It’s late and I am beat, so a short summary today.
I opted to run on Sunday because tomorrow’s weather looks worse and I’m going to have my hands full of icky strata stuff.
It was very mild again today, and I ran in a t-shirt and shorts. Despite some wind, it was perfectly fine. I did a 2.5K run again, partly because I was pressed for time. It also went fine and I very slightly improved my pace. I also did not have nearly as dramatic a fall-off from the first to second km. My stamina is improving slightly!
There were a lot of people out and aboot thanks to the weather, but no problems encountered with humans or non-humans.
In all, a good continuation of my road back to actual regular fitness.
Reflecting pond with train on the river trail, post-run.
Stats:
Run 913 Average pace: 5:55/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 3:12 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:51 Weather: Cloudy, some sun Temp: 16°C Humidity: 45% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 150 Weight: 171.6 Total distance to date: 6,407.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: More green, plus extremely mild.
This was both unplanned and unexpected.
After missing a week of runs due to waiting for deliveries and other nonsense, then missing another week with no real good excuses, I found myself staring at record-breaking temperatures today and decided it was the perfect time to jump back in.
I donned a single layer–my long-sleeved short–and headed out. It turned out I would have been fine in just a t-shirt (well, and shorts–I don’t want to get arrested while jogging). The temperature was 16C when I started–tying a record set in 2019, then rose to 17C by the end, before maxing out at 19C later in the day.
It was partly sunny and really, quite pleasant, more reminiscent of mid-May than March. Such is climate change.
I didn’t have any goals, other than completing the run, but I secretly hoped I could stay under the six-minute mark. And I did, by the smallest possible margin, with a pace of 5:59/km. I was 5:45 for the first km, which I clearly could not sustain, as the second km was 6:09. Oof. Other than feeling myself get slow, I had no issues.
Tomorrow looks to be similar, weather-wise, and I’m tempted to go out again, but my Garmin watch told me my recovery time is delayed by about 800 hours due to all the activity. As I type this, I am at 33,659 steps, which is rather a lot. So maybe I’ll just go for a stroll instead.
In all, it was again nice to get out. I swear I’ll make this a regular habit again!
A stinky sign of spring: The return of skunk cabbage.
Stats:
Run 912 Average pace: 5:59/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop) Start: 1:50 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:58 Weather: Partly sunny Temp: 16-17°C Humidity: 77% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 152 Weight: 169.2 Total distance to date: 6,405 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
Due to another late start (my bad) I changed my plans from a 5K short loop at the lake to a 2.5K tun on the river trail. In the end, I think it may have been better to do another mini run. This means that come Monday, I’ll do another 2.5K to round up to a nice 5 km and satisfy my OCD, then do a full 5K next Wednesday.
On the plus side, I slightly improved on this Wednesday’s run by coming in at a pace of 5:52/km, even more impressive when you consider the second km dropped to 6:05/km. I benefitted by both putting on the gas and having a more favourable slight downhill slope for the last 500 m.
Other than again feeling the lack of stamina, I experienced no issues. I saw Green Shorts again, though once more he was sans green shorts. He did have a yellow cap, though. There was another beardy guy with glasses, but not the same one as Wednesday, wearing a red long-sleeved shirt that looked identical to mine, but he was also wearing black running pants, which I won’t wear again until next fall. I mean, I’ll be wearing my own, not wearing his. Anyway, I passed him as I was heading downhill to the overpass, which meant he was heading uphill. And he was sprinting. It hurt just to watch him.
Which reminds me, the suggested workout today was three sets of 15-minute sprints. I’m pretty sure I would have ended up curled into a ball on the trail somewhere between the second and third set if I had sprinted.
That said, this marks the first time I’ve done three runs in a week since November, a feat worth noting and celebrating!
The newly fallen tree seems to be causing the river to split briefly. Previously fallen tree in the background.
