fast legs

Run 403
Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 8.03 km
Time: 42:03
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Stride: 180 strides/min
Weight: 153.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3278
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

I upped the distance slightly for a weeknight run, going from 7K to 8K and thanks to a nice, not-fires-of-hell temperature of 21ºC I returned to the pace of my previous few runs prior to Sunday, with an overall pace of 5:14/km.

The only downside as such was a bit of renewed tenderness in my shins, likely due to a combination of longer runs and the relative zippiness of late. It’s fairly mild as these things go so I’m not overly concerned. Other than that there were no issues and in fact I had enough energy to pick up the pace for the last few km.

Run 401
Average pace: 5:15/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 7.02 km
Time: 36:53
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-22ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 158
Stride: 181 strides/min
Weight: 154.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3265
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

Check run #400 and you have the summary for run #401. Although I went clockwise around the lake instead of counter-clockwise, my end result was an identical pace of 5:15/km. My actual run time was eight seconds faster, 36:53 vs. 37:01. That’s so close it’s kind of weird.

I had a mild stitch that threatened but never developed into anything notable. Other than that there were no issues of note, apart from a cyclist on the trail that made me GRR.

Run 400
Average pace: 5:15/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 37:01
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 26-24ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Stride: 191 strides/min
Weight: 155.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3258
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

Today marks my 400th run officially tracked by Nike+. Hooray! Technically it’s more than 400 if you count runs I’ve deleted because of wacky results from technology shenanigans (pretty much equally split between the tracking making me look bionic and alternately using a walker).

All day today I’ve felt unpleasantly gassy and heartburn-y. I almost didn’t run at all but ended up heading out a bit later than normal for an evening run. Surprisingly the gas proved to be a non-factor and I had a perfectly good run with no issues.

After our brief dalliance with a shower on Sunday the weather has resumed being sunny and warm but a little more reasonable. It was 26ºC starting out tonight and it didn’t keep climbing so yay on that. I started out trying to moderate my pace a bit, hoping to conserve some energy for the immediate post-1K section. It more or less worked as the fall off from 1K to 2K was much smaller than it has been of late. Additionally, each km after the third got progressively faster, bringing me closer to my starting pace. I finished at 5:15/km, easily my best 7K and only a few seconds off my best 5K efforts this year.

With no issues to speak of, a steady BPM of 155 and the temperature warm instead of desert-like, it was an entirely fine run.

Run 399
Average pace: 5:24/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 54:19
Weather: Cloudy, showers
Temp: 19-18ºC
Wind: nil to light
BPM: 156
Stride: 179 strides/min
Weight: 154.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3248
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

The current high pressure system finally gave up for now and the conditions for today’s run were dramatically different compared to a few days ago. I’m pretty sure I heard an ominous organ as I stepped outside.

The big question: would cloudy skies and a temperature of 19ºC (actually below seasonal) result in a faster run? The short answer: Yes!

I went from Thursday’s 7K pace of 5:33/km to 5:24/km, also making this the best 10K of the TomTom era. I broke the 5 minute barrier on the first km and had another big drop-off on the second km, with paces of 4:54 and 5:27 respectively. On the plus side I wasn’t completely wrung out from the heat and managed to push at the end with a pace of 5:16/km for the final km, making it my second best of the run.

My left foot even behaved for the entire run and didn’t start acting up until I was about 2 km from home (16 km in vs. the more typical 11 km). This is also encouraging.

The sky was overcast and around the 6K mark it opened up, with a shower persisting for the remainder of the run. It was kind of nice. A lot of runners were out today but they became much more scarce once the rain started. The shower ended before I got back and the sun even made an appearance, acting as if nothing had changed.

Overall it was nice to get confirmation that the silly heat was having an effect on me. This coming week is forecast to be cooler so we’ll see if the improved times persist.

Run 388
Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 7.03 km
Time: 37:40
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 26ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 520
Weight: 159.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3164
Device used: iPhone 6

Good news: I beat my last 7K pace by a solid eight seconds.
Possibly bad news: My right Achilles tendon was sore and stiff to start, felt better after warming up, but I could still feel it a little through most of the run.
Good news: The tendon did not affect my pace.
Conclusion: I think it may still be sore but not actually injured.

