Exercise

The disappearing trail run

Average pace: 4:45/km <– ties personal best

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.21 km
Weather: High cloud, some sun
Temp: 20-22ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 795
Total distance to date: 1682 km

A big ol’ thunderstorm rolled through the area last night, bringing rain and, of course, lots of thunder. The rain had stopped by morning but the cloud cover persisted for most of the day, along with notably cooler temperatures. As such the run was done under mostly an overcast sky, with the sun only poking through briefly a few times.

The branches were still there. I think the park crew has determined that they will slowly decay on their own over time and as such do not require immediate removal, just a few hundred years for nature to do its thing. In better news the broken faucet by the Cariboo dam has already been fixed. Since I ran clockwise today I discovered this at the start of the run and headed out knowing I could drink like a horse after I’d wrapped it up.

The cooler temperature and lack of sun made a dramatic difference. I lopped a full 13 seconds off Monday’s pace, coming in at 4:45/km, tying my fastest-ever pace. There was no real downside during the run. I felt good throughout, despite sleeping lousy last night and waking up with some vague stomach nausea (that fortunately dissipated by the time I ate breakfast). The only real down part was at the very end when my naughty nano would not behave. Despite my hands being dry the clickwheel refused to acknowledge the touch of my fingers. This no longer amuses me. After some fiddling and wiping the iPod on my shorts in an attempt to dry it (which did cause it to activate) I finally managed to bring the run to a halt. Methinks the iPod is starting to wear out after three years of service (apart from the clickwheel being an inherently lousy design).

The title of this post refers to a section of the trail a few meters or so wide on the south side that had slid off and into the bog. I’m assuming this happened last night as a result of the storm and it’s the first time I’ve noticed the trail deteriorating because of the weather. The strip itself was fairly narrow so only the edge of the trail was affected but it definitely looks like more could slough off f it’s left unattended (like tree branches).

Chart

Date Average Pace
August 8 4:45
August 6 4:58
August 3 4:56
August 1 4:50
July 30 4:57

The can’t fool Mother Nature run

Average pace: 4:58/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.32 km
Weather: High cloud, some sun, warm
Temp: 25-27ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 803
Total distance to date: 1671 km

The original forecast today was sunny and hot then changed to mostly cloudy and cooler, with a high of 27. The morning was sunny and clear, however, and I fully expected it to turn into a scorcher so I altered my schedule and left for my run at 10 a.m.

It was 25ºC then and rose to 27 over the course of the run. It clouded over and actually got cooler in the afternoon. Yes, by trying to beat the weather I went out of my way to run in what still turned out to be the hottest part of the day. Feh.

I also did an unplanned walk of around 11 km yesterday and that left me feeling a little more tired and my pace was a somewhat sluggish 4:58/km as a result.

Other than it still being hotter than I care for the run itself was unremarkable. Someone managed to bust the faucet by the Cariboo dam so I had to walk to Lower Hume Park for my post-run drink. That kind of sucked. And I still seem slower running counter-clockwise when it’s hot out. I’m not entirely sure why. But there were no dog, snake, bike or other incidents so I’m going to call this run a qualified success.

While walking yesterday I got a pic of the fallen branches that were still there today and will apparently be there forever:

Eternal branches at Burnaby Lake.

Chart

Date Average Pace
August 6 4:58
August 3 4:56
August 1 4:50
July 30 4:57

The hot and snaky run

Average pace: 4:56/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.31 km
Weather: Sunny and hot
Temp: 26-28ºC
Wind: light to strong
Calories burned: 820
Total distance to date: 1660 km

It was considerably warmer for today’s run and I figured my time would be about five seconds off Wednesday’s pace and was right, coming in at 4:55/km (rounded up on the Nike+ site to 4:56). That actually impressed me after experiencing just how hot it was. Though there was a strong breeze blowing at times it wasn’t consistent and a few parts of the trail felt like running through a furnace, the air still and hot.

I chose to run clockwise again and maintained a decent pace until the midway point. I had just hit the Cottonwood Trail somewhere between 6 and 7K and my pace felt absolutely plodding. I managed to find a reserve of energy and improved my pace dramatically for about half a km before settling back to a slower pace for the stretch. I skipped all three optional loops because by that point in the run I just wanted it to be over so I could attach my mouth to a faucet. That shaved about 500 m off but I still finished comfortably above 11 km.

I’m just glad I won’t be running tomorrow. The high is forecast to be above 30ºC. Yikes.

