Today I applied for my first-ever passport. The last time I traveled to the US a passport was not necessary but eight years after 9/11 it was determined that causing extra inconvenience to Canadians would protect the US from terrorists that never came through Canada to begin with, but who am I to argue with paranoia and excessive (and false) security?
The surprising thing is after getting my photos taken to the required specifications at the drugstore-that-shall-not-be-named and filling out the three pages of the application and having Alison help out as my guarantor (“This guy is not an evil clone, I swear!”) I went to the passport office downtown, winced at the huge number of people waiting but was pleasantly surprised at how efficiently they were processed. Before long I was speaking with a nice young woman who told me my passport would be ready to pick up in just two weeks. Nice!
Distance: 10.03 km
Weather: Mainly cloudy
Temp: 17-19ºC
Wind: strong gusts at times
Calories burned: 680
Average pace: 5:25/km
Total distance to date: 776 km
Two of my least favorite running conditions converged today as I prepared for my first 10K of the year: wind and dogs.
The wind was quite strong for the start of the run but settled down before the midway point and I managed to avoid an SLC (sudden loss of cap). I did, however, encounter a ULI (untied lace incident). This one was notable in that instead of feeling loose over a period of laps and then coming unwound, it pretty much spontaneously untied itself. I regained my rhythm quickly after pausing to re-tie.
My pace up to the 8K mark was actually ahead of my previous run but moving out beyond that I began to tucker a bit and ultimately finished with a still-respectable pace of 5:25/km. Body-wise my left knee was hurting not in an injured way but more in ‘that darned possibly arthritic knee’ way. I may investigate ways to minimize the discomfort during runs, though so far it hasn’t proven to be a problem with the actual end result.
The combination of warm temperature and wind left me fairly patched by the end and fortunately the fountain was both working and not filled with bees. I hate bee-filled fountains (see previous entries from last summer). The port-o-potty also returned after being hauled away last fall. It’s now positioned next to the trail alongside 7th Avenue and is also across from a construction site which also has port-o-potties. I’m assuming it’s intended for park users despite no signs because the door is facing toward the field. And it’s hard to imagine a port-o-potty going rogue, even if only across a street. I shall make use of it should I forget to go before a run and my world’s tiniest bladder calls out for relief.
There were two exercise groups out today and at several points I had as many as three people jogging ahead of me. One of them was a younger kid when I was about 3 km in. I slowly gained on him in that classic tortoise and the hare thing and for about half a lap had left him behind. Suddenly he darts past me on the left and when he’s gotten far enough ahead to be fully in my point of view, the little bastard raises his arms in triumph, Rocky-style. I knew better than to try to catch him, though. He was sprinting and before reaching the next curve had stopped altogether.
And it seems a jog doesn’t go by now without an annoying dog owner being present. I’m not referring here to the guy who walked into the park and lit a cigarette (no smoking) and immediately let his dog off leash (not an off-leash park) as he stayed in the field and out of my way. Instead a pair of down owners took up spots on the path near the fountain and chatted water cooler-style. The woman was on one side of the path, her dog on the other, the leash strung between them like a tripwire. She made some desultory effort to reel the dog in, something that clearly wasn’t going to happen in time given my velocity and for the second time in the same run I came to a complete stop to avoid landing on my face. I ignored the owners and grumbled under my breath as I proceeded on. They eventually moved farther along the path but I lapped them two more times before they actually moved off the path to continue their conversation about whatever it is annoying dog owners talk about (“You know, Fred, why do these annoying joggers have to jog here when there’s plenty of street right over there?”). I offer a small but what I like to think is a handy tip for dog owners bringing their dogs to a park with a designated jogging path: If you are walking on the path, do not block it in its entirety. And if you’re going to stop walking, move off the path into the other 95% of the park that is available to you instead of GETTING IN MY DAMN WAY. Okay, technically that’s two tips.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
Distance: 7.45 km
Weather: Mix of sun and cloud
Temp: 18ºC
Wind: breezy at times
Calories burned: 506
Average pace: 5:23/km
I had a better-than-expected start to the run, coming in at under 5 minutes for the first km in a long time (4:59/km, to be exact). This is never an official goal for me but it is a nice psychological boost when it happens, so yay! I also had a strong finish with the final 450m clocking at a relatively brisk 5:10/km. My pace in the middle did slow a little vs. the previous run and I chalk that mostly to the sun coming out. I swear that thing is like a vampire to my energy level. I don’t swear enough to wish it gone, however. Please don’t go, sun! You have been precious and rare this spring!