Stats:
Run 911 Average pace: 5:52/km Training status: Productive Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 2:12 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:41 Weather: Partly sunny Temp: 8-9°C Humidity: 72% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 148 Weight: 170.3 Total distance to date: 6,402.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
The conditions today were similar to Monday, except it was pleasantly sunny, which was nice.
I opted to go to the lake and run clockwise and didn’t do a precise short loop, instead running about 2 km before doubling back and wrapping up another 2.5K outing. I’m planning on another full 5K run on Friday.
Overall, the run went well. I improved my pace by a nice nine seconds and came in under the six-minute mark for the first time since resuming runs. I didn’t experience any issues, though stamina is still way below normal. I managed to push a bit toward the end to keep the pace up, though.
I’m not sure if it was the allegedly great sleep I got last night (I say alleged because smartwatches are not generally regarded for tracking sleep super accurately), the sun or alignment of the planets, but I managed a BPM of 145, which is unusually low, but in a good way. I also managed to boost up my max heart rate, which is also good.
So, overall, good!
And I hit a milestone of 6,400 km officially tracked since 2009. I’ve run more since I didn’t track early on, but it’s still a nice number. It would get me from my home to this spot in the Atlantic Ocean, per Google Maps:
And a more down-to-earth image of the trail, post-run:
Sun-dappled trail, post-run.
Stats:
Run 910 Average pace: 5:54/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop) Start: 2:15 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:45 Weather: Sunny Temp: 10°C Humidity: 64% Wind: light BPM: 145 Weight: 170.8 Total distance to date: 6,400 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
The recommended run from my Garmin Forerunner 255 was a 33-minute jog at a pace of 8:46/km. This is equivalent to either an extremely brisk walk or a very slow run. It’s kind of an awkward pace to set. Since I wasn’t feeling extra zesty, I opted to do a shorter 2.5K run and try, more or less, to maintain my usual jogging pace.
Compared to last time, I was a speeding bullet: My pace was 6:03/km vs. 6:21 on the previous run, but I did only run half as much, and the river trail is an easier run than the lake.
I still acutely feel the lack of stamina, but it will get better. At least my training status went from Unproductive to Productive. Yay.
Conditions were fine–I wore one layer, a long-sleeved shirt and the sprinkles stayed away until after the run was over and didn’t amount to much, anyway. And I held up better than the tree that collapsed since my last run (photo below). It keeled over into the river just downstream from another one, though the new tree is not quite as bridge-like, since a good part of it is laying right in the river. I’m curious if they’ll leave it as is (probably–the parks people tend to let nature do its thing).
One other fun note: I went past the end gate and actually ran past the section of sidewalk I tripped on in December. I had to prove I wasn’t cursed. Or if I am, it’s not specifically related to tripping on sidewalks.
Anyway, it was nice to be running again, and I know I’ll start feeling less like I have the world’s tiniest lungs soon enough.
New ex-tree on the river, with other ex-tree behind it.
Stats:
Run 909 Average pace: 6:03/km Training status: Productive Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 3:06 Distance: 2.50 km Time: 15:08 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 11°C Humidity: 76% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 170.3 Total distance to date: 6,397.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)
View from the dam, pre-run. Light showers and gloomy. But mild!
Today, I finally decided it was time to go outside, not to just touch trees, but to also run amongst them, so I got dressed1Not to imply I sometimes go out naked or anything. and headed to Burnaby Lake, with vague plans, dependent on the weather and how I felt.
In the end, I did another mini 2.5 km run to round out the last one, which featured the trip on the sidewalk. Today, there was no tripping and no running on sidewalks. Instead, I did a loop around the side trails and, unlike the previous run, I didn’t have to stop to take a break mid-way through.
I was slower, though, but given that it’s been 50 days since my last run outside, that’s to be expected. Everything went relatively fine, other than the obvious lack of stamina.