The dead branches were still on the trail but more park workers were out so maybe they’ll get to them eventually.

A family of four (mom, dad, boy, girl) were on the trail with their bikes. This is normally an annoying thing but they amazingly were walking their bikes — in single file, too. I was duly impressed! No dog incidents before, after or during the run was also nice.

The only animal incident came as I looped around the fields. A rather large garter snake appeared, heading from the sun-baked field to the shadier grass on the other side of the trail. I didn’t see it until the last moment when my foot almost landed on it. I did a quick jig to hop over it and shot a look back because it was quite a bit bigger than the other two snakes I’ve seen, though it was still the same color, a vibrant blend of yellow and black stripes.

Overall I am happy with how the run went, considering the warm conditions.

Chart

Date Average Pace
August 3 4:56
August 1 4:50
July 30 4:57

The windy and warm run with bonus dog incident

Average pace: 4:50/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.84 km
Weather: Sunny, warm
Temp: 22-24ºC
Wind: light to strong
Calories burned: 840
Total distance to date: 1648 km

Ran: Piper Mill Trail, Conifer and Spruce Loops.

It started out warm and clear for today’s run but an unusually strong breeze kept things more than manageable for the duration. I opted to go clockwise and started right from the faucet near the dam to squeeze as much distance out as I could. My goal was to improve on Monday’s decidedly average pace and I accomplished that with room to spare, coming in a full seven seconds faster with an average pace of 4:50/km.

I was helped by having the issues on Monday not crop up again: no stomach weirdness, no right elbow hurting to distract me and an overall improved energy level that was more than sufficient to overcome the heat.

The branches were still on the trail for the third consecutive run but park workers were out trimming and clipping so I expect they’ll be cleaned up for Friday. I did take a closer look as I ran by and it does appear the branches either came down on their own or someone tried to murder the tree, as the limbs were twisted and broken off, not cut.

The one slightly weird notable part of the run was having three different bugs slam into my head. It’s odd to have it happen at all but three times and it was starting to get a little annoying. Don’t flies have compound eyes? How can they not see me? Stupid bugs.

The most interesting part of the run came after it ended. I was walking back along the Brunette River trail, listening to music on the iPod as I typically do after a run. Activity on the Highway 1 overpass has picked up this week so I had to carefully thread my way around construction vehicles and crew that were working on the overpass expansion. I moved onto one of the long straight stretches of the trail and walked by a woman with a dog. As usual the dog was not on a leash. This no longer gets much of a reaction from me, as nearly every dog owner ignores the leash laws.

But then I caught a glimpse of activity to my right and suddenly the dog appeared in front of me, barking, baring its teeth and acting like it was going to attack. It happened so swiftly I barely had time to form a reaction before the dog suddenly turned back, probably because the owner had called it off. With the music still playing and the woman far enough back I wasn’t able to hear her voice, if she had in fact said anything.

I turned around to see her standing there, the dog standing at her side and sniffing about indifferently. The woman said nothing, did nothing. Her face was expressionless. My face, however, was not. I had just finished a nearly 12K run and it didn’t take much to fire the adrenaline back up. I said to her in a firm, loud voice, “Put your dog on a leash.” Preferably the leash she was holding in one of her freaking hands. The woman offered no reaction. “Put your dog on a leash like it’s supposed to be,” I said in that same angry-but-in-control voice. Again, no reaction. I started back at her. By this point the dog was laying down in front of its owner, fully mellowed out after the unprovoked outburst.

I gave up and started walking. After a few paces I turned and repeated my directive yet again. Still no reaction from the woman, who could have been a literal statue at this point for all her non-movement.

I resumed walking and for good measure shouted out the need to leash the dog again, at full volume. As I moved out of hearing range I switched briefly to a litany of well-chosen curses and other invective, which made me feel a little better. I stopped once more and turned back. The woman, now a tiny figure in the distance, had still not budged.

I am not an intimidating figure. In my jogging shorts and shirt I am thin and sweaty, so it was hard to believe the woman was actually afraid of me. She was the one with the would-be killer dog, after all. More likely she didn’t like being yelled at (almost as much as she didn’t like putting her dog on a leash) and was giving me sufficient space so she could resume her walk without being told what to do by some uppity jogger.

I walked until I got to where the trail curved around a corner and took one final look. The woman was moving in some way, but only in place. Maybe adjusting a shoe or something. Or whispering new commands to her devil-dog. I shrugged and continued the walk home without further incident.

