2.5K

Today it was all about the differences in conditions:

• It was cloudy (not sunny)
• It was only 18°C (not 25°C)
• It was humid as all get-out (85% to start)

The humidity prevented dry mouth but surprisingly wasn’t a big factor, either negatively or positively. I sweated, but not profusely.

The pace breakdown for each km was:

• 6:12
• 6:16
• 6:01

The last was only 500m, but it’s interesting that my pace improved so much because I didn’t feel like I was pushing. I did try extending my stride a bit instead and maybe that helped. Also the smaller gap between the first and second km is welcome after seeing the bottom fall out on previous runs.

I did a short loop going clockwise and originally planned to turn around after crossing the first boardwalk, but as I approached, a mower with giant mowing attachment was occupying the entire width of the footbridge before the boardwalk, so I opted to turn around at that point, which was fine.

I did experience that proto-cramp on the right side of my chest again, but it never really did much, so I don’t think it was a factor. I otherwise felt…not bad.

And woo, my training status after the run was Maintaining, a welcome sign of normalcy after several weeks of “you’re overdoing it!” I am going to try a 5K again on Friday and hope the weather is equally conducive to running (right now it’s showing a high of 26 and sunny). We’ll see!

Stats:

Run 1,047
Average pace: 6:11/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 10:58 a.m.
Distance: 2.51 km
Time: 15:34
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 18°C
Humidity: 85–79%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 170.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,040 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (20/60/80)

Music: Shuffle play

Too slow, but I am impatient.

A combination of hot weather and other things meant that I haven’t run since last Wednesday–nine days ago. That’s enough to start undoing some of the slow progress I’d been making. But not enough to undo all of it. Read on!

I started out kind of creaky, as expected, but kept to a steady, if unspectacular pace. My PR¹PerformanceRating was +1, which was encouraging, even if my first km pace of 6:28/km made me sigh a little/ I flagged slightly in the second km, but made up because my overall pace ended at 6:29/km or what I call Surgery Slow™. And I guess it’s fine. I only experienced the mild threat of a cramp in my chest again, which seems kind of laughable considering the pace, but these things will improve in time. Also, while the training status of Unproductive seems bad, it’s actually an improvement from the previous Overreaching, which is Unproductive++. Progress!

It was not as hot as the last run, but humidity was much higher, so sweating was more conspicuous.

The decision to only do 2.5 km was a no-brainer, but I didn’t do a short loop, at least. I stopped at Piper Spit after to take a few photos of the only two people there, who were feeding the birds, of course.

In all, I was glad to get out and get through it. Next week is looking generally more reasonable, temperature-wise, so I’m hoping to hit all my regular runs.

Stats:

Run 1,046
Average pace: 6:29/km
Training status: Unproductive
Performance Condition: +1
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:13 a.m.
Distance: 2.51 km
Time: 16:17
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23–24°C
Humidity: 59–55%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 170.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,037.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (17.5/51/68.5)

Music: Shuffle play

Or something like that.

First, I’ve decided to add the Performance Condition stat to each run, because I love stats. Garmin explains it here:

For a real-time assessment of your current ability to perform, look at your performance condition. During the first 6 to 20 minutes of your run, this metric analyzes pace, heart rate and HRV. The resulting number is a real-time assessment of the deviation from your baseline VO2 max, with each point on the scale representing about 1% of your VO2 max. The higher the number, the higher you can expect to perform.

Today, mine was +1, which is a bit better than neutral, but considering conditions, pretty good!

Speaking of conditions, I got a late morning start, and it was already 25C at the start of the run and 26 by the end, with humidity down to around 40%, which is definitely dry mouth territory. I hydrated at the fountain before the run, but even for 2.5 km, it might have been nice to have a water bottle or something with me.

The heat also made me alter my planned short loop. Originally I was going to take the side loops, then come back on the main trail before diverting back onto the Spruce Loop to finish. Instead, I simply reversed course and went back on the side loops, because they are mostly under the shade of second growth forest, where the main trail is a lot more exposed. This was a good call.

