Brunette River Trail runs

I did not do my usual Friday run because I wanted to run some errands and given the weather forecast, it made more sense to do them on Friday when it was sunny, rather than Saturday when it was forecast to be cold and rainy and horrible.

Today it is Saturday and as I headed out for a rare weekend run, it was drizzling. By the time I got to the river trail, the drizzle had turned to rain. As I started to run, it turned to Heavy Rain™. There was a pause about midway through where it eased yup that lasted about 30 seconds or so, as if the storm was catching its breath. Then it resumed pouring down.

So I got quite wet. And at 3C, it was not exactly balmy, either. My pace was a bit slower, mostly due to a slowdown in the second km, but was otherwise fine. My BPM of 154 was appropriate for the conditions and unlike Wednesday’s run, there were no heart rate shenanigans with the Garmin Forerunner.

I didn’t experience any notable issues during the run, other than mild regret for not having gone out on Friday. I kept the hood up again for the first half or so, then pulled it down, because it wasn’t doing much, anyway. I honed my dodging skills as the run progressed and puddles formed and expanded before my eyes.

Other people running, a mix between people wearing shorts vs. tights/running pants. I wore my running pants and do not regret the decision.

Overall, one of those “glad it’s over” runs. Monday looks to be cloudy and much milder, so yay for that.

Run 836
Average pace: 5:51/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 9:45 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 29:24
Weather: Rain
Temp: 3ºC
Humidity: 84-86%
Wind: moderate, with gusts
BPM: 154
Weight: 170.4
Total distance to date: 6070 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (205/372/578 km)

Looking at the forecast, there was no way I was going to avoid the rain today unless I just didn’t run at all.

Which I gave some thought to.

But I did run, and it did rain steadily throughout–while only rising to a chilly 3C.

I wore shorts (which were fine–the walk to the river trail was a little chilly, but not too bad) and my long-sleeved shirt with my OR jacket. The OR jacket did a pretty good job of keeping me dry. When I got home, I found only a few light damp spots on my arms and chest, almost like a light (if very cold) sweat.

As for the run, it actually went better than expected. Despite the chilly conditions, my BPM was a nice 151, without any weird spikes, and my pace was 5:43/km, just edging my fogariffic Wednesday run. There was wind, so visibility was not too bad. There was a lot of puddle dodging and for the first 2 km, I kept the hood of the jacket up, which produced a strange, rhythmic sound as I ran. Eventually, my head bobbing was jostling it enough that I finally pulled it down. I actually preferred having it down instead of weirdly bobbling on top of my head.

There were a few others out getting soaked, including the guy I now call Green Shorts. He apparently starts his route somewhere in the Sapperton neighbourhood, as I passed him post-run in Lower Hume Park. He was not just wearing his green shorts again, he was entirely green, so maybe he is also a leprechaun or just prepping really early for St. Patrick’s Day.

Anyway, the run went better than expected, so I am pleased. I am also still frickin’ cold as I type this, so a nice shower is next.

Stats:

Run 834
Average pace: 5:44/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 10:07 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:48
Weather: Rain
Temp: 3ºC
Humidity: 96%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 169.5
Total distance to date: 6060 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (195/360/555 km)

For the fourth time in a row, I felt little motivation to go out and run, but I ran anyway. I copied last Monday by doing the river trail again, with the plan to be done and back by noon. Mission accomplished!

There is a rare fog advisory in effect today and remembering my last experience in the fog, I wanted to be prepared. As it turned out, I was over-prepared:

• I ran on the river trail, rather than at the lake, thinking it would be less misty at the river. It turned out to be not foggy at all.
• I wore my running pants because it was only 4C, and I expected it to be very humid and damp (chilly). The pants were unnecessary. I’m not saying I should have run pants-less, but shorts would have been fine.
• I also wore my running jacket (the one for cold/wind, not the one for rain) and it kept me nice and comfy walking to the river trail, but it was actually a little too warm for the run itself. Noted for future reference. I think my double layer approach would have sufficed.

As for the run, I started strong and wavered a bit in the second km, but mostly kept my form. I didn’t have any weird spikes in my BPM, keeping to a range of 153-161 with an average of 153.

A young guy dressed in bright green shorts and almost-matching cap went jogging by me as I was heading back on the final stretch. He seemed way too happy. No one is that happy when jogging. He was obviously moving at a faster pace and I expected him to catch up and pace me if he also looped back.

He did loop back, and he did catch up–but then he never passed me. Instead, he hung back at a respectful distance, using me as a kind of pace car. Before realizing he was doing this, I deliberately slowed my pace, hoping he would pass, but he didn’t, so I resumed my normal gait. When I reached the gate near North Road and turned around, he did not follow, so I assumed he either ran beyond the trail or was taking a break. Shortly after I finished my run, he showed up and ran by, still looking happy as the proverbial clam.

The happy runner, snapped as he ran by me post-run:

Overall, this was a decent start to the week, with a decent result–5:42/km–and no issues to report. Wednesday is looking like it might be the coldest run of the fall yet, but still sunny. We shall see!

Stats:

Run 832
Average pace: 5:42/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 10:47 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:42
Weather: Low cloud and fog
Temp: 4-5ºC
Humidity: 92-90%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 169.5
Total distance to date: 6050 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (185/343/528 km)

Alternate title: People Not Knowing How to Dress for the Weather

To be fair to said people, today was an odd combination of mild–18C–and yet kind of soggy. It was cloudy as I headed out to the river trail, but it finally started to drizzle right at the very end of my run, so my plan to start early to beat the rain was mostly successful.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, which meant there would be more people out (never run on a stat) and indeed that was the case. The river trail is nice ‘n wide, though, so there were no issues. Some people were overdressed as if it was more like -18C, many were not prepared for rain, but there were also a few fellow joggers out, looking happy and smiling because it’s a holiday and conditions were pretty nice for running.

