Run 956: My leg and the bear

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Clear, warm. Summer.

I wanted to get out early, before it got high (a forecast of 32C today), but only partly succeeded, as I slept in a little. I still started in the morning, just before 11 a.m., but it was already 24C and my phone told me it felt like 27C, which seemed about right. There was copious sweating.

This was pretty much a repeat of Wednesday’s run, just a little slower and sweatier. The heat/humidity definitely had an effect and I experienced the same second km droop. The right shin was again tender to start, but perhaps less so than it has been, though I feel like I could still feel it later in the run (though it wasn’t hurting at that point. Then again, it could have been all in my head, who knows?) My right ankle in the last km started to twinge for no apparent reason, just to add to the fun. I don’t think it affected my pace.

I was glad when the run ended. Later, I was glad to not be eaten by a bear. As I am still doing 5K runs, this means I walk the second 5K around the lake. As I was nearing the intersection of the South Shore and Avalon trails, as seen below, a couple motioned to me and I muted my music. They said there was a bear and it was big and also it was right around the corner.

Note: Figures not quite to scale.

Fortunately, the bear was heading to the west, toward the Freeway Trail, possibly to hitch a ride, which meant it was heading away from me. I still looked back several times as we got farther apart. The bear occasionally stopped, and once it turned around, as if contemplating coming my way. I jogged a short distance, then stopped, thinking that would make me look like I was fleeing. Which I was.

Click to see a slightly less blobby version of the bear.

Farther up the trail, nearer to the 10K marker, I met a guy with binoculars who said he thought for a moment that the bear was chasing me. He said there have been many bear sightings around the lake this summer, more than he’s seen in 37 (!) years. He also runs, though I don’t recall seeing him. He even recounted a story from this summer when the spitfire encountered a bear. She apparently stood to the side of the trail to make room and the bear just ran past her to…somewhere.

Also, the guy said on the other side of the dam, a woman had reported seeing another bear getting out of the river. This was at the same time we were there, so multiple bears. Bears everywhere. All the bears. I did not see the dam bear, though.

In any case, it seems the lake is the #1 tourist destination for black bears this summer. Why, I can’t say. I just hope they stick to eating berries and fish, you know.

Hopefully the running next week will be bear-free, and my right leg will be at least somewhat normal.

View from the rickety bridge over Deer Lake Brook, looking south, post-run but pre-bear.

Stats:

Run 956
Average pace: 5:51/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:58 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:25
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24°C
Humidity: 63-61%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 165.1
Total distance to date: 6,610 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (205/459/664)

Music: Pop Stuff (playlist)

Still Creek, August 20, 2025

This is often one of the shots I post in my running updates. I didn’t yesterday, but I like the scene so much I am compelled to give it its own post. I love the green of the vegetation, the perfect blue of the sky, the puffy clouds, the perfectly reflecting water. And it’s all shot on a phone so old it makes Tim Cook sad.

Run 955: Moody, with sun

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: A perfectly fine summer day.

An appointment of Jeff’s got bungled in the morning due to bureaucracy, and then things got a bit chippy after that. I would be running late as a result, and debated what to do. A shorter run? No run? Carry on as normal?

I opted for the latter and did a regular 5K, going clockwise around the lake. While I stretched beforehand, I opted to not wear sunblock because it was already late, risking potential sunburn. So far, my skin does not resemble a cooked lobster.

The same issue persisted as the previous run, except this time my right shin felt even more tender during the first km. I briefly contemplated calling the run, but gingerly pressed on and after the first few km, it once again settled. It doesn’t feel sore now, nor did it on the walk back (which is 9 km), so hopefully it’s just a weird thing and not a terrible thing.

I had another second km droop, but mostly recovered to get a perfectly cromulent pace of 5:48/km. The best part was my BPM at only 147.

It was warmer than Monday, but a nice breeze actually helped, so it didn’t feel as muggy.

Overall, not bad, considering how little motivation I had heading out.

Still Creek, post run, looking to the east.

Stats:

Run 955
Average pace: 5:48/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:23 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:11
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21°C
Humidity: 67-64%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 147
Weight: 165.0
Total distance to date: 6,605 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (200/446/646)

Music: Pop Stuff (playlist)

Run 954: Yay for clouds, yay for clouds without the rain

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run.

I headed out a bit later than normal today, mostly because I was feeling less motivated than Friday, which is weird, because Friday it was pouring rain and today it was merely cloudy, which is good for a run!

Here is the run in handy list form:

The Good:

  • Cloudy, which is better for running
  • No rain, which is even better than cloudy
  • Cloudy meant no sunblock needed, which is a nice bonus
  • Cloudy also meant that, despite high humidity, I didn’t sweat as much
  • Relatively quiet on the trail
  • I actually passed another jogger–Hangdog!
  • My pace was better than expected, despite another 2nd km sag

The Bad:

  • My right shin was tender again to start, but felt better (again) after a short time

The Indifferent:

  • The Baker’s cyst didn’t seem to affect my run and doesn’t feel any worse, post-run

Overall, I’m pleased with the outcome, especially since I really wasn’t feeling it this morning.

Still Creek, looking west. After the rain on Friday, everything is even more lush than before.

Stats:

Run 954
Average pace: 5:44/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:18 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:48
Weather: Cloudy, with a wee bit of sun
Temp: 18-19°C
Humidity: 76-71%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 165.7
Total distance to date: 6,600 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (195/433/628)

Music: Private Eyes, Hall and Oates

Birding, August 16, 2025: Bees, not birds

Where: Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake (Burnaby), Tlahutum Regional Park (Coquitlam)
Weather: Sun and clouds, 19-22°C

Piper Spit

View from the turtle nesting area. Not seen: turtles, as always.

Although several naughty humans were feeding seed to the birds, which has been banned all summer (and reinforced my many signs all over the place), there were still relatively few around. We did not see geese, blackbirds or any fall migrants. It is also true it is not fall yet. Perhaps the migrants know this, too.

But we did see a scruffy little young song sparrow and an even more adorable baby cedar waxwing, which still had a lot of down, but already sported a proto face mask. It was kind of hiding in the bushes, which is probably a wise thing for its age.

The waterfowl largely consisted of mallards and wood ducks, and they mostly stayed well away from the pier. If it hadn’t been for one very splashy duck, I might have taken more shots of butterflies and bees.

But the trip was worth it for the babby waxwing.

Tlahutum Regional Park

Coquitlam River, fuller than last week thanks to heavy rain the day before.

There were even fewer birds at Tlahutum, though we did see some kind of raptor flying way overhead, and a lone female northern shoveller in the main pond. I shot a lot of flowers here, which have the bonus of not flitting around, unless it’s really windy.

And that was about it! Our outing was shortened by foul (not fowl) weather in the morning and by an event Nic was attending in the early evening, yet I somehow still managed over 25,000 steps as I type this.

I think there is a decent chance we’ll see at least one fall migrant the next time we are out. Coots are imminent.

The Shots

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

A few shots:

Northern shoveller in the main pond at Tlahutum Regional Park.
One of many pollinators seen in the community garden.

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Black-capped chickadee
  • Cedar waxwing (babby)
  • Eastern kingbird
  • Song sparrow (babby)
  • Spotted towhee
  • White-crowned sparrow (heard)

Waterfowl and shorebirds:

  • American coot (not yet!)
  • Long-billed dowitcher
  • Mallard
  • Northern shoveller
  • Wood duck

Common:

  • American crow
  • Rock pigeon

Raptors:

  • Some kind of raptor, yes

Non-birds:

  • Copious pollinators

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?