I remain baffled as to why the woman adamantly refused to leash her dog after it very nearly attacked me. She had directly witnessed the dog’s unpredictable and potentially dangerous behavior but was unmoved by it. Weird and annoying.

Still, good run!

Chart

Date Average Pace
August 1 4:50
July 30 4:57

The decidely average end of the month run

Average pace: 4:57/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.57 km
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 22ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 820
Total distance to date: 1636 km

Three things conspired against me on today’s run to bring my time down to a respectable but unspectacular average pace of 4:57/km:

  1. I’m pretty sure I started too fast and burned a lot of my energy in the first half of the run, which moved along nicely.
  2. Yesterday’s hike, though only a few hours, was still a decent workout for the legs with lots of tricky climbing and that brought down my energy level.
  3. I got a cramp/ache in my gut around the 6 km mark and it persisted for several km after that. This shows up as a noticeable drop in my pace sooner than that usually happens.

Overall the run was decent enough and while it was warm, most of the run was under cloudy conditions so it was not overly so.

The branches were still on the trail so it seems park workers have not been out since Friday. Someone had shoved them over enough to clear a small strip of trail to bypass them. Nothing else notable was seen on the run. The knee seems fine now and my shins are good, too. The calves were a bit sore after, a byproduct of putting them to the test on the hike but the soreness did not persist.

I had hoped for a better performance after Friday’s zippy run but I suppose it wasn’t a bad effort, everything considered. I wrapped up my July runs with only two above the five minute pace and both were deliberate after the knee incident. More in my July runs update, coming soon™.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 30 4:57
July 27 4:47
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The detour-be-gone run

Average pace: 4:47/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.15 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 18ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 791
Total distance to date: 1625 km

Continuing this week’s theme of wild temperature swings, today’s run was done under a cloudy sky and a high of 18ºC. With a light breeze blowing conditions were about perfect for a run.

After a brief meeting with an odd cyclist (more on that later) I headed out clockwise, again opting for the detour first so I could gauge later and extend the run if I felt up to it. My goal was to improve on my previous run’s pace of 5:04 but again to not push too hard.

As I approached the familiar temporary yellow fencing on the blocked part of the trail I noticed the fence was pushed aside and all construction equipment was gone. I tentatively headed down the regular trail, thinking it wouldn’t be accessible if they didn’t want me to be here.

A lot of new fill had been brought in to shore up the trail after the equipment had been running back and forth over it. I arrived at the boardwalk and it was new! And finished! (ave for the bench, which will be added back soon, no doubt) The straight stretch seemed a bit longer than before but I’ll have to check my photos to see for sure. As expected, the planks had their orientation switched to match the other boardwalk, now set down left to right  instead of parallel to the path. This reduces the springiness of the boardwalk and probably extends the life of it. A final bonus was the path being built up to the boardwalk on both ends, eliminating the small step from before. Runners will especially appreciate this, as it lets you maintain your pace.

I was unsure how my pace was going, exactly, but I knew it was going much better than the last two runs. I didn’t push, except to maintain my pace as best as possible. Along the way I encountered a lot of Bs — a bicyclist (grr, though he stayed well out of the way), a bug (it flew into my lower lip and got glued there. I had to wipe it off, which was mildly yucky) and branches — specifically a large clump of branches off a tree that covered the entire section of the Cottonwood Trail. I had to dip off the trail to get around it. Although park workers were out trimming and such this didn’t look deliberate so I’m not entirely sure what was up with that.

With the detour no longer extending the run I ran all three optional loops and end at just over 11K. My time turned out to be a zippy 4:47/km, tying my second best-ever pace. Woot. I also set a new pace for fastest mile at 7:19 which was a nice bonus.

Overall, very pleased by this return to form. The knee remains fine and no other notable issues showed up, apart from a very mild stitch around the 8-9K mark that didn’t last long.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 27 4:47
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The sunny and hot recovery run

Average pace: 5:04/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.5 km
Weather: Sunny, warm and humid
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 816
Total distance to date: 1614 km

Nothing like a 10º jump in temperature to make you say, ‘Yep, it sure is warm!’

Last night I felt a bit of creakiness in the right knee that concerned me as I head out for today’s run under a clear sky and slightly warmer than normal temperatures. By the time the run started it was 25ºC and felt warmer due to the humidity. I again chose to run clockwise.

Just as I was preparing to start another jogger ran by. This automatically triggered my incipient competitive streak and I knew that I would have to keep it in check for at least the rest of the week, not wanting to risk pushing things while I’m still sussing out how my knee and right leg are feeling.