I had four days off, which is one more than I prefer (more than three days and I feel I start to lose my fitness, which is backed up by studies and other scientific junk), but given my activity over the past few days (a lot of walking) and the way my right knee was feeling, I felt it prudent. I was actually faster today than last Wednesday’s run (5:45/km), though my BPM also climbed, to a still-decent 154.

As for the knees:

• Left knee: Fine!
• Right knee: Interesting! It definitely felt sore to start, and even the right shin was feeling it, but over the course of the run it started to improve, as did my pace. By the last two km it seemed pretty OK and as always I was left with whether it really was OK or was it adrenaline/endorphins kicking in? I don’t think 5K is long enough for adrenaline to really work, so I am leaning toward the knee mostly being stiff and not being horrible and badly hurt.

All that said, the right knee is definitely not back to normal, so I’ll probably stick to 5K runs for the time being and see how it goes for a bit longer. The frustrating part is knowing I can do 10K and being held back by the knee. Stupid knee. Affectionately pets knee, it’s not really stupid

Stats:

Run 816
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 9:56 a.m.
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 28:54
Weather: Cloudy, some drizzle
Temp: 17-18ºC
Humidity: 74%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 167.2
Total distance to date: 5960 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (95/179.5/274.5 km)

I opted to run on the river trail to condense the amount of walking and time needed. I think it was the right call.

Conditions were similar to Monday temperature and humidity-wise, but instead of rain, it was partly sunny, which was nice. There was a breeze, but no big gusts or anything.

The river trail was surprisingly quiet, especially given that the weather was not bad (the first few days of fall have been mostly bad). I set out with no particular goal in mind, other than maybe having a lower BPM than the last few runs. I achieved this with a BPM of 156 and overall pace of 5:43/km. A big aid in getting that pace was the first km, where I was not trying to run fast, yet ended up with a blistering (for me) pace of 5:28/km. At the high end, I got up to 5:56/km by the 3rd km, before picking the pace back up to finish.

The left hip was probably the quietest it’s been in a while, no doubt due to the smooth terrain of the river trail, while the right knee twinged briefly mid-run, and then was fine after.

Overall, a good run and I’m glad I didn’t have to face back-to-back runs in the rain. I can run in the rain, but I don’t like it.

Run 811
Average pace: 5:43/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 12:28 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:47
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 15ºC
Humidity: 81-82%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 156
Weight: 166.7
Total distance to date: 5935 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (70/138/208 km)

Due to a Mouse Incident™ I was up much earlier than normal and had previously thought about skipping the run today to do other things, but in the end I headed out and was running on the river trail before 10 a.m. Conditions were pleasant–the showers forecast did not materialize, save for a few drops pre- and post-run.

At first, my legs felt a bit cranky, just stiff and sore (mostly from stretching). Things settled down, but then about one km in, the left hip started up, as per usual these days. It subsided for a bit, then later made its presence VERY WELL-KNOWN before subsiding again. The left knee also started acting up for a bit, too, but it also settled and was better toward the end of the run. I shall monitor these things closely.

In terms of pace, it was fast. Compared to the last river run, I came in at 5:45/km, was comfortably under the six-minute mark the entire way and my BPM stayed at a very nice 148. So from that end, it went well.

Plus, no dogs off leash. Or mice.

Stats:

Run 805
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 9:49 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:56
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16ºC
Humidity: 72-70%
Wind: light
BPM: 148
Weight: 167.5
Total distance to date: 5905 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (40/69/109 km)

I had a poor sleep last night due to an upset tummy and some unexpected bowel sensations in the middle of the night (something I ate?), so was not feeling especially perky this morning. I still decided to do a run, but kept it short, just walking to the river trail and running 5K there.

Even with this more compact routine, it was still obvious my tank was low, because although I cleared the six-minute mark, my overall pace was 5:56/km, which is pretty sluggish for the river trail, where I can easily be at least ten seconds faster. I didn’t feel overly sluggish while running, like I just wanted the whole thing to be over, but I could tell I just wasn’t moving the way I normally would, right from the start.

The left hip was present again, though diminished, and the right knee was OK, but just below, the calf was feeling a bit sore, again probably from the stretching. I may need to do milder stretching pre-run, rather than the apparent He-Man stretching I’m doing now.

Conditions were good. It was 17-18C, which was nice, and humidity was high, so no need for water on the go. We had showers earlier, so there were a few small puddles to navigate, but nothing of much concern.

Post-run, there was a Quasi Dog Incident. I had started my walk back when a large German shepherd mix suddenly ran ahead of me, barking. I froze, waiting to see what would happen next. Its owner came jogging by and called the dog over. I let them get well ahead before resuming my walk. I pulled off and held my place again as they turned at the end of the trail and came back. If karma is a thing, his dog will bite him. Or something. I’d settle for him getting a big fat fine for having his large, uncontrolled dog off-leash.

Anyway, I got the run in, so that’s good. Friday is looking warmer, so I will make an extra effort to get out early.

Stats:

Run 802
Average pace: 5:56/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 10:53 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:50
Weather: Partly cloudy
Temp: 17-18ºC
Humidity: 82-79%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 167.1
Total distance to date: 5890 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (25/39/64 km)