View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Looks like summer, tastes like fall.
Today’s run was basically a repeat of Friday’s, with very similar results:
Same route
Sunny both days
Similar temperature, but a bit cooler today
Similar humidity, though a little lower
No wind both days
No bears!
Overall pace of 5:38/km only one second off Friday
BPM of 150 only 1 off Friday’s 149
So yeah, pretty much the same. I guess I am pleased with my consistency!
Today, the left knee was feeling a bit stiff before the run, and also a bit stiff after the run. During the run, it was fine. I will again monitor.
I wore one layer (my Echo hoodie), which was sufficient, though on the walk to the lake it was a little nippy in the shade (there was a lot of shade since I got an early start and the sun was still pretty low in the sky).
Overall, though, a fine start to the week, assuming my knees don’t fall off or something.
Birdge over Still Creek, post-run: The one that doesn’t bounce.
Stats:
Run 973 Average pace: 5:378/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:23 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:23 Weather: Sunny Temp: 11-12°C Humidity: 77-74% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 163.4 pounds Total distance to date: 6,695 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (290/642/932)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: The return of blue skies.
Hooray, no rain!
This past summer has been rather bear-y at the lake, and I have directly encountered bears twice, with the most recent being just a week ago. With these bear encounters in mind, I decided to make a change with today’s run.
I opted to run counter-clockwise, but instead of continuing around the lake to head back home, as I normally would, I turned and headed back the way I ran. This was partly because the bears I’ve seen were on the south shore (while they can be anywhere, playing the odds seems like a good starting point), but mainly because the north side offers a lot more clear lines of sight, is closer to the rail lines and generally less bear-friendly, as such things go.
As part of this, I also opted to skip all three of the usual side trails. The main effect here is that I had to run a little closer to the actual 5K marker to finish the run. Sometimes change is good!
As for the run itself, the cooler conditions and slightly reduced humidity kept sweating to a minimum and the sun meant a few more people were out, but it was still pretty light, traffic-wise. I saw a decent number of fellow joggers, though. I think we are past the topless jogger season now, though you never know. Some guy is bound to think his abs are just too sexy to hide, regardless of the temperature.
Weirdly, I turned in my best pace in quite some time–5:37/km (the final lap was 5:21), with a BPM of 149. Very nice, and with no issues at all to report. I am pleased. I have no idea if skipping the side trails had any effect.
Also, I earned a new Garmin badge. I guess it’s time for new shoes!
Set to be replaced after 500 km, which I passed today.Still Creek, post-run. Still mostly green, for now.
Stats:
Run 972 Average pace: 5:37/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 10:08 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:17 Weather: Mostly sunny Temp: 13-14°C Humidity: 83-82% Wind: light BPM: 149 Weight: 164.6 pounds Total distance to date: 6,690 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (285/630/915)
The title is in reference to it staying dry until I got to the lake and started my run, at which point it began to pour, then it stopped after my run ended. To be fair, the last part of the run it had eased up to drizzle.
Overall, apart from location, this run featured a similar pace and conditions to Monday’s, except I had no issues at all, yay, other than yet another run in the rain, boo.
I was originally going to run the river trail again, but it wasn’t raining, so I kept going to the lake. While it did rain steady for the majority of the run, it wasn’t as heavy as Monday and I only wore a t-shirt for the top layer, which was fine at 14C (felt like 11C per the phone). There weren’t many people out on the trail, as expected, and a few were definitely caught by the rain when it started.
I wasn’t really expecting to be so close to Monday’s pace, so that was a nice surprise. I don’t mind being a bit slower if it means not running in the rain, though. That’s a hint, Mother Nature.
View looking west, post-run: A pause in the showers.
Stats:
Run 971 Average pace: 5:42/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop) Start: 10:49 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:39 Weather: Rain, some drizzle late Temp: 14°C Humidity: 87-85% Wind: light BPM: 149 Weight: 162.7 pounds Total distance to date: 6,685 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (280/618/898)
The forecast today was 16C and rain. I checked and yep, rain all day, so I made two decisions:
Run on the river trail
Wait for the window where it was raining least
The first one was easy. The second was doomed to fail. I tried, but it ended up pouring hard for most of the run. It eased to drizzle near the end, then changed to a downpour on the walk back…before switching up to drizzle once more. I got quite wet.
