The run before it rains run

Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Brunette River trail, Burnaby Lake (to Still Creek)
Distance: 9.48 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 684
Total distance to date: 2145 km

Tonight’s run was after work so to minimize walking I started the run from Lower Hume Park (about a 10 minute walk), took the Brunette River trail then crossed over to Burnaby Lake, taking the three optional trails before forking off at Still Creek and wrapping up at the Burnaby Lake SkyTrain station. By my calculations I figured I’d come up a bit short of 10K and I was right, covering 9.48 km. Without some creative zig-zagging this particular route will never hit 10K. I will ponder possible alterations to stretch it out.

In the meantime, though, this run went much better than the previous. I shifted the moleskin bandage down to just cover the pad of the foot and my toes emerged unscathed this time. I didn’t feel the first twinge until about 3K in and it wan’t until 8K in that it became a lot more noticeable, much later than before. At the end of the run I could walk on the foot and not feel any pain. The tendon in the right foot also warmed up nicely and behaved itself. While I won’t call them happy feet they were certainly no longer grumpy.

As a result my pace was a lot faster — 5:18/km, a 12 second improvement over Sunday’s 5:30 pace. With occasional spitting and the promise of much worse I wore my recently water-treated running jacket but I ended up not needing it. The skies did open up but they obligingly waited until I was on the SkyTrain heading back. I will note that I felt warm with the jacket. Not uncomfortably so but it’s pretty safe to assume I won’t need multiple layers until after summer now.

The crowded and cranky feet run

Average pace: 5:30/km
Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Ran Piper Mill, Spruce and Conifer Loop trails
Distance: 11.13 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 804
Total distance to date: 2136 km

For the first time ever a flock of geese determined which way I ran. to be more specific, a bunch of geese, including adorable little goslings, were gathered on the trail at the north side of the dam, where I would normally start my run if I was doing my usual CCW loops. I didn’t want to freak out the geese families so I instead went clockwise. This turned out to be good for the geese, not quite as good for me as I’ll explain shortly.

Because of the trouble I’ve been having with my left foot recently I decided to apply a little padding to the affected area in advance by folding over a moleskin bandage over it and holding it in place with a few strips of medical tape.

As it turned out, the padding may have helped a tiny bit, as the left foot wasn’t quite as sore after the run but the fold of the bandage dug into the big toe, resulting in a blister. Blargh, as they say. I’m going to try padding again but will adjust the position of the bandage and also wrap the whole shebang in a tensor bandage to better hold everything in place.

The tendon on the right foot made its presence known throughout the run (and after), though I’m still thinking this is more it getting used to be used again after injury and not necessarily it getting hurt again.

For the run itself I headed out and seemed to be on about the same pace as the run one week prior, which is to say on the slow side. I’ve resigned myself to that until my feet feel better and I run a more regular schedule. I’m clearly well off peak condition.

I noticed a few signs heralding a ‘spring sprint’, with handy arrows pointing in the direction I was heading. As it was about noon I figured the run would likely already be over and indeed I wasn’t seeing anyone else out other than the occasional walker. But lo, somewhere around the 3 km mark (right when I began to feel the first twinge in my left foot) I passed by a few unusually large clusters of people blocking the path. Some moved to let me by, most seemed utterly oblivious to my presence or the presence of anything except the neighbor they were busy gabbing to.

It was also clear that if these people were here to sprint they were doing so at a pace that could be described as very very very deliberate. A lot of them had those giant ATSes with them (all Terrain Strollers). The crowds stretched out to about the 5 km point and there were times where I came to a complete stop as I had no way to get around. There’s a conspicuous drop in my pace in the 4-5K stretch of the run. You’d think getting this mini-break would leave me re-invigorated but it had the opposite effect and I ran for probably a km past the crowds before I fell back into a steady rhythm again.

Overall I’m a little displeased with the run. The left foot is obviously now a chronic issue and the tendon on the right foot has me worried that it may not have healed properly. I’ll have both checked out soon.