I did a 7K run tonight and though I felt a little tired along the middle stretch I still finished with a pace of 5:21/km, easily beating my previous 7K pace of 5:29/km. By the end of the run I felt pretty good and other than the tendon being a bit sore there were no other issues worth noting. It was sunny and warm but not humid so it didn’t feel uncomfortable. It still seems a bit weird to have this summer-like weather so early. Today could easily have been a day in mid-August.

Speaking of weird, the fire danger signs they put up after a long dry spell were up at Burnaby Lake today, the earliest I’ve seen them go up in the four years I’ve been jogging there. Right next to them was a bear warning sign. I’m expecting a third sign soon showing a bear on fire. A smokey bear, if you will.

Noteworthy bits: My first km was 4:32/km, one of my fastest of the year and my pace improved for the last three km after I flagged, especially on the second and fourth km (moreso the fourth, the second seems steeper because the first km was extra-zippy).

Overall I am pleased with the result and cautiously hopeful that the tendon is just sore and out of shape. This weekend I will be looking for new trail runners as I’m climbing ever-closer to 400 km on my New Balance MT110s (and have probably passed that if you count the walk before and after each run). I am leaning toward getting another pair of minimalist shoes but haven’t made up my mind yet because my mind is all fickle and indecisive.

Run 387
Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:20
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: light to none
Calories burned: 371
Weight: 159.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3157
Device used: iPhone 6

After missing Sunday’s usual run (due to travel back from the mountains/boonies) I was concerned how my first run in four days would pan out. It was sunny and warm but pleasantly so. The run was faster than my previous 5K and one of my better efforts of the year so overall I was pleased with the result. I experienced no noteworthy issues.

I was originally planning to do another 7K river/lake combo run but due to YASP (Yet Another SkyTrain Problem) I got home later than usual and opted for the basic 5K. 5:14/km may not be lightning fast but I can guarantee that for about two hours I was definitely running faster than the Expo Line trains.

Run 383
Average pace: 5:15/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 26:21
Weather: Mostly sunny, some cloud
Temp: 24-27ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 369
Weight: 160.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3130
Device used: iPhone 6

I was feeling cranky and the day turned unusually warm when I went out running tonight. At the end of the run the reported temperature was 27ºC. That’s kind of crazy. It even felt a bit muggy.

I got off to a slow start but at least got the phone into the belt without going through a contortion act like on Sunday. I picked up the pace and as I neared the 2K mark I felt surprisingly comfortable, almost relaxed. But then I passed the usual 2K mark, kept going farther and was suddenly really cranky. There was no way I could be running slower.

I pushed a bit on the way back and the right Achilles tendon, feeling sore, smoothed out. That was good. A cramp threatened on my lower right side. That was bad. And I started to feel tired from everything. Also not so good.

Still I ended with an improved pace of 5:15/km, a full eight seconds better than my run one week earlier, which was also a follow-up to a 10K. So overall I end up being pleased with the result. Weird.

Run 382
Average pace: 5:39/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 56:38
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 19ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 740
Weight: 161.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 3125
Device used: iPhone 6

For my second 10K run of the year my goal was to simply improve on my pace over last week’s. Mission accomplished! I went from 5:51/km to 5:39/km.

Bizarrely, the third km was the fastest. I was helped by the weather, which was mild and overcast. The first km was an unusually slow 5:27/km and this was due to technology (and my clumsy hands) failing me. Specifically, the Nike app was still set to play music through the app. I don’t like this because it always shuffles songs, even when you choose an album. I forgot to change the setting so aborted my run to fix the music. Next I had to pace around for a good bit before it finally got a good GPS signal. When I finally started, I couldn’t get the iPhone into the pocket of the spibelt and found myself shoving it behind the belt instead. I’m trying to keep up a good pace while fiddling with all of this and it obviously didn’t work. The second km was even worse, like my body suddenly decided it was very tired. But things improved after that and my pace picked up on the third, ninth and final km.

I experienced some concern around the halfway point when my right ankle started to hurt. Not drastically or anything, just in a way that was unrelated to the Achilles tendon. I tried working out a kink or recalling if I had twisted it in some way. In the end it worked itself out after a few minutes and felt fine for the rest of the run. Just the body being temporarily weird, hopefully.

