5K

I missed Friday’s run for reasons, so I wanted to take it a bit easier today. It helped that my seasonal allergies have been relentlessly beating me up, so I’m not exactly brimming with pep.

I headed out late again and it was a bit warmer at 17-19C. As a result, my pace was nearly the same as Friday at 5:50/km but my BPM was higher at 150. I generally felt fine, though right at the end of the cottonwood Trail, just before the sharp turn to the left and downhill, I suddenly felt very warm, like I was glowing radioactively. It passed and I was back to normal for the remainder of the run. I suspect a combo of no wind/warmth contributed.

Today was also Victoria Day, but although there were more people, it was very manageable, despite a few cyclists (one was slow and looked rather sheepish) and a few off-leash dogs.

Four more cyclists were near the dam at the start. I walked back to the 0K marker to start my run and when I made my approach to the bridge at Silver Creek, which is not far from the dam, they were all walking their bikes back to the dam. I suspect someone told them NO RIDING HERE. They also looked a little sheepish.

And also, another new sign since my last run:

The coyote signs are still up. If I see a coyote riding on a bear, I am giving up running.

Good news: My right shin did not bother me at all on the run. It felt very slightly tender after.

Weird news: The title of this post comes from an incident just over a km into the run when I swallowed something. It could have been a seed or a bug or a bug clutching a seed. All I know is I felt it go into my mouth and into my throat. I decided to try to ignore it, thinking anything I might do could only make it worse. Eventually, I spat to get some stuff out of my mouth and this indeed led to me coughing so hard I had tears in eyes, like a bad country song.

I was largely fine after that and didn’t ingest anything else on the run (to my knowledge), though cottonwood dander was piling up all over the place.

Still, an overall decent outing.

Stats:

Run 1,038
Average pace: 5:50/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:56 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:22
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 17-19°C
Humidity: 52%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 169.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,015 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (285/513/798)

Music: Shuffle play

With my right shin feeling tender, but not on a love story way, after the last run, I got up this morning and went back and forth over whether to run today, do a shorter run or something else.

In the end, I opted to do a short loop counter-clockwise at the lake. This would shave off a not-insubstantial five km of additional walking after the run.

The walk to the lake went fine, though I could feel the right shin. I started off slow, feeling things out. I slowed even more on the second km, not because the shin was hurting, but, as they say, out of “an abundance of caution”. I picked up and returned to my initial pace for the third km and by then the shin wasn’t really bothering me. Was it endorphins masking the pain? Maybe! I picked up the pace for the final two km and finished overall with 5:49/km, a slight improvement over Monday. My BPM, thanks to the cooler temperatures, was down to 144.

Okay, that was the shin, which I will continue to monitor.

The squirrel? As I neared the halfway point of the run on the Piper Mill Trail, I saw a Douglas squirrel on the right edge of the trail. They don’t seem as twitchy about people getting close and sure enough, the squirrel did not immediately react to my presence as I jogged by. Then it got weird. The squirrel took off–in pursuit! Yes, it began running after me. It was so close to my right foot at one point that I was worried I might step on it, so I put on a little extra burst of speed and left it behind. I have no idea what it was doing. Did it think I had nuts? I mean, I do, but they are reserved for human use only.

And finally, the shoe. Not long after the squirrel incident, as I reached my turnaround point, I felt a sharp jab in my left foot, the telltale sign of an especially jagged little piece of gravel getting into the shoe, under my foot, then getting squished into my foot. After a few steps, it shifted and the pain stopped, but IU did not want to risk further incidents, so I paused the run to fish it out.

The left shoe is always double-laced, so I had to work on the carefully tied knot for a bit to get the lace finally untied. Then I had to take the shoe off, get the gravel out (success!) and, because my left foot was on a gravel trail without a shoe, I also had to somehow make sure I didn’t put even more gravel into the shoe when putting it back on. I’d like to say I have the poise and balance of a flamingo and can stand on one leg and remove a shoe without wobbling over, but this is not the case. I wiped my left foot on some nearby grace, did a regular bow (hoping for the best) and finished my run without further squirrels, rocks or other weirdness.

In the end, the shin issue seemed to fade, much as it had on previous runs, so I am cautiously optimistic it will be OK.

We’ll find out Friday!

Stats:

Run 1,037
Average pace: 5:49/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 1:14 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:13
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 14-16°C
Humidity: 73-69%
Wind: light
BPM: 144
Weight: 168.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,010 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (280/500/780)

Music: Shuffle play

My watch wanted me to run for 38 minutes today at a pace of 8.6 km/hour.

Instead, I ran my usual 5K in just over 29 minutes. What the watch apparently didn’t know is that it was much warmer this morning. I started out exactly where I ended overall–5:50/km. A bit pokey, especially compared to Friday, but it’s fine. BPM was higher, likely due to the temperature, at 149, but anything under 150 is still good.

