Burnaby Lake runs

I headed out a little later than intended, but still safely ensconced in the morning hours, plus as a bonus, it was cloudy and cool (for running, this is a legit bonus).

I opted to run counter-clockwise and started near the fountain by the dam, instead of the 0K marker. This saved me from having a prominent hill to climb up right near the beginning of the run. This turned out to be wise, as my energy level was a tad low.

I missed Monday’s run for reasons (pretty good reasons, really!) but this meant I’d had six days off since my last run, which is about three more than I’d like. I felt the time off.

The good news is that despite having three km just over the six-minute mark, I still came in under, at 5:57/km, thanks to a decent-ish start and a finish where I put in a little extra effort.

I had only one notable issue during the run, just over 2 km in: my shorts started chafing around the crotch. This is not a good place for chafing! I paused the run for a few moments to adjust and it seemed fine after, but it was weird. I don’t like weird on my runs, unless it’s something like someone else jogging up beside me to give me a cheque for a million dollars or something. That is the kind of weird I can handle.

The only other issue was post-run, and it was steering clear of these guys, who popped out onto the trail just as I approached:

In all, a not bad effort for mid-week and the time off. I look forward to the time when running 5Ks feel “easy” again.

Stats:

Run 923
Average pace: 5:57/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:53 a.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 29:57
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12-13°C
Humidity: 80-76%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 171.9
Total distance to date: 6,450 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (45/75/120)

Music: The Beach Boys, Sounds of Summer

I changed things up today:

• Started in the morning
• Wore new socks!
• Wore new running shorts!
• Uh, that’s about it.

Admittedly, the new socks aren’t particularly noticeable. The new shorts are the latest iteration of the Nike Stride Dri-Fit running shorts I wear. They have changed again since I last bought a pair:

• They now offer a compression short liner, which I did not opt for. I do not want to wear tight-fitting shorts under my loose-fitting shorts.
• The zippered pocket is now in the back (it used to be in the back before, so this is actually a regression to how it used to be placed).
• It has little reflective lines on the back, near the bottom, for improved visibility.
• The drawstring now hangs out the front instead of being tucked inside. I do not like this and have already yanked the drawstring back inside the shorts.

Other than these changes, they’re pretty much running shorts. The zipper feels much smoother and the fabric has that nice new fabric feel to it. Maybe they made me faster, because I shaved five seconds off my previous pace.

The big change, of course, was going out in the morning. It was cooler and I started out (and finished) much stronger than the previous run, with no stops along the way and no individual km over the six-minute mark.

A tendon on my right knee feel a little hinky to start, but it settled quickly and is not an issue now. I otherwise experienced no problems. For a brief time, I even felt kind of good!

My BPM was up to 155, but it maxed out at 160, so I’m not concerned. I definitely felt I was putting in more effort.

Mini poopmonsters are all over the place now, though they were not actually on the trail itself today, which is handy for avoiding getting chased/hissed at by an adult.

Also, the bears are apparently back:

Anyway, a nice way to round out the week.

Stats:

Run 922
Average pace: 5:51/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:26 a.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 29:24
Weather: Sun and high cloud
Temp: 14-15°C
Humidity: 56-54%
Wind: light
BPM: 155 (max. 160)
Weight: 172.4
Total distance to date: 6,445 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (40/62/102)

Music: Electric Light Orchestra, Time

No, I did not pee in any unauthorized manner during the run.

Rather, the title refers to my li’l SPI-Belt water bottle, which has a clip and clips to the belt. Although I’m not using an official SPI-Belt now, it works the same on my current belt. I filled the bottle up, after experiencing Dry Mouth Syndrome (DMS) on my last run and seeing humidity would be about the same on today’s run.

It turned out I never needed the water, because the real reason my mouth got so dry last time was not the humidity, but rather the wind. It was much calmer this morning (I also started about half an hour earlier), which solved the problem entirely.

After about two km, though, the bottle was consistently tugging down on the belt, which annoyed me enough to pause the run, remove the clip, put the clip in a pocket and just carry the bottle in a hand, switching periodically from one hand to the other for the rest of the run. It was a bit awkward, but much less so than the bottle dragging on the belt.

I will have to re-think my hydration needs for future runs.

