Average pace: 4:58/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.79 km
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: none
Calories burned: 836
Total distance to date: 1499 km

Today was planned as a maintenance run. With my left foot and shin bothering me to varying degrees on Wednesday’s run I wanted to run today at a slower but steady pace to help reduce the risk of injury and to see if the left foot and shin would react positively. I still wanted to finish under 5:00/km if possible because I am at least a little addicted to always getting a bit faster.

I managed to achieve all of my intended goals. I finished with a pace of 4:58/km and the left foot was not unduly bothersome. More importantly, perhaps, the left shin did not act up during or after the run. I am now hoping that my shifted gait on Wednesday was responsible for it feeling tweaked. Two full days of rest over the weekend should also help out.

It was cloudy to start (99% coverage according to the weather site) with a 30% chance of showers so I was prepared for rain. 30% often equals 100% around here. Surprisingly, the opposite happened and it partially cleared while I was out. Typically the sun would shine when I was on a part of the trail that offered no shade and would then duck behind a cloud when I was back to running under a heavy canopy. It was quite humid and the stretch along the athletic fields was especially stifling, with no real breeze to speak of.

I started out with a good pace but eased off and maintained a slower but steady pace as intended. I also skipped the optional loops to reduce the total distance, though with the detour that still came in at 11.79 km.

The run was unremarkable save for an annoying pair of cyclists who crossed my path three (!) times. The woman was especially wobbly at the wheel and I kept expecting her to tip over as I passed. They got a wide berth — and bonus mildly dirty look.

And the return of the chart, showing overall pace:

June chart

Average pace: 4:58/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 13.06 km
Weather: Sun, hazy sun
Temp: 22ºC (feels like 25)
Wind: light to strong
Calories burned: 926
Total distance to date: 1488 km

Ran Piper Mill Trail, Conifer and Spruce Loops.

It was warm and humid today, with a mix of sun and hazy sun. On the plus side the humidity helps to keep you from feeling overly parched/thirsty while running. On the negative, it tends to wear you out.

It didn’t help that my left foot acted cranky fairly early on. Even my left shin felt not exactly sore but I could definitely feel it. This is worrying because it may mean it’s past the breaking point but it seems all right now, so I’m hoping that my likely shifted gait during the run was making it hurt (sort of) in a way it normally wouldn’t.

In better news, I once again opted for distance over speed and stretched out to beat last year’s previous best of 12.7 km. I did it, finishing at 13.06 km. Even better, my average pace was 4:58 vs. last year’s 5:21, a 23 second improvement. I approve!

I also experienced some other discomfort, notably some gas. I took a Tums before the run just for the heck of it and I think that may have actually caused the gas. Oops. Other that that the rest of the run went fine. I did a complete loop and came up just short of Spruce Loop before turning back to the dam to get past the 13K barrier. Fine, except for bugs. There seemed to be several new clumps hovering along a few spots on the trail, possibly hatched because it’s all cozy and muggy out. I’m pretty sure I ate a few.

I’m going to bring back the chart for the next run but will only record my average pace instead of the pace for each km. That will at least make it easier to see overall trends.

Average pace: 4:53/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 12.5 km
Weather: Sun, hazy sun
Temp: 22ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 890
Total distance to date: 1475 km

Ran Piper Mill Trail, Conifer and Spruce Loops.

The last run was soggy and cold so today’s was the opposite, warm and sunny. This is June.

Because it was warmer I opted to run clockwise, taking the detour first, my logic being that this section, which is entirely open and exposed, would be easier at the start of the run when I had lots of energy than at the end when I might be feeling a little pooped.

The logic was sound but halfway through the sun became hazy sun and the hazy sun was cloud by the time I finished.

My first km was strong then I dropped off quite a bit as the heat hit me. I maintained fairly well after that, though and finished with a respectable 4:53/km pace. I also squeezed out as much distance as I could and ended up with my second longest run to date, 12.56 km. Legs fine, left foot was tolerable.

Overall a decent run on a decent day.

