Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 1:18 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:23
Weather: Cloudy, some sun
Temp: 7ºC
Humidity: 92%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 170
Weight: 163.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 4395 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 6
I wore close to my summer gear today: shorts, but a long-sleeve rather than short-sleeve t-shirt. Even with a bit of a breeze it was fine at 7ºC. The longer sleeves helped to keep my hands and arms warm.
I managed to beat the rain, with the sun actually poking out a few times. A couple of hours later the sky turned gray and scary and The Rains returned. It’s always nice to dodge the rain bullet.
The first few minutes the left knee was creaky again and even the right ankle briefly joined in providing a sort of stereo effect of pain. The ankle cleared up quickly, though, and the left knee was fine after a few minutes of warming up. I think stretching may be beneficial as it occurs to me that the relative inflexibility of my legs may be contributing to the issue or at the very least slowing potential recovery. And maybe I’ll toss in a compression sleeve, as I mentioned previously.
Looking at my splits, I started out at my finishing pace of 5:14/km–much faster than I was planning or expecting–but really took off for the second km where the pace dipped to 5:03/km. Looking back, I can’t think of what inspired me to turn on the afterburners here. I eased up for the next few km before finishing with a zippy 5:07/km for the last stretch. The higher speed also meant a higher BPM, though I managed to hold it right at 170.
The run even inspired me on the walk home, resulting in my first walk under 9:00/km in awhile.
Overall, a good run, though I should probably be a little less zealous and focus more on stamina, a lower BPM and all that. It’s always so weird to run so much faster than I plan to, like my legs have little minds of their own and these minds are all, “RUN FASTER LOL!”
Run 544 Average pace: 5:16/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:28 am
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 52:57
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 9ºC
Humidity: 72%
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Weight: 155.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4232 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
It was actually a bit chilly on today’s run, with the temperature never climbing into the double digits. I do not regret wearing the long-sleeved shirt.
With clouds, cool temperatures, and a small but real threat of showers, I expected the trail to be fairly quiet, but it was actually almost as busy as a stat holiday, with several incidents of traffic clogging up.
The walk to the lake was a bit slower than normal, maybe because I was still trying to get warm. I noticed a commentary of sorts on one of the new STAY OUT signs along the Brunette River trail:
Fine, I’ll just publicly consume alcohol right here.
I chose to run counter-clockwise upon arrival to the lake and was uncertain how it would go with a four-day layoff (I missed a run on one of my usual days due to illness). The first km didn’t feel sluggish, exactly, though my pace was not exactly like greased lightning at 5:23/km. I really think it was cold enough that it took me awhile to warm up and find a rhythm. My pace would prove to seesaw throughout the 10K, with the fastest stretches coming at the third, fifth and tenth km marks. In the end I finished with an average pace of 5:16/km, my best 10K of the year, so I’m pleased with that.
The extra time off seemed to help with the stiffness in the left leg. It did feel a little stiff, but only a little, and it took much longer to get there. The walk after was faster and I had no issues.
The trail, as I mentioned, was busy. There were some runners, but mostly it was people bundled up in parkas determined to enjoy the outdoors. I salute them for that, as long as they don’t get in the way, which for the most part they didn’t. The clogging incidents mentioned above were mainly just people converging from different directions at the same time.
By the sports fields there appeared to be some kind of informal run competition of sorts happening. I say this because I saw no special markers, banners, flags or anything else. I also saw, upon just rounding the corner where I head onto the part of the trail bordering the fields, about a dozen runners heading straight toward me at high speed. A wall of runners. I scooted over to the right to avoid being stampeded and they flew by in a blur. About halfway along the stretch here–so a minute or so later–another similar group came barreling at me, including a young guy cheekily running topless and pretending to not feel the cold. He was not pretending that his upper body was perfectly chiseled, however. Oh to be young and, well, perfectly chiseled. I got about 50% of that when I was his age.