I experienced one issue–some cramping in my chest (not the surgery side) around the 1 km mark. I believe this is because, strangely, I was actually pushing a bit. I eased up a little, and it was fine after that. While I did flag a bit in the second km, I made up for it and finished with an average pace eight seconds faster than Monday, despite the higher temperature, at 6:18/km. Still overreaching, but I think it’s going to keep saying that until I’m in better shape.

Overall, better than expected, given conditions. I am pleased. Friday is looking to be cooler, which will be nice.

Stats:

Run 1,045
Average pace: 6:18/km
Training status: Overreaching
Performance Condition: +1
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 11:20 a.m.
Distance: 2.51 km
Time: 15:48
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25–26°C
Humidity: 40–39%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 170.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,035 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (15/33/48)

Music: Shuffle play

How did I overachieve by only running 2.5 km, especially when my recommended workout from Garmin was a 27-minute run?

Because I had a doctor appointment at 9 a.m., walked home from that (3 km), then walked to the lake (4 km) and did a bunch of walking around between these two things, meaning by the time I started the run I had already covered something like 10 km on foot. I was tired before I started, I just didn’t know it.

I found out soon enough, though, because when the Performance blurb popped up on the watch just before the 1K mark, it reported a yucky -2. When I hit 1K, my pace was a slogtastic 6:24/km. By the second km it fell further to 6:31/km (!), and I decided this was not going to be my first post-surgery 5K run.

Adding to the above, it was warmer and quite muggy, which undoubtedly further slowed me.

Despite all this, I didn’t actually feel horrible or anything and the shoes did not cause any issues and remained tied throughout, woo.

I am wondering if I got the wrong size, though. Depending on the shoe, I can wear a size 8.5–9, which translates to a Euro 41–42. These shoes are 42s, and on the walk out from the lake I felt gravel hitting the backs of my legs several times. At one point I stopped and turned around, looking for an animal scampering off or maybe a crow, because crows can be jerks. But there was nothing and no one around, so it must have been the shoes kicking up the gravel (possible, since I was probably dragging my feet a bit). When I checked at home there were a few very minor tiny bits of gravel in the shoes, which means the fit of the shoe may not be as snug as desired. I’m still pondering taking them back and trying a size 41 if MEC has them, or just getting something else if not.

I also put in the Saucony insoles, but it seems they work better in the actual Saucony shoes (though they fit almost perfectly in the Scarpas), so I’ll switch back to the orthotics.

As I type this, I still need to make a trip to the store and have 29,724 steps. I did not intend this today! After the store, I will take it easy for the rest of the day.

On the plus side, I did three runs this week, so I’m back on track.

Stats:

Run 1,041
Average pace: 6:26/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:28 p.m.
Distance: 2.52 km
Time: 16:11
Weather: Partly cloudy
Temp: 19–20°C
Humidity: 69–66%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 169.0 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,022.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (2.5/10.5/13.0)

Music: Tales of Mystery and Imagination, The Alan Parsons Project

It’s Canada Day and you know what that means! That’s right, people go out on the trails and wave tiny Canadian flags.

Well, maybe not the flags, but there were more than the usual number of people out for a Wednesday morning, but the weather was pleasant and the people were, too, so it was all good.

I changed my mind for my second post-surgery run and rather than re-run the same route as Monday, I opted to go clockwise and to not do a short loop. Instead, I ran the 2.5 km, then kept walking and did the full loop around the lake, in part because I wanted to see how the lake and trail looked after more than a month’s absence, but also because I wanted to take pretty photos of Still Cree. And it was very pretty today.

As for the run, I improved, going from an average pace of 6:18 to 6:11/km. Not bad. I was actually slower to start today, likely because it was warmer, but didn’t drop off dramatically as I had two days ago. My BPM was up to 147 and my max (recommended) heart rate also increased. Somewhat surprisingly, the run was rated Productive by my watch, perhaps because it looks so good in comparison to a month of not running.

