The ‘it only hurts when I run’ run

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 10.02 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 13ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 700
Average pace: 5:37/km
Total distance to date: 1180.97 km

The good news: no hail!

Better news: It was mild and sunny, perfect conditions for running.

Bad news: both of my feet were sore and cranky by the end of the run. It actually hurt more to walk after so I was half-tempted to keep running home (that would have added 4+ km so I ultimately decided against it).

I am almost certain that the soreness in my feet is not due to last Sunday’s hike, doing weird things to my feet while I sleep or a result of alien visitation. What I do think is a distinct possibility is that my trusty New Balance shoes, which I have been using since May 2009, may finally and officially be wearing out. On the Nike+ alone I have tracked 1180 km on them and I ran from May to September 2009 before getting the Nike+ setup, so that’s probably enough to put me past 1200 km. On one pair of shoes.

So getting new shoes is a top priority. I’m not going to try those wacky Five Fingers or a variant because at this point I’m more interested in getting back to peak condition than having my feet cry even more but it’s an option for further down the road (or trail).

As for the actual run, I conducted a bit of an experiment and while the end result is one I’m not happy with, it was not unexpected, so I consider it a success.

If you look at the chart below, specifically my most recent 5:33/km runs you’ll see that my pace is slower in the first half but flattens out nicely in the second. Today I tried — and succeeded — in bringing up my times in the first half of the run. I could feel my lungs working harder and the vague threat of a cramp here and there. By doing so, however, I tapped out my reserves for the second half and while the pace flattened, it did so at longer intervals, leading to a slower pace of 5:37/km. From this point forward I think I’m going to stick to starting at a moderate pace and build toward a stronger finish.

Overall, I am pleased that I was able to complete another week of runs without any major incidents.

Chart:

Apr 20 Apr 18 Apr 16 Apr 6 Apr 4 Apr 2
1 km 5:09 5:12 5:15 5:12 5:17 5:03
2 km 5:12 5:21 5:23 5:19 5:19 5:17
3 km 5:18 5:25 5:31 5:23 5:24 5:25
4 km 5:22 5:28 5:36 5:25 5:26 5:30
5 km 5:25 5:29 5:41 5:26 5:27 5:33
6 km 5:27 5:30 5:45 5:28 5:29 5:37
7 km 5:29 5:31 5:49 5:29 5:31 5:41
8 km 5:33 5:32 5:53 5:30 5:33 5:46
9 km 5:35 5:33 5:57 5:32 5:35 5:50
10 km 5:37 5:33 5:59 5:33 5:36 5:53

The doctor is in (Richmond)

Today I went to the doctor to discuss the bunch o’ blood work I had done. I knew there wasn’t going to be catastrophic news because they obligingly call you to come in if the lab returns results stamped with something like PATIENT HAS THREE DAYS TO LIVE.

I made the trek to Richmond via the still sexy Expo Line and the decidedly unsexy Canada Line. There’s not much you can do to dress up a subway. It’s even more annoying in that most of it is cut and cover so it meanders all over the place to follow the road above it.

As is usually the case I arrived at the office early and had to wait awhile before the doctor came in. I like my doctor. He’s friendly and smart. He’s also older than me so when he gives the ‘men of your age’ speech it’s always somewhat ruefully.

The overall news was good — no hideous diseases or deficiencies that would require hospitalization/surgery/medication/alien intervention. The scare that came out of an April 2008 visit to a walk-in clinic (‘You’re one year away from Type II diabetes”) is gone with my much more sensible diet. My combined bad/good cholesterol number is fine and I don’t appear to be deficient in anything else, blood-wise.

One of two areas of concern was my bad cholesterol level — it is a bit higher than what would be considered optimal. The doctor figures this is likely a genetic predisposition and is nothing to be concerned about. He gave me a number to call for a free consultation with a government dietician if I’m concerned I may be eating wrong and horrible things. The other concern was regarding how efficiently my kidney is flushing out the things it’s supposed to — the jargon got a bit technical for me. Basically he said that as you age the efficiency decreases by about 1 per year and while my current level is fine, in 40 years it would be at a critical level. I’d also be 87 then, so it’s quite possible I wouldn’t give a flying fig about it, either. The advice here was to take kidney-friendly medication when needed and to monitor it year by year.