I think it’s also safe to say now that running clockwise (reverse) is not affecting me in any material way, except to hopefully reduce the chance of injury.
The ‘should I be annoyed by this?’ part: A couple were at the park with two dogs, one was a large adult that looked like some kind of Doberman mix, the other a tiny and adorable Malamute puppy. Neither were on leash (can you see where this is heading?) A young woman was jogging counter-clockwise on the trail and we had passed several times. As I jogged up the southern stretch of the trail from the east, she came along from the west, the couple and their dogs between us, in the field just on the edge of the trail. Suddenly the puppy runs after the jogger and manages to get right into her feet, causing her to fall down — not hard and not totally, as she managed to stay partly upright. She took a few moments to play with the puppy (it was adorable, after all), then went on her way, all smiles — as was the owner.
On the next lap the incident repeated itself, though the jogger was more aware this time and stopped before the dog could get underfoot. After this the jogger disappeared and the puppy was briefly put on a leash.
I found the behavior of the couple annoying. After their dog had knocked the person down the first time they should have a) moved away from the trail or b) put the dog on the leash immediately. The park isn’t off-leash, anyway. In either case, it strikes me as odd that a puppy knocking down a jogger is somehow amusing. I guess it’s like what Mel Brooks once said: Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.
Or something like that. I gave the puppy a seriously wide berth.
I am tentatively planning my first full 10K of the year on Monday. Here’s hoping it goes well.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
Earlier this week I accompanied Jeff to the emergency room of Royal Columbia Hospital. His ankle was hurting and swollen up like the proverbial balloon, so we went in to have it checked out. Previous appraisals had made a tentative diagnosis of tendinitis and the recommendation to not do anything that would impact the foot (running, etc.) I figured we’d be there for a good while but the emergency room was actually only sparsely populated. It turned out that didn’t matter, as we were there for three hours, anyway.
The first section — the emergency room proper — had a few people with fairly obvious ailments — a woman with her arm in a cast, a man on a gurney wearing a neck brace, while others were harder to pin down — a fussy baby, a young woman carting an IV drip alongside her. The man on the gurney complained of being bored but had four people other than his wife hunkered around him. The discussion was vague but ominous, with talk of blood and such, though none was apparent from where I sat. They eventually wheeled him off.
As we continued to wait, more people were taken past us, many of them heavyset, all of them looking either ill or bored or both. One gurney would be rolled through slowly, another more urgently. We were eventually moved to the ‘minor condition’ section to wait for an x-ray to be done. While there we heard a woman off in another room repeatedly cry out “Ow!” and “Oh!” It sounded like they were murdering her with pins. I started feeling a little squirmy at this point but she eventually fell silent as they either completed the testing/probing or she fainted/died.
She was later wheeled out into the same section as us, an elderly woman who said she had to keep her feet up and yelled at an intern “Don’t touch my finger!” as he tried to move her from a wheelchair that was sans footrest to one that had one. She apologized to him for the outburst then spent the rest of her time repeatedly asking to use someone’s cellphone, as hers had died. I don’t recall her actually making a call despite being handed a phone several times. She was eventually wheeled off and we heard from her no more. This provided some comfort as she was the only patient there actively screaming.