The run went fine–I was creaky again to start, with the right shin taking a minute or to settle in, but no issues after that. I felt like I could have kept going, but my OCD needed another 2.5K so I could get back to a nice even-numbered total distance. The forecast called for mostly cloudy but after last Saturday’s Great Burning, I slapped on the sunblock and hey, it was indeed partly sunny for the run and when the sun was out, it definitely felt like it was in a burning mood.

Overall, a good follow-up. I look forward to getting run times under the six-minute mark again soon™.

Stats:

Run 1,040
Average pace: 6:11/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:40 a.m.
Distance: 2.5 km
Time: 15:30
Weather: Partly cloudy
Temp: 18-19°C
Humidity: 63-58%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 147
Weight: 168.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,020 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (290/521/811)

Music: Shuffle play

I last ran 41 days ago. I was slightly heavier than today, which is a coincidence, though I did have a tumour the size of a “big marble” removed from my chest in the interim. After a heat wave and then showers, today was finally the day when both the weather and my will aligned and I set off to do a “baby” run of 2.5 km at Burnaby Lake.

Which I did!

My legs felt creaky at the start, but things smoothed out after a minute or so. My pace was slow–6:08 on the first km, drooping to 6:28 for the second and averaging out to 6:1`8/km overall. This will improve as I get back in shape. On the plus side, my BPM was a mere 138, so I wasn’t particularly straining despite the long layoff.

More importantly, I didn’t feel any of the surgery side effects had any impact on the run.

The weather was also good for runninng–17C and cloudy. Humidity was 70%, so no danger of DMS. It was also very calm, with virtually no wind.

Everyone seemed especially friendly on the walk to the lake, too. That was nice.

Overall, a solid return. The plan is to do another 2.5 km run on Wednesday then switch back to 5K after that.

This one run put me back into Maintaining, which is where I was at 41 days ago, so that was also a somewhat unexpected bonus.

Stats:

Run 1,039
Average pace: 6:18/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 10:52 a.m.
Distance: 2.5 km
Time: 15:49
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 17°C
Humidity: 70%
Wind: light
BPM: 138
Weight: 169.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,017.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (287.5/521/808.5)

Music: Shuffle play

My watch wanted me to do a recovery run at a pace of 7.1 km/hour for 18 minutes.

I decided to sort of follow this by doing half of a 5K, which I did at my normal pace, finishing in 14:07 minutes. The run was shorter and ergo, easier, but it still went well, considering it was a chilly 2C out. Some factors:

• I slept well last night, so I was well-rested
• It was sunny (yes, it makes a difference!)
• The humidity was low–only 47%
• I started out to the right of the dam, on a nice flat surface–no early hills to slow me down
• I dressed appropriately, so I didn’t feel cold starting out

Anyway, not too much to add–my first km matched my overall pace of 5:38/km, which is a whopping 16 seconds better than my previous run (doing the same route, even), and despite the cold, my BPM was also back down to 147.

I even saw a Lucky Heron™.

The only bummer is needing to do another 2.5K run, so my OCD doesn’t drive me bananas.

Stats:

Run 1,009
Average pace: 5:38/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 12:41 p.m.
Distance: 2.5 km
Time: 14:07
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 2°C
Humidity: 47%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 147
Weight: 171.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,872.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (132.5/209/341.5)

Music: About Face, David Gilmour

I missed my run yesterday due to a doctor appointment, but didn’t want to do a regular run today due to not being able to get out until Africa hot time (the afternoon).

By coincidence, I had never finished another 2.5K run, which would round up my total run distance and take care of that pesky 0.5K dangling off the end of it.

So that’s what I did. It was 27C, by far the warmest run so far this year, and humidity was 49%. The air felt a bit soupy. I sweated copiously. But surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared, partly because the sun was mostly blocked by high cloud for the run, so it wasn’t beating down on me.