And that was about it. I’m scheduled for a full physical next month so we’ll find out if I have nutty blood pressure and whatnot. I’m hoping for perfectly boring results because my health is one part of my life I prefer to be dull.

The “oh hail” run

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 10.07 km
Weather: Rain, heavy at time, hail, cloud
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: moderate with some gusts
Calories burned: 703
Average pace: 5:33/km
Total distance to date: 1170.94 km

The weather today was looking unsettled. For this time of year that is not unusual. Forty-five minutes before my run the sky was brightening and the sun was poking out. Just prior to heading out it was the opposite. As I walked along the Brunette River trail the sun came out again, albeit briefly. The sky remained overcast until I reached about the midway point of the run.

At that time the sky opened up and it began raining hard. It quickly then changed to hail, which I’ve never run in before. The hail persisted for about 2 km before changing back to straight rain and the rain continued all the way home, though it eventually tapered off to a light shower by the end of the run itself.

I am glad I wore a long-sleeved shirt for the run. The hail wasn’t Texas-sized golf balls or anything but I could feel them pelting off me as I kept up the pace. I can’t say I’m eager to experience more of the same any time soon.

As happens during a deluge, my iPod got a bit wet, more so since I did not have it in its protective case. I knew what this would lead to and sure enough, at the end of the 10K the slippery clickwheel would not cooperate. I ended up running a total of 10.7 km before I could finally stop the workout.

The good news is the extra run time was not a problem. With Tuesday’s rest I was feeling much less sore and more energetic for the run. I went in with the mindset of running a marathon, not a sprint and paced myself deliberately. By the 4K mark I reached a comfort zone that allowed me to continue without losing much time at all. I ended right back where I was on the last Friday before hurting my back, with an average pace of 5:33/km. I am pleased by this.

I was less pleased by my left foot feeling a bit sore. I’m not sure if I twisted it in my sleep or what it was but it was an annoyance throughout. It didn’t slow me down and I don’t think it’s anything serious but it bears mentioning.

Chart:

Apr 18 Apr 16 Apr 6 Apr 4 Apr 2 Mar 23 Mar 19 Mar 16 Mar 7
1 km 5:12 5:15 5:12 5:17 5:03 5:13 5:10 5:08 5:06
2 km 5:21 5:23 5:19 5:19 5:17 5:22 5:20 5:22 5:22
3 km 5:25 5:31 5:23 5:24 5:25 5:28 5:26 5:32 5:30
4 km 5:28 5:36 5:25 5:26 5:30 5:34 5:31 5:37 5:33
5 km 5:29 5:41 5:26 5:27 5:33 5:37 5:34 5:42 5:35
6 km 5:30 5:45 5:28 5:29 5:37 5:40 5:36 5:47 5:38
7 km 5:31 5:49 5:29 5:31 5:41 5:43 5:38 5:49 5:40
8 km 5:32 5:53 5:30 5:33 5:46 5:46 5:41 5:51 5:42
9 km 5:33 5:57 5:32 5:35 5:50 5:49 5:43 5:52 5:45
10 km 5:33 5:59 5:33 5:36 5:53 5:50 5:44 5:53 5:47

Smartphone: good for inspecting dodgy sour cream

I am far from the first person to do this but I’ve done it a few times now so I am recording it for posterity.

I used to be able to hold things right up to my nose and keep focus on them. Then again, I also used to be in grade 3. Time marches on.

When I couldn’t quite make out the expiry date on a tub of sour cream (and who wants to eat sourer cream?) I took a photo of the tub using my phone, then zoomed the image in to read the date, as seen below.

Sadly it turned out the date really was kind of illegible all along.

The best I could figure was August 28, which at the time would not have been past the expiry. I passed, anyway, just to be safe.

See? With age you may lose focal strength but you gain wisdom.