I’m planning on running Tuesday and it looks to be my first soggy run of the year. I may get a chance to see how well that waterproofing wax I dipped my light jacket into works. I’d prefer actual late spring weather. 😛

Book review: Heart-Shaped Box

Having already read Joe Hill’s short story collection 20th Century Ghosts and his second novel Horns, I felt it was time to check out his debut novel, Heart-Shaped Box.

This is a tale of revenge as delivered though a mean ghost inhabiting a haunted suit, a simple story, told directly and played out at a brisk pace. It’s lean to the point of having virtually nothing in the way of subplots but that’s okay because the core story is vividly drawn. The main character of aging heavy metal star Judas Coyne could have easily lapsed into cliche or stereotype (imagine Ozzy Osborne being cast in a movie adaptation) but Hill does a good job of making him feel genuine, turning the life or death struggle with the ghost into a chance for Coyne to redeem himself, at least in part, for past sins. Some may prefer the ending to be more Grimdark™ but I was pleasantly surprised and found it fun, even playful.

I can’t think of anything in the way of meaningful criticism toward the story. Perhaps Hill has gotten some of the details of life in a heavy metal band wrong. If so, I haven’t detected them. On the plus side, I especially like how Hill’s characters and Coyne in particular behave realistically and yet believably. There are no ‘walk into a dark room without turning on the lights’ moments. The characters may be vulnerable or out of their depth at times but they’re also smart and resourceful.

Recommended.

Book review: Summer of Night

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons is a semi-autobiographical novel set in the rural Illinois town of Elm Haven in the summer of 1960. The ‘semi’ part is due to the use of fictional characters and unspeakable ancient evil featured throughout the story.

The edition I have is from 2011 and includes a new introduction by the author in which he underlines how much things have changed for kids since 1960, with the ‘safe’ distance they can travel from home being severely reduced and the preponderance of safety measures that act to stifle as much as protect. Like bike helmets or something. The whole thing comes off as a bit of a rant and worse, Simmons spoils a major part of the book without warning. If you happen to read Summer of Night (and as you’ll see I think it is very much worth doing so), skip the intro until after you’ve read the book.

The story begins with the end of school for the summer and the closing of the cavernous Old Central School that the half dozen boys of the self-named Bike Patrol attended. But the school happens to contain a wee bit of very old evil that wants out. The rest of the story sees the boys alternate between idyllic summer days spent playing baseball, swimming and hanging around and running for their lives to escape from the horrors slowly being visited upon their town. All the while they work to figure out what’s really going on and how (or if) they can stop it.

Simmons does a terrific job in capturing classic childhood fears–monsters in the closet (it’s true), things trying to grab you from under your bed (yep, true) and horrible monsters in the dark (true again, and it’s even worse than you imagined). There’s also an undercurrent of ‘teachers are evil’ that will probably delight many a school-aged kid reading this.

As with most horror novels there are a few things–notably a kid’s behavior here and there–that don’t make much sense when you start thinking about it, and the climax feels oddly rushed, as if Simmons was impatient to be done with the story or lost interest once it switched over from nostalgic reminisce to full-blown horror. I also didn’t care for the handful of blatant contrivances Simmons uses to help push the plot along (the smart kid’s father basically invents the telephone answering machine, as one example). Overall, though, it’s an enjoyable, albeit somewhat predictable ride. The recreation of small town America in the early 60s feels authentic as all get-out and the boys, parents and citizens of Elm Haven are all nicely drawn, whether they are upstanding and honest, unrepentant bullies or a bit undead.

You’ll also be glad to never set your eyes on a rendering truck.

The ‘it only hurts when I walk’ run

Average pace: 5:28/km
Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Ran Piper Mill, Spruce and Conifer Loop trails
Distance: 11.01 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16-18ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 795
Total distance to date: 2125 km

This was my first ‘real’ run after hopefully having sorted out the calibration weirdness that suddenly came up on my iPod. The weather was seasonal, temperature-wise, and cloudy, as is normal for the Victoria Day weekend. It had been over a week since I’d last been out and I’m still feeling some of the effects from the lingering cold (mostly tiredness and a stuffy head) so I was not expecting a blistering pace.