Average pace: 4:59/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.93 km
Weather: Hazy sun, warm
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: light to none
Calories burned: 846
Total distance to date: 1450 km

I checked the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks web page before the run today and found an update regarding the blocked access on the Burnaby Lake trail. I quote:

Southshore Trail Closure
A portion of the Southshore Trail will be closed beginning June 18, 2012 for about two months to replace the boardwalk.  During this time, the rest of the trail will remain open and visitors can complete the lake loop by using Freeway Trail.  Access along Avalon Trail may occasionally be affected by construction equipment and vehicles.  Visitors are reminded to follow posted detour and safety signs.  For more information, call Metro Vancouver at 604-520-6442.

This is both good in that I know what is going on and bad because it means for two months I’m going to have to use the serviceable but generally unfun Freeway Trail detour until the new boardwalk is in place. I am curious to see what the new fancy boardwalk will look like, though. The old one didn’t seem to be in bad shape, thought it was a bit springy, which is probably not a good quality to have.

I knew today’s run was going to be more challenging with the warmer conditions. Since the weather keeps changing back and forth it’s difficult to adjust to the warmer days because there’s never enough of them to adjust to. Stupid June. Knowing I was unlikely to be setting a blistering pace, I set myself two goals: to run all three loops and try to come in under 5:00/km.

I finished with a pace of 4:59, completed all three loops and ended with a distance of 11:96 km. Since I never check distance before ending runs I didn’t realize I was so close to 12K. I would have pushed on for the smidgen extra had I known.

I ran counter-clockwise today so I didn’t get to the detour until I was past the 9K mark. I came in at 10K just as I passed the electrical tower. The Google maps image below shows the Freeway trail. I’ve highlighted where it connects to the parts of the run I normally take.

The hazy sun kept things tolerable but after a good start through the cooler woods of the northern trail I found my pace flagging some as I moved onto the more exposed southern side. Worse, the entire detour is completely exposed, though going CW the route is more downhill so it’s a little easier to manage.

My left foot started to complain around the 6K mark but eased up fairly quickly and was not a significant issue. I think it must change with the weather.

A solid, lengthy run overall. I think this will be the last time I use the same chart format.

Chart:

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.59 km
Weather: High cloud
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 822
Average pace: 4:49/km <– tied personal record
Total distance to date: 1437 km

Conditions were good today, with high cloud and mild temperatures well-suited for running. I opted to go clockwise and noticed something a bit different as I approached the fork where the Avalon Trail splits off to form the South Shore Trail to the right. Specifically there was a big honking yellow temporary fence blocking the South Shore Trail. On it was a sign that read DANGER NO ACCESS. I had to think on my feet and quickly decide what to do, which basically meant guessing at how far along the trail was blocked and whether it was worth taking the detour by continuing along the Avalon Trail, knowing I could eventually get back onto the lake trail at some unknown point.

I decided to keep going and ventured along the Avalon Trail as it turned into the Freeway Trail, so named because it parallels Highway 1 for a ways. As you might guess this is not especially scenic or quiet but you’re at least far enough from the traffic that you don’t feel like you’re part of it.

The trail is more on an actual dirt road here and is softer, probably because it gets used a lot less often. It’s also very uneven, with lots of dips and the dips often filled with especially squishy dirt. After some time the trail rounded an electrical tower and headed back into the woods and I reconnected with the lake trail. The other end of the South Shore route was also blocked here.

I had no idea whether the detour had added to or shortened my usual run. It was like my brain simply couldn’t do the math while I was still moving. I completed a couple more km before I figured I had run farther. I opted to skip the three optional loop along the north shore and when I finished had covered 11.59 km.

The one negative of the run was again my left foot. It bothered me a little more than usual and I also felt a small stitch starting to develop but I pushed all minor pain and annoyances aside and came in tied for my best pace ever, 4:49/km. I additionally set new personal bests for 1K, 5K, 10K and the mile. They key here may have been the detour, as I was almost feeling winded while running along it. I was mildly paranoid that a construction crew would come along in a truck (I passed one on the way) and the road really has no shoulders so I’d be plunging into the scrub to get out of the way.

Also my per km times are bouncing all over the place. I don’t know if this is due to the way the times are being calculated on the updated Nike+ site or if the sensor is going wacky (it’s nearly three years old) but I may stop listing the individual km times, especially since they are still available on the Nike+ site.

