fast legs

Run 490
Average pace: 5:24/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 7:02 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 27:11
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 166
Weight: 166.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3840 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone

Tonight was one of the first times since the switch to Daylight Saving Time that I actually ran after work. It is surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) difficult to get motivated to run after working all day and coming home both kind of tired and a bit hungry.

But a small snack later and I was off.

Well, after replacing the shoelace that snapped just as I was about to head out. Both pairs of Horka Speedgoats have now suffered broken laces. Stupid goats. This compares to two pairs of New Balance MT110s that I ran over 1,000 km in with nary a fray in the shoelace fabric.

I scavenged a set of laces from a pair of runners I’m not using and they actually match fairly well. I then tied the right one too tightly, causing that foot to ache a little on top during part of the run. Whoops.

It was mild and cloudy, which also meant little wind. The sky seemed to threaten rain but held off.

I felt much more energetic than Saturday and that showed in my pace of 5:24/km, which is an astonishing 23 seconds faster than my previous run. The gentler and wider river trail lends itself to greater speed but I wasn’t expecting something quite so dramatic. Even my BPM was down to a more reasonable 166 (matching my current weight, sadly).

The trail was sparsely populated, with only a few people out. I know it is terrible in a way but I like having fewer people around when I run. Less chance of a collision, let’s say.

My music of choice was Billy Joel’s very-80s The Bridge. I always skip the song “Modern Women” because I can’t stand it. Just thinking about it sets my teeth on edge. Anyway, it came up and I double-tapped the pause button on the earpods remote, which means “skip to the next song.” Somehow it got interpreted as “fast forward” so I was subjected to the song but in a simulated chipmunk voice. This did not enhance it.

I turned to Siri on the watch to skip to the next song but Siri just shrugged and said, “I dunno what’s going on.” What was going on–or more precisely, not going on–was the Music app on the iPhone. It had crashed again, something it’s done a bunch recently. I figure this is because the phone and attendant contract are paid off and I’m being nudged to get a new one. I’ll have none of it! (for at least four months minimum)

Anyway, I’m pleased by tonight’s run. Thursday, which looks to be soggy and cooler, will be an interesting comparison.

Run 487
Average pace: 5:39/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:30
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 170
Stride: n/a
Weight: 166.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3825 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone

Today’s run was paradoxically faster and slower.

It wasn’t really a paradox, though. While I was slower than my previous run–5:39/km vs. 5:36/km, I was running different terrain (lake vs. river trail). If you compare my last lake trail run, I was much faster–5:39/km vs. 5:51/km.

It was mild but overcast, with light wind and the threat of rain. Apart from a few light drops now and then, the rain held off (as I type this the cloud cover has thickened, the wind has picked up and a storm seems imminent). I think the conditions helped to speed me along, as did running the more straightforward north side of the lake.

The stupid cyclists didn’t show up until I was walking back after having just finished the run, a young man and woman. The guy had that smug look on his faces that says, “That’s right, I’m here on a bicycle and I know I shouldn’t be. What are you gonna do about it, haw haw?” If I was a rotten person I’d push them over as they rode past but instead I just silently wish for karma to do its thing, preferably in the form of flat tires, bent spokes or attacking geese.

Speaking of attacks, the bear signs have gone back up. I do not wish to see a bear while running.

I pushed a little on this run and my BPM reflects that, coming in at a rather high 170. I will have to ease up a bit next time, methinks. I also experienced a few moments of mild cramping, another good sign that I’m getting carried away.

Still, I was pleased by the effort. And also by the lack of bugs, puddles, and hurricanes.

Run 468
Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10:02 km
Time: 54:05
Weather: High cloud, hazy sun
Temp: 12-14ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 165
Stride: n/a
Weight: 154.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3730 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

The best part about today’s run is no bears interrupting it.

The weather was nice but cool, starting at 12ºC and rising to 14. I wore my long-sleeved t-shirt but would have been fine in a regular t-shirt, I think.

I started out brisk as the weather, hit my usual two km slowdown and settled into a steady pace until I got to the bridge at Deer Lake Brook. Approaching along the trail on the other side was a serious-looking runner. Even though he was on the “wrong” side (my side) I decided to shift over to avoid an awkward mid-bridge collision. Instead of climbing the stairs, though, he simply tagged the lowest one with a foot, then spun around and headed back, becoming my spirit/jogging guide by default. Initially he pulled a little ahead but I managed to keep pace well enough. I lost sight of him on the twisty part of the trail just before the athletic fields and figured he had pulled ahead, but lo! He had actually slowed, I closed the gap and then maintained distance until he turned off at Still Creek.

