Run 953: Unexpected mid-August puddle dodging

View of the swollen Brunette River, pre-run.

The middle of August is usually dry and warm. But not today!

An unexpectedly fat, moisture-laden system has developed and is moving through the region today, prompting rare summer rain warnings. This meant I was probably going to get wet.

I got very wet.

This was also one of those rainy days when you can’t game it and try to run before it starts or during a break. It’s just raining all the time.

I decided to wear my long-sleeve shirt, which was a mistake, because at 17C, it was not cold and the sleeves just got soaked and clung to my arms in a somewhat annoying way. Lesson learned!

Since I did not fancy walking 38 minutes in the rain to the lake before starting my run, I opted to do the river trail. I encountered one other sodden runner, a lone guy with an umbrella that was not doing a great job of keeping him dry, and a huge walking group I’ve seen before, but this time with umbrellas.

Puddles were copious, visibility was not great, but I maintained a good pace, except, weirdly, the second km where it dropped all the way to the six-minute mark. I’m not sure how that happened. I was not tired, so the only things to explain it might be:

  • my right shin was a bit tender at the start (it sorted itself out midway through–no idea why it was tender)
  • the second km has a long slightly uphill part
  • I was woolgathering like tomorrow and just started slowing without realizing it

I made up for it with a fast final lap of 5:27/km and the overall pace of 5:45/km is pretty good.

The river was raging (see the before and after photos for more). I’ll be happy to run in rain-free conditions next time.

Brunette River, same view, as seen yesterday afternoon.

Stats:

Run 953
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 9:52 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:58
Weather: Rain
Temp: 17°C
Humidity: 94%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 165.4
Total distance to date: 6,595 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (190/420/610)

Music: Long Distance Voyager, The Moody Blues

Now and zen

If I was a musician and Robert Plant hadn’t already used it, I would totally make an album called “Now and Zen.”

Here are some things I find that produce a zen-like quality for me, where I lose myself in the activity, and my mind can unlock to drift and ponder and take me away from the world for a while.

  • Running. That runner’s high thing you hear about is real. Also, this can vary a bit based on conditions. If the terrain is slippery due to ice and whatnot, it’s harder to find zen because I’m concerned about face-planting. But generally, running is very calming to my brain.
  • Drawing. Especially when I do bird art, which is almost like colouring in a colouring book. The application of colour is very soothing.
  • Writing. Even on this blog, sometimes! The quote at the top of this site is accurate, but a lot of writers forget how it feels to get in the proverbial zone. You are taken, briefly, to another place, and it’s great. When you leave, it’s almost like a memory wipe occurs, so writing becomes a “chore” again, instead of a secret delight.
  • Picking up litter with a picker and bucket. This requires a certain amount of hand-eye coordination because grabbing cigarette butts off the ground can be trickier than you’d think. But the activity is so mellow and gentle, it’s nice just to slowly move around the condo complex and surrounding area and plink away at the occasional bits of litter.

Matt Gemmell on Apple’s Liquid Glass UI redesign

I have avoided discussing this in much detail, but in brief: I don’t like Liquid Glass. Like, at all. I think it’s glitzy, half-baked trash from people who don’t understand or care about good UI. But author Matt Gemmell put it better on Mastodon:

Liquid Glass is the kind of thing that would happen if someone with no UX design experience was put in charge of design, had no opinions on the matter so asked for suggestions, then approved the ideas from the youngest and least design-experienced people who could implement the most flashy demo.

It is thus, comprehensively and multifariously, Not What Apple (Used To) Do. An emblem of the sickness in the company, driven by moribund leadership, dilute focus, and ever more stagnant insight.

Here’s another thing: the degree of vacillation on design in public betas is disgraceful. About 5% of the time, when you change something due to feedback, it’s because you’re responsive and democratic. The other 95%, some highly-paid and ostensibly professional people did not sufficiently consider what they made. Design is intention and anticipation. Aesthetic fuckery is just playtime. When you then make multiple significant changes in successive betas, it’s no less than rudderless farce.

— Matt Gemmell

Run 952: Sore and stuff

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Pleasant, if a bit soupy.

I missed my Monday run due to a doctor appointment and stuff, and figured the extra time off might be OK because it would allow more time for my right knee to recover from the fluid ingress.

In the meantime, I lifted a lot of heavy stuff and my leg muscles were kind of sore and stiff. I feel this affected my overall pace, though I was also being generally cautious because of the knee.

