Run 612Average pace: 6:01/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:15 pm
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 30:21
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 20ºC
Humidity: 57%
Wind: light
BPM: 157
Weight: 166.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 4640 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8
Today’s run was both a disappointment and perfectly fine, even quite good in some respects.
It was just a few degrees cooler than Tuesday and cloudy. Showers earlier in the day meant it was more humid, which meant I sweated more, but that’s all.
A cramp threatened near my right shoulder for a bit, but I focused on staying loose and after a few minutes it went away without fully materializing. I had no other issues otherwise.
Because this was my third run in a week, something I haven’t done in about two hundred years, I deliberately set a slower pace. This led to the one real disappointment, though hardly unexpected: I was, in fact, slower. But I was a full nine seconds off Tuesday’s pace, which surprised me.
Another surprise, albeit a pleasant one, was my heart rate. It was down again, to 157, which is very nice. The surprise was in the heart rate chart. Usually I see a spike near the beginning and end of a run, then a jagged series of small ups and downs through the run. Today’s run was close to a straight line. While my pace per km fluctuated, my BPM remained very steady. Kind of weird.
Other than that, the run was fine. I’d have been happier to have stayed under a pace of 6:00/km, but I still felt good, so I’ll call this a victory, especially since it is the first time in quite awhile that I’ve done three runs within the same week. Onward to the weekend!
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:51 pm
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 59:04
Weather: Sun and fog
Temp: 7ºC
Humidity: 86%
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Weight: 162.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 4405 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8
I got off to a late start today, waking with a headache and unsure whether I would run at all. I took some Advil, had a bath and by noon had changed into shorts and a dual layer up top. I thought I’d do a 5K at the river but on the way changed my mind and instead did a full 10K at the lake.
In hindsight I probably would have been okay with a single layer, possibly even just a regular t-shirt, but certainly a long-sleeved one. Having two layers did not leave me excessively warm, though. I did sweat more than I normally would given the cooler temperature.
Conditions were interesting. The temperature hovered around 6-7ºC, but with little breeze I was fine wearing shorts. The first three km it was quite foggy, with everything in the distance obscured by mist. Kind of cool. Also literally kind of cool. Beyond that the sun burned through and it remained sunny for the remainder of the run. Puddles were minimal. The occasional goose honked.
This was the first run with my new iPhone 8 and while I assumed the GPS would be pretty close to that on the 6, it seemed off, as I had to run well past my usual stopping point and didn’t hit 10 km until I was at the dam–nearly a full loop around the lake. A full loop is officially 10.3 km and I run three side trails that extend it even more, so it seems the phone was still calibrating or some such. We’ll see how it compares over the next few runs.
Because of the extra length my run extended to 59 minutes and my pace was 5:53/km. I don’t think it would have been blazing fast otherwise, as I was trying to keep to a more moderate pace, but it would have been a bit speedier.
The run went fine, with the left knee feeling mysteriously untroubled. Perhaps the Advil worked its dark magic on it. Regardless, it was nice. The left butt muscle got a little stiff well into the run, but proved only a mild issue at best.
Due to the later start the trail was fairly busy, with lots of walkers, joggers, dogs, kids and flitting birds, but there were no problems with navigation at all, even when on the boardwalks with multiple people.
One saucy young guy did run past me early on. I stuck my tongue out at him as he went by, my way of wishing him well in his jog.
The more moderate pace did have a notable effect on my BPM, which dropped to a downright calm 156. Other than wondering briefly if I’d have to complete more than a full loop to hit 10K, the run went well. I am pleased.
Run 553 Average pace: 5:40/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:20 pm
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 56:45
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 8ºC
Humidity: 80%
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Weight: 158.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 4300 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
Today’s run was also an experiment in which I deliberately slowed my pace–as evidenced by my 5:40/km average–to see how it would impact my BPM. It turned out to not impact it much at all, as it went from 174 on my last 10K to 169 today, a marginal improvement at best.
I’m not sure if it’s the slight weight gain, increase in body fat, temperature change or alignment of the planets that’s causing my BPM to be higher lately and I’m not overly concerned as long as it doesn’t go higher than it is now.
I did feel slower on the run, especially going up inclines. Keeping my speed down made it feel slog-like on the hilly parts. I was tempted to speed up at times but resisted.
It also didn’t rain, which was nice.
Due to my late start I felt there would be no problems with running clockwise today, so I did and it was fine. This also led to the confrontation with my old nemesis, namely the nasty tree root that I tripped on in August 2016, still my only run where I finished with gravel embedded in my flesh. On my clockwise runs I usually start out on the Conifer Loop by running on the left, then switch to the right after passing the evil root. With the leaves cleared and the trail scoured by recent storms, I felt there was little chance of missing the root, so I stayed on the right as I normally would. What struck me upon seeing the root is how it really is kind of right there where your feet would be if you’re running clockwise. You do have to detour around it. This makes me feel a little better about tripping on it two summers ago.
