will fade after the flowers have bloomed and the cabbage takes on its more usual leafy appearance.
The first few km I found the tendons of both feet feeling sore as they got stretched for the first two in nearly two months but by about the midway point the soreness went away, I found my pace and I finished the 5K just as I was stepping off the bridge at Still Creek. My pace of 5:24/km was three seconds off my last run but given the time between the runs I think that’s pretty acceptable.
My plan is to resume runs at least three times a week, continuing with 5Ks until my times start getting closer to my usual pace and then moving back to 10Ks.
Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Partly cloudy
Temp: 4ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 398
Total distance to date: 2506 km
With two weeks between runs again I was not expecting to exactly zip along, though I was hoping that my walk yesterday would give me a boost to my stamina.
As it turned out I recorded my best pace of my few runs so far in 2014, coming in at 5:21/km. For the first km my legs from the knees down were lighting up like an emergency panel at a nuke plant going through a meltdown. My muscles cried out. My tendons joined in chorus. I got a stitch in my side. I felt like a slug. But I kept going, found my pace and my legs settled down. The only negative afterward is the blister on my right foot is even bigger, mainly due to the walk to the river.
The weather was crisp but dry. I wore two layers–a long and short sleeved t-shirt. I think I would have been fine with just the long sleeved shirt. I didn’t take gloves nor did I need them.
A little over halfway through the run I passed an older man and though I couldn’t hear him due to the earphones he seemed to be relaying enthusiastic encouragement. That was nice. I’m guessing it looked like I was in agony and he thought it might keep me from collapsing.
I had a nice soak in a tub filled with lavender Epsom salts after. It made me feel like a princess. A fat, hairy princess but a princess all the same.
Average pace: 5:31/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce Loop and Conifer Loop
Distance: 7.04 km
Weather: Fog and low cloud
Temp: 3-5ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 558
Total distance to date: 2501 km
I was going to run last weekend but both days we had monsoon-like rains and motivating yourself to do your second run after seven weeks off when there are monsoon-like rains is…challenging.
But today the weather was calm, with low fog and a brisk temperature that was only 3ºC. Still, no rain meant no excuses, so I headed out late in the morning.
My plan was to officially run 5K but to extend that if possible as I was only 6 km away from hitting the 2,500 km milestone (kilometerstone?) on Nike+. I would walk whatever was left and take the SkyTrain back from the Production Way station not too far from Burnaby Lake.
Since my last run was 13 days ago I figured my time would be worse and it was–5:31/km vs 5:22/km. Because I didn’t feel too bad while running and the time off I’m not overly concerned with the slower pace.
I also managed to push to 7 km total and really could have run farther but my leg muscles were starting to cry like a pair of kids that had their ice cream snatched away. This meant I did indeed pass the 2,500 km total. It would have been nice if I had done it while running blazing fast but I finished upright, so it’s all good.
The very tiny miracle was me passing a pair of women who were jogging ahead of me around the 4 km mark. Granted they were barely moving fast enough to qualify as running and I passed in the most deliberate way possible but still, it was nice to know I could still pass others.
I felt a stitch or two early on but nothing serious and although my left foot was a bit sore before I even headed out, it didn’t get any worse and was overall fine. The Achilles tendon was pleasantly a non-factor again. I think maybe it actually healed or something.
I’m looking forward to running more regularly and getting back into peak form again.
The light jacket and t-shirt proved sufficient despite the cool temperatures. It’s also nice to not have to bring gloves as my hands warm up fairly quickly without them. I saw a few other joggers that were bundled up like it was 40 below or something. Maybe they’re from anywhere other than the west coast.
Some racing games let you race against a ‘ghost’ opponent. This is usually depicted as a translucent figure/car because it’s not solid and you can move through it. The ghost is either another player’s recorded effort or one of your own earlier ones. The purpose is to give you a competitor that you can see and race against without actually needing the opponent to be there live. Plus to race against yourself would require cloning and that’s probably a good three or four years off yet.
I thought it would be neat if I could race against a ghost of myself when I’m out jogging. I can only imagine the psychological boost to be had by zipping ahead of myself, instantly knowing I was running better and faster. Sadly I can’t think of an easy way for this to be implemented without some crazy new tech that could be decades off.
On the plus side they’re also bound to have a decent smart watch by then, too.
Average pace: 5:22/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce Loop, Conifer Loop and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 4ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 399
Total distance to date: 2494 km
I had a simple goal in mind for today’s run: beat the sluggish pace of the previous run and get the new year off to a faster start.
As I’ve been waylaid by injury the past few winters I’ve not done a cold run in awhile but it was only 4ºC when I headed out early in the afternoon under sunny skies. Fortunately there was little wind but my hands still felt chilled even stuffed in my jacket pockets.
The jacket did not prove to be too much even after I warmed up but I was glad I skipped gloves because my hands were fine after a short distance and remained warm even on the walk after.
The run itself mirrored the pattern of the previous in that the first 500 meters was fairly zippy then my pace dropped precipitously and stayed fairly level for the remainder, ticking up slightly at the end. The major difference this time is that the pace leveled off sooner and came in at 5:22/km, 13 seconds better than the last run.
