tired legs

The weirdly warm early September run

Distance: 12.73 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: none
Calories burned: 890
Average pace: 5:21/km
Total distance to date: 1042 km

It seems summer was shifted forward one month. After a tepid and cloudy July, August was pretty nice and September so far has been spectacular, with temperatures well above normal for this time of year. That’s the good news. The less-good-news is the run at Burnaby Lake was very warm (25ºC when I started), very humid and generally uncomfortable until the final few km when the lateness of the hour meant it finally started to cool a little.

I decided to run counter-clockwise (the usual way) and after having done the previous two runs clockwise I can now say with certainty that clockwise is easier. The south side of the lake has a low but steady uphill slope which serves as a braking mechanism in the latter part of the run. Going in the other direction, the north side of the lake has one much steeper but shorter climb and nothing else noteworthy, being mostly flat. I suspect my sluggish pace would have had a few seconds lopped off it had I run clockwise.

And sluggish it was. Despite starting with a typical 4:52/km I immediately gained four seconds on the next km and added three or four seconds for every km after until the 5 km mark, dooming my overall time (at 5 km my pace was a lowly 5:06/km). I plodded on and on the plus side my shins did not feel nearly as tender as on the previous run and I’m only experiencing some minor soreness now. I also managed my longest run once again, adding 400 m for a total distance of 12.73 km, so that was pretty good. The number of slugs was down, too.

I also had a train running alongside me on the north side of the trail for the first time. Weird that it hasn’t happened before. The clacking of the wheels on the track is oddly soothing. I also jogged by a horsey near the end of the run. Yes, a horsey. And apparently there is a law forbidding men from having horses now because every one I see has a woman attached to it.

Chart (All runs at Burnaby Lake except those in blue which are at China Creek):

km Sep 7 Sep 2 Aug 31 Aug 26 Aug 19 Aug 15 Aug 11 Aug 8 Aug 4
1 km 4:52 4:52 4:51 4:51 4:50 4:55 4:54 5:04 4:51
2 km 4:56 4:57 4:53 4:55 4:54 4:57 4:55 5:05 4:54
3 km 4:59 5:00 4:57 4:58 4:57 4:58 4:58 5:07 4:59
4 km 5:02 5:02 4:58 5:01 5:00 5:02 5:00 5:09 5:04
5 km 5:06 5:03 4:59 5:05 5:01 5:05 5:02 5:11 5:07
6 km 5:08 5:04 5:01 5:08 5:03 5:06 5:03 5:12 5:09
7 km 5:11 5:06 5:03 5:10 5:05 5:08 5:04 5:14 5:11
8 km 5:13 5:07 5:05 5:12 5:07 5:09 5:06 5:16 5:13
9 km 5:16 5:08 5:06 5:14 5:09 5:11 5:08 5:16 5:14
10 km 5:18 5:09 5:08 5:16 5:11 5:13 5:08 5:17 5:15
11 km 5:20 5:10 5:10 5:18 5:12 5:14 — 5:17 5:16
12 km 5:21 5:10 5:11 — — — — — —

The 12.33K run

Distance: 12.33 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 19ºC
Wind: none
Calories burned: 862
Average pace: 5:10/km
Total distance to date: 1029 km

I knew I would feel more discomfort in my shins tonight because of the two back-to-back runs a few days back and sure enough that is how tonight’s run began. In fact they felt so tender I wondered if I would even complete the run at all. You can see this early on where despite starting with a decent time I add an impressive five seconds after the first km. The achiness never got worse so I managed to keep my pace stable. Then something weird happened.

The endorphins kicked in, I found my zone or something clicked because I managed to make up for that slow stretch over the rest of the run and recovering from a sluggish start is something that doesn’t happen very often. By the end of the run I not only managed to match my previous pace, I ended up exceeding it (the iPod actually said my average pace was 5:09/km before the Nike+ site cruelly rounded it up to 5:10). With the pain receding and my energy bursting I felt like I could have kept on going strong (my pace for the 12-12.33 km stretch was 4:44) but knowing I might regret this performance in the coming days I cooled my jets.

