fast legs

Run 638
Average pace: 5:36/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:54 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 56:08
Weather: Partly cloudy, sunny
Temp: 13ºC
Humidity: 40%
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Weight: 164.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 4780 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (140 km)

I don’t mean it should have rained because I wanted it to rain, the trail was just so packed with people today that a little rain would have kept most of them at home playing Jenga, drinking beer or both. But it was mostly sunny and not too terribly cold, so there was a lot of people.

To be fair, most were quite obliging at making room for me as I passed by. There were a few occasions when a group of three would span the trail and become confused as I got close (“Which way do I turn to get out of the way? Aiieee.”) and one little kid almost tottered right into my path because dad was too busy watching something fascinating on his smartphone, but generally it was fine.

An off-leash dog (almost all were off-leash today) managed to avoid poking me with the gigantic branch it was happily carrying clamped in its jaws, so that was good, too.

As for the run itself, although I had some dips in pace, this run felt a lot more natural in terms of where I was faster or slower. Speaking of faster, I came out of the gate flying. I wasn’t really aiming for that and suspected it would catch up to me quickly (it did) but still, the opening km was 5:07/km, the closest I’ve come to dipping below the 5-minute mark in a long time. I did not experience any of the creakiness starting out as I did on Thursday, so perhaps I was excited at being able to run without restraint.

The second km my pace drooped to 5:34/km–still faster than Thursday–then further still to 5:48/km. But over the next four km my speed improved until I finally started to tire at the 8 km mark. I flagged a bit at 9K (5:55/km) but finished the last km with a pace of 5:43/km and an overall pace of 5:36/km–just one second slower than my 5K three days ago.

I was very pleased with this.

Other than feeling a bit tired around 9K, I actually felt pretty good throughout, with no discomfort or other issues. Stamina was fine. Everything was fine, really.

I chose to wore my heavier long-sleeved shirt, thinking it might be a bit cool and breezy. It was on the walk to the lake and the temperature stayed around 13ºC or so, which is actually fine for running. When the sun came out, I was a smidgen too warm, but not terribly so. The lighter long-sleeved shirt or even a regular t-shirt would have been fine.

On the river trail heading to the lake I saw what I think were the same gaggle of runners I’d seen going topless some weeks ago at the lake. None were topless this morning. The clothing was all over–most had t-shirts and shorts, but some opted for long pants or long sleeves, and one also had a jacket. The guy with the jacket was definitely overdressed. I imagine he runs in a parka in December. At the lake I saw a guy wearing a muscle shirt…and gloves. I mean, even when it’s cool, my hands warm up and start sweating in minutes. With gloves? Yuck.

Walking back from the lake I passed a large group of cyclists, which seemed to provide a kind of symmetry to the runners. I liked that. Plus none of them rode too close or cut me off or anything. Nice cyclists.

Tuesday’s forecast looks good so far. I’m wondering just how gloomy it will be by the time I finish my run. The sun sets at 6:50 p.m., which is about five minutes before I get home (and roughly five minutes before I finish my run). The days of after-work runs are drawing to a close for another year…

Run 636
Average pace: 5:29/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:18 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 27:32
Weather: High clouds, partly clear
Temp: 17ºC
Humidity: 69%
Wind: light to nil
BPM: 163
Weight: 166.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 4765 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (125 km)

Three days after my first 10K run in over a year and a half and I set out on my first post-dinner 5K in awhile.

Although it was 17ºC it felt a bit cooler, another sign that fall is here. Running-wise, the temperature was fine, of course. The sun is also low enough now that even when it’s clear I don’t encounter it on the river trail past 6 p.m.

I started out unsure of how the run would go, then felt like I was hitting my stride later on before giving a good, final push in the final km.

While I encountered no issues (yay) the results–the first using my new Series 5 watch–were strangely all over the place (note that the GPS reading still comes from the phone, which remains my iPhone 8).

My overall pace was pretty good at 5:29/km and my BPM, while higher than the 10K, was still well under 170, coming in at 163. But the km to km pace was…weird.

First km: 5:25, about what I’d expect, coming in under the average, all fresh and zippy. Second km I drop to 5:32, which is not huge, but notable. Third km is 5:37, so another smaller drop–again, this is not unusual. But the fourth km my pace switches up to a blazing 5:11. I do not recall turning on the afterburners for the fourth km, so have no explanation for this, other than if I really was moving this fast, I must have felt pretty good while doing it.