I wore my old Saucony Switchback shoes, since the Speedgoat 6’s are now falling apart and full of holes. They were ultimately a disappointment and I’m looking for new shoes that will not feature “goat” in the name.
Overall, this was a good return. The weather was mild at 9C, but two layers seemed right, given the intermittent light rain and wind on the walk to and from the lake (the lake trail was not breezy). I’ll go for another run on Friday and see if I can manage an actual 5K then.
An inquisitve goose, post-run. Should I honk? Hiss? Poop?
Stats:
Run 907 Average pace: 6:15/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 11:23 a.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 15:39 Weather: Overcast, light showers Temp: 9°C Humidity: 82% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 170.1 Total distance to date: 6,390.0 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback (n/a)
The good news: I completed my first run in 28 days!
The also good news: My pace of 5:53/km was slightly better than expected, given the extended time off (due to infection).
The not good news: At the 1.95 km mark, I tripped on the sidewalk just past the river trail and gravity won. Summary:
Laceration of left elbow. Did not break the skin.
Scraped right knee. It’s a pretty standard scrape.
Left hand: Torn skin, bloodied.
Right hand: Torn skin, bloodied, but more so. The right hand absorbed the majority of the fall.
Wound/Bandage update: I appear to have hurt my upper left thigh somehow. There is no visible bruise, but a few lacerations. It is very sore. It also seems my right wrist absorbed a lot of the impact and when I flex it a certain way it becomes very unhappy. Not a sprain (I think), just sore.
I now have four bandages/gauze covering various parts of my body. Kids, learn from me: Tripping on a sidewalk is not cool. Don't do it, no matter what those other kids say.
But let’s start from the start. I have been battling a bacteria infection for most of the month, and the last time I ran was on December 2nd. I felt I was ready to run again, so did my stretching and opted for a short 2.5 km run on the river trail. I dressed accordingly (running pants, rain jacket) and headed off. The first km was better than expected, with a pace of 5:46/km (I was expecting something closer to six minutes). I figured the second km would be slower, and it was, but not for quite the reason I expected.
When I run the river trail, I normally head past the gate at the far end, run down the sidewalk to where Cariboo Place meets Cariboo Road (they like cariboo around here), then turn and head back. I was heading toward the intersection when my left foot managed to perfectly connect with an uplifted section of sidewalk, causing me to trip. I had time to ponder whether I would regain my balance or go down. Given the momentum, it was inevitable that gravity would win, and it did.
I want to say I looked to my right and could actually see the skin tearing on my right hand, but that doesn’t seem possible, so maybe my brain was adding spice. As I laid on the ground, I did look at my right hand, which was bloody, then my left hand, which was also bloody. I paused the workout.
I stood up and, with nothing actually broken or sprained, resumed the run, being a bit more cautious on the sidewalk part. I kept going and finished the 2.5 km, with an average pace of 5:53/km, which is decent for a run that included me falling down.
Other than the tripping part, I experienced no issues or discomfort. This is good and is encouraging for regular runs going forward.
The hands are cleaned and bandaged now, but are stinging a little. Getting them cleaned and bandaged was a bit of an ordeal. They will probably sting for a while yet.
I am including photos of both my left and right hand, taken shortly after the fall (just after I finished the run), so the blood looks very fresh, like I had just murdered someone. The photos are behind spoilers, for obvious reasons. This looks worse than my previous tripping incident: Run 449: Foot meets tree root, tree root wins
NOTE: Bloody hands
Left handRight hand
The scene of the crime.
Stats:
Run 906 Average pace: 5:53/km Training status: Strained Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 1:47 p.m. Distance: 2.51 km Time: 14:47 Weather: Cloudy, some sprinkles Temp: 5°C Humidity: 90% Wind: light BPM: 149 Weight: 166.0 Total distance to date: 6,387.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (157.5/284/441.5)
Brunette River, pre-run. Back to normal levels, looking evermore fall-like.