Conditions were so-so: Not overly hot, but still quite humid. I sweated in amounts not considered small. But my pace was pretty steady–just under the six-minute mark for the first two km, a little faster for the next two, and my “huge” speed burst at the end saw my pace dip to 5:40/km. The overall pace of 5:53/km and BPM of 150 are both fine.

I’ll see how the knee behaves over the next day, and stretch and relax in the meantime.

View from the bridge on Deer Lake Brook, post-run.

Stats:

Run 952
Average pace: 5:53/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:24 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:37
Weather: Sunny with some high cloud
Temp: 21-22°C
Humidity: 72-69%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 165.4
Total distance to date: 6,590 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (185/416/601)

Music: Pop playlist (mostly songs from 1980s)

You shall not pass…

…unless you climb over (or go under) this fallen tree first.

This side trail off the main river trail takes you to train tracks. Handy if you’re a train, less handy if not.

And a view of the Brunette River looking east, with a weird kind of glowing effect in the distance caused by the atmosphere or aliens or something.

It was around 30°C when I took this photo, so maybe it was heat haze?

When your bodily humours are good

Or at least the results of the various blood tests and others come back from the doctor, and he tells me everything looks normal/good. Hooray.

Unrelated, sort of, yesterday I ate breakfast at IHOP and noticed they have a 55+ menu and I qualify for it, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

I ordered from the All Ages menu.

Birding, August 9, 2025: Bear-y trees and catchers of the fly

Where: Tlahutum Regional Park (Coquitlam), Blakeburn Lagoons Park (Port Coquitlam), Traboulay PoCo Trail/DeBoville Slough (Port Coquitlam)
Weather: Sunny, 25°C

Tlahutum Regional Park

Coquitlam River.

For a change of pace, we started at Tlahutum and Nic managed to get a shot of what might be a Calliope hummingbird. Merlin was not sure and neither are we.

Despite being morning, it was already fairly warm, but also kind of muggy. This would be the unofficial theme of the day. Also the official theme of the day.

The other official theme of the day was yet to come–more on that below.

We actually did not see a lot of birds at Tlahutum, but we shot many pollinators, giant, scary sunflowers and the scenery.

The highlights were a pair of raptors, an osprey that generously flew right overhead, and a turkey vulture, which is a bird I rarely see. It did not fly directly overhead, but if you zoom in, you can clearly see its turkey-like head.

Blakeburn Lagoons Park

One of the Blakeburn Lagoons, possibly with a green heron hiding somewhere in it.

We went to Blakeburn because a green heron has been seen there, and we wanted to get award-winning photos of it. We did see it, briefly, flying across a lagoon, never to be seen again. The animal signs at each viewpoint tease a number of species we’ve never seen, though to be fair, most of them are not birds. We consoled ourselves with scenery, some ducks and then headed out again.

Traboulay PoCo Trail/DeBoville Slough

Mountains and fields to the north and west of the Pitt River.

Today we ventured all the way up the trail and hooked a right to the viewing platform at the end overlooking the Pitt River, before heading back.

It was here that we encountered the other official theme of the day: flycatchers, and plenty of them! They were in abundant numbers and often surprisingly close, so we had no issue getting good shots. There were also multiple kingbirds showing themselves, too.

At one point, a goldfinch appeared and briefly landed on tall grass right in front of us–so close that I didn’t have time to focus on it before it thought better of where it was and took off. Alas.

At one point we saw several people, including someone with a VLL1very long lens, all looking off to the side of the trail toward some trees. We approached, wondering what exotic birds had captured their attention. But surprise twist, it was actually a young black bear, well up a tree and looking somewhat unsure of itself, or maybe very sure of itself. I can’t read bear faces well. It was gone by the time we returned, so I assume it was just exploring and having some fun. We also saw a significantly larger back bear, but it was trundling along in a field and was not interested or really close enough to eat tasty humans. Note to future bears: I am not tasty.

We saw more ospreys here, along with a good number of purple martins, so it proved to be a fruitful, if long and sweaty trek. Plus, the scenery is always nice, especially when the jet skis get out of hearing range.

The Shots

Shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18-150 mm kit lens and 100-400 mm telephoto.

A sand wasp, to prove I took more than just scenery shots!