The other jogger began pulling ahead and established a comfortable lead on me through the detour part of the route. Because the section is fairly straight and has excellent LOS it was easy enough to keep an eye on him. I kept resisting the urge to pick up the pace. My goal today was to simply take it slower than normal and if possible to beat Monday’s pace by some modest amount.

Once the other jogger reached the regular part of the trail he disappeared around a corner and I assumed I had lost sight of him for good. And it was good, as he’d no longer distract and tempt me.

However, just as I was crossing the zigzag bridge I spotted him on the path up ahead. It seemed his pace had flagged enough to close the distance by a good margin. But as we headed toward the parking lot for the rowing pavilion, he turned right into the parking lot. As far as I know there are no trails leading out from it, so perhaps he had parked there, around the corner. In any case, I declared myself the victor and kept running on.

I opted to take the Piper Mill Trail. It would add length to the run but it would also provide better cover that the main trail. I came in at 11.5 km, roughly 300m more than Monday and an average pace of 4:54/km, three seconds better than Monday’s outing. Mission accomplished.

The better news is the knee held up fine and even the right thigh that bothered me on Monday behaved itself. I felt some minor twinges in my right calf and ankle but nothing more than that.

My plan for Friday is much the same — improve my time slightly but otherwise take it easy. 25ºC is probably the highest temperature I can run at where it doesn’t feel too hot. It’s still pretty dang warm, though. The current forecast for Friday calls for a high of 20. We shall see.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The more than slightly damp recovery run

Average pace: 5:07/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.18 km
Weather: Overcast, drizzle
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 793
Total distance to date: 1602 km

A change in the weather as I prepared for my first run since Wounded Knee Wednesday. With the temperature an unseasonably cool 15ºC and the sky threatening rain, I set off, nervous but cautiously hopeful, as my knee had not experienced any pain or discomfort since Wednesday, perhaps due to my diligent and quick icing.

The walk to the lake went fine and the rain held off. I opted to go clockwise and started out on a deliberately slower pace — the first km coming in at 4:39 then tapering way off to 4:56 by the second km. My knee wasn’t bothering me but I did start to feel some soreness in my right thigh, perhaps due to a slightly shifted gait due to my slower than normal pace. That was a minor inconvenience, though and I pushed on. By the 4K mark it started to drizzle and it kept up for the remainder of the run but that’s all it was, drizzle.

I still got soaked but it was a gentle soaking rather than a complete drenching.

There were several times during the run where I wanted to pick up the pace. With the cooler conditions and slower speed I was feeling comfortable and felt like I had room to spare. But I was not going to push harder and risk anything. I finished with my slowest run in a few months with an average of 5:07/km but the important thing is the knee held up fine.

I’ll continue to keep to a more deliberate pace for the rest of the week, although my times are bound to naturally improve and hopefully all will be well at week’s end.

One thing I noted is that the planks for the new boardwalk currently under construction have all been moved from their resting place to the boardwalk area itself. I wonder if that project is ahead of schedule. Part of me wants to sneak in there one day and have a look but the more sensible part of me knows I’d a) get yelled at and b) probably twist my ankle or have something else equally stupid happen.

All in all, I was pleased by today’s run. The knee seems to have recovered and if I don’t push too hard I should be able to get back to my usual pace soon.

I also hit another new milestone, passing the 1600 km mark, woo.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

Stupid knee update #1: Less stupid

The day after my weird knee issue and it is not hurting so yay! If I flex it I can feel where it was hurt but it’s now more of s stiffness so I am hoping this is a muscle bruise and nothing too serious.

I am regretfully planning on skipping the usual Friday run but planning a tentative return on Monday. That will give me five days to heal and rest. If this is insufficient I am ordering a replacement bionic knee from the Internet.

The stupid right knee run

Average pace: 4:55/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.03 km
Weather: Hazy sun, high cloud
Temp: 20-22ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 782
Total distance to date: 1591 km

The day started overcast but as run time approached the sky continued to brighten, so I knew conditions would be improving rather than deteriorating. On the plus side the temperature was noticeably lower, even slightly below seasonal and this made for a much more comfortable run, despite it being perhaps even more humid than Monday. The sun started breaking through the clouds but for the most part all I got was hazy sun and cloud until the final km or so when the cloud cover finally burned off completely. And by then I had other things to be concerned with.