I started out quite late today because a) I wasn’t really feeling it and b) I wrapped up a treadmill workout last night around 9:30 p.m. and didn’t want to head out for a run only 12 hours or so later.
But I did head out and remembered that I only had to do the “other half” of the 5K I started on Monday. I opted to do this on the river trail to save time.
I felt fine for the first km, and nearly hit the 2K mark at the other end of the trail. I zipped just past the gate, then turned around and wrapped things up. It was in this final 500 m or so that I began experiencing some mild cramping in my lower abdomen, but I felt something similar before getting up this morning, so I think it was not directly related to the running.
As for the running part, it went well! I finished with a very zippy pace of 5:31/km, a full 11 seconds improvement over Monday, so I am clearly improving in my recovery from the cold or whatever it is I had. I never pushed too hard, but I did try to maintain pace. My BPM was also lower than Monday, as befits the river trail, at 148, so that was nice to see, as well.
I wore my heavier long-sleeved MEC t-shirt, which proved to be more than needed. I think the lighter Nike shirt would have been fine, or even a short-sleeved shirt, as it was warmer than expected, and not windy.
Overall, though, a nice wrap-up for the week.
Oh, and the stinky river was due (I believe) to the increasing number of dead trout and salmon that have tried, but failed, to make it up to Burnaby Lake to spawn. I noticed several fishy corpses in the water, and there’s probably more along the shore I couldn’t see.
Trees no longer in the water.
Stats:
Run 895 Average pace: 5:31/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 3:01 p.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 13:49 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 13°C Humidity: 70% Wind: light BPM: 148 Weight: 167.1 Total distance to date: 6,330 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (115/224/339)
Stuff happens and suddenly it’s been 12 days since I last ran.
Just hours after posting my best pace in two years, I felt a scratchiness in my throat and then got a full-blown cold, with all attendant symptoms. I pondered running this past Friday but decided I wasn’t ready.
Today, I was, but not quite fully ready. I opted to do a mini-run of 2.5 km to get back into it and it went well, but I can feel my lungs are still not back to 100%. I think I could have done 5 km, but didn’t want to push it and feel miserable after. My pace was 5:42/km, which is pretty decent after such a long layoff and not yet fully recovered.
Conditions were decent, with clouds and a few bits of blue sky poking out here and there. There was little wind, which helped, with the temperature being down to only 10C when I started. I wore a long-sleeved shirt and two layers, more concerned about not getting cold than I was being overdressed. I may have been fine with the long-sleeved shirt, but I was definitely not too warm.
Signs of the storm that swept through the last two days were everywhere, with twigs and other tree bits scattered all over the trail, some almost too big to move by hand (but which were not directly in the way). One exception came when I approached the intersection of the main trail and then turnoff to the Piper Mill Trail. A barricade was in place closing off the main trail due to “hazard tree”. Presumably, “hazard tree” being down and not yet cut up and moved out of the way.
TRAIL HAZARD CLOSED TREE
I am pretty sure I know which tree came down and if I’m right, it was a huge old tree that has been leaning over the trail at a 45-degree angle for many years. Every time I’ve walked under it, I’ve always thought it was one big storm away from coming down.
I’ll probably be able to confirm in the next few days.
Overall, though, the run went decently, particularly with so many days off. I’ll do the other 2.5 km next time, then go back to my regular routine. Here’s hoping I catch a few more breaks in the weather.
View from Piper Spit, post-run. Light and dark, with ducks.
Stats:
Run 894 Average pace: 5:42/km Training status: Strained1 Location: Burnaby Lake Start: 10:50 a.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:17 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 10-11°C Humidity: 89% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 166.5 Total distance to date: 6,327.5 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (112.5/220/332.5)
My goal today was simple: Run a short 2.5 km loop, completing the 5K I started on Wednesday.
I did this, but then:
Ignored the short loop part and just ran the full 2.5K, going clockwise.
I spotted myself 500 meters, then began tracking a 7K walk around the lake.