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • American Goldfinch
  • American robin
  • Black-capped chickadee
  • Black-headed grosbeak
  • Anna’s hummingbird
  • Calliope hummingbird (?)
  • Cedar waxwing
  • Eastern kingbird
  • House finch
  • Purple martin
  • Song sparrow
  • Spotted towhee
  • Willow flycatcher

Waterfowl and shorebirds:

  • American coot (not yet!)
  • Great blue heron
  • Green heron
  • Mallard
  • Wood duck

Common:

  • American crow
  • European starling

Raptors:

  • Osprey
  • Turkey vulture

Non-birds:

  • A small black bear and a very large black bear
  • A fuzzy caterpillar
  • Woodland skippers and cabbage butterflies
  • Copious other pollinators
  • Humans on noisy jet skis

Run 951: Ignoring reality or overcoming it?

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Warm and humid, but not too warm and humid.

After skipping Wednesday’s run due to the fluid behind my knee, I came up with a plan of sorts on how to deal with it:

  • Elevate the leg with the affected knee
  • Rest(ish)
  • Hope for the best!

The leg elevation came in the form of using our adjustable old fogey bed to raise the foot part, so my legs are actually pointing up (a bit) when I’m sleeping. This means the knee will stay in an elevated position for a good eight hours every day, which seems pretty good.

Other than that, I just figured I’d try a run where I wasn’t going to push or anything, just go at a reasonable pace.

I may have pushed just a bit, but my pace was very consistent:

LapPace
15:49
25:46
35:43
45:44
55:40

The knee did not bother me at all, not at the start, nor anywhere else during the run. I can feel it a bit now, but it’s not hurting. Once I’ve had more time to recover, I’ll see if the bulge is bulging even more, if it’s about the same, or if it’s actually gone down (haha).

As for the run itself, conditions were decent–a sun and cloud mix, with a nice breeze at times. It was not as humid as Monday and that made a difference, as I was a full 11 seconds faster, even with the unsightly bulge.

It was also apparently Fitness Friday™ as I passed something like eight other joggers while running, and saw even more when I was walking out. I even saw old Green Shorts on the river trail. He was not wearing green shorts, but did have a snazzy yellow cap on.

There was also a large walking group on the trail, but fortunately I encountered them a few minutes after finishing the run.

Right near the intersection of the main loop and the Piper Mill Trail, I encountered this sign (from the other side):

Works better if there’s another sign like it at the other end of the trail.

I encountered a tractor with one of those giant scary cutting attachments lopping off vegetation along the side of the trail, so I assume the sign was there because of it. Maybe they only had the sign at one end of the trail because the people coming from the other direction (like me) would be seen by the driver, since he was heading my way (and in fact, did stop and signal me to pass), while others approaching from behind would just bumble ahead and get chewed up by the giant scary cutting attachment, the driver never seeing them.

In any case, it was a pleasant way to end the week, and hopefully I haven’t doomed myself by choosing to run today instead of just loafing around and whispering reassuring things to my right knee.

Stilll Creek, seen from just north of the bridge, post-run.

Stats:

Run 951
Average pace: 5:44/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:01 a.m.
Distance:5.03 km
Time: 28:52
Weather: Sun and high cloud
Temp: 19-20°C
Humidity: 67%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 165.3
Total distance to date: 6,585 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (180/403/583)

Music: Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty

A thought on our coming dystopia

Image courtsey of pexels.com. I just like the juxtaposition of sunny and bright with the “giving up” pose.

There, even the title is depressing!

I did not imagine things going so badly for the world as they are right now, as of August 2025. But with perspective, I can see this was decades in the making. Alas.

Things may get worse before they get better. How much worse? I don’t know. But for the first time, I feel glad to be older than younger. I don’t know how long the bad times will last. Maybe they’ll persist through the rest of my life and beyond. Maybe humans just aren’t very smart and we’ve hit our limit.

Maybe aliens will save us.

But given that I am older rather than younger, I will at least have less to live through than if I were some 20-something hipster. This shouldn’t be a comforting thought, but somehow it is.

Mind you, I still want to live to be a robust 95 or something and if they could magically extend life to something crazy like 150, I’d probably be up for that, too, just to see if monorails ever really take off.

Still, this dystopia thing is a bummer. I wish we were better, collectively, as a species.

I have once again mucked around with the colours on the site

Why? Because I can.

I also wanted to have a warmer look that is less business-like/bland. For reference (change is inevitable), it currently looks like this:

This may look different by the time you read this!

I’ve been reading a lot about old-timey blogs of yore lately, and the nostalgia hits hard. I don’t want to fully embrace all the sometimes questionable aesthetics of that era (late 90s, early 2000s) by having busy backgrounds, random MIDI files tooting on the home page and so on, but some actual colour might be nice.

Inevitably, I retreat from these changes and may do so again, but for now, enjoy a little green and yellow instead of the more standard blue and white.