Change of scenery

Posted on April 15, 2011 by kaan

I am now in the process of running 50 km for my brother, Theo. He is up north working at the moment but I slept on his couch in Kamloops nonetheless. He just replaced  some of his living room furnishings and specifically ensured his new couch was long enough to comfortably sleep someone 185 cm tall. I appreciate it.

The 2 bedroom basement suite in the house is available for rent! It is only a 15 minute walk from the university (TRU).

I went for a beautiful 7.4 km run this morning. This is the view from TRU looking down towards the house. In about an hour I will be attending the wedding of my step brother Jeremy and his lovely bride Kas. I think it is going to be a great day.

Posted in Ramble | Leave a comment

everyweather

Posted on April 14, 2011 by kaan

What an amazing place to exist.

This morning on my (6.2 km) run I experienced a litany of contradictory weather. Dark storm clouds but blinding sunshine. Wet roads but no puddles. Strong winds but no gusts. Thunder and lightning but no rain.

It is hard to do it justice with a photo when my eyes couldn’t sort it out.

Posted in Photos | 1 Comment

100 km for Sean

Posted on April 12, 2011 by kaan

On April 1st, I did not expect I to run 100 km for Sean over only 12 days. It is now done. It took me about 8.5 hours split over 10 days of running. This means he paid me about $11.75 per hour. After completing my own performance review and awarding myself full points, I have conclusively determined I deserve a raise. Perhaps a good way to action this would be to approach NRI Distribution about making Engineers Without Borders its charity of choice this coming christmas…

I took a few photos during runs I made along the sea wall to showcase the amazing variety of scenery Sean brought into my life.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in People, Segment Completed | Leave a comment

beautiful days

Posted on April 11, 2011 by kaan

I love being outside. Although I think I prefer the bright sunny days, I rather enjoy the rainy ones too.

Yesterday I did 13.5 km in the rain with Alice, Mark, and Lindsey (they are also participating in the Run to End Poverty). Once I reached my rain-saturation point, I really couldn’t get any wetter. At that point my feet were landing in puddles whether or not my shoes did. I was still wearing the same smile at the end as I had on at the start.

Today was a gorgeous sunny day. I took this picture outside my lab at UBC. I spent the evening building banana costumes for the sun run and then went for a 12.1 km run.

Posted in Fair Trade, R2EP | Tagged , | Leave a comment

takin’ a break

Posted on April 9, 2011 by kaan

Today I did not run. I awoke in Chilliwack after Lornes birthday fully loving my day of “rest.” I cruised back into metro van with Scooter in time for a 2 pm rendezvous at the climbing gym with Shannon. She requested a day of rest involving 10 climbs and 5 beers. It has now been done.

Thank you for a fabulous afternoon.

Posted in Breaks | 1 Comment

Alone or in groups?

Posted on April 8, 2011 by kaan

Just over a third of the running recorded here has been done with other people. I have rather enjoyed that.

When I am running alone I tend to push myself a little harder and my goals are a bit colder. If I am just “running” with no substantial goal other than knocking off some distance (a necessity due to Sean’s “philanthropy”) then I tend to just keep running. A 10 km run can easily become 12 km or more. If I set a pace goal then I can end up with a sky-high heart rate. Each of these may be good in terms of periodically stressing my body so the limits of what it can reasonably do improve, but it is nice to mix it up a bit.

Running with other people tends to be more relaxed and has a pleasing social aspect. The group moves at a speed that is comfortable for everyone. Most people have not made the same absurd commitments I have and so they are neither interested in pushing their pace nor cranking out the kilometers. It is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with friends!

Today I did 8.1 km with Florin, James, and Tess. I forgot to take a picture so I built one.

*participants may not be exactly as shown…

Having done just over 55 km in the past six days, I am looking forward to taking a break tomorrow!

Posted in People | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

informatics

Posted on April 7, 2011 by kaan

I have been using this gps thinger for a while now. I think it is time to look at some data.