There was one other thing I came across on my run, but it wasn’t a pedestrian or a runner or even an accursed cyclist (none were in view today). I was maybe 20 or 30 meters along the Piper Mill Trail when I rounded a corner and saw on the trail ahead of me a dark orange cat. Not someone’s pet, though, as it was about three times too big. It was a bobcat, making this the second time I’ve come across one at the lake. As soon as it spotted me it darted off into the bush, so I never felt threatened by it. It just looked like a really big housecat without much of a tail, kind of like this:
I sent off an email to the Metro Vancouver Parks people, just in case. I’d hate to have a bobcat eat someone’s baby.
This was the first run at the lake where I’ve used the AirPods and playback was fine until just near the 6K mark when it abruptly stopped. I checked the music app on the watch and it looked like it had paused for some reason. I tapped Play and the music resumed and continued without incident through the rest of the run.
I’m going to blame Siri, just because.
While the double-tap on the left earbud at the start of the run properly paused play, I was never able to get the double-tap on the right earbud to skip to the next song, though it’s worked before. I tried once using Siri instead (“Hey Siri, next song”) and still nothing happened.
I definitely blame Siri on that one.
It’s possible that I may not have held the watch up high enough to turn the face on (which Siri requires before it will listen). I can use the actual music app controls to skip ahead–this requires bringing the watch up, swiping left to get to the music controls, then tapping the Forward button. None of this is difficult, but it takes a few seconds to do and you have to look at the watch when you do it. Taking my eyes off the trail while running is something I’m really hesitant to do, as I’ve got direct experience in what can happen in the span of one or two seconds (it involves falling and bleeding and picking gravel out of your skin). In the end I just listened to everything that came up and thanked myself for not having completely awful taste in music.
I may reverse the control scheme on the AirPods and see if that works better.
Overall, though, this was an unexpectedly brisk run on a rather brisk day.
Run 542 Average pace: 5:22/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:16 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 53:54
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12ºC
Humidity: 70%
Wind: light
BPM: 170
Weight: 154.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 4217 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
I booked today off to get an extra-long Thanksgiving weekend, so I could make the most of resting and relaxing.
The relaxing started early as I opted to skip my usual Thursday evening run. I compensated today but heading out this morning for a run at the river or lake. I really didn’t know, I just headed out.
It was 12ºC the whole time but with little wind, so it felt cool but not cold. Still, this was one of the first days where the weather had a much more tangible feel to it. The sky threatened rain but the forecast said it likely wouldn’t happen until the afternoon, so I figured I’d probably be good.
Save for a few drops right at the end of the run, I was.
I opted for the lake and originally thought I’d stick to a 5K but instead did a full loop and turned in a pace of 5:22/km, shaving three seconds off my previous best. I was not expecting this.
The trail was pretty quiet, with only a few other runners and a couple of walkers present, one of who I passed twice as she rounded the lake clutching a giant paper cup of coffee and wearing a big jacket with a fur-lined hood pulled up over her head. She looked comfy.
No bears again. They should be heading off for hibernation soon, I think, if they even do that here.
A bunch of new signs have been posted at the entrance to unofficial trails that literally say STAY OUT. I predict they will have minimal effect. Since most of them lead to a pair of railway lines, I suspect Metro Vancouver is trying to cover itself for liability in case someone gets taken out by the Rocky Mountaineer or a 150 car coal train en route to whoever still uses coal for energy.
I started out the run telling myself to stay steady and indeed the first two km were the slowest. In fact, the whole run was strangely reversed, with the first km pace being 5:35/km and the last being 5:04/km (which is fairly blazing for the end of a 10K–maybe I was concerned about the rain starting and my nipples exploding). The fifth km was always weirdly faster than most at 5:12/km. I think for that one I was maybe thinking of only doing a 5K and wanted a strong finish then found myself going on, anyway (my average pace would have been about 5:26/km if I had).
Around the 6K mark the tendon in the left leg started getting stiff, but it leveled off again as it had on the last 10K, and after about five minutes or so it felt much better, as the back half of my run illustrated.
