Exercise

On not sleeping, candy hearts and other things both sweet and sour

There’s nothing quite like the sensation of laying down to sleep and finding yourself unable to breathe. This happened a few nights ago when my über-cold left my nose completely stuffed up. I had to breathe through my mouth, which made me dizzy. I eventually fell asleep probably due to exhaustion. When I awoke in the middle of the night one of my nostrils had kindly opened up enough to permit semi-normal breathing.

Worst cold ever.

Also the last post I’m making about it. Colds are pretty boring to read about and if I could capture the misery of the past week in a way that was truly entertaining, I’d be rich. Hmm. I may have to think about this.

Onward to the rest of what should hopefully be a healthy remainder of 2013:

Valentine’s Day is coming up. My favorite manufactured holiday when I was a kid because of the candy. I was especially fond of chocolate-covered marshmallow hearts. Mmm. Now I prefer the day after when all the candy gets marked down 50%. I usually treat myself to something small that I can work off without too much guilt/effort.

Running: This is probably still about three weeks off. I’m going to start stretching exercises to make sure my tendon is ready. The first run will be a short test that will also serve to calibrate my new iPod nano. The best thing about it, apart from the electric green case…

iPod nano green

…is that it incorporates the Nike+ sensor/receiver so I don’t need to attach any extra hardware to my shoe (or the iPod). An added bonus is no more infernal clickwheel to deal with, especially one that refuses to function in the slightest bit of rain, making the end of a jog unusually difficult to, well, end. The test run will be done at a track to ensure maximum accuracy for the calibration. In the meantime I’ll try to return to the pool/gym at least a few times each week until the runs resume. Excelsior!

Diet: My weight has steadied out around 156-157 but should start going back down soon as I start packing a modest lunch to work and resist the siren song of the donut. My goal is to be back to my usual weight by my next physical, probably a few months from now.

This site: I have found a few themes I may be able to hammer into something serviceable for my needs. This is a long term project so I’ll probably work away at it a little at a time. I am planning on having a revamped site up before the end of the year.

I walked for 1060 calories today

While I am still not quite ready to return to running I decided to take advantage of the mild ‘n dry weather and do a simulated run around Burnaby Lake by walking the route. I estimated it would take around 3 hours and the pedometer on the iPod said it took 3:04 hours, so I trucked along much as I had anticipated. I even stretched the walk out a bit by taking the freeway trail (which I used for three weeks last summer when one of the boardwalks on the lake was being replaced). By the time I was heading back alongside the Brunette River I was getting tired and a little cranky.

The rounds on the elliptical  are helping but I’m clearly not in prime condition. Also I didn’t wear my spiffy new running shoes and instead wore my cheap-o ones that are designed for maximum discomfort. In all, not my best-planned effort but it’s always nice to eat ice cream guilt-free.

I managed to start the sequel to the head cold I had over Christmas last night and like many sequels, it sucks. It didn’t affect my walk but here in the evening I’m feeling tuckered and my throat is irritating me, even more than when I try to sing. I’ll probably head off to bed early and dream of the wonderfully creative things I may have done if I didn’t feel like poop.

In the meantime, here is a stock image of my new running shoes, the Minimus 1010s. They are much like my previous pair but are blue instead of glow-in-the-dark orange. I kind of miss the orange, actually. Reading reviews on the New Balance site, it sounds like I may be looking for another pair shortly after I resume my runs. That would be rather disappointing, as my last two pairs of New Balance shoes have been very durable.

 

Remembering my calves

Don’t worry, I still have my calves. They’re right where they should be–above my ankles and below my knees. I am remembering them in particular due to my first trip to the gym last Wednesday. My partner and I headed over to the Canada Games Pool here in New Westminster to do a basic cardio workout that would not stress my Achilles tendon but would help get my flabby self back in shape before I resume my runs.

The pool has a full-featured gym so I paid $48 for a 10-pack of visits and in return got a shiny ID card with requisite horrible photo that could be scanned upon entry. I did my first scan and was set.

The gym area was surprisingly busy but we managed to find a pair of free ellipticals next to each other. Jeff also found a nice young instructor named Ryan who went over the basics of using the machine, as I had never been on one before. It seemed pretty straightforward. I got on, started the timer and began a 25 minute workout. I raised the tension up a bit to 3 (from 1) and reduced the incline down to 3 (from some value I can’t recall). This was done to better simulate a cross-country run instead of a jog up the side of a cliff. Within five minutes my calves were aflame. This is why you exercise regularly, to avoid your muscles crying out in horror at what you are doing to them. Fortunately they warmed up quickly and were fine the next day. I experienced a bit of minor soreness in my upper leg muscles but that was all. Given that my last run was in mid-November I consider this a rousing success.