The ‘it only hurts when I stop’ run

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Cloud and sun
Temp: 13ºC
Wind: light with some gusts
Calories burned: 700
Average pace: 5:59/km
Total distance to date: 1160.87 km

Ten days after my last run, nine days after hurting my back and one day after a rather strenuous hike that left my legs sore and tired, I returned to my regular running schedule. I knew it was going to be hard — and it was!

The first two km were not overly fast — 5:15 and 5:23 but just shy of the 2K mark I was breathing hard and obviously overextending myself. I paused to catch my breath and continued at a deliberate pace for the remainder. Stamina was not an issue going forward but with about 1 km left my legs were feeling more tired than I can ever recall. I maintained pace and finished but even the brisk walk home (around 5 km itself) was a challenge, especially taking the steps up in Hume Park.

Joanne, naturally, congratulated me again for another 500 km completed. I believe I have covered half the distance to Mars by her estimates. Such a nice if incorrect lady.

I also had my first pausetastrophe. At the 1.8K mark I paused the workout to catch my breath and instead of hitting pause to resume the workout I hit the center button on the iPod, which ends the workout. Eek. I quickly hit the pause button and the workout cooperatively resumed. The Nike+ site seems to have simply added a 1.8K mark in addition to the regular ones for each regular km completed, so all is well.

While I am not happy about having such a sluggish pace (5:59/km, my slowest 10K ever), considering all the extenuating circumstances I am happy to have simply completed it. I will begin the work of moving back toward peak condition with Wednesday’s run. I am fairly confident I will better today’s time.

Chart:

Apr 16 Apr 6 Apr 4 Apr 2 Mar 23 Mar 19 Mar 16 Mar 7
1 km 5:15 5:12 5:17 5:03 5:13 5:10 5:08 5:06
2 km 5:23 5:19 5:19 5:17 5:22 5:20 5:22 5:22
3 km 5:31 5:23 5:24 5:25 5:28 5:26 5:32 5:30
4 km 5:36 5:25 5:26 5:30 5:34 5:31 5:37 5:33
5 km 5:41 5:26 5:27 5:33 5:37 5:34 5:42 5:35
6 km 5:45 5:28 5:29 5:37 5:40 5:36 5:47 5:38
7 km 5:49 5:29 5:31 5:41 5:43 5:38 5:49 5:40
8 km 5:53 5:30 5:33 5:46 5:46 5:41 5:51 5:42
9 km 5:57 5:32 5:35 5:50 5:49 5:43 5:52 5:45
10 km 5:59 5:33 5:36 5:53 5:50 5:44 5:53 5:47

Diez Vistas hike -or- Why I wish I was a mountain goat

Today Jeff and I set out for our first official™ hike in a year and Jeff opted to take us along the Diez Vistas trail, as 15 km trek above and between Buntzen Lake to the east and Indiand Arm to the west. It took us just under five hours to complete. It is described thusly on the BC Hydro website:

This route is recommended for experienced and fit hikers only. Spanish for “ten views”, the Diez Vistas Trail is aptly named. Offering spectacular views of Vancouver’s waterways and mountains, the Diez Vistas Trail commences near the floating bridge. Travelling uphill into the forest, cross the powerline and pipeline and continue along a series of switchbacks until the trail forks. The left trail leads to a viewpoint overlooking Indian Arm and the right leads to a view of South Beach and across to Eagle Ridge. After reaching the high point where the trails reunite, you travel along a forest trail that terminates at a BC Hydro service road. Keep right and follow the service road and transmission line (the Old Buntzen Lake Trail) back to the Buntzen Lake Trail, where a left turn will take you to the suspension bridge leading to North Beach. From here, follow either Powerhouse Road or the Buntzen Lake Trail back to South Beach.

And now the stats:

  • 15 km hiked
  • 3.1 km/hr average pace
  • 740 m of elevation gained
  • one billion calories burned (okay, more in the range of 2400)

Considering that neither of us are in peak condition and I was coming off a week of not running, not to mention having a still slightly sore back, this was probably more than we should have tackled but it was a fun challenge, even if by the end our feet were aching, our stomachs were grumbling and we both felt very tired.