This may be partly why my pace was faster today, as having someone running ahead of me kicks in that ol’ competitive spirit (unless they’re absurdly faster, in which case I simply stick my tongue out at them as they blow past, wishing them well). I ended with a pace of 5:23/km, my best 10K of the year, besting my previous best by five seconds. Not too shabby.

As it was my first 10K in a few weeks I’m expecting to be sore and tired. The tired part has already hit, the sore part will likely come tomorrow morning.

It was not as crowded on the trail as I had feared and everyone was observant and attentive and no dogs off leash or bears off leash. Yay. There were plenty of joggers, including a curiously large number of young male joggers wearing short shorts straight out of the 70s. Are they becoming a thing again? I’m not objecting, just curious.

Also, the call of nature came in the form of the world’s biggest unprovoked would-be bowel movement. This happened a few times, fortunately when I had already completed the run and was walking home. Still, having this near-impossible urge to go and nowhere to, well, go, makes for an uncomfortable walk home. But I made it, sparing all a gruesome ending to the story.

Overall, this was a surprisingly good run. I think more than anything it’s just a relief to be running in conditions where the outside temperature is not close to my internal temperature.

Run 467
Average pace: 5:17/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 26:39
Weather: Clear
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 160
Stride: n/a
Weight: 155.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3720 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Tonight’s run was almost what I’d call relaxed. I never pushed, I just moved along at a steady pace, content to put in an effort but not go crazy trying for a new personal record or anything.

It was cooler and the sun is now low enough even when heading out at 6 p.m. that there’s no worry of it getting in my eyes. The air had that early fall chill to it and with more red, yellow and brown leaves crunching underfoot, the change of season is palpable. Because it was clear the light remained good throughout the run but by next week the sun will have set while I’m still running and it always feels a bit strange to run in the gloom of dusk, with that subtle urgency to finish before it gets dark because the trail has no illumination to guide you.

My BPM was back down to something normal, so the previous run may have been an anomaly. I experienced no issues or discomfort so overall I’m pleased or as I said above, content. It was nice, it was efficient. I didn’t feel like going out tonight but as always* was glad that I had by the time I was actually running.

* exceptions being the times I’ve injured myself; those times would have been better slumped on the couch watching Netflix

Run 466
Average pace: 5:05/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 25:44
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 15-17ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 172
Stride: n/a
Weight: 154.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3715 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I woke up this morning feeling a little off–stuffed up sinuses, dry throat. I felt a bit better after having breakfast but didn’t get out for the run until nearly 11 a.m.

It was a bit cool and slightly drizzly along the river trail but the threat of rain seemed small. As I approached the Cariboo dam and my usual starting point at Burnaby Lake, the threat of bears grew significantly.

More precisely, a guy came up to me and said there was a mother bear with two cubs up ahead. I asked where and he said “around the corner,” said corner being right next to the damn–my starting point. I debated for a few moments on my options then decided the risk of being mauled by a protective mother bear, no matter how small, was not worth it. I turned around and did a 5K on the river trail instead.

At this point I had a tremendous pressure headache and that perhaps spurred me to run faster in order to finish the run sooner and get home. My first km turned out to be a speedy 4:55/km and my overall pace was a best-for-year 5:05/km. By the end the headache had diminished and I wasn’t being chased by bears, so that’s good enough for me.

My BPM was unusually high at 172, perhaps signalling a combination of accelerated pace and oncoming illness of some sort.

It is fantastically busy at work and we have a skeleton crew tomorrow, so I can’t really skip out but for now and for the moment I know the run went well and I shall think of this as I collapse face-down on the bed.

Run 465
Average pace: 5:07/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 25:52
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17ºC
Wind: moderate
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 155.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3710 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Tonight I felt a bit droopy heading out. In fact, I didn’t really want to run at all. But I did and a strange thing happened.

I felt pretty good. I felt rather zippy.

Without any issues nagging me, I maintained a solid pace and finished by tying my best 5K pace this year, 5:07/km. Oddly, the time of the run, 25:52 minutes, is not only a numerical palindrome, it exactly matches the time of my 5K on September 13, exactly one week ago. That is some spooky consistency.

