tired legs

The run-walk-run-walk run

Run 317
Average pace: 5:12/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.05 km
Weather: Sunny, some high cloud
Temp: 23-25ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 389
Total distance to date: 2695

I adjusted my weight in the iPod’s Nike+ app from 170 to 165 pounds. As a result I burned 11 less calories running the same distance as the previous runs. This is a sneaky way to get me to run more. I’m okay with that.

Once again I planned tentatively on a full loop around the lake for my Sunday run but as with last Sunday this did not happen. In fact, it was warm enough (up to 25ºC but feeling warmer) and noticeably humid that I packed it in shortly after hitting 5K just past Still Creek.

The hip was not a particular factor again, so that is once more good news.

The left foot started to hurt but not until after the run. Paradoxically it usually hurts more when walking then running so after walking a little less than 2 km around the lake after the run I started running again for another 2 km or so, stopping when I got to the Avalon trail. I ran a little over 7 km in total so not too bad. The south side of the lake had more of a breeze and generally felt cooler so that run was probably faster. It felt better, apart from the foot nagging at me.

I am probably going to look at both new shoes and something to put in the left shoe to help cushion the pad of the foot. This is one of those times where more is more and more padding will probably make it easier to run on.

The 5:12/km pace is not horrible but disappointing after my times had generally started improving again. It looks to be a bit cooler on Tuesday so that run may prove faster.

The warm, sore and tired run

Run 314
Average pace: 5:24/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 8.06 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23-25ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 629
Total distance to date: 2679

I came down from the high of my best run of the year with a loud thud today.

I set out to do a full loop around the lake with sunny skies and a nice breeze blowing. With the temperature ranging from 23-25ºC but feeling higher it was significantly warmer than Thursday’s run and this was the main culprit in dragging my pace way down, to a sloth-like 5:24/km. I started out slower and by the end was basically plodding. I drank deeply at the faucet by the dam afterward. Bless its deliciously cool water.

There were a couple of other issues, too. Here is my Assorted Issues List in a Fancy Box:

[box title=”Assorted Issues List in a Fancy Box” box_color=”#329242″]
  • laces too tight on right shoe. This was meant to keep the Nike+ sensor secure. I’ll re-jigger then before the next run.
  • pad on left foot sore. This was mainly noticeable on the walk after, not so much on the run.
  • right hip still noticeable. The right hip was quiet for most of the run but I still feel it when starting and it was pinging a little past about the 6K mark.
  • right Achilles tendon sending out signals after 7K. This set off a tiny alarm bell as the right tendon has been fine. The little flashes of pain were not severe but I chose to stop the run at 8K as a precaution. The tendon felt perfectly fine walking after.[/box]

Overall this was a disappointing run but the reasons are all identifiable and for the most part should be the sort of things I either adjust to or will diminish and go away over time. The next run will probably be in the 5-7K range so I will be interested to see how much I bounce back from today.

The post-flu hobbly untied lace run

Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.05 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 400
Total distance to date: 2627 km

How tonight’s run sucked, let me count the ways:

  1. Warm. 21ºC seems balmy but it was surprisingly humid. Admittedly it wasn’t a huge issue.
  2. My shoelace came untied yet again, this time in the first km and on the left shoe for variety.
  3. Bugs. They were out in force, probably because of the combo of recent rain and now warm temperatures. Bonking off my head and face.
  4. Old man hip. Not as bad as it’s been but still sore. It got better as I ran, with surprising results (see below).
  5. Post-flu. Probably the biggest factor. Two days ago I was bedridden with a nasty case of stomach flu. I missed Sunday’s run and didn’t want to miss another, so today I ran, anyway.

Given the flu and hip points, I opted for a 5K again and came in at a positively sluggish pace of 5:23/km. The first km has a strange drop in it which may be where I stopped to retie my lace. I didn’t pause the run because the last time I did that I screwed up and killed the run altogether. The untied lace is the third time this has happened and is pretty bad for a pair of top-end shoes. Adidas obviously thinks you should replace their sucky laces with better ones. I will do this soon, being careful not to use Adidas laces in the process.

The post-flu had probably the biggest effect on the run. I just didn’t have the usual gas, even taking into account the hip. The next run should be better.

As for the hip, it felt better than the previous run but still not great. As I warmed up it became less of an issue and I finished with a truly rare finish–my final km was the fastest, with an average of 5:13/km compared to the 5:21/km of the first km.

