The first April treadmill run, 2019 edition

Back to the treadmill today, though the weather turned out to be unexpectedly decent, so a run outside would have worked, too.

My goals were the same as last time–maintain pace, hope for no issues, finish with a nice BPM. And I hit all three, woo.

I goofed a bit on the tracking, letting the timer run (ho ho) for over a minute into my cooldown (walking) phase, so my average pace was officially 6:19/km. Using my primitive caveman math skills to eliminate this part of the run, my overall pace was actually closer to 6:12/km, so pretty much identical to the last treadmill run. My BPM was down slightly, as well, to 153.

No issues encountered throughout, it was just a nice, steady run.

The stats, slightly skewed by the aforementioned extra time:

Distance: 4.18 km (4.01)
Time: 26:25 (24:50) 
Average pace: 6:12/km (6:11/km)
BPM: 153 (155)
Calories: 314 (283)
Total treadmill distance: 42.72 km

Round Balls No. 12 clone found!

I came across another page of The Ever Continuing Saga of the Round Balls, this one from June 1986. It claims to be No. 12, making it the second unfinished No. 12 out there. I can’t even blame a printing error on this one. Maybe I lost the other one and started over.

This Round Balls comic is noteworthy for the fact that the Round Balls do not actually appear in it. I’m not sure where I was going with this one, but I do like the stick man. He seems very business-like.

I thought I was very hip at the time by dissing on both Nancy and Doonesbury.

Run 604: Now with less beating and more naked chests

Run 604
Average pace: 6:10/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:46 pm
Distance: 5:02 km
Time: 31:01
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 15-17ºC
Humidity: 46%
Wind: moderate
BPM: 157
Weight: 167.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 4600 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8

A week between runs and I headed back to the lake, opting to run clockwise. It was a little breezier and warmer, with the temperature more like early summer by the end of the run at 17ºC.

My plan was the same as last week–to go slow and steady, to not push and to keep the heart rate down. I did start to push a little in the last km–sometimes it’s hard to stop yourself–but a stitch in the gut made it easy to pull back. I finished the run exactly ten seconds slower than last week, but more importantly, my BPM went from 163 to 157, matching my last treadmill run, so things are definitely improving. If I can maintain this, I’ll slowly start pushing again, but I am literally in no rush. My mantra this year is to run regularly and run carefully.

To that end I actually did a few stretches before the run. They didn’t seem to have much effect, but the important thing is I stretched and I may stretch again and all the stretching will pay off down the road (or trail).

Also, I saw four (!) guys running shirtless today, which may possibly be peak shirtless for the year–and it’s still March. This is very weird, yet delightful.

Dogs and other pedestrians were no issue and overall, conditions were quite nice. Nearly ideal, in fact. I am pleased with the final result.

I also hit a semi-official milestone tonight, reaching 4,600 km run in total. The actual number is higher because I started tracking after I had been running for a few months, but, like in horseshoes, it’s close enough to count. That I started running at 44 and have kept it up every rear for the last ten years is a nice achievement in itself. I’d clap myself on the back if it weren’t so awkward to do.

March 2019 weight loss report: Down 0.7 pounds

My prediction was right. I am down. Woo!

I am down a measly 0.7 pounds. To put that into perspective, this morning when I weighed myself, I was down one pound vs. yesterday.

But down is better than up, so I am modestly pleased that my weight loss was actual loss this month, regardless of how slight it was.

Body fat was virtually unchanged, amounting to a rounding error, though according to Fitbit this still puts me in the “normal” range. I think that range may have been skewed by a half-century of Big Macs and other readily available fast food.

Let me make a bolder prediction for April: As long as I keep running, walking and behaving after dinner, I’ll see more actual weight loss, closer to 2-3 pounds for the month rather than March’s blip.

Also, I have remained donut-free

And now, the stats:

March 1: 168 pounds
March 31: 167.3 pounds (down 0.7 pounds)

Year to date: From 167.5 to 167.3 pounds (down 0.2 pounds)

And the body fat:

March 1: 19.6% (33 pounds of fat)
March 31: 19.7% (32.9 pounds of fat) (down 0.1 pounds)