The trail was not as busy as it would normally be on a Sunday due to the cloudy conditions and the temperature never budged from 19ºC so conditions were pretty comfortable. I was put off by a group of cyclists right at the start of the trail near the dam but they were either heading out or had realized they shouldn’t be there and were sensibly leaving. Dirty cyclists.

Also I had to use the loo before running but the porta-potty was occupied by someone taking a little too long to make me want to be the first to use it after they were done. Instead I found a nice spot tucked around a big ol’ tree not far from the dam, did a scan to make sure no one was close by to have me arrested for indecent exposure…then looked down and saw someone else had used the exact same spot mere minutes earlier, judging from the evidence. It was a bit weird because it was literally the exact same spot.

Anyway, here’s to the next 10K being better still and with less peeing and cylists.

Run 374
Average pace: 5:10/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.01 km
Time: 25:55
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Wind: breezy
Calories burned: 374
Weight: 163 pounds <1.2
Total distance to date: 3080
Device used: iPhone 6

Two days later and it was significantly warmer at 21ºC. Fortunately it wasn’t too warm and my fears of being slower went unfounded. I pushed toward the end, successfully picking up speed on the last km, and managed to finish slightly ahead of Tuesday’s pace, coming in at 5:10/km. This run also marked the first time this year that I did a full week’s worth of runs. Yay.

There’s not much else to add. The run went much as it did on the previous one, though I better planned my switchbacks so I could end before getting to the gate (and the road/sidewalk). Some dope on a bicycle came flying around a blind corner and had to make a sudden course correction to avoid plowing into me. Why do people do these things? “Hey, I know, I’ll ride my bike really fast around this blind corner where I can’t see what, if anything, is coming. Nor will I be able to see if there’s just a giant abyss to sail into, or large pointy spikes to be impaled on, or a rabid dog. Or an abyss filled with pointy spikes and rabid dogs.” I think if I got on a bike again I’d spontaneously start hating myself.

Anyway, I’m cautiously hopeful that I can keep the pace up with a more ambitious run on Sunday.

Run 373
Average pace: 5:12/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:11
Weather: Sun/rain mix
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 382
Weight: 164.2 pounds >0.4
Total distance to date: 3075
Device used: iPhone 6

For the first time this year I ran on the Brunette River trail and I ran on an actual regular schedule, heading out only two days after my last run. Zounds.

The sky looked generally non-threatening, apart from one fat black cloud skating over the area. I felt a few drops on the walk to the trail but nothing more…until I got to the trail, at which point the fat black cloud opened up. At the same time the sun came out so the first two km of the run was a weird mix of sunshine and steady rain. It stopped after that and I dried quickly, so it was a good opportunity to overcome my usual distaste for running in the rain.

The best news, though, was my pace. I was definitely feeling more energetic and finished with a pace of 5:12/km, a full 30 seconds better than Sunday’s run and still 24 seconds better than my best pace of the year. I broke the 5:00/km mark on the first km and held up decently after. It was nice to see some good numbers after plodding along.

Also, likely because of the weather (it was also only 12ºC, not exactly balmy) I did not see a single other person on the trail during the run. I felt a bit like the Omega man.

My next run is set for Thursday. Here’s hoping I can at least come close to matching tonight’s pace. Excelsior!

Run 361
Average pace: 4:59/km
Location: Brunette River
Distance: 5.05 km
Time: 25:12
Weather: Mainly clear
Temp: 20-22ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 366
Total distance to date: 3014
Device used: iPhone 5c

Tonight’s route was a 5K loop of the Brunette River. Going in I was not sure what to expect. I felt very tired after the commute home but I was wearing my lucky shorts. But my lucky shorts really need to be washed and I’m sure the odor from them knocked out any nearby wildlife while I ran.

Conditions were nice, with mild temperatures and the sun low enough to not shine directly in my eyes. I surprised myself with a brisk first km (pace of 4:42/km). Despite the usual second km drop-off (tonight it was a 7% drop) and a slower finish I managed to move nimbly enough to get my first finish under five minutes in a good long while. My average pace came in at 4:59/km.

Unlike Tuesday I didn’t experience any weird soreness and my energy level felt solid throughout. I even pushed toward mid-run, feeling things were going well. Some cramps threatened toward the end but never quite materialized. It’s possible they may have slowed me down in the last km, alas.

Still, this was the best 5K in some time and a welcome recovery from the poop run on Tuesday. Excelsior!