Surprisingly both feet felt fine right from the start. The Achilles tendon was feeling better than I can recall in quite awhile. The left foot showed signs of hurting after the run but never progressed much beyond that.
I could feel I was doing better once I got past the first km. I never felt winded or experienced any cramps. My biggest issue was probably how cold my butt was. Do you lose a lot of heat through your butt? It certainly felt like it.
Apart from that minor issue the run went well and I am pleased at the progress. It’s a good start to the year.
My next run will likely be my second attempt on the treadmill. I expect I will stop just shy of the next Nike+ milestone of 2,500 km, so I should hit that on my next “real” run during the coming weekend.
Average pace: 5:35/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 8ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 363
Total distance to date: 2489 km
I resolved to get in one last run before the end of the year. Knowing it had been over seven weeks since my last run (and that one being my first on a treadmill), I expected to be slow. Coupled with being out of shape was my new rounder shape–I’ve picked up about 12 (!) pounds since the last run. Egad.
I ran the Brunette River trail and had discovered on a walk a few days earlier that the entire roadway/trail had been resurfaced with fine gravel that was nicely compacted. This turned the trail from an obstacle course of potholes (some of near-epic size) that required constant zig-zagging to one you could run in an actual straight line. It’s nice!
It was around 8ºC and overcast, threatening showers but dry. There was no wind. I wore a jacket that I ended up not needing. I was never cold, thanks to the mild conditions and the extra layer of fat I’d developed over the last few months.
For the first 500 m it was like I hadn’t missed a day of running. My pace was around 4:31/km. After 500 m it felt like a thousand agonies. This continued until the last 500 m where in a nice bit of symmetry I was able to actually pick up the pace, though not quite to the level of 4:31/km.
My average pace was 5:35/km. To put this in perspective, my last regular run on October 25 had a pace of 5:06/km. However, if we go back four years to 2009 the pace of my run on December 29 (my first 10K, as it turns out, though my 24th run of the year) was 5:50/km so even when fat and way off peak condition I take solace that I’m still better than I was when I was only a few months into running.
Here’s hoping the next run will be a tiny bit easier.
(NOTE: This post was actually published in December because I was too caught up in shenanigans in November to pay attention to my blog, but I’ve posted it on the actual day of the run to keep it accurate that way.)
With daylight after work growing short enough now to make post-work runs no longer feasible–the two places I normally run both lack any kind of lighting and would be Very Dark and possibly Very Hazardous to run–I finally did something I’d always wanted to: run on a treadmill.
I picked out a suitable machine at the Canada Games Pool, overlooking all the people happily splashing about in the pools below, no doubt happy because they were not using treadmills.
The machine was very big and sturdy. It had a lot of controls and settings but I figured things out enough to get started with a minimum of fuss. The most important controls were arrows that controlled the speed of the treadmill. I also noted the location of two bicycle-like handlebars to grip. I would come to know these intimately very quickly.
Getting started was the most difficult task and underlines how unnatural a treadmill is. On a trail run I control every aspect of my movement. I can slow and speed up on a whim, I got dodge and leap and generally do what is needed on a moment’s notice, something that is eminently practical on a trail that varies constantly in terms of condition.
The treadmill, on the other hand, controls you. Once the surface starts sliding back, you have two choices: start walking or slide off. As the speed of the treadmill increases, your choices become: start jogging or slide off at a high rate of speed as one might see in a bloopers video.
I had to use the handlebars.
I never did figure out the right tension/speed to match my usual running pace, I just kept cranking the speed until I felt I was running at what felt like something resembling a typical pace. I ended up with a time of 5:11/km which felt slower than it should have been but because I’d never used the iPod on a treadmill before I was merely content that it was in the right ballpark, to mix my athletic metaphors.
The motion of the running is odd. It feels unnatural and bouncy. The constant motion is strange. You can’t moderate your pace because that means sliding off, you just relentlessly continue. I suppose that makes it good for pushing yourself to beat PRs or something. There is always the option to ramp the speed down but that means leaning forward slightly to hit the big down arrow. It sounds simple but running in place is amazingly good at making simple things more difficult than you’d imagine.
The most unexpected part, however, was the dehydration. I’ve used the ellipticals at the pool before and after 39 minutes of use I’d be a bit parched but nothing more. The building interior is a somewhat humid environment with all the water and warm temperatures. This made no difference on the treadmill. Either that or they had magically removed all traces of humidity from the building while it was closed for renovations, replacing it with a dry, desert-like air.
After an official time of 17:18 I slapped the Stop button. Fortunately this causes the treadmill to slowly wind down so I didn’t go flying off into the pool. The reason I ended my run with only 3.3 km covered is my mouth had become so dry it was difficult to swallow and it became so uncomfortable I literally could not stand it. Never on the hottest summer day with the sun blazing down on me have I felt my throat and mouth so cotton ball-dry.
I am reluctant to try the treadmill again though I suppose it deserves at least one more go before I decide to shun it unto forever. I will have a honking big bottle of water with me if I do.