Overall, a perfectly cromulent run and it stayed dry on the walk home, too, which was a nice bonus. I opted not to use the AirPods today because of the potential rain. While I’ve never had a pair of EarPods damaged by rain, it only costs $30 to replace them should they get damaged. The AirPods cost about seven times that, so I’m a bit reluctant to expose them to precipitation. I’m willing to bet they’d be okay, but I need to spend more time using them before I can get past the idea of potentially wrecking them. Get my money’s worth first, you know. I listened to two Tom Petty albums for the run (Full Moon Fever and Into the Great Wide Open) and while I’m bummed that he’s gone, it still seems a little surreal at the same time. Tom Petty dead of a heart attack at 66 just seems off, somehow.
Run 541 Average pace: 5:00/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:04 am
Distance: 5.05 km
Time: 25:15
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 16-14ºC
Humidity: n/a
Wind: light
BPM: 172
Weight: 155.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 4207 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
With the sun setting at 6:46 p.m. I headed out as quickly as I could for tonight’s run. With clear skies it was only slightly gloomy by the end but it’s pretty clear there’s probably only another week or so left before it’s going to be getting downright dim and then dark for after-dinner runs.
I will have to decide what to do soon.
But not right yet.
Tonight’s run was a bit different, technology-wise, as I picked up a pair of AirPods, Apple’s wireless ear buds. I also synced a bunch of music to my Apple Watch and so headed out without my phone for the first time in a good long time, relying on my Watch’s GPS to track the run and the AirPods to play entertaining music from the Watch. It all went surprisingly smoothly, with no hitches in the sound, the AirPods staying firmly in-ear and even the battery of the watch surviving without taking a big hit. It felt weird to not have the phone, which shows how dependent we’ve become on the infernal devices, yet nice at the same time to just pop on the AirPods and go, no belts or cords to mess with.
A side benefit is the AirPods carry the Workout app’s sounds. I almost never notice the haptic feedback from the watch when running and only occasionally hear the sound that plays at each km interval. It was nice to actually hear all of them clearly for a change, taking me back to the days of using the Nike+ app (maybe one day I’ll try that again, too).
The only real downside is without any cell/internet connectivity the run couldn’t record the weather conditions, but that’s a fair trade-off since I’m actually in the weather and everything while running.
And speaking of which, it was a pleasant clear evening so I felt rather spry. As a bonus, only minimal sweating and it didn’t start until after the 3K mark.
Now, I have no idea how accurate the Watch GPS is vs. the one on the iPhone, but tonight’s pace was a year’s best 5:00/km, with three km coming in under five minutes. This beats my previous best of 5:09/km. If I had known I was so close to breaking the five-minute mark I would have pushed just a tiny bit more but still, it’s a nice round number.
The left leg is still feeling a little stiff but it’s entirely tolerable and recovered quickly after. As long as I don’t go all crazy and start sprinting I think it will be fine.
Overall, a pleasing result, both in terms of the new set-up and the performance. Here’s to getting at least a few more runs in before The Long Dark Winter with guest star Long and Almost as Dark Fall, sets in.
Run 540 Average pace: 5:25/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:22 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 54:24
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 14ºC
Humidity: 82%
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Weight: 154.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4202 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
Because I last ran counter-clockwise at the lake, today I ran clockwise. However, I started my run a little after 10 a.m., which turned out to be around the time a running event was beginning at the lake. The runners, as tradition dictates, were heading in a counter-clockwise direction.
And so it was that between the 3-4 km mark I noticed someone dashing by wearing what looked like an event jersey. The design was too elaborate for me to read as he whizzed by, but then I noticed a few more and thought there must be a small running group out and aboot.
It was when I approached the bridge at Deer Lake Brook that I could see dozens of people in a slowly-spreading out formation, all moving toward me. I managed to barely stay on the edge of the trail and for a moment wondered if I should just switch direction and go with the flow. After another moment I figured they’d pass soon and all was well after that until I rounded the sports fields and about five young women sped past me like a bullet train toward what looked like a finish line. At this point I had no idea how many events were going on or where or how or why, I just quietly hoped I’d be off the trail before hitting the next batch of eager participants.
And I was.