The final km, where I deliberately started pushing harder, came in at…5:38, the slowest pace of all. Weirder still, at about 4.3 km in, I glanced at the watch and my current pace was 5:26–which in retrospect seems about right. Since I pushed after that, I am puzzled as to how that pace kept dropping all the way to 5:38.

In the end the overall pace was decent and seems about right, but the wildly shifting numbers are odd.

Overall, then, a good if somewhat baffling effort. There was still plenty of daylight left at the end of the run, though the stairs connecting Lower Hume Park to Hume Park were a bit gloomy. I suspect they will be gloomier still on Thursday when the sun will set within 15 minutes of the run being completed.

Run 635
Average pace: 5:51/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:19 am
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 58:36
Weather: Clouds and sun
Temp: 15-17ºC
Humidity: 75%
Wind: light to nil
BPM: 158
Weight: 164.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4760 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (120 km)

I set out to do an actual 10K run today and I did, yay.

My last 10K was before all the knee business started last spring. I checked and found it happened on February 3, 2018–594 days ago. Yikes.

On the encouraging side, my pace today of 5:51/km–which is almost exactly what I was expecting–is actually six seconds faster than that run 594 days ago. BPM and weight are both lower now, too, so it seems I am heading in the right direction.

This was also the first run after my birthday. I think 55 is still considered early retirement age, so perhaps I should be waving a cane and yelling at clouds, but the run went fairly well instead.

I started on the south side of the lake, just before the 0K marker. I did this because I expected to be slow and wanted to avoid the possibility of having to start a second loop to hit 10K. My devious plan worked. Because I had to run uphill and over a slippery dam and down narrow wooden stairs, I did not come flying out of the gate. In fact, it wasn’t until the third km that I actually came in close to my overall average pace. My best km was the last one at 5:32/km, when I applied a little gas to end on a high note.

I debated on how to dress before the run. The temperature was forecast to be around 17ºC, which was accurate, but there was also a chance of rain. I opted to risk that by sticking to a short-sleeved shirt and was glad I did because a long-sleeved shirt would have been seriously overdressed.

With high humidity but lower temperatures, I didn’t have to worry about dry mouth and though I was sweaty around the forehead, my upper body stayed surprisingly dry. Stamina was not an issue at all–I deliberately avoided pushing at any point, choosing to stick to a comfy pace and as I moved past the 5K mark where I’d usually end a run I was confident I could go the full 10K.

The knees did not hurt exactly, but I could feel them, especially on the back half of the run, but the stiffness was pretty minor. I even did some running on the shorter walk back from the lake.

The sky was cloudy at the start of the run, but the weather improved as I kept going and the sun eventually came out. Although we are still a few days away from the official start of fall, the sun has already lost that “gonna make you sweat like crazy” feel. It felt a bit warm, but that was all. A few more signs of impending fall are also on view–the lily pads are starting a slow retreat that will accelerate over the next month, and some trees are sporting copious numbers of yellow leaves, though The Great Shedding has not yet begun.

Despite being a weekday morning, there were a fair number of people on the trail, though there were no traffic issues, save for one jogger coming toward me on the same side of the trail. I was on the right side (in both senses) and did not alter course. She switched over, but seemed to do so reluctantly. Escalator rules, lady! Also, one big dog off-leash came up to me but fortunately did not impeded my progress. I was too in the zone to even offer a look to the dog’s owner.

Overall, I am very pleased at how the run went and now realize I could have been doing 10Ks earlier. I don’t regret the wait, though, because you have to be physically and mentally ready and the mental part was definitely not there yet. I am tentatively planning another 10K on Sunday, though the forecast is calling for rain and a 10K run in the rain would be poopy. But we’ll see.

Run 634
Average pace: 5:30/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:05 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:39
Weather: Drizzle, cloudy
Temp: 14ºC
Humidity: 90%
Wind: light to nil
BPM: 161
Weight: 165 pounds
Total distance to date: 4750 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (110 km)

My Saturday run streak has ended at one. I slept in yesterday and ended up not running, so it was another Sunday run today.

The forecast was not promising–rain was expected and not just rain, but thunderstorms. Scary! And while it was a bit drizzly/misty to start, the precipitation stopped early on and it actually brightened up. The sun even poked out a few times post-run. We have officially entered the time of year where predicting the weather becomes tricksy.