I opted for only 20 minutes of workout instead of the full 25, not wanting to max it out the first night. I burned 173 calories–enough to take care of the ice cream I’d had for dessert earlier. I burned a few more when Jeff and I played a few rounds of ping pong, shot some hoops and then sweated in the whirlpool. In all it was actually kind of fun and I’m looking forward to our next trip. I may bring my iPod along for the elliptical part, though. It will distract me from constantly looking at the timer counting down, the analogy for which is indeed a watched pot that never boils.

The Big 2012 Running Summary Thing

The good news is I should be running again in about a month, with my Achilles tendon all healed up and ready to go.

The bad news is that means a lot more boring posts about running for everyone to read! At least I’m honest enough to admit I’m the only one fascinated by them.

Despite ending on an injured note, 2012 was by far my best year for running. I improved in every area and ran every month except for December. My only regret is that I missed hitting 1,000 km by a single measly run. So close!

The stats, as pulled from my Nike+ profile:

988.96 km total distance
4:57/km average pace
68,844 calories burned

73% of runs in the afternoon
15% in the morning
12% in the evening

Number of months I ran 100+ km: 7

Month when my overall average pace dropped below 5:00/km: June

Best month: September (4:38 average)

I don’t know why I added the random bold. I just like it.

Here’s to 2013 besting 2012, running-wise!

No runs plus Nanaimo bars = fat

After my run on Halloween I decided that heading out for another run in two days would be even scarier than the ghosts and witches I’d seen decorating the neighborhood, mainly due to my right Achilles tendon still being sore.

I’ve decided to rest it until at least this Saturday, November 10th. That will give me a week and a half for the tendon to recover. I think that may be enough time but we’ll see. If I still feel I am not up for a full run on Saturday I’ll probably at least do a walk as the low impact nature of that shouldn’t aggravate the foot.

The combination of not running and snacking has seen me inch above my maintenance weight for the first time in months. Granted it’s only by 0.2 pounds so far but still, it took me weeks to gain back the three pounds I’d lost from the flu. Now I seem to be having no trouble at all with the whole gaining thing. I’m trying to exercise (ho ho) a little more restraint when it comes to nibbling on calorie-laden goodies.

The waterworld run

Average pace: 4:42/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 11.05 km
Weather: Rain
Temp: 12-13ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 749
Total distance to date: 2042 km

Today’s run was done under a heavy rainfall warning for the area. As on Monday I donned my cycling jacket and this time it came in handy as it rained the entire run. I was lucky in that although it was a steady rain it also turned out to be light. It was also fairly mild. I stayed dry under the jacket except for the sweat again getting trapped in my shirt. It wasn’t as bad as on Monday, however.

My only goal was to do better today, knowing the Achilles tendon would still be sore. It was and again it slowed me down but I achieved my goal and finished with a pace of 4:42/km, five seconds better over Monday. The tendon again felt much improved after it warmed up and stretched. I am using some stinky Rub-A535 on it now to see if that helps post-run.

The trail was an interesting spectacle. I’ve never run around the lake at this time of year so this was my first time doing so not only after heavy rain but during rain as well. The puddles on Monday had grown significantly, many others had joined them and at least four to six areas were impossible to pass without dipping your toes in copious amounts of water. None of this bothers me as I’d experienced soggy conditions frequently at China Creek but it was fun (?) to see how the weather was reshaping the trails at Burnaby Lake. Notable sections included the recently shored-up section near the athletic fields. The parks crew had covered nearly the entire section with fresh gravel, raising it up. The raising was somewhat in vain as several broad swaths of water were running over top of the area, not unlike a river. Splish splash went I through it.

The section that always floods alongside the fields had the appearance of a small lake. I skirted wide around it, knowing that the field’s edge would be similarly soggy, just hidden by the grass. As it turns out the whole damn thing was soggy. Gloop glop went I through the water and mire. Numerous other spots presented similar if smaller hazards.

By the end my feet were thoroughly soaked but thanks to the gravel there was little mud on my legs (unlike China Creek). And in a small act of mercy the rain stopped for the walk home, so I was mostly dry by the time I got home. Yay!

Date Average Pace
October 31 4:42 (11K)
October 29 4:47 (11K)
October 25 4:34 (11K)
October 22 4:34 (11K)
October 19 4:38 (11K)
October 17 4:31 (11K)
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)

The puddle-jumping run

Average pace: 4:47/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 11.29 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 766
Total distance to date: 2031 km

Ran Piper Mill trail, Spruce and Conifer Loops.

With the Achilles tendon feeling a tad tender I decided to skip the last run of the week to get an extra day of rest. Today looked to be wet so I decided to wear my water-resistant cycling jacket to try to keep dry.