I completed just over 11K, a full loop around the lake and ran all three optional trails. My pace started a little under 5:00/km but sagged well before the halfway mark, not a surprising thing. My stamina held up nicely despite the tiredness so I’m sure my times will improve as I feel better. I also suspect that the new iPod + sensor combo is tracking at a slower pace than the iPod alone had and may be more accurately reflecting my fitness level given how few runs I’ve done so far this year.

The one troubling aspect is not my right Achilles tendon (which feels fine after a run if it’s limber) but rather the pad on my left foot, which continues to vex me. A ways past the halfway point I could feel it and though I kept a steady pace I’m fairly certain it’s inhibiting my overall speed. The worst part came at the end of the run and the walk back home. It hurts a lot more to walk on it than to run.

Two weird parts to this: it began before I resumed my running, so seems unrelated to it and secondly, it seems to pretty much become a non-issue if I give it a little rest. Even just stopping on the walk back for a minute or so and flexing the foot will make a noticeable difference. I may have to see one of those fancy footologists about this after my yearly physical.

Apart from my dumb foot, the run went about as well as I’d hoped. I’m planning on another run tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes. Foot, I order you to behave.

The Great Calibration Experiment run

Average pace: 5:12/km
Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 5km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 364
Total distance to date: not recorded. Check the next run!

In which I try to figure out what the heck was going on with my iPod and try to get a decent run in, too.

To prepare I charged my old iPod nano (the one with the video camera), charged my new iPod and for good measure I attached a new Nike+ sensor to my new running shoes and linked it to the new iPod. My plan was to run the 2 km of the Brunette River trail with the new iPod, see if it was still out of whack, then run a similar test withe the old iPod and sensor to see how that would compare.

The initial test gave the same results as my last run, with the pace recorded being more like a walk, ludicrously slow and inaccurate as can be. I decided to walk the few hundred meters to Burnaby Lake and set out on a full run (or as much as I could manage, feeling the effects of a head cold). I broke out the old iPod and discovered that it had glitched during its sync (despite my being extra careful, such is technology) and none of the music was available.

Instead of running silently I opted to use the new iPod with the sensor, bypassing its internal pedometer.

It was warmer than usual and that, combined with my cold meant I didn’t have the gas for a full run. I ended at the halfway mark (which with the other part of the test came out to around 7 km) and a pace of 5:12/km. Not bad under the conditions. The left foot was bugging me again, too. I shake my fist at it.

The good news, such as it was, is that the new iPod seems reasonably accurate with the sensor on my shoe. I’ll be sticking to this more traditional setup from now on. It does have one small advantage in that you no longer need to plug a receiver into the iPod anymore, so as long as I bring that there’s no chance of forgetting any of the hardware at home.

The really screwed-up calibration run

Today, while still feeling the effects of a mild cold I headed out for a run around Burnaby Lake. It was about 20ºC, so not nearly as warm as Sunday–to my relief. I walked to the lake, opted to run clockwise this time and was relatively confident I’d be able to complete a full loop this time.

What happened next was odd and has never happened in over 2000 km logged through Nike+ on two different iPod nanos. I’m familiar enough with my pace and the route that I know when to expect the different km to come up (running clockwise I can hit the 4K mark almost exactly if my pacing is just right). To aid even more, Metro Vancouver now has posts marking off each km and I started near the 10K sign, working backward from there.

I passed the 9K sign and no announcement. I figured my pace may be a little slower, what with the cold and all (even though I didn’t really feel slower). I pressed on and it was obvious I had gone well past 1 km, so I figured the iPod had glitched and not announced it. I waited for the 2K announcement. I passed the 8K sign and was nearing the 7K one when I decided to stop. The iPod informed me I had taken 14:43 to run 1.82 km at a pace of 8.06/km.