I ran the loop in reverse again and am almost leaning toward preferring it this way, though I can’t say exactly why just yet. During the 12+ km stretch there is only one small spot where you have to cross a road that leads to the rowing center and it’s usually dead quiet there. Tonight as I emerged from around a blind corner (carefully, as it is a blind corner) a motorcycle came roaring around with the driver evidently one of those “There can’t possibly be anyone else ever on the road!” types, as he came far too close to me for my liking. I later nearly had a fellow jogger smoosh into me doing the same thing on another blind corner. Pay attention, people! Please. 🙂

Chart (All runs at Burnaby Lake except those in blue which are at China Creek):

km Sep 2 Aug 31 Aug 26 Aug 19 Aug 15 Aug 11 Aug 8 Aug 4 Aug 1
1 km 4:52 4:51 4:51 4:50 4:55 4:54 5:04 4:51 4:51
2 km 4:57 4:53 4:55 4:54 4:57 4:55 5:05 4:54 4:52
3 km 5:00 4:57 4:58 4:57 4:58 4:58 5:07 4:59 4:56
4 km 5:02 4:58 5:01 5:00 5:02 5:00 5:09 5:04 4:58
5 km 5:03 4:59 5:05 5:01 5:05 5:02 5:11 5:07 5:00
6 km 5:04 5:01 5:08 5:03 5:06 5:03 5:12 5:09 5:01
7 km 5:06 5:03 5:10 5:05 5:08 5:04 5:14 5:11 5:04
8 km 5:07 5:05 5:12 5:07 5:09 5:06 5:16 5:13 5:06
9 km 5:08 5:06 5:14 5:09 5:11 5:08 5:16 5:14 5:07
10 km 5:09 5:08 5:16 5:11 5:13 5:08 5:17 5:15 5:09
11 km 5:10 5:10 5:18 5:12 5:14 — 5:17 5:16 5:10
12 km 5:10 5:11 — — — — — — —

A wee run

I opted to do a sort of remedial 5K run today, basically to see how the legs/body would feel without putting as much stress on them as a full 10/11K run would.

For a change of pace and because it’s conveniently close, I ran along the Brunette River trail as seen in this BlurryTech™ iPod nano video still:

The run gently slopes uphill on the way in but it’s so gentle it hardly counts. It’s otherwise flat and mostly shaded by the trees. The sun was just coming out as I ran and in the exposed parts of the trail where the sun hit it was hot as all get-out. Other than that, it was comfortable enough.

The first km was fairly brisk — 4:47/km — but after that my times fell off a cliff. At the 2 km mark I felt like I was plodding along. Mostly just tired and still feeling the effects of the cold. I finished with a pace of 5:01 which, if extrapolated over a full 10K would probably have ended up as a decent 5:11 or 5:12.

The legs seem to be holding up after the run, which is the main thing I was looking for, so I rate this one a qualified success.

Times:

km time
1 km 4:47
2 km 4:52
3 km 4:57
4 km 5:00
5 km 5:01

1000.27 km!

Distance: 11.66 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22ºC
Wind: none
Calories burned: 815
Average pace: 5:18/km
Total distance to date: 1000.27 km

I didn’t run for a full week due to a persistent energy-sapping cold. I approached tonight’s run knowing that I was not going to be anywhere close to fast. I only wanted to reach Nike level Blue — 1,000 km logged. I needed to run about 11.39 km to do it.

I set out and was immediately struck by how very humid it was. Not good, since humid conditions tend to sap my energy and my reserves were already low. Despite a decent first km my time fell off in big chunks over the middle part of the run, due to both conditions and light cramping. The latter half was steadier as the cramps eased and I established a workable pace. I finished with a sluggish time of 5:18/km. It’s funny how a year ago that would have been a record-setting time and now it’s a disappointment.

By the end my shins, especially the left one, were tender enough to give me pause. But I did achieve two milestones as I evaluate whether I’ll be in shape for the next scheduled run:

1) I did my longest run to date at 11.66 km. My next goal, logically, is 12 km. That would only require a minor extension of my usual run, so it shouldn’t be difficult.
2) I reached the Nike level Blue, which means I’ve now tracked 1,000 km on my Nike+ sensor. Not bad for a lazy slob who didn’t run at all for over 20 years! The next Nike level is Purple at 2,500 km. It will be…awhile before I reach that.