One area of concern is the ol’ right shin. Unlike the last run where it started tender then gradually got fine over the run, today it started out feeling a lot less tender, but then kind of stayed there for the run, a low-grade tenderness as the sun slowly roasted me. I don’t think it affected my pace and as I type this, it’s not hurting or anything, but it is now on my proverbial radar.

Probably (?) unrelated, my left foot was feeling just slightly sore in that “need the orthotic” way after the run. I haven’t used the orthotics since getting the Peregrine 15s because the insoles they came with were a cushy fill-in, but after 275 km of runs and a lot more walking, they may be reaching their EOL. I suppose I should get new shoes, maybe go for something more cushiony this time.

I have surgery in 11 days, which is going to keep me from running for a bit, so the shin issue may be something that solves itself in a roundabout way.

The trail was dry and a bit dusty and the Avalon parking lot has huge piles of gravel ready for the resurfacing of the Brunette Headwaters trail, slated to begin May 19th. The area around the second boardwalk continues to be closed “for repairs” despite no sign of repairs at all. The detour is fairly short, so it’s not a big deal. Also, Hangdog was out.

In all, not a bad start to the week.

Stats:

Run 1,036
Average pace: 5:50/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:49 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:21
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18-20°C
Humidity: 56-51%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 169.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,005 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (275/493/768)

Music: Glass Houses, Billy Joel

Despite a later start, today’s run was cooler–a mere 14C, which is practically seasonal. It was also cloudy, so no need for sunblock.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the lake, because the drinking fountain by the dam was working again. I celebrated by sipping water from it. To my further delight, the fountain was still operating after my run, so I sipped again. Oh happy day.

The watch suggested a recovery run and because I missed Monday, I was good with that, so I adopted a somewhat more leisurely pace. My overall pace of 5:45/km is maybe a tad misleading, as I did pick up for the final km, coming in at 5:31/km, which brought my average down a good bit. Still, I felt fine throughout, had no issues and my BPM was a spiffy 145. Thank you, clouds and lower temperatures.

There were no shirtless joggers today.

I still have yet to see a coyote. I’m not saying I want to, I just haven’t.

In all, a fine mid-week effort.

Stats:

Run 1,034
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:03 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:57
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 14°C
Humidity: 76-74%
Wind: light
BPM: 145
Weight: 168.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,995 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (265/473/738)

Music: Kick, INXS

I missed my run yesterday due to paving. Yes, paving.

So I set out early this morning, hoping to beat both the crowds and the heat. I did beat the latter, but not so much the former. It was especially clogged up near the dam, but the number of people thinned a bit as I headed out.

The unusually warm weather meant I saw not one, but five guys running shirt-free. The first one practically bumped me out of the way as I was just entering the park off Cariboo Road. I saw a pair that seemed mostly there to show off their lean, unnaturally hairless bodies, as they were running at what might be called a casual pace, all the better to show off their short shorts and flat abs, while conversing about whatever.

Not that I’m jealous.

I started out surprisingly brisk, then fell off unsurprisingly in the second km, but not too badly. Toward the end of that second km, I encountered an array of bugs and saw what looked like one heading right at me. Shortly after that I felt a catch in my throat and I believe I had ingested a bug.

This caused some coughing, which startled two birds in a nearby bush, causing them to fly off. I eventually had to pause the run to clear my throat without the distraction of running at the same time.

I later paused again, briefly, to grab a few shots of a detour in the route. It appears they may be doing work on the olde boardwalk, which has something like eight traffic cones on it currently. They replaced the entire railing on both sides last year, so I’m guessing more planks will be getting replaced this time around. The detour was not overlong and didn’t seem to affect my pace.

EDIT: I checked the Burnaby Lake website after and apparently this closure is due to…coyotes:

But the sign on the nearby post clearly states it’s for repairs:

Heading out right at 9 a.m. proved to be smart, as the temperature rose from 16C to 18C during the run and humidity plunged 9%. My BPM was slightly higher at 148, but that seems fine for the effort, and my pace was 5:42/km, pretty good once you factor in the second km, which was 5:46/km.

Also, because it was Saturday, the sports fields were full of people playing sports, mostly with discs, it seems. The parts not being used were occupied by geese, some of which had their babbies in tow. They are still fuzzy and cute.

In all, a perfectly cromulent wrap to the week.

Stats:

Run 1,033
Average pace: 5:42/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 9:42 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:38
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 16-18°C
Humidity: 69-61%
Wind: light
BPM: 148
Weight: 168.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,990 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (260/460/720)

Music: Lifes Rich Pageant, R.E.M.