Living up to its name, Diez Vistas (10 vistas) has lots of viewpoints along the way, though we didn’t check out all of them. The ones we did had spectacular views of Burrard Inlet and Salmon Arm, with the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island spread out far below.

Much of the ascent and descent is fairly steep and it’s the kind of hiking where you often have to pick where to place your feet, as the path is covered in rock and twisted roots. We each slipped a few times but neither of us fell, something of a miracle for me given my unerring sense of imbalance. We encountered at least a couple dozen people during the hike, not surprising given that it was a Sunday and conditions were mild (the two previous times we hiked in this area it was freezing and pouring with rain, respectively). A pair of smart alecks even jogged past us at one point while we were exhausted enough to be tripping over on our feet. Dang kids young adults.

Click the first image below to view them all in sequence or visit the gallery here at your leisure.

[nggallery id=35]

That Titanic thing

The Titanic sank exactly 100 years ago today. Well, not exactly. Technically it struck the iceberg on the 15th but actually sank in the early hours of the 16th.

As expected, television has been plastered with Titanic specials, some trying to find new wrinkles in a century-old story and others merely recalling and remembering the events. In the former category is probably History Television’s airing of ‘Nazi Titanic’. This obscure 1943 German film (actually named simply ‘Titanic’) was commissioned by Joseph Goebbels and, not surprisingly, served as a vehicle (ho ho) to rail against British capitalism and greed. You can check out the Wikipedia article for more. The only one topping this would be Titanic II. The 2010 direct-to-DVD film features a plot where a duplicate of the doomed liner is struck by not one but two tsunamis (the first pushes an iceberg into it), explodes, catches on fire, capsizes and sinks. I believe Mega Shark probably eats what remains of it and any passengers shortly thereafter.

Anyway, the original was a terrible disaster, of course. I get nervous riding on a ferry and it starts to rock a bit but at least I know there are enough lifeboats in the event of an emergency.

Travel with me back in time to Saturday, January 24th, 1987

Here, for your amusement, is my entire journal entry for January 24, 1987. I was 22 years old. As the journal was handwritten I often scribbled footnotes at the bottom of the page or in any other available space. I have attempted to mimic the effect here as best I can.

The most amazing thing about this and so many of the journal entries is how insanely thorough they are. It seems if I sneezed, I wrote it down. Also, do skates come in different sizes than shoes or do feet keep growing into your 40s or what? Because there’s no way I’d fit into a size 7½ these days (I wear size 8½).

***

Saturday, January 24, 1987. 11:33 p.m. A bad night is better than no night at all.

I blissfully, though (oddly) somewhat guiltily, slept in till around eleven this morning¹. After I got up I moved around the apartment lazily, carefully ignoring anything that needed to be done (laundry, dishes, etc. etc. and especially etc.)

Finally I sleepwalked to Pacific Centre, browsed for awhile and came home around five p.m. I ate a gourmet bachelor’s meal (Kraft Dinner and sausage) then went to the Youth Group meeting, even though I knew there was a skating party and that I probably wouldn’t go and would end up just sitting at home alone with nothing to write about.

But some people did show up, including Alex, who had obviously forgotten it was the skating party tonight². After a bit of talk and an umbrella demonstration courtesy of Don, five of us piled into Wayne’s scary old car and headed off for the Kitsilano Arena, secure in the knowledge that we were all fairly inept on ice skates. I didn’t wear a seatbelt (couldn’t find it) and that’s usually when I’m in a car accident. Tonight I lucked out and we arrived safely.

After forsaking my shoes and donning a pair of 7½ skates, I took my first few steps on the ice. I didn’t fall. Good. Now if I could maintain this consistency for two more hours, I’d be fine. I glanced over to the metal pushy things (hell if I can remember what they’re called) but decided I was approximately 15 years past the age where you can still use them without suffering through extreme embarrassment. Fortunately I did not fall during the entire evening. I almost hit the ice a few times but tried to disguise my slip ups as dramatic flourishes. I was not very convincing.