Chart (All runs at Burnaby Lake except those in blue which are at China Creek):

km Aug 26 Aug 19 Aug 15 Aug 11 Aug 8 Aug 4 Aug 1 Jul 27 Jul 20
1 km 4:51 4:50 4:55 4:54 5:04 4:51 4:51 4:56 4:53
2 km 4:55 4:54 4:57 4:55 5:05 4:54 4:52 4:54 4:56
3 km 4:58 4:57 4:58 4:58 5:07 4:59 4:56 4:55 4:55
4 km 5:01 5:00 5:02 5:00 5:09 5:04 4:58 4:56 5:00
5 km 5:05 5:01 5:05 5:02 5:11 5:07 5:00 5:00 5:01
6 km 5:08 5:03 5:06 5:03 5:12 5:09 5:01 5:02 5:02
7 km 5:10 5:05 5:08 5:04 5:14 5:11 5:04 5:04 5:03
8 km 5:12 5:07 5:09 5:06 5:16 5:13 5:06 5:06 5:05
9 km 5:14 5:09 5:11 5:08 5:16 5:14 5:07 5:07 5:06
10 km 5:16 5:11 5:13 5:08 5:17 5:15 5:09 5:09 5:06
11 km 5:18 5:12 5:14 — 5:17 5:16 5:10 5:10 —

The could-have-been-worse run

Distance: 11.41 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 19ºC
Wind: none
Calories burned: 798
Average pace: 5:14/km
Total distance to date: 977 km

With my shins feeling a bit tender after the last run I planned on a deliberately slower pace tonight. What I didn’t plan was a pulled tendon partway through that guaranteed a slower run and almost an early finish. I finished with an average of 5:14/km, which is perfectly acceptable given the conditions and as a bonus I did my longest run ever by taking on all three extra loops along the north side of the lake, coming in at 11.41 km. Joan even correctly congratulated me! The shins and in particular the right one, did start to hurt a bit partway through and you can see how my pace slowed down a notch or two when this happened but I persisted and as my legs armed up the soreness diminished. Stamina was never an issue. Somewhere between the 6K and 10K mark a tendon in the back of my left knee got pulled. There were a few times where it hurt noticeably as it stretched out again and I seriously considered stopping the run at the 10K point or even sooner. I risked giving it a bit to sort itself out, reckoning that it wasn’t a serious pull and happily it settled down and I finished without a precipitous drop in my pace. I’m going to focus less on speed and more on distance over the next few runs. Since I’m only 23 km from reaching 1,000 km (blue on the Nike+ site) I’ll need to cover at least 12K to do it in the next two — a reasonable goal, I think. It may also be time to start working on some leg exercises to give my calves extra strength.

Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise; purple= Burnaby Lake):

km Aug 15 Aug 11 Aug 8 Aug 4 Aug 1 Jul 27 Jul 20 Jul 17 Jul 14
1 km 4:55 4:54 5:04 4:51 4:51 4:56 4:53 4:56 4:45
2 km 4:57 4:55 5:05 4:54 4:52 4:54 4:56 4:54 4:47
3 km 4:58 4:58 5:07 4:59 4:56 4:55 4:55 4:58 4:56
4 km 5:02 5:00 5:09 5:04 4:58 4:56 5:00 4:58 4:54
5 km 5:05 5:02 5:11 5:07 5:00 5:00 5:01 5:00 4:54
6 km 5:06 5:03 5:12 5:09 5:01 5:02 5:02 5:02 4:59
7 km 5:08 5:04 5:14 5:11 5:04 5:04 5:03 5:04 5:00
8 km 5:09 5:06 5:16 5:13 5:06 5:06 5:05 5:06 5:02
9 km 5:11 5:08 5:16 5:14 5:07 5:07 5:06 5:08 5:04
10 km 5:13 5:08 5:17 5:15 5:09 5:09 5:06 5:09 5:06
11 km 5:14 — 5:17 5:16 5:10 5:10 — 5:10 5:01

The redemption run

Distance: 10.07 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 704
Average pace: 5:08/km
Total distance to date: 965 km

My goal tonight was simple: run without cramping and beat the (now) pathetic time of my previous run, which averaged 5:17/km.

First, I broke my vow of not drinking Coke Zero before the run. I imbibed a glass but finished it a full five hours beforehand. If that was going to affect me, I’d need to have a serious talking to my digestive system.

Because Jeff was off to North Van for a bike ride I opted to return to China Creek and its dusty trail. I am happy to report no dog incidents, though there were dogs (and joggers and soccer players and plenty of other people) about. The soccer players presented the closest to a hazard, as several balls got punted onto the path ahead of me, none underfoot, fortunately.

One soccer guy who was mixing in some sprints came up and passed me on one lap. Shortly after passing he came to a stop in the middle of the path and began pinwheeling his arms horizontally because, you know, I totally wasn’t right behind him, even though he had just passed me. He didn’t seem to have much energy so the arms came down before one could bap me in the head.

The good news is I remained cramp-free for the entire run. This one was hard, though. I worked to keep on pace and the air at China Creek is very dry, so my mouth is parched pretty much the whole time. I felt myself flag slightly toward the end and that may have cost me a second or two but I still finished with my second best time overall — 5:08/km. I feel I’m back on track now after the last two crampaloozas.

Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise; purple = Burnaby Lake):

km Aug 11 Aug 8 Aug 4 Aug 1 Jul 27 Jul 20 Jul 17 Jul 14 Jul 11 Jul 9
1 km 4:54 5:04 4:51 4:51 4:56 4:53 4:56 4:45 4:54 4:58
2 km 4:55 5:05 4:54 4:52 4:54 4:56 4:54 4:47 4:56 4:58
3 km 4:58 5:07 4:59 4:56 4:55 4:55 4:58 4:56 4:51 4:58
4 km 5:00 5:09 5:04 4:58 4:56 5:00 4:58 4:54 5:01 5:07
5 km 5:02 5:11 5:07 5:00 5:00 5:01 5:00 4:54 5:03 5:10
6 km 5:03 5:12 5:09 5:01 5:02 5:02 5:02 4:59 5:03 5:12
7 km 5:04 5:14 5:11 5:04 5:04 5:03 5:04 5:00 5:04 5:15
8 km 5:06 5:16 5:13 5:06 5:06 5:05 5:06 5:02 5:06 5:17
9 km 5:08 5:16 5:14 5:07 5:07 5:06 5:08 5:04 5:08 5:19
10 km 5:08 5:17 5:15 5:09 5:09 5:06 5:09 5:06 5:10 5:20
11 km — 5:17 5:16 5:10 5:10 — 5:10 5:01 4:59 —

The 180 degree run

Distance: 10.02 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18-22ºC
Wind: light breeze
Calories burned: 700
Average pace: 5:21/km
Total distance to date: 847 km

Tonight’s run was frustrating for several reasons.

On the plus side, there were two ball games in progress and I did not get bonked by a baseball at any point. Yay! I also finished with a pace of 5:21/km, a time that a few weeks ago I would have considered awesome and now think of as merely good (it’s still my fourth fastest for a 10K and only four seconds off my previous — and fastest — run).

On the not-as-positive side I developed some cramping early on that really threw off my pace. It lasted for a few km and if you look at the chart below it’s remarkably clear where they hit. For the first 2 km my pace was actually better than my previous run but then I drop by a huge six seconds going into the third km. I drop another four seconds after that and it’s only after the cramps ease off midway through that I find my natural rhythm and finish stronger than I would have otherwise. I knew I’d regret eating those chicken samosas.

This was one of my clockwise runs but I didn’t actually run clockwise the entire way due to the heavy traffic on the trail tonight. There were people walking, people walking with dogs (on and off leash), people jogging, people jogging with dogs (on and off leash), a mother and her wee son, the latter of which was wobbly riding a similarly wee bike, plus a few bonus dogs just generally running about all dog-like.

None of this would normally be a problem, but in running clockwise I was heading toward the majority of them and nearly every one seemed baffled as to how to share the path with someone moving in the opposite direction. They would drift across the path, making it hard to pass. They would move directly into my way, they would stop for no apparent reason, they would toss balls across the path so their dogs could become tripping hazards. Shortly after the 5K mark and with the cramps cleared up, I pivoted around and changed direction, doing the second half counter-clockwise. It was a lot more relaxing. By coincidence, or perhaps feeling that they had won, most of the people disappeared at the same time.

My knee was a bit cranky but is fine now and my legs likewise felt a bit tired but seem to be recovering normally afterward.

Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):

km Jul 4 Jul 1 Jun 28 Jun 26 Jun 23 Jun 21 Jun 18 Jun 16 Jun 13
1 km 4:58 5:04 4:58 4:59 4:59 5:00 4:53 5:05 5:02
2 km 5:02 5:06 5:03 5:05 5:05 5:04 5:01 5:09 5:07
3 km 5:08 5:07 5:05 5:10 5:09 5:07 5:04 5:13 5:10
4 km 5:12 5:09 5:08 5:13 5:12 5:11 5:09 5:16 5:14
5 km 5:14 5:11 5:11 5:15 5:15 5:14 5:13 5:19 5:18
6 km 5:15 5:12 5:13 5:19 — 5:15 5:15 — 5:20
7 km 5:17 5:14 5:15 5:21 — 5:17 5:18 — 5:21
8 km 5:19 5:16 5:16 5:23 — 5:19 5:21 — 5:22
9 km 5:21 5:17 5:18 5:25 — 5:20 5:23 — 5:24
10 km 5:21 5:17 5:19 5:27 — 5:21 5:24 — 5:25
11 km — — 5:19