Here’s to better runs ahead. (please)

The Return of the Old Man Hip Run

Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Brunette River trail, Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 8.13 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 644
Total distance to date: 2617 km

Conditions were pleasant for tonight’s run, unlike the extremes of the previous two runs. My leg muscles were a little sore from the first 11K run of the year but worse was the soreness of the right hip as the spirit of some cranky old man apparently invaded again. I felt sluggish starting out and was generally a bit tired, anyway.

I decided to do a shorter route that would take me along the river trail, over the north side of Burnaby Lake to Still Creek and from there to the Burnaby Lake SkyTrain station. This turned out to be a little over 8 km, which is still respectable for a weeknight run. My pace was a tad better than the monsoon run at 5:14/km but slower than my best 7K (5:10/km).

On the good side I did manage to maintain a very steady pace and felt much better toward the end, finishing with my usual final km push. On the bad side was the hip. I would love to know what’s going on there. Bruised bone? Achy muscle? Voodoo? I’m not concerned at making it worse by continuing to run at this point but I am keeping a watch on it.

I’m undecided on what to do on Thursday: skip the run to rest up, do a shorter 5K or just go all-out and see what the heck happens.

The old man hip run

Average pace: 5:05/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.05 km
Weather: Partly cloudy
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 400
Total distance to date: 2576 km

I think it would probably scare me to watch video footage of what I do in bed.

I mean while I’m sleeping.

The reason I say this is because I woke up with what can only be described as old man’s hip. For whatever reason my right hip was sore, a ghostly premonition of what it might feel like when I’m 85. If it was a hint that I’ll make it to at least 85 I’m okay with that.

But for a run an old man hip is not hip, not at all.

Fortunately I was able to work it out and managed to maintain a decent pace along the river. My left calf was feeling a bit tender/sore around the shin so I’m not sure if I’m unconsciously shifting my weight to it or if it’s also going through some other old man thing. The right leg and foot continue to be fine.

With the allegedly energy boosting shoes remaining firmly tied I managed an average pace of 5:05/km, one second off the previous run and a bit short of my best but still second fastest for the year.

My next run on the weekend should be an uninterrupted 7K. I’m expecting the average pace to shoot up with the longer length and will venture a prediction now of around 5:18/km.

Minimalist shoes, maximalist time. Bonus: more annoying cyclists

Average pace: 5:18/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.05 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 13-14ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 400
Total distance to date: 2561 km

After avoiding a run yesterday due to the day-long downpour, I ventured out today under sunny skies and in mild conditions. I once again wore my New Balance MT100s, hoping to improve on my previous pace with the minimalist shoes.

As I walked along the Brunette River trail I noticed something odd on the trail up ahead. After a few moments I realized it was a tree. Trees are not normally found on the trail. Along the trail, yes. Right across them, not so much.

Apparently a combination of soggy soil and perhaps just enough wind was enough to cause a very tall tree on the other side of the river bank to topple over. It was tall enough to reach across the rover, the opposite bank, the trail (which is actually a gravel service road) and then some. It had cracked apart in several places after thudding onto the ground.

I hopped over and hoped it was not a sign.

It wasn’t. But I had a lousy run, anyway.

I started out slower again but the first km was actually three seconds better than the previous run–a good sign! Then at exactly the 1 km mark (it was just announced on the iPod) I was struck by a nasty stitch in my left side. I slowed but it persisted and by the end of the second km I was six seconds off the previous pace. Later I developed a stitch in my right shoulder, of all places.

I ended up with a mediocre pace of 5:18/km. The last four runs look like this:

  • 5:07
  • 5:12
  • 5:14
  • 5:18

This is not a good trend. I dislike it.

The shoes didn’t feel too bad, actually, but clearly my legs and feet are still adjusting as I could feel my upper leg muscles getting worked out, no doubt due to the different stance I was using/forced into.

The walk home was less than pleasant as the pad of my left foot acted up and without sufficient support from the shoe it was fairly cranky most of the way back.

I’m going to put the MT110s back on the shelf for now and get a nice pair of regular trail runners to replace my wearing-out Nikes. Eventually, maybe after I’m comfortably doing 10K runs again, I may try going back to the minimalist shoes.

Re: the cyclists. I am seeing multiple cyclists pretty much every time I run at the lake now. This annoys me because more of them are riding fast, which is the perfect way for collisions to happen, as cyclists ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE TRAILS AROUND THE LAKE.