Overdressing: It was 8ºC but not windy and as mentioned, it stayed dry. I chose to wear two layers on top and for the walk there and back it was fine but after a few km I started to feel a bit too warm–not horribly so, but enough that I think a single layer would have sufficed. Noted for future runs.
Overall, a kind of bleah run, though it gets a few bonus points by being dry.
Run 453 Average pace: 5:13/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5:08 km
Time: 26:30
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: moderate
BPM: 158.3
Stride: n/a
Weight: 158.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3625 km
Devices/apps: Nike Run Club app, Apple Watch and iPhone 6
The Nike+ running app got a major overhaul yesterday, emerging with a new look and name, the Nike Run Club. Unsurprisingly, the social network aspects of it have been ramped up. More importantly, though, the app finally supports the heart rate monitor of the Apple Watch, as it now access all of the Apple Health info if you let it. And so for the first time since I got the watch, I used the Nike app (let’s call it NRC because it’s shorter and looks so totally cool). Setting my preferences and starting the run was simple and sure enough, there was my BPM in the stats at the end. I will dig more into the app later but I did manage to end the run without knowing how by guessing it would use the same method as Apple’s Fitness app, which proved correct.
It was nice to hear that confident voice telling me how many km I’d completed. My only mistake was starting an open run instead of setting it to a fixed distance, so I didn’t get a notification halfway or a countdown at the end. I’ll figure that out for next time.
Oh, and I can actually see a map of my route again. Yay. Apple is apparently adding maps to their Fitness app in iOS 10 but I believe it will still lack voice notifications. The weak taps the watch uses to signal milestones (kmstones?) is something I almost never notice.
Curiously, while the watch and phone apps both show the BPM, the NRC website doesn’t. Not sure why it doesn’t transfer over but it’s not a big deal, as the notes feature lets you add it in.
And the actual run itself went quite well. It was warm but not uncomfortable, with the start of the cooling of the evening. There was one brief stretch where the sun was directly aiming into my eyes but most of the run was in shade. I started out fast–almost too fast–and forced myself to slow down (my second km was, in fact, significantly slower than the others). Overall, though, I felt fine pushing a little more than usual given the 5K length and managed a spiffy pace of 5:13/km, a veritable lightning bolt after Friday morning’s sweat-soaked slog.
The predicted high on Thursday, my next run day, is 31ºc, which could mean a swift return to sweat-soaked slog. But we shall see.
This morning I went to Royal Columbian Hospital to have an echo test (more formally, an echocardiogram) done. This is due to my doctor detecting a slight murmur in my heart and wanting to get it checked out now as it could become an issue down the road. The booking was made in August so that gives you an idea of a) how backlogged the system is and b) how urgent the concern is.
I was still nervous, even though I knew the procedure is simple, non-invasive and doesn’t even require donning a hospital gown and exposing your backside to one and all.
I arrived early as requested and was proud of myself for successfully navigating my way to the registration counter. After a minute or so of waiting, the clerk took my card, looked me up and told me I was in the wrong place. I needed Cardiology. I was apparently not there. She gave me directions, which I asked her to repeat just to be sure.
I set off down the hall, turning right, turning left, following just as directed. I rounded the corner and approached the registration counter.
The same registration counter.
If I was in the Labyrinth, the Minotaur would be giggling somewhere around the corner about now.
The woman took pity on me and actually escorted me far enough to insure I could not get lost again. I told her I was a total guy when it came to directions, hoping that would give me a pass at the expense of my gender and approximately half the population of the planet.
I arrived at the correct registration counter, took a seat, expected things to run late and they did, but only a little. A short woman with a thick accent escorted me to the room where the test would be done. Several times we passed patients being wheeled around on gurneys with tubes and bottles and looking frail and sick and it all reminded me of how hospitals are built on a foundation of depression.
The test room had low lighting, either to facilitate the test or to put me in the mood. The mood for stripping from the waist up and laying on my side on a gurney, with multiple electrodes stuck to my hairy flesh. Although this proved surprisingly uncomfortable because I had nowhere to put my left arm except kind of over and behind my head, the test itself was unremarkable. I had gel smeared strategically on my chest and a small ultrasound probe was pressed into the gel and moved around while the Philips Heart-o-Matic™ mapped out the organ that helpfully keeps me alive. Several times I was asked to hold my breath. This was as complicated as it got, which suited me fine. At the end I had to lay on my back and two more checks were done, one near my stomach, one near my throat.
Every few minutes some audio played. It sounded like water sloshing around and was presumably my flowing blood. It was disturbing because I imagine the sound of my pumping blood as being gentle and reassuring, not like water sloshing around a basin. Maybe this is what ultrasound sounds like, water sloshing around a basin.
I was done, she handed me a towel, I wiped down and left.
Actually, she walked me to the nearest exit and then I left. In my short time at the hospital I had already developed a reputation for getting hopelessly lost.