I got off to a later start this morning for reasons (I swear I wasn’t being lazy), but still managed to begin my run in the morning, which was important because it was yet again going to be warmer than usual and my body is still adjusting to early June temperatures happening in late April.

As it turned out, the run went fairly well, almost matching Monday’s pace, only one second slower on average at 5:44/km. My BPM was slightly lower at 145, which was nice to see as it was 16-17C on the run, so I do indeed appear to be acclimating to the warmer temperatures (vague warning about climate change here).

The trail was moderately busy, with an assortment of runners and walkers, though none of the regular runners. There was a walking group and a few OWs¹Oblivious Walkers but I didn’t have any problem navigating around any of them.

I had one brief issue during the 3K stretch, where my right shin hurt just a wee bit. This resolved itself after 15 seconds or so, and did not come back, so I am thinking it’s just a kink working out and nothing more.

And this was one of the first runs of the year when I both put on sunblock and actually showed visible signs of sweating. Yuck to both, though at least the sunblock makes me smell pretty. Hopefully it doesn’t attract bees or anything.

Anyway, a good mid-week run.

Stats:

Run 1,032
Average pace: 5:44/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:24 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:49
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 16-17°C
Humidity: 63-59%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 145
Weight: 168.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,985 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (255/446/701)

Music: Shuffle play

The weather promised a high of 18C and mostly sunny, but the reality was clouds, the possibility of a shower and a temperature of 12C when I set out for my run. In other words, it was actually better for running.

I opted to go clockwise, continuing my alternating pattern. Lately I’ve been developing an affinity for the clockwise route, even if it means crossing through the marshy bits at the west end of the lake where water is now streaming across the path in at least five places. Hopefully something is done about this before boat rentals are needed to complete passage.

I didn’t have any plan for the run, but started out a bit slow. I picked up the pace on the second km and was slightly less slow. After this I got my footing and established a faster pace, ending with an overall of 5:43/km and a BPM of 146, a fair bit lower than Friday. The cooler temperatures really do seem to treat me better.

Hangdog was out, but no other regular runners. I got to see the four goslings and their parents post-run, which was fun. No hissing, even!

I didn’t experience any issues, though I encountered an issue deep into the third km. Specifically, there was a parks vehicle puttering along the trail ahead of me. The driver seemed to be going at a respectable pace and I didn’t think there’d be an issue, but it soon became obvious that I was catching up and this would become a problem at some point. I definitely did not want to pass. I began to slow my pace a little to establish more distance when the vehicle suddenly stopped and the driver stuck out one of those pickers for grabbing litter out the left side, as if signalling…something.

I could not interpret what it meant. Did he mean me to stop? Was he signalling a left turn (into the bushes?) I did not know. This seemed to be a good time top just plain pause the run, so I did. Once I deemed him sufficiently ahead, I resumed running, only to see there was an intersection in the trail ahead and he was, indeed, turning left.

I encountered no further putt-putt cars and the rest of the run was fine and dandy.

In all, a good start to the week.

Stats:

Run 1,031
Average pace: 5:43/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:47 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:45
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12°C
Humidity: 75-72%
Wind: light
BPM: 146
Weight: 169.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,980 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (250/433/683)

Music: Shuffle play

Despite a last-minute shoelace incident (specifically, my hack job of temporarily fixing a snapped lace coming undone just as I was heading out), I still managed to get out just past 9 a.m., with the intended goal of getting in my run before the temperature started getting above normal.

In the end, I achieved this, as it was 14C and the high for today is forecast as 18C. Humidity was much lower than Wednesday, but still high enough to prevent dry mouth, which was nice.

My watch was advising a recovery run–shorter time/slower pace. I opted for the slower pace, though by the second km, where I came in at 5:54/km, I felt it was maybe too slow. I picked up for the last km and had an average pace of 5:48/km, with a slightly higher BPM of 151, a minor increase from Wednesday, but fine.

Despite a lot of walking yesterday and the harder workout on Wednesday, I didn’t experience any issues. The trail was not too busy, mostly just dog walkers and other joggers (no regulars, though).

It was sunny, though it was strangely more theoretical than actual, because despite a mostly clear sky, there was one cloud that managed to park itself in front of the sun for most of the run. This isn’t a bad thing, but it did feel a bit weird. It made for a few dramatic post-run shots, though.

And this concludes the first week in a while where I managed to run all three days. Woo. Go me.

Stats:

Run 1,030
Average pace: 5:48/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:49 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:10
Weather: Sunny (except for the cloud that persistently blotted out the sun)
Temp: 14°C
Humidity: 63%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 170.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,975 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (245/420/665)

Music: Murmur, R.E.M.

I thought it might be breezy today, so I wore my long-sleeved Echo hoodie (which is pretty much a light shirt with a light hood attached). This turned out to be unnecessary, as there was little wind, but it was fine all the same.

