I was not expecting that.
It also snowed some more, but it feels kind of perfunctory, like someone had a checklist with “Make it snow in the Lower Mainland” and did the bare minimum in order to check it off. I’m okay with that.
The week ahead looks mostly cloudy, clear and well below seasonal temperatures, with highs between 0-2°C and lows all the way down to -10°C. This seems like a good time to resume running on the treadmill.
The Windows weather app this morning:
It’s three hours later as I type this, and it’s warmed up to -12C and feels like -13C. But at least the sun is out!
Average pace: 4:36/km
Location: Brunette river trail, Lower Hume Park
Distance: 11.18 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 15-12ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 758
Total distance to date: 1840 km
With the sun setting at 7:31 tonight I decided to skip Burnaby Lake altogether and try my luck on the Brunette river trail. Fortunately the crane truck that had been blocking the way was gone and I was able to get to the bridge, which is now securely fenced off and has its deck removed. This gave me a little under 2 km of running room before having to loop back. I initially planned on a 5K run but ended up changing my mind mid-run and decided to keep going until I hit 10K or it got too dark, whichever happened first. By the time I got back to Lower Hume Park I came in just a bit over 11K and with a brisk pace of 4:46/km, only one second short of my record pace on Sunday.
There were a fair number of cyclists on the trail and I ended up seeing most of them twice — once as they rode past me then again as they came back, almost certainly unaware that the bridge was closed and no one shall pass (pending repairs). Only one well-behaved off-leash dog, too!
I got home four minutes before the sun set but thanks to clear skies I had plenty of light for the entire run. My hands were actually cold for the first km. It’s been quite awhile since that happened. I also turned up the hot water a tad in the shower afterward. The passing of summer always leaves me a little sad. And cold.
I haven’t decided the rest of my run schedule for this off-kilter week but Thursday seems likely.
Chart (records are in pink)
| Date | Average Pace |
| September 11 | 4:36 (11K) |
| September 9 | 4:35 (11K) |
| September 8 | 4:33 (5K) |
| September 5 | 4:40 (5K) |
| September 3 | 4:39 (11K) |
| September 1 | 4:43 (17K) |