After some contemplation, I opted to not go counter-clockwise and experience the freshly resurfaced side trails. I’m not sure why, maybe I thought the Cottonwood trail would be all slick with wet leaves from the earlier showers.

I had no issues during the run and with the temperature hovering around 14-15ºC and little wind, conditions were actually pretty nice. It was quite humid, but the lack of sun and cooler temperatures kept sweating to a minimum, though I would have been fine wearing a regular t-shirt rather than my long-sleeved one. My heart rate was up a little, as befits lake runs, but my average pace was a solid 5:30/km.

One of the things I had thought about before the run was pushing beyond 5K. In the end I didn’t do this for a couple of reasons. Somewhere between the second and third km I heard footsteps behind me. This is pretty rare, so I glanced behind and sure enough, another runner nimbly sped past me. At first I was content to let him go, then I decided to challenge myself and maintain pace with him for as long as I could. This turned out to be not long. I gave up, but consoled myself with the fact that he was probably 30 years younger than me–likely early 20s. Will he still be running when he’s 54? Will he be as fast as me? Perhaps. The extra burst of speed to maintain-ish pace tuckered me out a bit, and then I did a push toward the end to end the run at 5K. I just didn’t feel like going farther.

But then a funny thing happened. I began my walk out of the lake and after a few minutes I started to run. And I did not stop until I reached the dam. So I did a 10K of sort,s just with a few minutes break at the halfway point. Because I wasn’t running for speed or anything, my pace kept dropping from a low of 5:39/km to a high of 6:18. If I average it all out with my actual 5K run, my overall 10K pace would have been around 5:44/km, which is actually pretty decent considering my 5K runs were slower than that at the start of the year.

Next weekend I’ll try a formal 10K and see how it goes. In terms of stamina, I had no issue extending the run and while my knees felt a bit stiff as I kept going, they certainly didn’t present enough of a problem to stop me, though it’s possible they could have slowed me down a tad.

With the forecast gloomy there weren’t that many people on the trail but being Sunday there were still some out and aboot, with a few other joggers, and mostly people walking dogs.

I did end up running on the resurfaced side trails and they are still very nice. The Cottonwood trail was not covered in leaves, as I had feared, though that will change over the next month. I did have to do some puddle-dodging, particularly along the fields where the usual flooding was occurring. As much as I’d like them to resurface the long, tree-root covered Cottonwood trail next, this much shorter section clearly needs it more, as it floods when a kid spills his can of Coke.

An unexpected delight was the work on the Cariboo Dam wrapped up a month early (it was expected to be done by October 15). This means I can now come in through the regular entrance, which is more convenient and I like convenience.

Overall, a good run, especially with the unofficial 10K test. Here’s to going all the way (heh heh) next time.

Run 633
Average pace: 5:27/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW then CCW)
Start: 2:56 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:28
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 63%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 164 pounds
Total distance to date: 4745 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (100 km)

Today I was not feeling great–headache, queasy stomach and let’s just say me, the bathroom and the number 2 got to know each other really well. But it was a run day and I didn’t want to skip a run, so I perhaps foolishly headed out.

At first I planned to do a river run, but after walking to the far end of the river trail I had yet another strong urge to go to the bathroom, so I headed to the Jiffy John™ at the lake and after that, I figured I may as well run there, too.

In order to be as efficient as possible, I opted to run clockwise for 2.5 km, then turn around and run counter-clockwise back. I’ve done this a few times in the past, but this may have been the first time I specifically chose to do it.

Conditions were decent. It was cloudy and showers overnight meant it was quite humid. The air actually smelled earthy at times, which was not entirely unpleasant. I didn’t have to dodge any puddles, luckily, though slugs, beetles and one rather plump garter snake were out on the trail. In fact, I probably saw more slugs than people, a consequence (or perk) of running on a weekday.

I felt like I had a good start (pace turned out to be 5:13/km) and never had any problems at all, finishing with a zippy 5:27/km, my best pace for the lake this year, though it feels mildly like cheating because of looping back on the same part of the trail.

Overall, then, and especially considering how it might have gone given the way I felt today, this was a very good run. On to Thursday and the river and (checks forecast) and what is currently showing as a 100% chance of rain. Yikes.