Compared to Monday, it was six degrees cooler (12C vs. 18C) and humidity was about twice as high (87 vs 44). This made for significantly better running conditions. The only downside was increased slug-dodging, due to showers earlier in the morning (the trail was dry by the time I started my run).

I did start a little slower for some reason, maybe out of a sense of caution. I also walked the first few steps instead of running, as if I’d suddenly forgotten why I was there. But it really clicked in when I came across a couple running ahead of me. They were running a bit slower, but I wasn’t sure if I had the pep to advance past them. It turned out I not only did, but I maintained that faster pace going forward, coming in under the 5:40 mark for the rest of the run.

My BPM was also down to 149, again reflecting the more favourable conditions. The clouds and earlier showers were probably the reasons why the trail was sparsely populated today, though a decent number of joggers were out, including Hangdog again.

I did the thing I mused about months ago where I stretched my stride a little and picked up the pace especially for about the last half a km or so. It’s actually showing orange/red on the map for a change!

It was a good effort without any issues and I feel I actually gave my leg muscles a little bit of an actual workout, so woo.

Stats:

Run 1,029
Average pace: 5:41/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:25 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:33
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12°C
Humidity: 87%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 170.0 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,970 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (240/408/648)

Music: Pyramid, The Alan Parsons Project

Yes, a run of contradictions (seemingly). Also, lots of coyote alert signs, but so far no coyotes.

My plan was pretty basic: Knowing it would be unusually warm today (and it was–18C for the run) I was going to go slow and steady. I achieved both, though the slow part was maybe a bit slower than expected, with an overall pace of 5:58/km. You’d think my BPM would be lower, too, but no, it was the same as Friday, when I had a pace of 5:43/km: 152.

The difference, of course, is that it was 7-8 degrees cooler on Friday.

Still, I’m not disappointed. It’s challenging to suddenly run in conditions your body isn’t used to and I didn’t experience any complications on today’s run, other than it just being a lot warmer than usual. Humidity was low at 44, but the lack of wind helped keep my mouth from drying out. I was licking my lips a lot, though, like a nervous suspect in a whodunit.

Near the start, some smartypants ran by shirtless, with a big grin on his face, like he knew how awesome his abs were. He didn’t even seem to be wearing proper running shorts, so maybe he just spontaneously decided to show off. And I did see one regular jogger, plus a bunch of other runners I didn’t recognize. All dogs encountered were good boys or girls.

The incipient snow I encountered around the 8 km mark, which was the first bit of “snow” starting to fall from the cottonwood trees. This feels early, but it tracks with the warmer weather.

In all, a decent start to the week.

Stats:

Run 1,028
Average pace: 5:58/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:52 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:57
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18°C
Humidity: 44%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 169.0 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,965 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (235/395/630)

Music: Long Distance Voyager, The Moody Blues

Temperatures were a bit warmer today, but still seasonal and I posted a slightly better run vs. Wednesday, basically flipping my pace on the first and second km, but hewing closely otherwise. I didn’t experience any issues and didn’t try pushing hard or anything. BPM was up slightly to 152, but more effort, so it’s fine. The peak was 158, so it stayed within a pretty narrow range throughout, even when I was running harder.

I ran clockwise, starting at the mysteriously re-locked water fountain by the dam. I stopped to check the water fountain at the Nature House post-run and it was working, so they seem to have singled out the one at the dam for some reason. The flow of water at the Nature House fountain was a bit low, as if it was set for the world’s least thirsty person. It was still nice.

Just before I started my run, a young guy dressed all in black ran by. This meant when I started he was within sight of me, not far ahead. No biggie, I assumed that the benefit of youth would see him dash off and out of sight soon enough. But this did not happen.

Instead, it seemed his pace was very close to mine. I faced a dilemma: On the one hand, I don’t like having a “pace car” person running in front of me, and on the other, I didn’t particularly feel like turning on the jets to get past him. The solution, as it tutned out, was to do nothing. I was actually running slightly faster than him, so it took minimal effort to pass him, which I did.

The weather, being pleasant and mostly sunny, brought out a fair number of people–many of them fellow joggers–but I only once had someone almost walk into my path when her partner moved to let me by–and she then tried to take over his spot because maybe she was secretly coveting it?

The stretch of trail between the rowing pavilion parking lot and sports fields is getting increasingly flooded and in several spots has water more or less permanently pouring across it. I am hoping it gets resurfaced soon.™.

In all, a good finish to the week. It feels nice to be back to my normal self, running-wise, after last week’s weirdness.

Stats:

Run 1,027
Average pace: 5:43/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:46 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:43
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 10-11°C
Humidity: 60%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 168.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,960 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (230/385/615)

Music: Synchronicity, The Police (I didn't even skip "Mother")