I changed up the route once more tonight, wanting to again avoid having to double back. I ran past the river trail, turned north up Cariboo Road to the train crossing, then turned and came back (in large part due to the fact that there was an actual train crossing), headed to the start of the trail, then continued on across North Road and into Lower Hume Park. I hit the 5K mark just shy of the stairs leading into Hume Park (the upper part). This is cutting it close because stairs means no more trail and the running part gets a lot trickier.

The wind was a bit stronger than usual tonight, which was kind of nice, and the sun is now low enough that it only pokes through some of the lower tree branches. This is also nice because running while the sun is shining directly into your eyes is sub-optimal.

Overall this was a surprisingly good effort. The only down note was noticing how many trees have leaves that are starting to turn. We are on the cusp of fall (two days away), increasingly shorter days and the end of being able to run after work without developing some kind of amazing night vision (the sun set at 7:12 tonight, about fifteen minutes after I finished the run). I haven’t figured out how I will deal with this because my usual solution has been injury so I don’t run at all in the winter, but if I stay healthy I may just need a plan.

Run 461
Average pace: 5:07/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 25:52
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 161
Stride: n/a
Weight: 157.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3685 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

When I got home tonight I did not want to run. I was feeling slothful and the idea of not running had a sexy, alluring appeal.

But the guilt set it and eventually I set off, albeit about 45 minutes later than usual. While it was still light for the run, it was shade the entire way and getting dark within minutes of getting back home.

Although it was 20ºC, it felt cooler because the sun was tucked behind the trees. I started out, felt an unusual spring in my step and instead of resisting the impulse to speed up, I indulged it. After the first km I did back off, but only for a short time. I picked up the pace again and while being serenaded by the cheesy yet undeniably catchy second half of Xanadu (the ELO half, or more precisely, the better half) I made my way to a zippy 5:07/km pace. I’m alive, indeed.

I checked the splits and that first km came in at 5:00/km exactly. However, I pushed just that wee bit more on the final km and it came in at 4:58/km, the first time this year (and quite a long while) that I’ve managed to get below the five-minute mark, so that was nice.

My right leg behaved itself, though I could feel it for a part of the run.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the energy level and result, especially considering I was firmly in sofa mode when I got home.

Run 459
Average pace: 5:16/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 26:33
Weather: Light showers
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 157.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3670 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I skipped Tuesday’s usual run because I was wiped out from work. This is not normal, but the first day of classes for the fall semester when you work at a college IT help desk can do that to you. I came home feeling like I’d walked 20,000 steps. Which I had.

I vowed to stay on track by running tonight and despite ominous clouds, I stayed true to my vow. Due to a light rain and a temperature of only 14ºC I donned my long-sleeved Nike shirt, though in the end a regular t-shirt would have been fine (because there was virtually no wind, so it never felt overly chilly).

Somewhat unusually I fell into a comfortable pace quite early and stayed there for nearly the entire run. Looking at my splits I had the usual drop at the 2km mark but actually got progressively faster to the end of the run, with my final km pace being 5:03 vs. 5:07 for the first km. Until about the last 500m I never tried to push beyond this comfy pace so I am surprised to see I kept picking up speed.

The right leg felt fine for the first half of the run, began to feel a bit stiff in the second half, but began to feel better again before the run ended. It is weird, my right leg. I can handle weird better than injured, however.

The rain was pretty light and wasn’t even a nuisance on my glasses like it usually is, thanks to the aforementioned lack of wind. The trail was all but deserted, save for a cyclist or two. I know it makes me seem anti-social but I kind of like running Omega Man-style.

Overall I’m pleased with this run. It is probably the most relaxed I’ve felt while doing a 5K in a long time.

Run 458
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10:09 km
Time: 56:05
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Stride: n/a
Weight: 156.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3665 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

I was still a bit concerned about the stiffness in my right leg so my plan today was to run steady but not push so I expected my pace to be lower–and it was, but only by a few seconds, coming in at 5:33/km. More importantly, the leg behaved and there were long stretches where my breathing was relaxed and I just felt good, that feeling where you feel like you could keep running forever or until your shoes completely fall apart.

There was some sun heading to the lake but it vanished behind the clouds for the run. The promise of sun and a slightly later start meant the trails were packed, with both joggers and walkers a-plenty. Reluctantly, and for the first time since I tripped, I opted to take all three side trails, to help avoid the crowds.