Run 632
Average pace: 5:37/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:52 am
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 28:13
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 18ºC
Humidity: 73%
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Weight: 162.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4740 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (95 km)

Today’s run was done as if in reverse. I started out actually behind the average pace of 5:37/km, coming in at 5:39/km, and ended well below with the fifth km being 5:26/km–faster than my average on Thursday. Weirder still, I didn’t particularly notice any of this, I just felt good throughout.

But being slower on the first km is also interesting because I did run the side trails, now with the closed signs removed and the protective boards on the foot bridges removed. You’d think I’d glide along the super-smooth, root-free section of trail, but apparently I was so dazzled by the resurfacing that I slowed down to admire it.

Starting from the third km, I continued to pick up the pace, with the clouds shielding me from the sun, the temperature much lower than last weekend’s lake run, but humidity quite a bit higher–enough to ward off dry mouth, but not so much that I sweated like all get-out. Conditions were decent, in other words.

This is also the first time in awhile that I planned on a Saturday run and then actually ran on Saturday, so hooray for me!

The shirtless men thing was a bit odd. I had finished the run and was walking out from the lake when one of those tall, impossibly lean runners went past me, his shirt tucked into his shorts, the better to showcase the fact that his body had no fat at all on it. A short time later a similarly lean guy sans shirt passed. This summer I have not seen many guys without shirts (alas), so seeing two in a row was rather unusual. And they kept coming, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs or threes. Not all were topless, but many were. I figured they were part of some group, but I none were wearing anything to identify the group. I call them The Mostly Shirtless Runners Club.

I ran a lot on the way out, but not as much as I could have because I also had to go potty and as I’ve established before, running and having to use the washroom is not a good combo.

Overall, this was a good run, with no issues of note to report. I was 10 seconds off the river run’s pace on Thursday, but nine seconds better than the last lake run, which feels about right. I may try for a 10K when I’m next running at Burnaby Lake, or at least try running more than 5K. We’ll see!

Run 631
Average pace: 5:27/km
Location: Brunette River
Start: 6:39 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:22
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 26ºC
Humidity: 54%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 163.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4735 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (90 km)

When I got home from work tonight I was tired enough that I flopped on the bed for 15 minutes and contemplated not running. I then decided to change and at least head down to the river trail, thinking I might do a one hour walk/run thing instead. But in the end I opted to do an actual 5K and emerged with one of my best times of the year.

It’s weird how that happens.

It was quite warm tonight, and fairly humid, but it was another one of those equilibrium things where each element mostly balanced out the other, especially with the sun not actually beating down on me for more than a couple of seconds, though the sky was clear. This kept sweating to a minimum and decreased the effort needed, as reflected in a snazzy BPM of 152.

My overall pace was 5:27/km and I did not start like a rocket,. I just hit near the overall pace early and kept at or near it for the entire run. My right ankle felt a little creaky for the first km, probably due to bad posture sitting at my desk at work, but after five minutes or so it sorted out and was fine. I had no other issues.

Overall then, an unexpectedly good run.

Run 629
Average pace: 5:30/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:11 am
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 27:38
Weather: Sunny, clear
Temp: 26ºC
Humidity: 44%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 164.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4725 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (80 km)

I was not expecting much more than a standard sort of run tonight, as it was quite a bit warmer than the last few runs, but lo and behold, despite the mugginess, I was somehow still moving along and finished with a pace of 5:30/km and a surprisingly low BPM of 153.

My left foot was a tiny bit sore at the start, but it smoothed out quickly, and a stitch in my gut threatened, but never materialized, so other than it feeling kind of sticky, the run was fine.

In fact, I can’t really think of anything to add. Thursday looks to be about the same weather-wise, so we’ll see if the run follows. My prediction is I will be slower as the week wears on, but maybe not.

Also, that raccoon was not at the river today, which makes me happy, both for myself and the raccoon, because raccoons kind of scare me, really.

Run 627
Average pace: 5:26/km
Location: Brunette River
Start: 6:07 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:22
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22ºC
Humidity: 47%
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Weight: 164.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4715 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (70 km)

On the way to the start of tonight’s run I was thinking about how sometimes I’ll feel tired before a run and then go on to turn in a good performance, and other times the run will reflect that same sluggish level of energy. The latter actually doesn’t happen that often and I kept that in mind as I got ready, as I was not feeling super-invigorated.