Now I wait to discuss the results with my doctor. My dad died of a massive heart attack at 58–I’m 51 now–so I’m a wee bit concerned about genetic shenanigans. On the other hand, my dad did not jog thousands of kilometers in his 40s and 50s, either. On the other other hand, Jim Fixx, world famous jogger, died while running–because of a bad heart. On the other other other hand (this is more an octopus now) the person doing the test did not gasp in horror at any point or mutter “Poor bastard” under her breath. On the fifth hand/tentacle, maybe she is just a consummate professional and expertly conceals such observations from the emotionally fragile patient.
I’ll know soon enough.
NOTE: The machine used for the test is not actually called a Philips Heart-o-Matic™. I did notice it was made by Philips, though, and had lots of dials, all of them thoughtfully labeled in plain English to better terrify anyone not familiar with its operation.
Run 394
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:53
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 27ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 864 (!)
Weight: 155.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3204
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio
First, a new milestone as I passed the 3,200 km mark. Hooray for legs that still work!
I normally run Tuesday evening but given the current heatwave and the Canada Day holiday [back bacon/maple syrup joke here] today, I opted to run this morning instead. Sure it made no difference on Sunday when the mid-morning run felt like a marathon in the Sahara but it has been trending very slightly cooler so I was hopeful.
It was 27ºC when I started–higher than I like but at least tolerable–and it was still 27ºC when the run ended. Weird! The sections of the run where I was fully exposed to ol’ Sol were still Africa hot-like but overall it was a much more bearable experience.
This was borne out by my pace, which went from 5:40/km on Sunday down to 5:20/km today. Still not great but decent enough given the conditions.
I opted for only 5K as I was also testing out a new running watch (more in a bit) and experienced no issues other than sweating, sweating and also some sweating. I deliberately ran silent again and confirmed I do not enjoy listening to my own breathing. I also earned +1 on my agility stat as less than a km in a tree had fallen across the Spruce Loop trail. It wasn’t too big so I opted to leap over it and did it in a fashion reminiscent of a clumsy or drunk gazelle. I made it, it wasn’t pretty.
There was a cyclist on the trail and riding fast as well (grr) but fortunately I encountered her after the run so my trail rage was minimal. Trail rage is a term I just made up. It refers to when I fume over things while on the trail. Usually these things are cyclists. I don’t do anything else, I just fume but trail rage sounds cooler than trail fume.
Onto the running watch!
On the weekend I picked up a TomTom Runner Cardio at Best Buy. Wearable tech is apparently a big enough thing that Best Buy now devotes an entire aisle to it. I had done some research and settled on the TomTom because of generally excellent reviews and the fact that the watch has a built-in heart rate monitor, saving me having to buy and wear a heart rate monitor strap, something that had the same appeal as running in a hoop skirt. Oddly, I saw a guy running today sans shirt and he was wearing a heart rate strap. I saw another guy running topless but he was only wearing a heavy sheen of sweat.
Here is a stock image of the watch I found in the vast wilds of the Internet:
Time to run (ho ho)
Operation is pretty simple using the touch controls below the display. There’s only four buttons so your odds of screwing up are fairly low and there’s no FORMAT WATCH AND REMOVE EVERYTHING function on the watch itself that you can accidentally select.
I secured the watch firmly to my thin sissy wrist and headed off to the lake. Once there I chose the five km run option and after a few moments it found the GPS signal and told me to warm up, with a handy countdown. As I had just walked four km to the lake at a brisk pace, I started off. The watch lets you cycle through different screens while running but I was afraid to touch it on the first run so I watched the default screen which shows a circle filling in as the run progresses. When I reached the halfway point the watch vibrated and the display changed briefly to 50%. It vibrated again at 90% (500 m) which allowed me to give a final push. I do not do final pushes when it is Africa hot but it was still nice to be notified. A final buzz at 100% showed the run complete and my next question was immediately answered–if you don’t stop it keeps tracking. I tapped the controls to stop the run and it switched back to the time display, which is large and digital and makes me feel like I am in 1978 again.
For some reason the phone and watch were not synced so I ran through the process on the walk back and was able to see my stats in all their glory, including for the first time my heart rate. I have no baseline to compare with but my average beats per minute (bpm) was 160. According to the TomTom MySports site this puts me firmly in “sprint mode.” I don’t know if that’s good or “oh my god what are you doing to yourself?!” when running 5K. I’ll do some research.
A nice bonus is the watch also links to my Nike+ account, allowing me to keep tracking my runs there. The only downside is I can no longer see splits on Nike+ but they show up on the TomTom site so I can still get to them there.
As MySports is a work-in-progress, I had to make an account on MapMyFitness and then link it to MySports first. It turned out I already had an account om MapMyFitness. To further link things endlessly, I next connected MapMyFitness to MyFitnessPal. In the end, this means my runs will automatically be posted on MyFitnessPal where I currently have an 884-day login streak going. As my Fitbit Aria scale and Fitbit One are also linked, this more or less means my every movement and weight gain/loss is being monitored to a level worthy of the NSA.