Meanwhile, the run itself was fine. I achieved my main goal of coming in under six minutes, with a pace of 5:55/km. I did dip to 6:01/km for laps 3 and 4, but picked up the pace to finish and also had a good start at 5:46/km. No issues otherwise.

The trail was not quite as busy as the previous few runs, maybe due to the slightly earlier start. I did encounter a tractor that was mowing. The driver stopped and signalled for me to pass, which was a bit awkward, as the vehicle covered the entire width of the trail, forcing me into the ditch. Fortunately, this part of the ditch was grassy, not swampy. I also had to doge a guy weed whacking near one of the footbridges. That was easier, as he was the one off the trail.

Other than that, the weather was a nice mix of sun and cloud, never getting too hot or cool. I didn’t wear sunblock, but I sense I will need to start slapping it on soon to avoid burning.

Stats:

Run 920
Average pace: 5:55/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:34 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:40
Weather: Sun and some high cloud
Temp: 14-15°C
Humidity: 54-55%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 172.1
Total distance to date: 6,435 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (30/41/71)

Music: Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah

The weather was pleasant today, so I headed out for a nice trail run. I briefly contemplated doing the “easy” route of running the river trail, but ended up going to the lake, running the 5K, then walking the rest of the way around and back. I am at 26,188 steps as I type this.

My calves will voice their concerns later.

I filled my water bottle and almost took it, but humidity was still around 68%, which is a fair bit higher than the last run, so I risked going no-water and it was fine.

I started right at the 0K marker and when I hit 1K, I was a bit surprised that my pace was a rather languid 5:59/km. On the other hand, I can’t say I felt like I was pushing at all, so this wasn’t alarming or anything.

At the end of the second km, my pace was now 6:07/km. This was alarming, so I picked up the pace a little, but was still focusing more on being like a buffalo: slower, steady, and less like a gazelle: faster, nimble. My pace improved to 6:04, but I knew it was unlikely I’d come in under the six-minute mark.

I finished with a pace of 6:01/km. and you know what? It’s fine. I felt good, I wasn’t gasping for breath, my BPM was 152. I’ll get faster again as I get in better shape (and losing a few pounds might help, too).

I also discovered, when looking over my stats on the Garmin Connect site, that the voice that announces my pace every km does not round up or down, but the site does. Here is a chart where:

• Pace = Pace as reported on Garmin Connect
• Pace During Run = Pace as reported during the actual run
• Exact Pace = Pace without any rounding of numbers

Lap	Pace	Pace During Run	Exact Pace
1	6:00	5:59	6:00
2	6:08	6:07	6:07.7
3	6:04	6:04	6.04
4	6:04	6:03	6:03.9
5	5:53	5:53	5:53.4

The differences are slight, but can have a psychological effect. For example, while the Garmin Connect site reports the same pace for laps 3 and 4, the watch reported lap 4 as slightly faster, which proved encouraging and inspired me to push a bit more for a faster finish.

It was again strangely busy on the trail for a weekday morning. I either need to start earlier, or maybe people are just getting out a lot whenever it isn’t raining. A lot of dogs at the lake were off-leash, which is unusual and bad, though the dogs were at least well-behaved.

Oh, and post-run, I spotted multiple murders (or whatever you call them) of goslings. The poopmonsters have been busy! Good for them, I say. You can’t spend all your time honking, hissing and going berserk.

Stats:

Run 919
Average pace: 6:01/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:01 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:18
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 68-66%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 173.2
Total distance to date: 6,430 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (25/28/53)

Music: Blondie, Eat to the Beat

Today’s run was a little weird and unpleasant.

First, despite it being a weekday morning, the trail was unusually busy. And several people appeared on bikes! I managed, “Bikes aren’t allowed” as they pedalled past me. At least they weren’t riding like maniacs.

Conditions should have been optimal, but the combo of wind and humidity was apparently enough to result in some nasty DMS¹Dry Mouth Syndrome and it got so bad at one point that I paused the run briefly to try to generate any kind of moisture in my mouth at all, because I could not swallow. The pause was about equivalent to the time it would take to tie up a loose shoelace, so I don’t think it gave me much of an edge in terms of pace.

Speaking of pace, this run–probably because of the dry mouth and constant sun–felt a lot harder than Monday’s. I crept past the six-minute mark on the second km and hit it exactly on the third, but thanks to a decent start and recovery at the end, finished with an overall pace of 5:58/km, with a BPM once again of 152.