It turned out I was secretly super-invigorated because I ended up turning out my fastest run of the year, finishing with a pace of 5:26/km. A large part of this came about due to a burst of speed in the fourth km, something I’ve noticed happening in several other runs recently, as if I’m catching my second wind or finding the perfect stride right around that 20 minute mark. In this case my fourth km was a blazing 5:04/km, the closest I’ve come to breaking the five-minute mark this year. And I emphasize that I was not trying to do this, I just felt good and kept the pace up (or increasing it, as it turned out).

I didn’t really push at all until the last stretch and by then I was slowing, with my pace dropping to 5:22/km. But it was the only time I felt even a little burn–and it was little. The rest of the run there were times where I felt genuinely light on my feet, as if I’d found that perfect rhythm or zone. My mind bounced over a succession of topics and in this case, a wandering mind is a sign of a good run.

My BPM was also low at 155. The conditions helped, too, as it was warm but far from hot after yesterday’s rain, and the sun was low, so I only got a few minutes of it. Humidity was reasonable, so sweating wasn’t excessive and I never felt dehydrated.

I’m surprised and kind of delighted by how well the run felt. The next one will be at the lake and I suspect it will not feel as effortless as this one, but I’ll bask in the glow for a few more days, at least.

Run 626
Average pace: 5:41/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:16 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 28:33
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 19ºC
Humidity: 67%
Wind: light
BPM: 160
Weight: 163.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 4710 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (65 km)

First, the strange news: Today’s run took me 28:33 minutes. The previous 5K run, which I did on the river trail, took me 28:34 minutes, a difference of one second. How I can manage such precision while running in two different locations is baffling and a bit unnerving. But yay for consistency when the result is good!

Now, the good news: It was much cooler and cloudy for today’s run, which made for a refreshing change of pace. Sweating was minimal and my energy felt strong throughout. I was actually a tad disappointed that I came in at the same overall pace as the previous run at 5:41/km. I was hoping I’d be faster–though the lake is a more technical run than the river, so there’s that.

After some contemplation, I chose to go clockwise yet again, as work continues on the side trails. There is more progress, though, as I could see the Conifer Loop has been resurfaced, complete with the top layer being smoothed into place. Hopefully they’ll wrap it up by next weekend.

I did not get off to a zany fast start this time, and the pace from one km to the next was a little more consistent–in line with how I felt. I thought of running more than 5K, but in the end wanted one more direct comparison, especially after missing a run. Post-run, I walked the first km, then ran the entire second km, with a pace of 5:41/km, matching my overall pace for the run. This is encouraging. I actually ran a lot on the way out, with no issues at all.

Overall, this was a nice effort. I felt good, had lots of energy, had no issues and it was not busy on the trail, likely thanks to the cloud cover.

Run 625
Average pace: 5:41/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:16 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 28:34
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 26ºC
Humidity: 45%
Wind: moderate
BPM: 156
Weight: 165 pounds
Total distance to date: 4705 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (60 km)

I was going to run on Saturday but did some errands and then had a kind of lazy day after that (I did go for an hour-long walk, so not totally lazy). Sunday the weather was showery, so I waited for a break, but the weather never really changed, so I ended up having two lazy days.

Monday was Monday. I only run on Mondays when it’s a holiday.

Which meant I ran today, Tuesday, with a four day break in-between runs. Longer than I’d like, but on the edge of being acceptable. This was a post-work run, so I set off to the river trail.

It was not four degrees warmer than Thursday’s run, and humidity was lower, but the balance was pretty close, which meant I sweated, but not a lot, and my mouth did not turn into a mini-Sahara. It also helped that the sun was lower, so most of the run was in the shade. Yay shade.

My left foot was a bit sore to start (probably a posture thing–as I sit here typing this, I have my feet on a foot rest, but had my right foot resting on top of the left one, smooshing it in a way that’s probably not great), but it settled down quickly, and there were no issues after that.

BPM was similar to Thursday, but my overall pace was faster at 5:41/km. Curiously, the fourth km was by far the fastest, a zippy 5:08/km. I’m not sure why I was moving so swiftly at that point. Maybe I slipped into “must finish quickly so I can eat dinner” mode. By comparison, the previous km was 6:06/km. That difference is kind of crazy. Maybe I was so slow in the third km that I ended up being well-rested for the next one.

Overall, a fine run, with no apparent side effects from the four days off.