Which is silly. I can walk nearly that distance in the same amount of time. The calibration was obviously well out of whack for some reason. I tried to think of a cause but the only difference I came up with was running clockwise. I started a new run, spun 180 degrees and headed back the way I came.

I made an effort to pick up my pace and by the time I got back to my starting point the iPod reported my current pace with 5.68 km covered was 4:38. That seemed about right. But then it claimed my average pace was 5:44/km. That’s more reasonable but still silly, as there’s no way my average would be slower than my current pace at the 5K mark. It also claimed it took me 32:38 to run the distance. It had recently pegged me at 22:09 for 5 km so this was again way off.

The final result is I’m not posting either of these screwy runs to the Nike+ site. For Thursday’s run I’m tentatively planing on resetting the calibration on the iPod but also running with my other still-functional iPod, letting both of them track the run and then compare the two.

I just wish I knew what caused the calibration to go south this time. It seems very random (and by the end may have even corrected itself for however long).

For the run itself, my left foot was being a bit of a bother again. I’m mulling wrapping it a bit to see if that helps (pending having the doc check it as part of my annual physical). Other than that, my pace seemed fine, despite the claims of technology to the contrary, so considering the continued higher than normal temperature and effects of the cold, it went fairly decently.

The early Africa Hot and also under the weather run

Average pace: 4:38/km
Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 6.01 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25-28ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 433
Total distance to date: 2103 km

On Friday afternoon I felt a scratchiness in my throat. By Saturday my sinuses, throat and chest were all in agreement–I had caught the same bug as Jeff, just as he is recovering from his bout. On the plus side I got a handy preview of what to expect.

Saturday was fairly mellow, with lots of napping and then a long night’s sleep, so I decided to still head out for my run today and go as far as I could manage, hoping optimally for a complete loop around the lake.

My first tactical error was doing the full 30+ minute walk to the lake instead of cheating and riding the SkyTrain. Combined with the unusually warm weather (it started close to 25ºC and went up nearly three degrees while I was out) meant that I was already at a somewhat low reserve right from the start.

I headed off and the left foot was annoying me again but was bearable. The heat was less so. I was feeling parched not too far in and it only got worse. I maintained a decent pace despite this but could feel my strength ebbing away. As I neared the five km mark I decided I’d push to Still Creek, the unofficial halfway point, then walk to the Burnaby Lake SkyTrain station.

As I neared the bridge on the creek I momentarily toyed with the idea of continuing but quickly tossed it aside because my mouth was cotton and my stamina was gone (collapsing spectacularly over the last half km). I still managed 6 km and an average pace of 4:38/km so I’m pleased at the effort, given the conditions.

The fastest 5K run

Average pace: 4:35/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 10.39 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 10ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 733
Total distance to date: 2097 km

I was a bit concerned going into tonight’s run, given that it was my second 10K and only two days after the first. The results were unexpectedly pleasant.

First, my right tendon: it felt more noticeable at the start of the run–not a good thing. But it eased up dramatically and by the end of the run was a non-issue. A good thing and a consistent pattern so far in my runs this year.

Next my left foot did start to hurt again but not until later in the run and not nearly as much. While I did run 1 km less than on Sunday it was still much less of an issue comparatively.

I avoided a noticeable sag like the one I had at the 9K mark on Sunday, though there were more peaks and valleys. Strangely my fastest km was the 5th one. I wonder if I’ll eventually get back to the first km being the fastest (which it was probably 99% of the time last year).

Speaking of fast, I got informed that I ran my fastest 5K tonight at 22:09. That seems kind of nutty but I’ll take it.

Book review: Stories of Your Life and Others

As part of Broken Forum’s Book of the Month Club, I read April’s entry, Ted Chiang’s Stories of Your Life and Others (amazon.ca link). I’ve slightly reworked my review from BF below.

This is a collection of short stories so I’ll offer my thoughts on all eight.

First up is “Tower of Babylon”. An interesting riff on the construction of the wonder that focuses on the practical over the spiritual. The ending is appropriately fantastical.