I don’t remember seeing any other runners.

I hit the 2.5K mark just past the intersection that splits between the main trail and the Piper Mill Trail (I started near the Jiffy John® by the parking lot), then simply turned around and walked back rather than doing a full loop around the lake. I didn’t really have the time, plus I would be walking during the peak temperature for the day.

All told, not a bad little mini-run. I still plan on doing a regular run tomorrow, in the morning, and it should be a good bit cooler.

Stats:

Run 948
Average pace: 5:43/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 3:08 p.m.
Distance: 2.50 km
Time: 14:19
Weather: Sunny with high cloud
Temp: 27°C
Humidity: 49%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 167.6
Total distance to date: 6,570 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (165/364/529)

Music: shuffle mode

Last Saturday, I got what turned out to be an early summer chest cold. How? No idea. Maybe I should stay in a giant plastic ball when I go outside. Anyway, this meant my chest got congested and I spent a lot of time coughing and trying not to cough. Monday and Wednesday’s runs were scrubbed, but I had tentative hope for Friday.

Friday is today and while I no longer sound like I’m going through puberty and the congestion is definitely clearing up, I originally planned to just walk to the lake and back, to get some exercise. Instead, I ended up doing a short 2.5K run, which seemed about right.

I managed a respectable pace of 5:45/km and a BPM of 150, which is a little higher than of late, but with good reason (and it’s still fine, even if I was totes healthy).

It was still humid enough that the sun was not an issue, and tree canopy shielded me much of the time, anyway. I made it almost to the first boardwalk, then turned around at about the 1.5 km mark, so I wouldn’t have far to walk back. I didn’t experience any issues and saw a garter snake sunning itself on the river trail afterward, which was nice. I crouched to take a photo and when I stood up, it slithered off. I felt bad, but maybe I saved its life by making it move and not getting run over by a mad cyclist.

In all, a nice way to wrap what was otherwise a not great week for exercise.

Stats:

Run 939
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Peaking
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 10:49 a.m.
Distance: 2.50 km
Time: 14:24
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20°C
Humidity: 65%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 167.1
Total distance to date: 6,527.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (122.5/249.5/372)

Music: Rumours, Fleetwood Mac

With Nic self-described as “cough a lot and possibly contagious” We agreed it might be best to not go birding together. I took advantage of the sunny weather by going for a run, which I missed yesterday.

Despite the sun, it was a bit chilly due to the wind (11C but felt like 8C). I was fine for the running part, but was glad for the long-sleeved shirt for the walking bits.

I had thought of going counter-clockwise but by the time I got to the lake, it seemed better, somehow, to go clockwise. There were a lot of people on the trails, including a kid riding an adorable little pony on the Avalon Trail, but there were no issues. At one point there were four of us all jogging in close proximity, in different directions.

I even saw the spitfire again–though she was walking and was not dressed for running. I wonder if she’s injured. If so, this wrecks my theory that she has a body constructed of steel and is essentially indestructible.

Speaking of indestructible, I had something happen that was rather unexpected. Despite a decent overall pace of 5:47/km, I am still very much off from peak condition, so I’m never exactly blazing down the trail at high speed. And yet, about 1.5 km in, I had two people jogging ahead of me and I seemed to be closing the distance. I certainly didn’t feel like I was gaining speed, so they must have been slowing. I decided to pick up the pace to pass…and did! As it turned out, my glory was short-lived, because I was near the 2K mark and that’s where I was planning to turn around and head back, anyway.

Which I also did.

No issues during the run, so that’s also a plus. In all, I’m glad I went out. The next run should be a slower one, but will also be a regular 5K.

Stats:

Run 914
Average pace: 5:47/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 1:42 p.m.
Distance: 2.50 km
Time: 14:31
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 11°C
Humidity: 57%
Wind: moderate
BPM: 150
Weight: 168.8
Total distance to date: 6,410 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)