Naturally, the rain stopped and I didn’t need it. I’m not complaining, though it was a little warm with the jacket on and it ended up trapping sweat that would have wicked away otherwise.

The Achilles tendon did prove to be an inhibitor. It was stiff and sore and that acted as a cap on my run speed. As I progressed around the lake and it limbered up it started to feel better but I was still well below my current pace and finished at 4:47/km.

The other notable part of the run was the condition of the trail with a heavy storm having just passed through the area. I was doing some regular puddle jumping and both the Conifer and Spruce Loops had numerous twigs and branches strewn about. On the plus side, the collapsed section of trail on the south shore that resulted from a tree collapsing was finally shored up with fresh gravel.

I am hoping and expecting Wednesday’s run to be better.

Date Average Pace
October 29 4:47 (11K)
October 25 4:34 (11K)
October 22 4:34 (11K)
October 19 4:38 (11K)
October 17 4:31 (11K)
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)

The fastest 1K run

Average pace: 4:34/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 11.53 km
Weather: Sun with some scattered cloud
Temp: 8-14ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 782
Total distance to date: 2020 km

I had to run a day late after a pair of interviews on Wednesday gobbled up my jogging time. That turned out to be a good thing, weather-wise, as today was sunny and yesterday was not.

I headed out shortly after 10 a.m. and when I got to the lake I spent a minute watching a park employee use a net on the lake side of the dam to scoop salmon out of the pen where they end up after climbing the fish ladder and toss them into the lake proper for spawning/dying. Kind of neat and weird at the same time. Why would they block the access to the lake for the fish? Dying fish, no less! But I am not a fishologist so perhaps there is a sound reason to this method.

As for the run itself, it started out brisk at only 8ºC but I had vowed to stick to my long-sleeved t-shirt and shorts and that was fine. I did keep track of how cold my hands were, though. It went something like this:

2K: hands are cold, feel like ice
4K: hands are cool
6K: hands are edging toward feeling neutral
9K: hands are warm, starting to sweat slightly
1K after run: hands are cold, feel like ice

As I started clockwise I got that extra bit of momentum from the small hill on the south side of the dam. As I headed down the Avalon Trail I decided to step on the gas a little. I’m not sure why, really, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I ended up having my fastest 1K ever at 4:15/km.

The rest of the run also went well and unlike most runs the latter half was remarkably even, with no notable dips anywhere from 6-10K. I ended with the usual upward blip in speed. The overall pace was exactly the same as Monday — 4:34/km. Talk about consistent. Joan also came on to congratulate me on another 500 km completed, only 20 km late. Thanks, Joan!

One minor note of discomfort, though it didn’t slow me down: the Achilles tendon on my right foot felt a bit sore. It is still a bit sore today if I am not walking around and keeping the muscles limber. It isn’t a serious issue and I also don’t think it’s from running but rather something weird going on with my feet when I’m in bed. I’ve actually woken up to find my feet sore. I have no idea why. I’m almost afraid to find out what’s happening. 😛 In any case, I note it here in case it becomes an issue.

Date Average Pace
October 25 4:34 (11K)
October 22 4:34 (11K)
October 19 4:38 (11K)
October 17 4:31 (11K)
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)

The 2,000 km run

Average pace: 4:34/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 11.42 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 774
Total distance to date: 2008 km

Similar temperature to Friday’s run but it felt a little more brisk today. In fact, the temperature actually dropped a little before I headed out. I managed to duck the rain again, with only a few drops hitting me as I came back home. My luck on that count probably won’t last much longer.

There was also snow on the North Shore mountains for the first time this fall. Damn snow. But pretty…as long as it stays up there.

With my hip feeling fine today the run went a lot better than the previous and I cruised to a nice pace of 4:34/km, only three seconds short of my record. I also hit a milestone by passing the 2,000 km mark. Normally Joan would pipe up and congratulate me for completing another 500 km (as she often does erroneously, bless her) but today I got nothing. This is only the fourth time it would have been legit but Joan was strangely silent. I’m wondering if a silent update to the Nike+ software on my iPod may have nuked all the celebrity athlete voices after Nike severed their ties with Lance Armstrong last week for winning the Tour de France seven times through the miracle of drugs. I guess I might find out the next I set a PR.

Other than that, everything on the run went well. The cool temperatures make for a curiously pleasant run experience and so far I have not committed the errors of under or overdressing (currently going out in shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt).