Clearly the many signs saying “No bicycles” are no longer working. My concern is that as word gets around that you can bike around the lake without consequence, more people will do so. I don’t think the Parks Board is doing any actual enforcement or they’re busting people (“Set your bike down and put your hands on that tree!”) when I’m not there.

Anyway, it’s annoying. There are very few places where bikes are not permitted and this is one of them. It’s one of the things I like about Burnaby Lake–I never have to keep an eye out for some idiot madly whizzing by on a bike. It seems that’s come to an end now. Alas.

A slightly slower slightly damp minimalist run

Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.05 km
Weather: Light showers
Temp: 14-12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 401
Total distance to date: 2556 km

Today I switched to my New Balance MT100 minimalist shoes, as my Nikes are starting to show visible wear in the heels. I was a little concerned how it would go having not run in minimalist shoes for so long but overall it was fine. My left foot was a little sore even before heading out (the usual with the pad) but during the run it felt fine and while a bit sore after it actually got better the closer I got to home.

My pace was two seconds slower compared to Sunday, not a big surprise since switching shoes is usually a good way to slow yourself down. Interestingly the biggest drop came in the first km when I was clearly re-adjusting to having less cushioning.

The weather was cooler and light showers peppered the run from time to time. It didn’t actually start to come down steady until I was two blocks from home–enough distance to get reasonably soaked. I anticipated this and wore my weather-proofed run jacket and it sufficed in keeping the wet stuff on the outside.

I am pondering a 10K run for Thursday but am still undecided.

The scientific proof that running clockwise is slower run

Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 398
Total distance to date: 2536 km

Circumstances prevented me from running on Friday as I would have according to my Run Schedule-0-Matic® and then again on Saturday, meaning I had three full days off before running again today.

Logically you might think three days of rest would result in a better run but with my body still getting used to jogging again, three days is instead just enough time to start losing what little edge I’ve developed in the past few weeks. I also always seem to do worse with a route change-up.

When I started off running clockwise around Burnaby Lake I couldn’t immediately tell if I was slower. My left foot was feeling a bit stiff but worked itself out. I kept on and then developed the dreaded stitch. Much like the previous one it never really went away and when I had about 500m to go it was bothering me enough that I was briefly tempted to stop running altogether. I pressed on and even got a little bit of that homestretch spurt going but in the end my pace fell back to a pokey 5:20/km.

I couldn’t blame conditions, either, as it was mainly sunny, mild and with a light and pleasant breeze blowing.

I did achieve a milestone for this year, though–my first week with three runs, just like in the olden days. Woo. And I’m still feeling the after-effects of the runs less and less with each outing. Woo x2.

The slow-flowing river run

Average pace: 5:22/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Clear
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 399
Total distance to date: 2526 km

This was my first run on the Brunette River trail in awhile and tonight the river smelled a little stinky.

Speaking of stinky, my run was less than swift. I felt tired and never felt any momentum. Even the usual little burst at the end of the run was flaccid. I ended up five seconds off the previous pace, coming in at 5:22/km. While I expected to be slower, as this was my first run-one day off-run in awhile it was still disappointing.

The final irony is that I did the run while listening to the R.E.M. album Accelerate. Thanks a lot, R.E.M.

The first spring run, 2014 edition

Average pace: 5:24/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Ran Spruce and Conifer Loops and Piper Mill Trail
Distance: 5.04 km
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 9-10ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 399
Total distance to date: 2511 km

With about 50 days separating my last run with today’s I was a bit concerned about how it would go but not overly so.

To insure maximum soreness the day after I did a walk around Burnaby Lake on Saturday, about 17 km or so in total.

I started out around 1 p.m. and it was a pleasant early spring day. The lake was a-hoppin’ with activity and dogs roamed free as they usually do. None parked a cold snout in my crotch so I was not especially bothered. You could tell spring was in the air by the stench. The skunk cabbage was just on the cusp of blooming and it is legion along the lakeshore. The unique odor will fade after the flowers have bloomed and the cabbage takes on its more usual leafy appearance.

The first few km I found the tendons of both feet feeling sore as they got stretched for the first two in nearly two months but by about the midway point the soreness went away, I found my pace and I finished the 5K just as I was stepping off the bridge at Still Creek. My pace of 5:24/km was three seconds off my last run but given the time between the runs I think that’s pretty acceptable.

My plan is to resume runs at least three times a week, continuing with 5Ks until my times start getting closer to my usual pace and then moving back to 10Ks.