And obviously walked the 4 km back from the lake.
Conditions were pleasantly warm, around 20C, and humidity was high enough to stave off dry mouth. I started out with a spring 5:38/km pace, but knew that wouldn’t last. Fortunately, with only a 2.5 km run, it didn’t have to. My second km slipped to 5:48/km, and I ended with a perfectly cromulent average of 5:45/km. My BPM was slightly higher, likely due to a combo of the faster pace and higher temperature.
I spied several naughty cyclists on the trail–may they get double flats–and not one, but two mowers, each operating on either side of a footbridge along the Cottonwood Trail (which was very much littered with cottonwood dander). I am guessing the mowers would probably cause the bridge to collapse. The first mower was idling near the bridge, taking a break. The second was actively working, but saw me and paused. Prior to this, he was lifting the mower up very high, as if he wanted to mow the trees. I’m pretty sure you don’t mow trees.
My stamina is still pretty bad. I could really feel it toward the end of the run. Still, I plan on doing a full 5K on Monday. I’ll just pace myself. Slowly pace myself.
On the plus side, my training status went from Recovery to Maintaining to Productive over the combo of walks and the run. And as I type this, my knees seem OK. So maybe they are OK. Maybe.
Also, I hit a milestone of sorts–6,200 km tracked on runs!
A bunch of adult geese and their surly teens emerged from Still Creek post-run, but didn’t seem to mind me, so I was able to get this photo:
Poopmonsters and teen poopmonsters, emerging from Still Creek
Stats:
Run 866 Average pace: 5:45/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 11:22 a.m. Distance: 2.50 km Time: 14:23 Weather: Sunny Temp: 20-21°C Humidity: 57-56% Wind: light BPM: 156 Weight: 169.1 Total distance to date: 6,200 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (340/650/990 km)
Yesterday I thought about doing shorter runs on my off-days–currently Tuesday and Thursday–with the idea being I’d either go half my usual distance (so 2.5 km) or run for a set amount of time (something that would at least equal the half distance, like 15 minutes).
I ultimately opted to go for distance, because it would keep things neater and tidier in the stats (that didn’t happen today, for reasons I will explain below).
The idea behind these mini-runs is:
To improve my overall fitness
To help get me energized at the start of the day
To see what fun things will happen to my body
It’s mostly the second one. I feel that on non-run days I start out a bit blah and listless. Running focuses me and gets me energized. If I keep the runs short and on the river trail (as I did today) they can give me a boost without eating up too much time.
Also, the stats are faster, which is a nice because fast is GOOD. Right?
Speaking of stats, the shorter run resulted in a lower BPM of 154, and a faster average pace of 5:29/km. I also got an award for my fastest 1 km yet, at 5:22/km.
With a run like this, there isn’t really time for any issues to develop. The biggest one was technical. I wanted to end the run at 2.5 km and got a text alert shortly before that. The alerts cover the top of the watch display where distance is shown. I don’t know how to dismiss the alerts, and this one seemed to sit there forever. I finally just guessed I’d hit 2.5 km and paused the run, to find I was actually at 2.59 km. Not a big deal, but it rankles me in an OCD way. I have since learned how to dismiss alerts during a run. For posterity, in case I forget, or if anyone else wants to know:
How to clear a message alert during a run on a Garmin Forerunner 255:
• Press the Down button (this shows the message)
• Press the Back button (this clears the message)
I will probably keep doing these mini-runs for a while to see how they go. In a way, it feels like cheating because they’re so quick. I’m sure my body will show me otherwise soon enough.
NOTE: I forgot to stretch before the run. We'll see if that has any impact later!
Run 812
Average pace: 5:29/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:34 a.m.
Distance: 2.59 km
Time: 14:13
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 13ºC
Humidity: 87-85%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 154
Weight: 167.9
Total distance to date: 5937.6 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (72.6/142/214.6 km)