Date Average Pace
October 22 4:34 (11K)
October 19 4:38 (11K)
October 17 4:31 (11K)
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)

The not-hipper-than-thou run

Average pace: 4:38/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) including part of Freeway trail
Distance: 11.66 km
Weather: Variable cloud
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
Calories burned: 791
Total distance to date: 1998 km

Since my bladder demanded attention just as I was ready to start my run, I started a bit short. To make up for it I voluntarily took the Freeway Trail detour I had to use back in July and August while the one boardwalk was being replaced. This helped extend my run and alleviate any guilt for not pushing 11K+. The detour looked a fair bit different, with a large swathe of land reshaped, seeded and cut through with streams as part of the environmental upgrades being done alongside expansion of Highway 1. In short, the area looks nicer. One of the streams is currently cutting across the trail and is eroding it. I’m not sure if that’s nature taking its course or if they’ll change it later. I’ll run the trail again in awhile to see what’s happened.

That was the good part of the run — along with no rain.

The bad part is my left hip was feeling cranky (I think it’s related to the office chair I use at the computer, coupled with my posture, which apparently goes into the worst position possible automatically) and this dragged down my time as it formed a hard cap on my speed. Slow and steady is a good way to describe it. My left foot also acted up more than usual for a time, worsening the effect. By the end I finished with a pace of 4:38, perfectly respectable, but disappointing coming off the record run of Wednesday.

Still, it makes it easy to improve for Monday’s run.

Date Average Pace
October 19 4:38 (11K)
October 17 4:31 (11K)
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)

The salmonpalooza run

Average pace: 4:31/km <– new personal record
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 11.41 km
Weather: Variable cloud
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
Calories burned: 774
Total distance to date: 1985 km

For some reason I was very unmotivated for today’s run. There was a 50% chance of precipitation and the sky did not look threatening but I held off, skipping the morning. I had lunch then finally changed and headed out around 1:15 p.m. It was only 12ºC so I wore my long-sleeved t-shirt, which has been extremely stinky since last Friday’s soggy run–even after being washed. It’s slightly less stinky now, having been aired out for the run.

En route the Brunette River had gone back down after the heavy rain of the weekend and was once more quite shallow in parts. This made for good salmon-spotting and as the title of the post indicates, they were coming upstream in serious numbers. I counted at least a dozen at one point, which more further up. I feel kind of bad for them. They stop eating, struggle upstream, spawn then die. That’s got to be the suckiest reproductive cycle out there.

The first half of the run went fairly well. I could tell I was slightly off my best pace so I stepped up a bit for the second half and was duly rewarded by setting a new personal record of 4:31/km, beating my previous best by two seconds. Woo!

I got a closer look at the new signs put up on Monday:

Canine Code of Conduct
Canine Code of Conduct

It’s interesting that Metro Vancouver specifies fear as one of the reasons to keep dogs leashed. Implicit in this is ‘if your dog is not leashed, you can’t control it and it will go over and terrorize that little kid, whether by design or accident’. Of course, about 100 m after jogging by one of these signs I pass a man with a large German Shepherd mix off-leash. The sign obviously doesn’t apply to his well-behaved canine! Sadly, the fine for an off-leash dog is only $50 so it acts as little incentive to get people to comply. If I was King of All Metro Vancouver Parks, I’d make the fine at least $250 and do a two week enforcement blitz multiple (and variable) times a year. I am 100% confident the fines issued would more than pay for the expenditure of the enforcement.

Back to the run to wrap up. My left foot (the cranky one) felt a bit crankier than normal to start but fortunately it settled down quickly and didn’t have a big effect. What I did notice was that despite my record pace, I only broke my 10K mark, coming in at 45:20. The reason for this is that my first half was good but not great while the second half I was unusually strong for the last two km. Definitely different but ending strong is no bad thing.

Date Average Pace
October 17 4:31 (11K)
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)

A surprisingly mild and pleasant fall run

Average pace: 4:36/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 11.50 km
Weather: Sun and variable cloud
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
Calories burned: 771
Total distance to date: 1974 km

In a surprise twist, the weather was pleasant for today’s run, with the temperature a mild 15ºC and the sun even poking out periodically. I ran clockwise around the lake, establishing a strong pace up front. This turned out to be important as I flagged during the 6-7K stretch for no particular reason I can discern. Or maybe it was that strong pace up front wearing me out. Oops. The last four km was one of the most consistent I’ve had in a long time and that helped bring my average pace down to a zippy 4:36/km.

The run was otherwise unremarkable. Everything ticked along, there were no issues with wayward dogs, people hogging the trail or any of the other stuff that sometimes comes up. At the end of the run I noticed a park employee putting up a new sign at the entrance to the park. I couldn’t read all of it but the top said Canine Code of Conduct. Considering how often dogs are running around unleashed, I suspect the park’s received increasing complaints about them, hence the new sign. I’ll see what the rest of it says on the next run.

Date Average Pace
October 15 4:36 (11K)
October 12 4:38 (11K)
October 10 4:37 (11K)
October 8 4:53 (11K)
October 2 4:33 (9K)