And yet, despite the miserable (if mild) conditions, I had my best pace in a while at 5:40/km, and with a low 147 BPM, too. I saw several other people out jogging, which surprised me a bit, as well as some people who were apparently just out walking. I guess these are the hardcore types who actually enjoy walking in the rain, like in some song written by Rupert Holmes, probably1Kids, ask your parents.. I encountered one issue: in the last km or so, my left knee felt a tiny bit stiff. I think this was due to how I slept last night, and it did not affect my pace. I also didn’t feel it on the walk back, but, as always, will monitor.
It looks like I might have some more rainy runs before the weather turns back to “good fall” but we’ll see. We’re in the time of year when it can get a tad unpredictable.
On gear: I wore a base layer and my new Echo hoodie, to see how it would hold up in the rain. It was fine, but two layers was too much–I was starting to sweat before I’d even made it through Hume Park. Noted for the future!
Splattered but still sexy leg, post-run.
Stats:
Run 970 Average pace: 5:40/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 12:32 p.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:32 Weather: Rain, some drizzle late Temp: 16°C Humidity: 90% Wind: light BPM: 147 Weight: 163.9 pounds Total distance to date: 6,680 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (275/610/885)
Brunette River, pre-run: A growing mix of early fall colours.
I awoke to find my watch telling me it was a Rest Day. Apparently my body had agreed, because I accidentally slept in a little.
But I decided to defy my watch and ran, anyway. I chose to run on the river trail because:
It’s an easier route
Significantly less walking to get there and back (4 km vs up to 13 km)
No bear sighting there yet–and line of sight is excellent, unlike the lake and its frequent blind corners and bends
I mean, I wasn’t super paranoid that I’d literally run into a bear, but I had enough other reasons to run the river trail to warrant the switch.
I started out at a moderate pace and unlike recent runs, I did not get progressively faster. Well, I did, but only until the 4K mark. I actually slowed a bit on the final lap, because my body seemingly wanted to start treating the rest of the day as a Rest Day at that point.
Conditions were decent, with humidity a bit lower and sweating lower as well.
I saw a few people walking, a couple of them with dogs (all on leash, yay), but I don’t think I saw anyone else running. It was pretty quiet, which was not a surprise, given the weather (the sky did not look friendly, though it remained dry for the run).
In all, a decent wrap-up to the week. I now prepare for more fall weather, with attendant soggy conditions, cooler temperatures and leaves all over the place.
The river, post-run, looking to the west.
Stats:
Run 969 Average pace: 5:47/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Brunette River Trail Start: 11:05 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:04 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 14-15°C Humidity: 82-78% Wind: light BPM: 148 Weight: 162.9 pounds Total distance to date: 6,675 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (270/605/875)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Slightly warmer, sunny and a little more humid.
Today’s run was almost an exact mirror of Monday’s, with an identical overall pace of 5:43/km and only one second difference in overall time. Kind of weird!
Also weird was how I did not see any regulars again, though almost every runner I passed waved, so it was an extra-friendly outing.
I’d been feeling the Baker’s cyst since Monday’s run, so was mulling various scenarios, ranging from not running, to running the river trail and so on. In the end I did a full loop as per usual and it was fine. I followed my pattern of late, where the first two km are slower, then the last three get significantly faster. The knee was feeling a bit stiff after, but is recovering nicely post-run, so I’m not overly concerned.
Conditions were similar to Monday, but it was a bit warmer and more humid. This might explain my higher BPM of 153 (also, the CCW route is a bit tougher than CW, due to overall elevation).
Oh, and the bear! I had finished the run and was approaching the second boardwalk. A little ways before the boardwalk, I spotted fresh droppings right in the middle of the trail (coyotes and bears always do this), so I was on Bear Alert™. Sure enough, I rounded a corner and there was a sizeable black bear right at the end of the boardwalk, snuffling around for berries or something. It didn’t notice me–I was probably about 30–40 feet away, so I quietly backed up, then lightly jogged back to where the trail splits and detoured along the Freeway Trail, which is precisely as scenic as it sounds. Observe:
Towers! Wires! Traffic! It’s the Freeway Trail.