By this time Jeff was taken for x-rays and I went out to feed the maw of the meter in the emergency parking lot, also known as ‘How we keep the hospital solvent by charging the equivalent of a mortgage payment for 3 hours of parking’. There are handy green arrows on the floor to lead you from one section to another, so I would have no problem making my way back in. This was good as every corridor looked the same and equally depressing to me. As it turned out, the green arrows split at one point and I became utterly confused, finding myself in a room I did not recognize, one that was filled with beds and very sick-looking people and curtains that should have been closed but were not so you could see things you didn’t want to see. I turned around a few times and realized why so hospitals are such a great setting for thrillers and horror movies. I made my way back to Jeff in time to look at the x-ray and see the fractured bone in his ankle. The diagnosis was a plaster cast for the day, an appointment with a specialist the next day and probable replacement with a Fiberglas cast in a few days that would be worn for 5-6 weeks, with the fun bonus possibility of surgery if the healing didn’t proceed as desired. Jeff was understandably less than thrilled.
The diagnosis was later changed to an air cast that could be removed for sleeping/showering, with surgery unlikely, so things ended up looking better than they were originally.
About the only thing I liked at the hospital was the Tim Horton’s apple fritter I bought in the coffee shop. We shared it and it was yummy. Other than that, I can’t say I’m anxious to step in one again any time soon. Those places are enough to make you sick.
Distance: 7.5 km
Weather: Cloudy, some late hazy sun
Temp: 17ºC
Wind: medium breeze
Calories burned: 509
Average pace: 5:21/km
Today’s result was unexpected after Monday’s timid pace. I started out decently with a 5:04 first km and maintained a good pace throughout, even picking it back up to 5:13 for the last half km. I concentrated on form, landing and taking off from the pads of my feet and not the heels and with about 10 minutes left in the run my shin muscles were starting to feel a bit tired — sore but not injured. Or at least I hope so! As always, I will evaluate again before my next run.
My overall pace of 5:21 note only eclipses the 5:28 of my previous 40 minute run, it comes close to matching the best time for any run of 40 minutes or more. This without especially trying to push hard. I think I am finally at the point where I’ve made up for the months off from running. Here’s hoping I can remain healthy and jump back into the 10K runs soon.
Also, Joan congratulated me for another 500 km. I am now past navigating the planet. Joan has me on a course across the universe now.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
Distance: 4.82 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21-23ºC
Wind: light
Average pace: 5:27/km
What better way to show how delightfully absurd our weather has been than to note that the temperature for today’s run was more than double that of the run on Thursday.
I was originally going to run on Saturday but I could feel that ominous ting in my left shin (and my right to a lesser extent) after Thursday’s outing, the kind of ting that usually sees me update five weeks later to note that I haven’t been running and instead have been nursing a shin splint or rickets or something.
With three days off and a warm ol’ sun out for a change, I was concerned about how the legs would hold up and whether my pace might suffer, even if the legs were fine. I could feel both shins as I started out — not in a painful way, more of a sore/still not 100% tuned up-way. That feeling subsided as I kept running, though curiously my left knee (which may be somewhat arthritic now) seemed to bother me more). About 15 minutes in the warmth of the sun felt less like a melodic Beach Boys song and more just hot. Complicating matters further were a gaggle of kids from an elementary school running practice relays. Today was a clockwise run so I was running against them and it’s amazing how many did not understand the idea of left/right when it came to passing by each other. Fortunately no collisions were had.
I stopped the run early at the 26 minute mark (I meant to go a full 5K at least but guessed slightly off) because I was too hot, the kids were bugging me and I was unsure about the legs. I think they’re okay. I will poke and prod tonight and see how they feel after.
The one good note is that my pace did not suffer as much as I thought it would. My opening km came in at a decent 5:05 and my overall pace of 5:27/km was actually a bit faster than my previous (but longer) run. This suggests that the legs are probably holding up, as my past experience has been that a significant drop in pace is one of the sure signs that you done hurt somethin’.
We shall see for certain on Wednesday!