With the forecast promising rain, I headed out with the temperature hovering around 14-15ºC, nearly perfect for running. I didn’t even notice any sweat until I was nearly three km in! The sky was a mix of cloud and sun but this was one of those days where the sun felt like a fall sun, unlike two days ago when it got weirdly warm (27ºC in Vancouver) and very much felt like a summer sun. I prepared for possible rain by protecting my nipples (I wish I could come up with a cute nickname for them. “The boys” seems wrong.) but the rain obligingly held off until two hours after I had finished the run.
I kept up a nice pace and the cooler weather made it easier to maintain the pace. Somewhere between the 5-6 km the left leg began to feel stiff but I waited it out for a bit and it leveled off quickly, so I was able to finish the full run and even felt a little spry in the last stretch (I wasn’t really any faster, but I did keep up a very consistent pace throughout). The walk home was fine and as I write this the leg seems to have recovered nicely. My overall pace was my second-fastest for a 10K this year at 5:25/km. I am provisionally prepared to say I am safe for running 10Ks on the weekend.
Which I will probably do in a counter-clockwise direction from now on.
Run 539 Average pace: 5:09/km
Location: Brunette Brunette River trail
Start: 6:07 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 25:58
Weather: Clear
Temp: 19ºC
Humidity: 64%
Wind: light
BPM: 159
Weight: 155.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 4192 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
Well, that was weird.
I had three things benefiting me on tonight’s run: the weather was very pleasant, with the sun behind the trees, the temperature 19ºC and little wind, it made for near-ideal conditions, with minimal sweating and such. Secondly, the river trail is much more forgiving than the trail at Burnaby Lake, with minimal changes in elevation and wide, gentle curves. Thirdly, I started the run at the start of the trail, so my warm-up walk was only 1.5 km instead of 4 km as it would be if I’d been running at the lake.
And cyclists are allowed at the river, which oddly means they are much better-behaved.
All said, I was aware of not overdoing things again and indeed, the second km found my pace dropping off by a fair bit as I tried to rein things in. Then the weird part happened. I found a good, solid pace and maintained it for the rest of the run–and ended up with my best 5K run of the year so far, with an average pace of 5:09/km. It’s the first time I’ve also come in under 26 minutes. I was not expecting this.
About two km in I felt a very slight bit of tweaking in my left shin but it eventually went away and the left leg was otherwise pretty much fine, with little of the stiffness I felt on Sunday. My BPM was lower, too, due in part to the utterly nice conditions.
Overall, a very welcome run, especially coming after what could have been a potentially nasty muscle injury. I think as long as I don’t try pushing harder I’ll be okay–for both running and walking.
Run 536 Average pace: 5:12/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:26 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:12
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20-21ºC
Humidity: 30%
Wind: light
BPM: 171
Weight: 155.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4174 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
One of the minor annoying things about after-dinner summer runs is the sun is low enough in the sky to shine directly into your eyes.
The fact that the sun was already too low to do that tonight is a good indication that summer is coming to an end. Also, all of the rain in next week’s forecast. My poor nipples. 🙁
And speaking of, I wore one of my sleeveless shirts tonight because the fabric is a little lighter and smoother than my other running shirts. Since I was going without nipple protection, this seemed to be the best way to avoid another chest-related bleedapalooza. And it turned out fine. I think I’ll only really have to cover up, so to speak, when it is raining, because that’s when the clothes start sticking.
So next week, as per the forecast I mentioned above.
Two things I noticed on the trail tonight: the first was a pervasive dusty odor. Despite the bit of rain we had on the weekend and a brief shower yesterday morning, it’s still quite dry, so cyclists are still churning up clouds of dust along the river trail. Weirdly, the whole trail still smelled of dust even when none was visible hanging in the air. It was kind of weird.
The other thing I noticed were lots of cyclists. They were all well-behaved, so no issues there.
Conditions were quite nice. With the sun tucked behind the trees and the temperature hovering around 20ºC it was nice and comfy, with only minimal sweating and no real dry mouth to bother me.
My idea was to settle back a bit after the last few runs but I somehow managed to end up with my fastest 5K of the year, at 5:12/km. My last km pace was 4:546/km, marking the first time this year I’ve broken the five minute mark.