Wayne fell. So did Alex. Oddly, they both fell (at separate times) right in front of me. Am I a jinx or was it just a coincidence and they were actually so nauseated by the AWFUL music on the PA that they just plain fell over in disgust? (The music was 90% of all the country music you never, never wanted to hear.)

After some square dancing on ice (featuring a bearded man in a large dress similar to a can-can dancer), we abandoned the rink for the lounge upstairs. Much to my chagrin, no one, save for Peter and Wayne, from the group stayed. I stayed — for a few minutes, then decided to trot down to West Broadway to catch the bus. Lo, there was Alex!

We rode the bus together and walked a couple blocks up Davie, to where we had to turn off to get to his place. We talked about the group and he told me how it was difficult fitting in because he’s not very outgoing. That’s a problem (?) we both share. I asked him if he had any plans on doing anything. He said no, which was fine because I didn’t really want to go to a bar or similar establishment. So we went our separate ways and here I am thinking (and writing) about him.

A part of me (yes, I’ve set up a great joke for all the perverts out there) is attracted to him sexually but mostly the attraction is deeper, more substantial, something wildly profound like that. (author’s note — 25 years later I can verify that if you reverse the types of attraction listed here you’d have a more accurate picture) I haven’t found out anything about him yet that I don’t like (which is the quickest way for the bubble to burst. Imagine meeting someone you really liked only later to discover something downright putrid about them — such as they smoke or go to the bars a lot, two things I’d put on my list of “turn-offs”, right after nuclear war and static cling). But it’s too early to get a clear picture so I shall say no more (and besides, this isn’t supposed to be a diary. I’ve already divulged WAY TOO MUCH personal-type stuff. Tomorrow it’s going to be nothing but financial reports and stock market predictions).

RANDOM NOTES: I’m liking Gaudi more and more. It may be APP’s best album since Eye in the Sky. My laundry is threatening to slither out of its bag and attack me, so I’ll do it tomorrow. Also, the Great Canadian Dishes Saga will be concluded. Watch as Mr. Fork and Mrs. Knife go for a naughty dip plum-naked in a sink full of dirty utensils. Thrill to the excitement of plates clinking together underwater!

Hmm. It would appear I’ve run out of viable subjects to discuss. Perhaps I’ll say goodnight now.

Goodnight.

Log off: 12:23 a.m.

¹ this sentence deserves some sort of award for being so hideously, horrifically and otherwise badly structured.
² I had asked him previously if he was going and, as Mike crudely put it, he wasn’t exactly “shit hot” on the idea. I discovered he had not skated for 13 years moments before we hit the ice. This, perhaps, explained his lack of unsuppressable excitement.

A lament for Book Warehouse

I’ve been a bit out of the loop with local news lately and so missed last month’s announcement that local bookstore chain Book Warehouse would be closing. You can read the owner’s statement at the Book Warehouse website but I assume that may not be around forever so here it is in full, recorded for posterity.

Dear friends and customers,

Our leases are expiring and so are we. For many years we’ve had a fantastic time bookselling. We’re leaving with no regrets and many, many happy memories of customers, books and colleagues. In particular, I cannot say enough about the support, encouragement and friendship our landlords have given us throughout.

For many years it has been our privilege to be your bookseller in the Lower Mainland. We have been truly blessed to be welcomed into our neighbourhoods and we’ve enjoyed every year we’ve been here.

I would like to express thanks to the many booksellers who have served you so well over the years. We’ve had our joys and even tragedies but throughout we have had a rich and rewarding experience serving you. On behalf of all the Book Warehouse people who have built relationships with you I would like to thank you for all your support over the years. We won’t forget you, and we hope you will remember us as fondly as we will remember you.

Please enjoy our closing sale, and please take the time to chat with us. We’re going to miss you!

Sharman King

This message is much more positive than the “We are doomed” one Duthie’s posted when they closed shop two years ago and that reflects on King’s general optimism. In the end it wasn’t enough to keep the 32 year old enterprise going as the book market undergoes a sea change with ereaders and companies like Amazon changing the way people get books.