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
Hopefully I can find a copy of the ad because visual aids always help, but in case I can’t, there is a recent promotion from a mobile phone company for a family bundle package. The slogan used in the ad is this:
The family that saves together, smiles forever.
Any proper Grammar Nazi will immediately get his hackles up over the gratuitous comma, but it’s the actual phrase that rubs me the wrong way. First, linking saving with smiling seems natural — saving makes you happy, being happy results in smiling. Logical. But smiling over savings, no matter how fantastic, is a transitory experience, not one that lasts forever. This brings to mind an image of the family all gathered in the afterlife, still grinning away over their great cellphone bundled savings, even as they no longer need an unlimited plan to reach through the nether to scare surviving relatives. Alternately I picture a pharaoh being buried with his family, sealed away for all time under a great pyramid, each family member clutching a cell phone to his or her hand. If they had cell phones in ancient Egypt, that is. Or maybe I’m projecting because of that ancient Egypt episode of Futurama I saw recently.
This is a test post from the WordPress mobile app. I believe I will do this in the future only if I succumb to total madness, which extended use of this tiny virtual keyboard on my iPhone will surely cause to happen.
In 19 days it is officially summer. Today I ran in a steady rain with the temperature at noon hovering a smidgen above 10ºC. This after Environment Canada announced their summer forecast predicting drier and hotter-than-normal conditions for BC. LIARS.
While the puddles expanded on each lap, my run went well, with the first km coming in at a brisk 5:00/km and my overall pace 5:28, three seconds faster than the prior 40 minute run. A few other joggers showed up right near the end but I mostly had the park to myself. The guy I think of as Kung Fu Master, the one who spends his time balancing on the fence tops in and around the park, was there doing his thing and for the first 10 minutes or so a kid about 14 years old, bedecked in rain gear, stood statue-like in the rain watching KFM carefully balancing himself. He was utterly transfixed. At some point he probably realized he was also getting soaked to the butt and moved on.
I had a momentary scare when my foot slipped in the muck on the terrible southeast corner of the trail and my ankle twisted inward but recovered quickly without further incident. About midway through I did have an ULI — Untied Lace Incident. I paused to tie the lace back up and was good after that. A minor cramp showed up with a few minutes left but dissipated quickly. As is usually the case in a rain-filled run, I couldn’t get the iPod to stop due to it being slick with precipitation and ran farther than intended. It’s not a bad thing, just annoying when technology tells you, ‘No.’
At least you don’t notice the sweat in a torrential downpour. Yeah.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
I finally got off my figurative butt and inserted a graphic as part of the masthead for the blog. As of this writing it is a photo I took at Buntzen Lake during a hike in January. I am planning on rotating through a number of images. I’ll probably jazz up the site a bit more in the coming weeks, though I am undecided on how best to do this. I can’t decide between animated gifs or auto-playing midi files. If only the <BLINK> tag was still supported.
In case the image mentioned above isn’t the current one, here it is below (click for full-size):
Okay, I was actually just running clockwise, which is opposite the way I usually run. Or no longer the opposite now, as I’m alternating direction on each run.
This week I’ve shifted my run days from Monday/Wednesday/Friday to Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. One reason is just to deviate from routine for a change, the other was to give me an extra day of rest in preparation for a 40-minute run today. Dun dun dun!
I did about as well I had hoped for — my pace up to the 5K mark was nearly identical to previous runs at 5:25/km while I slowed down to 5.31/km overall, not bad for the additional 2.28 km added to the run. My legs were a little tired for that extra part of the run but felt fine afterward. I think I’ll maintain the 40 minute runs this week and consider bumping up to the full 10K next week.
For a change of pace I was not congratulated at the end by the Nike+ program for completing another 500 km. I was disappointed. I’ll never reach 2,000,000 km this way! I’m pretty much used to running clockwise now, though I think I still prefer the usual counter-clockwise. The trail was in decent shape after a light shower earlier in the afternoon.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