At one point it felt like a stitch was going to develop, so I eased up a little, but even that had no effect on the overall pace.
My BPM was back up to 171, which is about where it goes when I basically sprint for an extended stretch.
I’ll try to moderate my pace for real next time.
Also, it was starting to get dark about fiften minutes after I got home, meaning the extended runs along the river and then to the lake are pretty much done for the year, there simply won’t be enough daylight after dinner. Alas. Even the 5K runs are going to start getting iffy in about a month’s time. I’ll have to decide between treadmill or noon runs then. I don’t like either option.
Run 535 Average pace: 5:26/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:59 pm
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 54:29
Weather: Sun and cloud mix
Temp: 18-21ºC
Humidity: 62%
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Weight: 155.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 4169 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
I was having trouble with the plumbing so stayed home from work today. By early afternoon things seemed better enough to prompt me to do my run then instead of waiting until after dinner.
I reluctantly shaved my chest after Saturday’s run in order to make it easier/less painful to protect my strangely sensitive nipples. I covered each with a Band Aid before heading out because even though there was no rain in the forecast and it was warmer, I wasn’t taking a chance.
It proved unnecessary because a) it didn’t rain and b) it was warmer. Plus now the skin under the Band Aids is red after I removed them. Oh well. Maybe I’ll look into official Nipple Guards® or something in the future.
The sky was clouded over, which is nice for a run when the same clouds don’t empty a bunch of cold water on you. Less than a km into the run the sun started poking out and while it never got hot, the jump in temperature from 18-21ºC was noticeable.
I felt decent for the first half of the run, even peppy, but started feeling a bit tired on the second half as the temperature climbed and the sun did its thing. Annoyingly, they were doing more work on the trail near the now-absent 5K marker, forcing me to run across the field, which is lumpier than I’d expect for a sports field. Maybe I’m just used to running on gravel.
Looking at my splits, I got off to a sluggish start at 5:28/km but dashed along at 5:17/km for both the fourth and fifth km. Interestingly, the same thing happened on Saturday, when I was running counter-clockwise. I have no real explanation for this.
And speaking of detours, the sewer construction around the condo expanded today to the point where my three-block walk to Hume Park turned into a maze-like journey that added more than a km to my walk to Burnaby Lake. Never live near construction if you can help it, kids!
The slower pace meant my BPM was also down, to 161. Overall, it was still easily my second-best 10K of the year and with no other issues, a solid effort. Even better, I didn’t finish covered in mud and blood. Never finish a run covered in mud and blood, kids!
Run 534 Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:52 am
Distance: 10.04 km
Time: 53:50
Weather: Rain
Temp: 14ºC
Humidity: 86%
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Weight: 156.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 4159 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
The weather finally changed yesterday and today it changed even more, with lower temperatures, actual rain and the blessed end of the smoke haze (again).
I was curious to see how it would go with the different conditions, and it turned out to be very different.
And also mildly horrifying. But I’ll get to that in a bit.
It was 14ºC and showering steadily when I headed out and stayed that way before, during and after the run. The only change was sometimes during the run it would start to rain a little harder, then ease up. It’s the first time in months that I’ve run in rain from end to end.
My hands actually felt a bit cold by the time I got to the lake. It was weird.
A large walking group was assembled near the dam, their umbrellas jostling against each other. Fortunately they had just ended their damp jaunt so they weren’t an obstacle. A second group later on were actually parked out of the way at a trail intersection, being talked to by their presumed leader (“Glad we all brought umbrellas today, lol!”)
What surprised me, though, were the number of joggers out. The spitfire was out, as were plenty of others. Naturally a pair of tall, thin, supersonic jets were speeding along the first boardwalk (after I’d already dodged an umbrella-carrying couple). Fortunately they were so thin I slipped by without too much trouble.
More than any other recent run I felt genuinely energized. I never pushed to run fast, I just naturally gravitated to doing so. If I was sweating at all it was impossible to tell as I started the run thoroughly drenched. By the halfway point I stopped trying to dodge all of the shallow puddles and instead embraced them. When I got home I had mud and muck above my knees. And everywhere below them.