My pace started out decently and I felt pretty good. I was confident I could knock at least a few seconds off Monday’s Africa hot pace. Somewhere between 7 and 8 km I felt an odd twinge on the side of my right knee. Other than noting it was odd (I had done nothing to the knee or leg that might have caused some kind of strain) I did nothing and kept running. The twinge grew more prominent and turned to what I would describe as discomfort. Something was clearly not right. By the 10 km point it was just plain old-fashioned pain and I mustered along to the 11 km mark and ended my run there through sheer will, even picking the pace up slightly as I hobbled through the final 400m or so. My pace bottomed out at 5:20 at one point and the final km was a sluggish 5:14. Considering how the knee felt by then that was actually pretty good.

It hurt on the walk home — not a good sign. Once home I iced it 15 minutes on/off for 1 hour and 45 minutes. An hour after the last pack the side of the knee is still cool to the touch.

My best guess is I pulled one or more tendons. How this happened is a mystery as it happened without any warning. before or during the run. I went from twinge to OW MY KNEE.

I’m going to see how it feels when I get up tomorrow and go from there, possibly having the doc check it out or just rest it for the remainder of the week.

I seem to be jinxed. Whenever I hit a new milestone something always happens. I’m hoping this is fairly minor and although I probably won’t be running Friday I still hope to be back out there ASAP.

I ended up tying monday’s pace, which is decent considering how I felt for the last couple of km. If the knee had behaved I would have beaten it, I’m sure.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The very briefly damp run

Average pace: 4:55/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.29 km
Weather: Sunny, hot and humid
Temp: 28-29ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 801
Total distance to date: 1580 km

Early yesterday the forecast for today was looking like partly cloudy, cooler and a chance of showers. Instead it was sunny, hot and humid, just like Friday! In fact it seemed even hotter than Friday and once again only a merciful wind tempered the run.

I opted to run clockwise to get the detour out of the way and despite having to fiddle with the cord of my iPod at least four times to keep it from flopping out of my pocket I turned in a stellar first km, coming in at 4:29, only one second off my best-ever pace.

I came back to reality shortly after that. The low point came between the 8-9K mark, about where it normally hits me. I had a good finish, though, which always pleases me. This was the first run where getting a drink at the faucet near the dam had to be done a bit cautiously. I was very warm and the water was very cold so I only took a few small sips to acclimate a little, then drank like the proverbial man in the desert.

This was a run in which my senses were hit in different ways. There was the smell of fresh cut grass, which was pleasant. The giant tractor hogging the entire width of the trail that forced me to carefully make my way along the dubiously spongy grass along the edge was less nice. Then there were several times where I could taste the tangy scent of manure in the air. Hot weather and manure on the wind is not an ideal combination but fortunately the aroma passed quickly.

My favorite part of the run came at the fields. For some reason some of the sprinklers were running and two of them were hitting the path so I got two brief but refreshing splashes of water along one of the most-exposed parts of the trail. I was tempted to divert and traipse through all of them.

I skipped all three trails again but comfortably finished above 11K, as per usual since the detour went into effect. It’s been nearly a month now and I’m curious how close they are to on-schedule. I’ll find out in about four weeks.

Also, I achieved a new milestone today. My best year for runs was 2010 when I completed 513 km. Today I surpassed that by coming in with 516 km and I have five and a half months to improve on that. Joan was so excited she congratulated me on another 500 km. Thanks, Joan!

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

Scary (hot) Friday the 13th run

Average pace: 4:59/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.62 km
Weather: Sunny, hot and humid
Temp: 27ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 824
Total distance to date: 1568 km

It was hot again and there was a decent breeze at times but early morning showers meant it was also humid. Hot and humid is not a good combo for me.

I ran counter-clockwise which is the ‘hard’ way because it leaves the shadeless detour part of the run for the end when I am most tired. But as often happens I got my second wind around the 10K mark (at the start of the detour) and actually picked up the pace for the last 1.6 km. I managed to just squeak in under 5:00 minutes with a pace of 4:59/km but I consider that a win given how thick the air felt. I was sweating even before I began the run.

Looking at the splits my times lagged most during the 8 and 9 km sections, which makes sense given the conditions. I was five seconds off the starting km, too. I just got plain pooped, right from the beginning and then throughout. It was the level of poopedness that was the only variable. Not surprisingly, there weren’t many other runners out today.

Other than the heat and humidity, everything else seemed okay — no pain or discomfort, just dry lips and a grateful stop at the faucet by the dam at the end of the run.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47