The slow as molasses last run of 2013

Average pace: 5:35/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 8ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 363
Total distance to date: 2489 km

I resolved to get in one last run before the end of the year. Knowing it had been over seven weeks since my last run (and that one being my first on a treadmill), I expected to be slow. Coupled with being out of shape was my new rounder shape–I’ve picked up about 12 (!) pounds since the last run. Egad.

I ran the Brunette River trail and had discovered on a walk a few days earlier that the entire roadway/trail had been resurfaced with fine gravel that was nicely compacted. This turned the trail from an obstacle course of potholes (some of near-epic size) that required constant zig-zagging to one you could run in an actual straight line. It’s nice!

It was around 8ºC and overcast, threatening showers but dry. There was no wind. I wore a jacket that I ended up not needing. I was never cold, thanks to the mild conditions and the extra layer of fat I’d developed over the last few months.

For the first 500 m it was like I hadn’t missed a day of running. My pace was around 4:31/km. After 500 m it felt like a thousand agonies. This continued until the last 500 m where in a nice bit of symmetry I was able to actually pick up the pace, though not quite to the level of 4:31/km.

My average pace was 5:35/km. To put this in perspective, my last regular run on October 25 had a pace of 5:06/km. However, if we go back four years to 2009 the pace of my run on December 29 (my first 10K, as it turns out, though my 24th run of the year) was 5:50/km so even when fat and way off peak condition I take solace that I’m still better than I was when I was only a few months into running.

Here’s hoping the next run will be a tiny bit easier.

The first official treadmill run

(NOTE: This post was actually published in December because I was too caught up in shenanigans in November to pay attention to my blog, but I’ve posted it on the actual day of the run to keep it accurate that way.)

With daylight after work growing short enough now to make post-work runs no longer feasible–the two places I normally run both lack any kind of lighting and would be Very Dark and possibly Very Hazardous to run–I finally did something I’d always wanted to: run on a treadmill.

I picked out a suitable machine at the Canada Games Pool, overlooking all the people happily splashing about in the pools below, no doubt happy because they were not using treadmills.

The machine was very big and sturdy. It had a lot of controls and settings but I figured things out enough to get started with a minimum of fuss. The most important controls were arrows that controlled the speed of the treadmill. I also noted the location of two bicycle-like handlebars to grip. I would come to know these intimately very quickly.

Getting started was the most difficult task and underlines how unnatural a treadmill is. On a trail run I control every aspect of my movement. I can slow and speed up on a whim, I got dodge and leap and generally do what is needed on a moment’s notice, something that is eminently practical on a trail that varies constantly in terms of condition.

The treadmill, on the other hand, controls you. Once the surface starts sliding back, you have two choices: start walking or slide off. As the speed of the treadmill increases, your choices become: start jogging or slide off at a high rate of speed as one might see in a bloopers video.

I had to use the handlebars.

I never did figure out the right tension/speed to match my usual running pace, I just kept cranking the speed until I felt I was running at what felt like something resembling a typical pace. I ended up with a time of 5:11/km which felt slower than it should have been but because I’d never used the iPod on a treadmill before I was merely content that it was in the right ballpark, to mix my athletic metaphors.

The motion of the running is odd. It feels unnatural and bouncy. The constant motion is strange. You can’t moderate your pace because that means sliding off, you just relentlessly continue. I suppose that makes it good for pushing yourself to beat PRs or something. There is always the option to ramp the speed down but that means leaning forward slightly to hit the big down arrow. It sounds simple but running in place is amazingly good at making simple things more difficult than you’d imagine.

The most unexpected part, however, was the dehydration. I’ve used the ellipticals at the pool before and after 39 minutes of use I’d be a bit parched but nothing more. The building interior is a somewhat humid environment with all the water and warm temperatures. This made no difference on the treadmill. Either that or they had magically removed all traces of humidity from the building while it was closed for renovations, replacing it with a dry, desert-like air.

After an official time of 17:18 I slapped the Stop button. Fortunately this causes the treadmill to slowly wind down so I didn’t go flying off into the pool. The reason I ended my run with only 3.3 km covered is my mouth had become so dry it was difficult to swallow and it became so uncomfortable I literally could not stand it. Never on the hottest summer day with the sun blazing down on me have I felt my throat and mouth so cotton ball-dry.

I am reluctant to try the treadmill again though I suppose it deserves at least one more go before I decide to shun it unto forever. I will have a honking big bottle of water with me if I do.