“Division by Zero”. Math nerds would probably go nuts over this. Since I was anti-math in school (not by choice but by aptitude) I was less engaged, although I liked the base conceit of ‘everything we know about something big is wrong’ and the repercussions therein.

“Understand”. When brainiacs collide! This was good, as it surprised me by dropping in several red herrings that in some authors’ hands would have been trite plot turns. It also reminded me, oddly, of my 2012 NaNoWriMo novel which tackles a similar theme of how extraordinary power would be used differently based on one’s moral compass, to the betterment/detriment of humankind.

“Story of Your Life”. The science involved in the dual spoken and written languages of the aliens is complex, fascinating and well-presented. The recollections of the daughter never connected emotionally and felt tacked on, and the first contact itself seemed more a necessary backdrop to provide the examination of understanding languages rather than to explore first contact itself. Flawed but still well worth reading.

“The Evolution of Human Science”. I used to be a big fan of fictional articles but am less so now. This one didn’t do much to shift my position.

“Seventy Two Letters”. A delightfully off-kilter story combining the Victorian era with golems and class warfare. Chiang’s use of language here is studied without being too formal, capturing the flavor of the time. I enjoyed the alternate universe where animated dolls stand to better or worsen the human condition. The more sinister aspects with assassination attempts and break-ins felt a bit unfinished, hinting at a larger story.

“Hell is the Absence of God”. Basically a long way of saying “God isn’t fair, sucks to be you (or me)” but much like “Seventy Two Letters” the alternate universe where Heaven and Hell are literal places and angels are physical manifestations that trail destruction and death (and sometimes miracles) is fascinating and well-presented.

“Liking What You See”. On the other hand, the multiple viewpoints of this take on “lookism” was merely okay. It was overly long, I never felt much for any of the characters and while an examination of what constitutes beauty and how it affects western (and other) societies is a worthy subject, the presentation was a little flat.

Overall I enjoyed the collection. Chiang presents his visions clearly, paints alternate worlds effortlessly and does a fine job of exploring ideas, the hallmark of good (or great) science fiction. I felt his characters were sometimes flat and can’t recall any of the stories really sticking with me because of the people in them.

The first 10K of the year run

Average pace: 5:04/km
Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Ran optional Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 11.4 km
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 13ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 790
Total distance to date: 2086 km

My first run over 10K for the year was overall a success. The weather held out, was mild and even partly sunny early in the afternoon. I ran Burnaby Lake CCW and added in the Piper Mill Trail but skipped Spruce Loop and Conifer. I stopped just past the yellow stanchions outside the parking lot, so a bit short of a full loop, for reasons I will explain below.

The Good: Stamina was not an issue. This was my main concern and it turned out to be pretty much a non-factor. The 5Ks have given me enough of my stamina back that I never felt like I couldn’t keep going. Quite the contrary, I found a comfortable pace early on and maintained it for most of the run.

Run-time was 5:04/km, which a good 30+ seconds off what my pace had been last October but considering the six months off, I find it’s perfectly acceptable. It also compares better to the same time last year when I started running earlier (March) and ramped up to 10Ks after only a few runs. The closest day to compare is April 27, 2012 and my average pace on that day (with a distance of 11.02 km) was 5:26/km.

The right foot was the usual — I could feel the spot in back when I started out but it quickly faded as I warmed up.

The Bad: My left foot was hurting quite a bit by the end of the run and is responsible for a huge dip in my pace between the 9 and 10K mark where I kept flexing the foot, trying to iron out the kinks or whatever is going on down there. I managed to finally flex it in a way that provided some relief and picked back up to my regular pace for the rest of the run. I did elect to walk to the Production Way SkyTrain station (1 km) instead of walking home (4 km).

I’ll be having this checked out as part of my annual physical next month.

The Pretty: I wore a handsome new orange shirt today, along with a new pair of shorts and my newish cap and I must say I cut a dashing (ho ho) figure.

Despite the Crazy Foot™ the run was a success. I suspect my leg muscles will be reminding me of it tomorrow but the plan is to stick to 10Ks going forward.