I toyed with going on a straight 5K, then walking out from the lake, but I’m glad I didn’t, because my watch was already yelling at me for overreaching at the end of the run.

I think I may have to dig out my li’l water bottle and take it on my next run. There is something horrible about trying to swallow during a run and your mouth is so dry you literally can’t. Bleah.

Still, that’s another 5K done, and I didn’t have any other issues, so here’s to Friday’s run being better-hydrated and smoother. I’ll also try to aim for an earlier start.

Stats:

Run 918
Average pace: 5:58/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 11:16 a.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 29:57
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 14-15°C
Humidity: 56-53%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 152
Weight: 170.9
Total distance to date: 6,425 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (20/15/35)

Music: R.E.M., Reckoning

With bonus people, because the Easter weekend is the only one of the year with not one, but two stat holidays.

This time several family groups with wee children did kind of get in the way, but just a little. Dogs were well-behaved, but as often on the river trail, some were off-leash. Boo to the dog owners.

As for the run, I started out a bit slower in order to pace myself (I am still rusty as all get-out) and was mildly concerned when the second km edged just over the six-minute mark, but I picked up the pace to finish and ended with the same average as my 3K run a few days ago: 5:55/km. BPM was up slightly to 152, which is fine as I actually pushed a bit in the second half.

I didn’t experience any issues otherwise.

The weather was mostly sunny and around 10C, which felt a bit cool with the wind before the run, but was fine during.

Overall, it was skookum to get another actual 5K run done. Onward and upward, I say! Or at least onward. Upward would be a bit weird for running.

Run 917
Average pace: 5:55/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:04 a.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 29:45
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 10-11°C
Humidity: 68-66%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 170.6
Total distance to date: 6,420 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (15/7/22)

Music: Blondie, Parallel Lines

I finarly did it.

For the first time since December 2, 2024 (!) I ran a full 5 km.

I did it by starting at a deliberately slow pace, where my first km was a sloth-like 6:10/km (I am confident I would have been under 6:00 if I’d run at my regular pace). I felt this was vital to having enough gas to finish the run and I think I was right, as my pace fell off for every kim, until the last, where I managed to go fast enough to…match my 4K speed.

The overall pace of 6:21/km will improve in time, but the important thing is I know I can do it.

It also helped that it was super mild, with it rising to 14C by the end of the run, literally twice the usual high temperature for the day. I wore one layer, and it was my long-sleeved short. For the run, a regular tee would have been fine, but the wind picked up a little on the way back and the long sleeves came in handy then.

Likely due to the very mild temperature and no real chance of rain, the trail was moderately busy and I passed multiple other joggers, dog walkers and such. There were no issues anywhere along the router and the trail was in good shape, though I could see signs of recently felled trees in several locations.

As for the littering: a Pepsi paper cup left on the trail near the Jiffy John™. This irked me, because this is right near the parking lot, which has a garbage can. It annoyed me enough that I picked up the cup and disposed of it. To do so, I had to first move an empty pop can from the lid of the garbage can. Seriously, how can you bring a can to the garbage and not put it in? Could the person not prefer the bear-proof handle? Maybe it was a bear carrying the can.

The rickety bridge: The bridge over Deer Lake Brook has been in bad shape since I started running here in 2011. It has not improved with age. Although a few planks and one set of stairs have recently been replaced, the bridge as a whole feels exactly the way it looks when you jog across it. You start thinking things like, “How could is the water underneath it?” The good news is it’s getting replaced, per this sign:

The bad news is the first boardwalk on the same trail has had signs saying “plans for repairs are underway” for more than two years now. Maybe three, actually.

I didn’t experience any issues during the run, likely thanks to my slovenly pace, but as I sit here typing these words, I’m at 30,000+ steps and my legs are starting to feel a wee bit stiff. I suspect tomorrow will be a Rest Day.

Still, it was great to finally get back out and do a “real” run again.

Stats:

Run 908
Average pace: 6:21/km
Training status: Overreaching
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:12 p.m.
Distance: 5:02 km
Time: 31:55
Weather: Cloudy, intermittent sun
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 62%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 171.4
Total distance to date: 6,395.0 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Switchback (these are old shoes and will be replaced soon™)