Chart:

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.3 km
Weather: High cloud, somewhat humid
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 802
Average pace: 4:51/km
Total distance to date: 1426 km

Ran: Piper Mill Trail, Conifer and Spruce Loop.

June continues to be Random Weather Month. Where Wednesday was unseasonably cool and drizzly, today was warm and humid. The only common factor was no real sun to speak of (we’re at about half the usual sun for the month, apparently).

I maintained a decent pace for the first half of the run and may have bested my record but the second half felt a lot harder with the humidity. There was a point where I definitely felt I was pushing hard to maintain the stamina needed to keep up the pace. It was the kind of condition that I would probably adapt to fairly quickly except, as I said, June runs give you something different weather-wise every time you go out.

The left foot felt better overall today and was reduced again to mild irritant for just the last stretch of the run.

The title comes from the model airplane guy who was flying his plane again out in the athletic fields. I’ve seen him a number of times but while running by I’ve never managed to catch sight of the actual plane — until today! I watched as he circled it low and brought it in for a landing. It touched down on the grass, rolled forward slightly then flipped over, tail over nose. Since it was almost at a standstill I’m going to guess it was not damaged at all by this. Had it been a real plane mayhem and death would have been much more likely. What’s odd is that as I was walking down Fader Street en route to the lake, a mere block from home, I noticed someone putting a large model plane into the back of an SUV and driving off. Unless New West has a sudden influx of model airplane fliers I’m pretty sure it was the same guy down at the field. The plane itself appeared to be based on a WWII fighter, though I couldn’t ascertain the actual model. Something British or American seemed likely based on what I was able to glimpse. The wingspan was probably over a meter.

Apart from the model aircraft the run was otherwise unremarkable. Several stretches of the trail have been transformed into Cottonwood seed hell (or heaven, depending on how you regard cottonwood seeds). Let’s just say if each of those seeds successfully grew there would be a strong lobby to change the name of the planet to Cottonwood. Fortunately the zany high number of seeds did not cause a repeat of the mysterious throat incident of the last two runs and I finished with my second best pace to date at 4:51.

Tiger Woods also piped up at the end of the run: “This is Tiger Woods. Congratulations, you’re faster than me being chased by my ex-wife!” I may be paraphrasing a little but apparently I put in (or tied) my fastest mile at 7:29. I also noticed my fastest 5K is now under 24 minutes at 23:54.

Chart:

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.1 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: none
Calories burned: 792
Average pace: 4:52/km
Total distance to date: 1415 km

Ran: Piper Mill Trail, Conifer and Spruce Loop.

I checked the iPod twice before heading out to make sure it had, indeed, synced properly. I did not want to spend another run listening to my breathing. And it worked, thankfully. Even better, I had given the run mix a refresh and the new songs provided a little extra lift.

I ran clockwise today after making a quick detour to the port-o-potty and conditions, as befits June, were quite different than Monday, with the temperature being cooler and a light drizzle falling. The drizzle let up by the time I got to the lake so the run was dry, which was nice. I still had my iPod in a baggie just in case and after accidentally brushing the clickwheel while pocketing it, which resulted in the volume dropping way too low, I spent probably the first 300m fiddling with it to get it back to where it should be.

The run went much better than Monday’s with no fatigue to note. I even had enough gas to give a little extra push in the final km — not much but a little. I spent a good part of the north trail with a girl jogging far ahead of me. After probably a km or more I finally caught up and passed her. I’d say it was less than 30 seconds later before she then passed me. I was apparently the incentive she needed to pick up the pace. 😛 Shortly after I turned off onto the Piper Mill Trail and our would-be competition ended.

The left foot felt much better today. It did not really become noticeable until the last few km and even then it did not hurt in the same way it had on Monday. Everything else was otherwise fine and the 4:52 pace remains tied for second best overall.

Chart:

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.4 km
Weather: High cloud, a little sun
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 808
Average pace: 5:02/km
Total distance to date: 1403 km

Ran: Conifer and Spruce Loop.

An interview messed with my run schedule and so I ended up missing Friday’s run and opted for a few extra days of rest instead of trying to make it up. That meant that I ran today on four days of rest. With the temperature much warmer and the short layoff I was expecting the run to be harder — and it was.