The good news is it worked. The side trails were completely clear and I remained upright the entire time. Here’s the tree root hazard report:

Spruce Loop: one root on the left side of the trail (not an issue as I was running on the right)
Conifer Loop: massive root that crosses the entire width of the trail and sits in the open. It’s impossible to miss seeing it. There is one other prominent root, on the left side. This is the Evil Tree Root, the one I tripped on. It was in the sun today and looked deceivingly harmless.
Piper Mill Trail: a few small roots located in the middle of the trail

While I settled into a comfy pace for most of the run, the starting km was an unusually brisk 5:03/km, the closest I’ve come this year to breaking the five minute mark. This is not a mark I expect to break, so seeing the time was a bit of a surprise.

I spied a garter snake slithering rapidly into the brush ahead of me. It was much faster than the python I saw a few weeks ago. It probably sits lower on the food chain than a python, though. For reference, this is what it looked like:

I am happy to report no dogs off-leash and every runner and pedestrian was polite and alert. Overall, a surprisingly pleasant run.

Run 456
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 26:57
Weather: Clear
Temp: 19ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3645 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

If there’s a word I’d use to describe tonight’s run it would be nice. I was wary of the right leg being stiff from Sunday’s run and conditions were comfy, so I adopted a more relaxed pace. Even so, I still came in at 5:20/km and with no discomfort. It did feel like I was on the edge of some cramping a few times, which made it easier to justify the moderate (yet still reasonably zippy pace). The combo of the pace and temperature of 19ºC meant my heart rate was lower, too, which is always a plus.

I headed out later than normal due to a late dinner but the bonus side effect of that is the sun had dipped behind the trees, so I didn’t have to engage in a staring contest with it on that one part of the river trail.

Overall, this was a mellow, almost relaxing run. I’d practically forgotten what it was like to run without the elements conspiring against me.

If the forecast holds up, there’s a better than 50% chance that Thursday’s run will be soggy. I’m hoping not because I prefer rain-free runs to not rain-free, but I’ll head out regardless, hoping that one day someone will invent technology that keeps glasses dry when it’s wet out.

Run 455
Average pace: 5:28/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10:03 km
Time: 54:57
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 17-18ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 165
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3640 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Today was my first post-vacation 10K, coming nine days after the last one, when it was 30ºC. It was also my first run since this Thursday when it was even hotter at 33ºC. The weather has changed and I’m reasonably confident the last hot days of summer are over. With the sky overcast and the temperature a mere 17ºC (which is, in fact, almost ideal for summer running and is perfectly fine even if you’re strolling out and aboot), I set out this morning to find out just how much of a difference 16ºC could make.

As it turns out, a lot!

My pace last Friday was a molasses-like 6:01/km, one of the few times I’ve slipped past the six minute mark. I was not impressed. I was sad. I felt old. And slow. And sweaty. I remember struggling to pull my shirt off I was so sweaty, like the start of some porn scene gone horribly wrong.

Today I decided to start exactly at the 0 km marker and run the exact, official Burnaby Lake Loop, to see how well the markers matched the GPS. When I strode past the 10 km marker the watch showed me at 9.88 km–pretty close, really.

And when I passed that 10 km marker I was not bathed in sweat. I actually only sweated a little, mostly in my favorite spot, which is around the sides of my temple. Why these spots generate so much sweat I do not know. Maybe my brain is mentally jogging at the same time. My pace turned out to be 5:28/km, not only handily eclipsing the previous 10K but also besting my fastest 10K post-injury, which was 5:41/km.

The only downside is the right hip area started to feel a little sore when I applied thrusters. Moderating my pace corrected this, though it still feels a little sore tonight and I suspect it may be a bit stiff tomorrow. I’m not overly concerned as it feels sore rather than hurt.

Given the cooler conditions there weren’t as many people out but still more than I expected. There were a lot of runners, including more cute young male runners than I am used to seeing. I only point this out because almost all runners I see, male or female, tend to be in their 30s or older. I didn’t recognize most of these runners (I see a few regulars most days) and one of the young guys was absolutely drenched with sweat, as if he was in a bubble where it was still 33ºC.

Other than the small degree of soreness in my right leg, the run went very well. For the first time in a long time I actually felt a second wind on the back half and my pace picked up after the usual midway drop. It was nice.

Tuesday’s forecast is currently calling for around 21º about the time I am running, which is warmer but still much cooler and the rest of the week looks like poop from a summer weather perspective, with a chance of rain and highs in the upper teens. I’m liking the temperatures but could do without the rain. I’ll take the rain (to quote R.E.M.) over more 30ºC+ temperatures, though.