The energy level wasn’t all in my head as my pace was a relatively blazing 5:21/km–that’s a full 19 seconds better than Monday’s 10K and only five seconds off Thursday’s 5K. Yes, that’s how much my performance is affected by warmer temperatures. Who knows how fast I’d be running at the Arctic Circle. My BPM was also way up, to 169, not surprising as I was moving a lot faster and over a longer distance, but I felt surprisingly good throughout.
It was only on my walk back after that I noticed something wrong.
I have over the last few years developed strangely and highly sensitive nipples. Why, I don’t know. It’s annoying. What I do know is that if I run in the cold or in the rain (even a summer rain will leave your skin feeling cold), the nipples will start to ache. When I get home after such runs I need to let my skin temperature get closer to normal before having a shower or bath to avoid turning the ache into a glowing pain.
As I walked along the now-raging river, I could feel the nipples doing their thing. I looked down at my chest, as I do from time to time, and noticed a strange streak of dark orange (the shirt I was wearing today was orange). It looked like the fabric was bleeding color. I lifted the shirt to see if my skin was now stained the same color, but it looked fine. I kept looking up and noticed something strange and mildly horrifying.
My nipple was bleeding.
Both of my nipples was bleeding. The stains I was seeing were trails of blood. I was simultaneously grossed out and embarrassed.
There wasn’t anything to do, so I kept walking and tried to cover up the twin tracks of nipple bleeding as I passed by others. When I got home I doffed the shirt and confirmed the obvious. It was like I was lactating blood.
Grossbuckets.
I rinsed the shirt in cold water and presumably because it was fresh, the blood washed out with little effort. I then hit the web to be my own doctor and found that “runner nipples” are such a common thing that some running stores sell nipple guards to prevent what had happened to me.
What had happened to me? When my shirt got thoroughly-soaked it started to cling to my skin but the motion of running meant that the fabric continued to saw back and forth across my chest. This chafing action can cause the skin at the top of the nipples to break. When it breaks, it bleeds. Making it stop during a run is pretty much impossible, so preventative measures to avoid chafing are advised:
wear band aids over the nipples
wear those weird nipple guards
apply petroleum jelly or some other lubricant (presumably one that won’t stain and ruin your shirt)
wear a waterproof out layer
I suppose you could also try running topless. In fact, just after I crossed Still Creek bridge I saw three guys who, judging from their stances, had just finished a run. They were young and chiselled and none of them had bleeding nipples so I hated them a little. Actually, my nipples weren’t bleeding at the time, but I hated them, anyway.
I’ll probably try band aids and see if they work. I’ll have to do some shaving as I have a hairy chest. Curse my hair and nipples, I say.
The trail itself was mostly fine for the first half of the run but a puddle-palooza in the second half. I did see one change–near the 5K marker they’ve piled on another layer of gravel, further elevating that stretch of the trail. The 5K marker was also missing, possibly buried under all the new gravel. I am assuming they’ll continue with the bonus layer of gravel along that entire stretch. No flooding so far!
Despite the bloody chest and incessant rain, it was nice to have real energy and not feel slowed down by the weather for a change, so overall, a good run.
Run 530 Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:35 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:36
Weather: Mostly cloudy
Temp: 21-20ºC
Humidity: 62%
Wind: light
BPM: 166
Weight: 156.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 4124 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
I was planning on resuming my regular run routine last night (Tuesday) but it was 30ºC, which is kind of stupid hot for running, so settled for a brisk and very sweaty walk at lunch.
Today was much cooler so I went for a basic 5K to reacquaint myself with running on a work night. For the first time in weeks, the temperature went down as I ran instead of up. It was around 20ºC, which, when out of the sun, is cool enough to only produce minimal sweating. It was nice.
I set a more deliberate pace because I wanted to ease back into things but somehow ended up with a pace of 5:17/km again, just like on Saturday. Unlike Saturday, my BPM was still high but a little more sane at 166.