EDIT: I have now added another bear map, to illustrate approximate distance between me and the bear. Per Google Maps, it was probably around 60 feet when I spotted it.
A little blurry because I zoomed in all the way. ENHANCE. Figures not to scale, otherwise I’d be like 20 feet tall here.
While I would prefer my runs to be bear-free, they have at least been courteous enough to not show up until after my run is complete. There’s probably a decent chance of more sightings for the next month or so yet.
Still, bear or not, this was a fine mid-week effort.
Rowing pavilion, post-run. Smooth and reflective! Also, no bears.
Stats:
Run 968 Average pace: 5:43/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:52 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:44 Weather: Sunny Temp: 15-16°C Humidity: 88-84% Wind: light BPM: 153 Weight: 164.3 pounds Total distance to date: 6,670 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (265/601/866)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Clear skies, cooler temperatures.
Today is the first day of fall and fittingly, it was 14C for the run, my coolest start in quite a while. But not too cool. And definitely not Fonzie cool.
Going clockwise for a change, right from the 0K marker, I started out slower as has been the pattern of late, but not as slow as Friday. I also finished faster (5:23/km), so my overall pace improved to 5:43/km. Even better, the cooler temperature allowed me to lower my BPM to 147. Nice.
I didn’t experience any issues during the run. The back of the right knee felt a bit sore walking home, but it resolved fairly quickly. I will inspect for fluid later, as I’m in full lazy mode now.
Weirdly, I did not see any of the regular runners again. Maybe they all run clockwise, too. I did see one guy running with his shirt off. I would not do that, even if I had killer abs. Well, maybe if I had killer abs.
Anyway, a good start to the week and to Fall 2025.
For a change of pace, the lake as seen from the turtle nesting area, post-run.
Stats:
Run 967 Average pace: 5:43/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 9:06 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:45 Weather: Sunny Temp: 14°C Humidity: 84-81% Wind: light BPM: 147 Weight: 164.3 pounds Total distance to date: 6,665 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (260/588/848)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Pretty much like Monday, just Friday.
Today’s run was on a birthday, which is no big deal, but I was also dealing with some other baggage unrelated to my age, which was a bigger deal. At one point my Pop Stuff playlist played “Janie’s Got a Gun” by Aerosmith and the chorus of, “Run away, run away from the pain” was a bit on the nose.
I ended the first km at exactly 6:00/km and resigned myself to a slower run, but instead I managed to do a repeat of Monday and got faster as I went along, ending with 5:47/km overall, only one second off from Monday. Speaking of Monday, the conditions, start time, pace and pretty much everything else was nearly identical. A little weird.
But as a bonus, I saw three (!) guys running topless, something I did not expect to see at the tail end of summer. I also saw a cute brown bunny before it hopped back into the brush, plus a cute baby garter snake slithering across the trail while I was running. Shortly after I saw a full-grown snake near the side of the trail. It didn’t react to my presence, so I’m hoping it was just dozing and not, like, entering snake heaven.
I also saw fresh droppings, but no bears, coyotes or bobcats.
In terms of how I felt, I experienced no issues, everything held together. I skipped the run on Wednesday because my watch said Rest Day and I decided to obey, but it seems I’ve at least maintained after skipping it.
And now the weekend.
Still Creek, post-run. The early signs of fall are now starting to show.
Stats:
Run 966 Average pace: 5:47/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:56 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:06 Weather: Sunny Temp: 17-18°C Humidity: 80-75% Wind: light BPM: 153 Weight: 163.8 pounds Total distance to date: 6,660 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (255/575/830)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: The return of clear skies.
Under most circumstances, the title of the blog post would be a good thing, but when it comes to running, clouds are usually better than sun.
But today was an exception and the sun was actually fine, probably because it was relatively cool and humidity was a bit lower, which made a difference I could actually feel (I also sweated much less copiously than last week’s runs).
My plan was to adopt a slower pace for the start of the week and as usual, when my first pace came in a bit too casual at 5:59/km, I picked the pace up a bit, closing the run with a lap of 5:29/km and an overall pace of 5:46/km. This was slower than Friday (5:41/km), so I guess mission accomplished!