Yesterday I did 5.9 km. I tried to hold a steady pace all the way through. My average pace was 4:41 /km. The entire run is shown below.

I have noted why there are some of the spikes. (A spike in pace is me slowing down; it takes more time per km) All in all, I thought it went fairly well. Then I looked at the heart rate data. I think the phrase “oh shit” applies.

That enormous double spike in my heart rate is on the Cambie St bridge. The first one is definitely on an uphill but the second one (228 bpm!) is either right near the crest or is actually on the downhill. I am confused. I don’t recall any odd feelings. Maybe I got scared by something. That does happen sometimes.

Today I ran 12.1 km at an average pace of 5:19 /km; much more relaxed. Again, pace spikes are noted on the image.

This time the heart rate image is a lot more reasonable.

A few more statistics:
– yesterday my blog got its 1000th view
– since I started running my weight has gone from 70 kg down to 68.2 kg (I need to eat more food!)
– I have run more than 100 km since March 21
– I have completed the running for more than 20% of money pledged
– Saturday I will drink 5 beers

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

Soundscape

Posted on April 5, 2011 by kaan

Some people run with headphones. I have considered it and chosen not to.

I imagine listening to music while running can both help regulate your pace and maybe help you lose yourself in the moment, making the moment have a bit of a zen feel. I’m sure there is an argument about a lack of safety due to headphones but I suspect it is a bit overstated.

I choose not to wear any headphones. I like the sounds that come with each run. I look forward to the bird song, the dog bark, the traffic noise, the ambulance siren, the sound of my feet hitting a puddle, the cadence of my breathing, and all the other sounds that come with the moment. I enjoy running as a time where I can truly live in the moment. For that little time window nothing else matters. I hit my own zen when I get to take in the cacophony of a city without it having any effect on me. It is probably more dangerous than if I listened to music, but I get to feel more a part of my world. I think accepting and living in the world as it is right now is key if I am to stand a chance at making any changes in it.

Another great reason not to wear headphones is to listen and talk to Rebecca. She came with me for a 5.9 km run with me tonight.

Posted in Technology | 2 Comments

Banana Run

Posted on April 4, 2011 by kaan

The Vancouver Sun Run is on April 17th. Each year tens of thousands of people participate. Last year I ran it with my good friend Sarah. We dressed as garden fairies and pranced for 10 km.

Not all children cried when they saw me. In retrospect I guess I don’t actually look all that friendly.

This year should prove to be exciting again. I will be dressed as a fair trade banana. You can too! We’ll split the crowd as we run, and peel across the finish in style. The event is being organised by Fair Trade Vancouver.
More details on the facebook page: http://ow.ly/4obki

Being as I ought to train for that too, I did a 5.2 km run this morning.

Posted in Fair Trade | 1 Comment

Group training

Posted on April 3, 2011 by kaan

The run to end poverty began in 2007 and since then has raised over $100,000 (across 8 cities) for EWB work in Africa. The first one of 2011 happened in Kelowna one week ago. The event was organised by a UBC-Okanagan campus club called Engineers for a Better World. They have just become the newest Student Chapter Initiative within EWB. I had the pleasure of meeting several of the leaders within their group back in January. They seemed to me to be very passionate and committed. Their success organizing the run and, through it, raising $3000 is further evidence of this.

Today there was a group training run here in Vancouver organized by my good friend Alice. She and I can often be found off on reckless adventures together. Actually, I am usually the one being reckless while she is the one either being super-human or shaking her head at me or encouraging me. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago at a show at The Biltmore. The evening was sponsored by a spray tanning salon. Alice was in charge of the masking tape.

Tiger stripes for the ladies!I ran to the meet up point for our group training session today (about 5.3 km) and took a five or ten minute break while everyone assembled. Then four of us went and did a group run around Stanley Park (13.4 km). Then I went and ate potatoes.

Posted in EWB, R2EP | Tagged , , | Leave a comment