No issues during the run save for a few crampy moments caused, not by the run, but by actual gas.
I wore my new medium Nike shorts and while they fit okay, I’m thinking the large size would probably work, too. These are the same shorts that I have always bought in the small size before (and have three other pairs of small size that continue to fit fine, so it’s not like I’ve magically expanded). The shorts were fine, though they looked like they were, uh, shorter than the others I have. I could see the tan lines on my legs, especially the left leg. It was strangely distracting on the way to the river. Fortunately I don’t stare at my legs while actually running.
Run 529 Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 9:27 am
Distance: 5.04 km
Time: 26:42
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 19-20ºC
Humidity: 56%
Wind: light
BPM: 177
Weight: 157.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 4119 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
For once I actually got up and headed out for a run at the actual planned time. On a day I wasn’t planning to run.
But I figured with a movie in the afternoon and dinner after I wouldn’t be getting in a whole lot of activity, so better to get it done early.
With the forecast calling form warmer temperatures, I headed out around 9 a.m. and it was actually up to 20ºC by the time I finished my run, a 5K at the river.
Conditions were nice, with a soft breeze, the sun high enough to not get in the eyes, and enough canopy to make most of the run pleasantly shady. As expected, I pushed a little harder as I often do on the river, coming in with a pace of 5:17/km, one of my better 5Ks of the year. My BPM skyrocketed over yesterday, though, all the way to 177. Apparently I just couldn’t slow down.
My legs felt a bit stiff for the first few km but loosened up after that and I experienced no issues otherwise.
The trail was relatively quiet, a few cyclists and other runners were out. In the end this was perhaps an even better way to end my vacation runs–a quick, brisk and spontaneous jaunt. My next run should theoretically be Tuesday after work. The current forecast is for a high of 29ºC that day. I see profuse sweating in my near-future.
Run 528 Average pace: 5:34/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:04 am
Distance: 10.04 km
Time: 55:54
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18-20ºC
Humidity: 51%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 151
Weight: 157.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 4114 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
Today I achieved a palindrome, having run 4114 km. This is not a precise figure, as I tend to round down (most runs are 20 or 3 meters past the actual 5/7/8/10K mark, but either way, it’s a good number.
I also wrapped up my 10K summer vacation runs on a positive note, beating my previous pace by four seconds at 5:34/km (one of my better 10Ks this year). I even felt pretty good for a long stretch, helped by lower temperatures, minimal sweating and just generally feeling better. This was reflected in my lower BPM of 151.
The run was pretty normal. I started at the top of the hill near the dam and hit the 10K mark before reaching the bridge at Silver Creek. The detour at the athletic fields was in place again for more tree-chopping or something. The placement of the detour sign was also once again obnoxiously placed right at the spot you exit out from a very narrow part of the trail and onto a much wider, open part. This particular exit also comes on a blind corner so the barricade just suddenly appears and blocks your way out. The first day it was out it was placed across the wider section, which is the actual part that needs to be blocked. I don’t normally say these sorts of things but the person who put the barricade in place yesterday and today was and is an idiot. I actually paused my run to move it to where it had been on the first day of “trail repairs” but stopped short when a car parked near the “repair” area started to move. I thought someone might be coming to yell at me and I had a run to finish (this barricade is almost exactly at the 5K mark). Whoever was in the car apparently only wanted to move it a few feet for whatever reason, so I was probably okay, but still.
I’ll move it all the way over next time if it’s still there.
Other than that, the run was uneventful, with not too many people out, despite the sunny skies. I had to dodge a putt-putt car at one point but the driver did not have the pedal to the metal, so I was good. Oddly, I also had to dodge a truck (get it??) on the river trail, too. Busy day for the only authorized wheeled vehicles.
The new shoes are still holding up. I again felt some very minor discomfort but nothing that would affect my run.
Overall, I did the following during my vacation:
ran 9 10K runs
ran 1 5K run
ran 1 6.38K run (this was the aborted 10K when I wore the Hoka Stinsons that tried to murder my left foot)
My amazing math skills show me this adds up to 101.38 km for the vacation. Not too shabby!