The shins came through fine but my left foot was bothering me again. I may need to get it looked at to find out what exactly is going on.

A little sun early on disappeared quickly enough and high cloud took over, which was probably a good thing considering how warm it was. I actually started off at a terrific pace, clocking my fastest 1K to date — 4:34. The Nike+ site also informs me that I ran my best mile, too at 7:29.

But I could not sustain the pace given the conditions and ended up with a still-respectable 5:02/km average. A few weeks ago that would have been a PR, now it’s just okay. Such is the way of improvement.

The run started off with a repeat of an annoyance I last experienced at China Creek — the iPod did not sync properly, so I had to run sans music. I do not like this. At least the woman’s voice counting off the km did not scare the wits out of me when she piped up.

While there were no coyotes to be seen, I did have another snake slither across the trail ahead of me, vibrantly yellow and black-striped. This one was on the north side, proving the snakes are everywhere. EVERYWHERE. And for the first time I actually saw one of the western painted turtles to be found in the area. It was out on the path near the dam and was slowly heading off toward to picnic area, probably not the best place for a turtle to be. Hopefully someone gave it a lift back to the river’s edge.

The other annoyance during the run — and this was worse than the silence — happened at around the 2K mark. I very clearly felt something go into my mouth, probably some kind of bug or one of the billions of cottonwood seeds still floating around. These things happen, you swallow (since the force of the ingestion is usually such that spitting it out won’t work) and continue on. Except this time whatever it was lodged in my throat. I tried clearing my throat to get it out. No good. I then started coughing up a lung. Still nothing. For the better part of two km this whatever-it-was was seriously irritating my throat and coughing loudly and at length is not optimal for running. It finally disappeared after maybe 10 minutes or so. Bleah.

The rest of the run was otherwise unremarkable. I plodded along, only picking up the pace in the final km. I’m pleased my time was as good as it was, though under 5:00 would have been my preference.

A note on the chart below: either the new Nike site is calculating things differently or my speed is fluctuating in ways it normally wouldn’t. Most of the time there is a gradual decline in speed over a run but as you can see looking at the June 11 entry below it’s all over the place. To quote William Shatner, ‘weird or what?’

Chart:

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.1 km
Weather: High cloud, a little sun
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
Calories burned: 787
Average pace: 4:49/km <– personal record
Total distance to date: 1392.58 km

Ran: Piper Mill Trail.

With the cloud cover and strong wind it was actually a bit chilly heading out on the run today — par for the course when it comes to June weather. By about the halfway point my hands and arms finally started warming up, though they got cold again on the walk home after.

The cottonwood snowfall continued today, with the wind whipping off billions and billions of seed-covered twigs, littering them about the trails. There is something ridiculous and sad about seeing a black slug covered in cottonwood seeds. Many a slug was so decorated today.

I ran clockwise to mix things up and felt a little creaky to start but still tied my fastest pace for the first 1K at 4:37. The left shin behaved itself and was not a factor. Annoyingly the left foot was hurting more but again it did not slow me down. In general I feel like I am riding an edge where I get through these various ailments or one of them turns for the worse. I am hoping for the former, obviously.

I felt like my pace was going decently but not spectacularly. Specifically it felt like I was maybe lagging a bit in the middle and I resolved to put in a little more effort for the final km. This resulted in my fastest finish ever — 4:45/km and brought down my average pace to another personal record, 4:49/km, the first time I’ve dipped under 4:50 and three seconds off my previous best. The finish actually built up from the 8K mark where my times actually reversed and got faster instead of slower. I apparently hit my stride.

I am especially happy with the strong finish, particularly with the crankiness I was experiencing with the foot. Legs and feet are both feeling better now, which makes me cautiously optimistic.

Also, the new Nike+ site went live today (no more Flash, woo) and my early impression is that it’s much more improved over the previous iteration. I can even cut and paste my run times like so:

4’37″/km
4’45″/km
4’49″/km
4’51″/km
4’49″/km
4’49″/km
4’51″/km
4’54″/km
4’53″/km
4’52″/km
4’45″/km

Now if I could figure out a way to conveniently convert that data into my ongoing table I’d be set.

Chart: