Burnaby Lake runs

I wasn’t sure what I would do for today’s run, but with it in single digits before I headed out, I wore my Echo hoodie again. The temperature began rising fairly rapidly and by the end of the run–before 11 a.m.–it was already up to 14°C, but I didn’t feel as overdressed as I did on Wednesday. My Performance Condition was rated at a fairly mediocre -2 starting out, but I felt good, more relaxed and not pushing, just moving along at an agreeable pace. By the second km, that pace was 6:02/km, so I did put a little more effort in, but especially on the final km, I focused more on extending my stride than raw speed.

I ended with an overall pace of 5:56/km and BPM of 148. Both are fine.

Conditions were decent–it was sunny, but cool, with almost no wind at all. Humidity was lower than Wednesday, so sweating was minimal. I didn’t have any issues.

The trail was relatively lightly populated, given conditions. I saw a semi-regular runner I am calling Hopper, because he runs with a distinct limp on one leg. I’m not sure if it’s an old injury, a difference in length or something else, but it doesn’t seem to slow him down at all.

Along the river trail before the run I watched a few salmon heading upstream to spawn. One was trying mightily to transfer from the Brunette River to Stoney Creek, but couldn’t quite make it. I had to keep moving, but I’m sure the salmon emerged victorious. I mean, until it actually spawns, then dies. What a life.

Anyway, a good run to end the week.

Stats:

Run 1,077
Average pace: 5:56/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: -2
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:26 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:53
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 13–14°C
Humidity: 73–69%
Wind: low
BPM: 148
Weight: 173.0 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,185 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (165/335/500)

Music: Beauty and the Beat, The Go-Go's

It showered earlier in the morning, so I dressed for it just in case, but even though it was only 14°C I still ended up feeling slightly overdressed. I paused the run briefly between the 1 and 2K mark to roll up my sleeves to avoid the unsightly problem of forearm sweat. The trail was also pretty much dry by the time I got to the lake and I only had to dodge a few puddles, mostly early on. It was and stayed very humid for the run.

I saw another runner who I think I’ve seen before and may be a new regular. I don’t have a name for him yet, but tentatively shall call him White Cap. In general I didn’t see many runners or walkers, and the ones out seemed to fall into two groups: taking the dog out or walking as part of a group. Some people that were part of the latter were surprisingly oblivious, not really seeing me even though I was running directly at them. One was lost in their phone (of course), but another was lost in his feet, somehow.

Generally, though, people were not a problem. My left knee was also not a problem, but for the first time in a long while I could feel it, a little. But only near the beginning, so I think it was working out kinks. No one likes kinky knees. Well, some probably do. I do not.

I started the run feeling a bit sluggish and came in at 6:02/km. OTOH, my Performance Condition was a zesty +3, so I picked up the pace a little and came in with an overall pace of 5:53/km and a nice BPM of 148. These stats are in line with my recent runs, so I feel like I’ve hit a plateau. I must ponder what to do next. Try another 7.5K? Do a 10K? Invest in a Jacuzzi and screw all this running? So many options!

In all, a perfectly decent midweek effort.

Stats:

Run 1,076
Average pace: 5:53/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: +3
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 11:03 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:36
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 14°C
Humidity: 90–87%
Wind: low
BPM: 148
Weight: 172.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,180 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (160/322/482)

Music: Shuffle play

I knew the trail would be busier because of the Thanksgiving holiday and sunny weather, but at one point I was jogging in place because the trail had become so clogged with people in both directions that I couldn’t even pass. It was a little annoying.

There was also someone with a bike–but he was actually walking it! Both weird and nice.

As for the run, when I wasn’t dodging half a dozen people on one of the boardwalks, it went pretty well. No issues of note and I finished strong. I ran the same route as Friday and added +1 to my BPM (150) but also came in three seconds faster with an overall pace of 5:51/km.

I wore my Echo hoodie and while I probably would have been fine without it, I also didn’t feel overdressed at 13°C. Most of the other runners–and they were legion, too–were wearing a mix of short/t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts/light jackets, with not much in the way of jogging pants yet.

The crazy winds of Friday were but a memory and, even better, the park workers had cleaned the leaves off the trail, making navigation a lot easier.

In all, a fine fall run to start the week.

Stats:

Run 1,075
Average pace: 5:51/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: +2
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:14 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:22
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 13°C
Humidity: 65–56%
Wind: low
BPM: 150
Weight: 172.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,175 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (155/314/469)

Music: Eye in the Sky, The Alan Parsons Project

I originally thought about doing a short loop going clockwise around the lake, but changed my mind and just ran the full 5K, then walked the rest of the way around.

I skipped Wednesday’s run because my watch declared it a Rest Day and I obey my watch when it tells me to rest. My obedience is more uncertain when it tells me to do other things.

The highlight (?) of today’s run was: wind! And plenty of it. Post-run the weather app on my phone said the wind was blowing 21 km/hour and I have no doubt it was gusting much higher than that at times. The trail was covered in leaves, twigs, branches and the occasional downed tree. This, combined with bright late morning sun, meant I had to be extra vigilant to avoid branches hiding amongst piles of leaves and such. I am happy to report I avoided all obstacles¹Well, I did get batted by leaves and small bits of debris multiple times, but nothing that could leave a mark and emerged unscathed.

I even managed to beat my slow start curse of late, managing to come in under the six-minute mark for all five km, with an overall pace of 5:54/km. My BPM was 149 and only edged to 153 at its peak. You might think the wind, when behind my back, may have helped me, but it did not. I distinctly remember a few times having it push directly against me, though.

There were some other runners out and some people strolling, but it felt like the numbers were lower, likely due to the tremendous wind.

In all, a somewhat odd but still kind of good end to the week (except for all the new ex-trees).

Stats:

Run 1,074
Average pace: 5:54/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:21 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:39
Weather: Sunny with high wind
Temp: 14–15°C (felt like 13°C)
Humidity: 64–51%
Wind: moderate to high
BPM: 149
Weight: 172.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,170 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (150/301/451)

Music: Time, ELO

I had no specific plan today, but decided to start a little gentler and see how things would shake out. At the first km mark, I felt pretty good. My pace was 6:11/km, which explains why I felt pretty good–that’s downright casual jogging for me. I continued with 6:12 for the second km and resigned myself to a nice, casual start to the week, but my pace improved and I decided to see if I could still get a 5K run in under the six-minute mark. I fell short, coming in at 6:03/km overall, but my BPM was a nice 147 and only peaked at 153 (well below the new maximum HR I was alerted to after the run ended: 163).

I didn’t experience any issues on the run and saw one regular, Hangdog, which was nice. I sweated more than expected, given the temperature, but humidity was quite high at 84%.

In all, it was a respectable start for the week. But it was only the beginning, as it turned out! (See next post for details.)

Stats:

Run 1,072
Average pace: 6:03/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:40 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:26
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 14–15°C
Humidity: 84%
Wind: light
BPM: 147
Weight: 171.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,167.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (147.5/301.5/449)

Music: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (accidentally in shuffle mode)

Note: I missed Monday’s run due to waiting all day for a delivery that did not show up. Fun!

Today’s run was a bit weird. It is a stat holiday (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation), so I expected the trail to be busier than normal, especially since the weather was also sunny. And it was! But more than I expected. There were a lot of people out, walking, jogging, walking with dogs, jogging with dogs. All the dogs were leashed and well-behaved. The humans were less well-behaved, as I counted four (!) cyclists. Two rode directly past me post-run. The second stopped when I said bikes weren’t allowed on the trail. He said he didn’t know. LIAR. Then, strangely, he rode off. A couple approaching me after seeing this both shook their heads at me. Indeed. The first guy was riding way too fast and never stopped. I hope a coyote bites and punctures both his tires.

As mentioned, conditions were good. It started a tad cool at 13 and only rose to 14 over the run, but it was sunny throughout.

Apart from the crowds, the run went fine. I didn’t really find my mojo until the 4th km and turned in a respectable 5:57/km pace. My BPM was up a bit to 151, reflecting my lack of mojo, perhaps. I didn’t experience any issues, so that was good. In fact, once I picked up the pace, I felt pretty good for the rest and for the 9 km walk back home.

As I approached the end of the river trail, near North Road, a guy with a white beard standing just off the trail motioned to me. I muted my music and went over. Her gestured toward the trees that stood between us and the nearby Brunette River. He told me the woods were haunted and he could hear the voices of women talking. I pointed out a nearby trail that gives access to the river and how it’s not really far from us. He pondered this, speculated there could also be people under the bridge (also nearby) and seemed satisfied. I continued home before he could switch to some other topic.

Back to the run: I opted for a 5K (instead of another 7.5K) because of the aforementioned mojo deficiency, which means I still have that dangling 0.5 in my total run distance. I’ll live with it for now.

In all, not bad for a midweek effort.

Stats:

Run 1,070
Average pace: 5:57/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: -1
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:17 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:55
Weather: Sunny with some scattered clouds
Temp: 13–14°C
Humidity: 75–70%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 171.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,157.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (137.5/284.5/422)

Music: Shuffle play

My watch warned me I might feel more tired and irritable today and it was right on both counts!

After spending most of the morning being irritated, I finally headed to the lake to do a run, intending on a more mild effort to start the week. It turns out I didn’t even need to plan for this, it just happened, because I was very low energy. I picked up the pace to break the six-minute mark in the final km, but overall felt decidedly meh. I didn’t experience any other issues, though.

The weather was fine, though my later start meant it was a few degrees warmer, which may have had a bit of a drag effect on my pace, too.

Also, this is kind of weird: Both today and Friday’s runs (in two different locations) began at the same time, 11:36 a.m. I’m not sure it means anything, other than I should get out earlier.

During the run I saw a fair number of other joggers, including a topless one at the start (no armband, though), and none I recognized. I also saw two snakes, one during the run and one after:

But the highlight, so to speak, was: I finally saw a coyote (they have had signs up all summer warning about increased coyote activity but I had yet to see one). And I actually walked right past it, close enough to reach out and pet it, without even noticing it. As I passed, I caught movement in the corner of my eye and there it was in the grass, intent on…something. It looked up at me for a moment, then went back to whatever it was doing. As you can see in this not-great photo, it had a handsome gray coat of fur:

In all, for the final day of summer and my first post-birthday run, it was fine. Perhaps I’ll have more pep on Wednesday.

Stats:

Run 1,067
Average pace: 6:05/km
Training status: Productive
Performance Condition: -2
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:36 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:34
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18–19°C
Humidity: 69–64%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 172.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,140 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (120/257/377)

Music: Shuffle play

The weather turned out to be a bit warmer than expected, with a projected high of 24°C, so I was lucky to get out early. It was 17 at the start of the run and ticked up to 18, so a bit warmer than Monday, with humidity roughly the same.

The sun is now lower in the morning, so I am seeing a lot more of the dappled sun thing when going under the tree canopy–gotta watch for those tricky exposed tree roots in the shade, though there’s only a few right now. But it only takes one, as I found out back in 2016.

The shaded areas felt pleasantly cool and in this last week of summer, the sunny stretches did not feel too warm–and it was quite sunny, blue sky stretching to the horizon.

I went clockwise and got off to a slow start, partly thanks to some people crowding the trail near the start, but also because I just didn’t move that fast. The opening pace of 6:13/km pretty much doomed me to an overall pace over the six-minute mark (and it was at 6:05/km), but it’s fine. I felt good and didn’t really push, though my pace did improve as I progressed, and the final lap dipped under six minutes, to 5:58/km.

In all, a cromulent midweek effort.

Also: The stiff left knee is mostly better now and as before, did not present any issue on the run.

Stats:

Run 1,065
Average pace: 6:05/km
Training status: Productive
Performance Condition: +2
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 9:58 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:40
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17–18°C
Humidity: 75–66%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 172.0 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,130 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (110/240/350)

Music: About Face, David Gilmour

As the kids would say.

With three days since my last run and the left knee feeling stiff after possibly twisting it while sleeping (?!), I opted to take it easy (don’t sue me, Don Henley!) and ended with a pace of 6:10/km, which is fine. Conditions were similar to Monday, but my BPM was up at a bit at 150, maybe just a bit flabby or something.

I did have six geese fly over me as I crossed the bridge at Deer Lake Brook. I’m not sure if that’s lucky or not. They didn’t poop on me, so maybe lucky.

I also had to avoid a riding mower, a parks truck, and a putt-putt car. The trail was busy, but not with people. I did not see any regular runners, but one guy running the opposite direction had BO strong enough to knock down an elephant. It hit me about a second after I passed him. I don’t want to know what he had for breakfast.

In all, a perfectly decent way to end the week. The knee survived and I remain on track.

Run 1,063
Average pace: 6:10/km
Training status: Productive
Performance Condition: -1
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 9:37 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 31:00
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 15–16°C
Humidity: 76–73%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 171.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,120 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (100/223/323)

Music: Savage, Eurythmics

It’s Labour Day and despite the cloudy skies and threat of rain, the trail was reasonably packed, with joggers, families, and others out and aboot.

And it was fine! Around 10 minutes into the run it started to drizzle and it persisted for about as long, so everyone out enjoying nature got slightly damp, including me. This was also fine.

I started out with a pace a little over the six-minute mark, second km was a bit faster and the rest were under, bringing my overall pace to 5:53/km, just edging my performance on Friday, though with an even lower BPM of 147. My final km was 5:33/km, my fastest lap post-surgery (noting it, as I don’t run for speed, but it’s nice to see I still have some oomph).

The runner with the weird armband was out again, still shirtless. He has a very neutral expression when he runs. Probably so people don’t notice the weird armband.

Conditions were very similar to Friday, and this helped produce a similar effort, which was better than I expected. Overall, a good start to the week.

Stats:

Run 1,062
Average pace: 5:53/km
Training status: Productive
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:01 p.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:36
Weather: Cloudy, some drizzle
Temp: 16–17°C
Humidity: 77–73%
Wind: light
BPM: 147
Weight: 170.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,115 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (95/210/305)

Music: Discovery, ELO