Although it didn’t bother me, I could feel the lump on the back of my right knee, named after Baker and rhymes with the game Myst. I suppose running regularly is not helping it to go away, but I will keep running and elevating my leg at night unless things gets worse. It does make me wonder when I might next try doing a 10K. I feel I have the stamina for it now.
And in another sign of the changing seasons, the tennis courts near the sport fields has put back its marshmallow (inflated) roof, where it will remain until late spring 2026. I must ponder what to wear for cooler fall running.
Still Creek still mostly still.
Stats:
Run 965 Average pace: 5:46/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:53 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:02 Weather: Sunny Temp: 15-16°C Humidity: 82-79% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 150 Weight: 163.8 pounds Total distance to date: 6,655 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (250/562/812)
View from Cariboo Dam, prew-run. Even more humid, the blue sky was fleeting.
At first, I was going to take it easy on today’s run, as the suggested workout was a “recovery” run. Indeed, my first km was 5:50/km, which is a more relaxed pace.
But then I kept getting faster and by the end my final lap was a zippy 5:26/km and my overall pace ended up being 5:41/km.
I didn’t experience any issues, and even though humidity was an even higher 92% and only dipped slightly, the cooler temperature and clouds meant I did not sweat as much.
The trail felt lightly populated and I didn’t see any of the other jogging regulars–maybe I got in too early. The sun threatened to show between the 2nd and 3rd km and in those brief moments I could actually feel the air getting warmer, so I’m kind of glad the clouds moved back in.
Overall, it was a nice run and a good way to wrap up the week.
Kind of a silver/gunmetal thing happening here, looking east across the lake, post-run.
Stats:
Run 964 Average pace: 5:41/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:09 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:33 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 15°C Humidity: 92-90% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 148 Weight: 164.3 pounds Total distance to date: 6,650 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (245/549/794)
View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Cloudy but so very humid.
I did not pass by another person on my run until about 4.75 km in, and the guy was the only person I passed before completing the run. For most of the time I was on the trail by myself and on a cloudy day, it felt almost a little spooky. But also nice. Nice and spooky.
My Garmin Forerunner 255 had a plan for today: Rest Day.
I defied it and headed to the lake. When I chose to start the run, it implored me to rest but if I insisted, to keep it short and lower intensity, due to fatigue. I did not keep it short, as I still ran 5K, but I did a short loop, which cut out 5 km of walking afterward. As for intensity, I eased up a bit (slowing to 6:00/km for the second lap, even), but kind of forgot toward the end and finished with a final lap of 5:37/km.
Partway through, I did actually feel a bit tired. It never felt like a slog, but it was very humid again. Fortunately, the sweatiness was the only real issue and the overall pace of 5:52/km is perfectly cromulent for a more relaxed start to the week.
View from the dam looking in the opposite direction, with bonus heron.
Stats:
Run 963 Average pace: 5:52/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop) Start: 9:30 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:28 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 17-18°C Humidity: 91-88% Wind: light BPM: 148 Weight: 164.1 pounds Total distance to date: 6,645 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (240/536/776)
Today’s run promised to be mostly cloudy, and it was. Yay! It was even more humid than before at 88%, but the cooler temperatures meant I sweated less than on Friday.
I also got in one of my earliest starts, beginning the actual run at 9:05 a.m. It was quieter on the trail, too, which was nice.
I was curious how my pace would be after the first km and was mildly alarmed when the watch reported 5:51/km, as this seemed kind of slow. The second km improved by a second, which may not seem like much, but is actually significant, because I normally slow on the second lap. From there I transformed from the slower Dr. Jekyll to the zippy Mr. Hyde. I’m probably not using the right metaphor here, but the point is I got faster as the run progressed, getting all the way down to 5:24/km for the final lap and an overall pace of 5:41/km. I even managed a lower BPM, at only 148.
With no issues, other than a slowish start, this was a good run to start the week.
Still Creek, looking east, in a reflective mood.
Stats:
Run 962 Average pace: 5:41/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:05 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 28:35 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 17-18°C Humidity: 88-85% Wind: light BPM: 148 Weight: 164.8 Total distance to date: 6,640 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (235/528/763)