I shopped at Book Warehouse semi-regularly, visiting the reference section for books on writing, nabbing the occasional bestseller (always discounted by at least 20%) or something from the fiction section. The staff were always friendly, ready to help and the atmosphere was relaxed. With most of my reading shifting to ebooks I can’t honestly say I’ll miss Book Warehouse in a practical sense but I will miss having the opportunity to walk in and look over the new releases and end up buying something I didn’t even know had existed. That tangible contact, being able to pick up a book and examine its cover, read the blurb, it wasn’t magical or anything, really, but it was nice and now one of my most-frequented places to do this will soon be another memory.

Charlie Smith has written an excellent reminisce for the Georgia Straight. Read it here.

A haiku for my back

Five days later and my back is starting to feel a little closer to normal after The Stooping Incident. I have written a haiku to help remember this less-than-cherished event.

This Back of Mine

Bending down and zap
Pain and the old man shuffle
Stupid random back

Google updates the Google+ interface, creates a negative space vortex

Google has been having some interface issues of late. Adam Snell, via Chris Nahr posted an image that aptly illustrates the problem with the newly-designed desktop UI for Google+ as seen below:

Check out the post on Google+ itself here. I don’t have anything to add except for agreement. The Google UI team is going for some kind of minimalist aesthetic, I suppose, but falling down fairly badly in their attempt. I shouldn’t have to scrunch up my browser window horizontally to get a balanced design.

Update: As Jason Pace points out in this post, the white space in the redesign is where ‘hangouts’ (video chat) go. As he also wisely points out, if that’s the case the space should be allocated dynamically so it doesn’t otherwise leave a huge chunk of nothing staring you in the face.

Writing exercise: New lyrics for an old song (using California Girls)

Putting new lyrics to an established song is nothing new — it’s done regularly for parody but it’s still a fun exercise, especially if you try for a specific focus.

For example, the song ‘California Girls’ (Mike Love, Brian Wilson) takes 2:47 to explain how girls all around the U.S. (and the world) are nifty but what would be the niftiest of all is if they were California girls, presumably because they’d have rockin’ tans and actually be near enough to date/chase/moon over. Not exactly deep stuff:

Well East coast girls are hip
I really dig those styles they wear
And the Southern girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I’m down there

Doing the old gender switch is easy for the chorus since it doesn’t rhyme.

I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls

Becomes:

I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California boys

Simple! In fact, the rest of the song can easily be switched around, gender-wise, too. This is probably the trickiest verse:

The West coast has the sunshine
And the girls all get so tanned
I dig a French bikini on Hawaii island
Dolls by a palm tree in the sand

What would be the equivalent of a French bikini for guys, especially of that era (mid 1960s)? How about cut-offs? A substitute for ‘dolls’ is tougher. Studs, maybe? Was that in the vernacular back then? I don’t know offhand because I was about one year old at the time and my fashion sense was limited to diapers and pooping in them.

The West coast has the sunshine
And the guys all get so tanned
I dig blue jean cut-offs on Hawaii island
Studs by a palm tree in the sand

Not exactly a masterpiece but hey, if someone ever starts up The Beach Girls, they’re good to go.

How about making the song about music?

Well East coast bands are hip
I really dig those styles they play
And the Southern jazz with the way they strum
They knock me out when I leave L.A.

The Mid-West farmer’s hoedown really make you feel alright
And the Northern cats with their drums and songs
Will keep you grooving all the night

I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California bands

Again, not the stuff of genius but we’ve shifted focus of the song while keeping as much of the original lyrics intact, creating a kind of alternate universe version of it.

Giving yourself the freedom to change the lyrics as much as you want, sticking only to the actual meter of the song (‘sung to the tune of…’) makes it both easier (no need to hew to the spirit/theme of the original) and more difficult (what will the song be about?)

I’m still mulling over choices but I’m thinking of something profound and grim to go with the jaunty music. I’ll post an update when I have put together my morose musings. If I can record it via some karaoke thing, all the better*!

 

* worse if you’ve heard me sing