It was almost spring-like today with the temperature a positively warm 10ºC.
The gusting winds and torrential rain reminded one that it is still indeed winter.
Since it had been raining all day prior to my run the trail was good and flooded by the time I got there. It was so bad even the mini-trail running inside the main one was starting to get muddy and river-like in spots. Several times I nearly lost a shoe as my foot landed in especially thick and clingy muck. Here is a Neil Armstrong-esque print I left that rapidly filled with water:
The rain was relentless and did not ease up at all during the run. I was wet right down to my skivvies. Not really ideal conditions but I endeavored to improve my time and indeed did so, clocking my first sub-56 minute 10k. Not fast, really, but it’s more steady improvement.
I thought I would have the trail to myself given the weather but one girl appeared around the 6k mark and jogged ahead of me. She came to an abrupt halt at the first puddle and gave it a wide berth before proceeding. I jumped over it, passed her and she vanished shortly after. It is no surprise that people don’t like miserable conditions to run in. What is more surprising is how hesitant people are to get their shoes even a little muddy. It’s raining, you’re on a trail made of dirt and mulch, your shoes are going to get muddy. If you don’t like it, find a treadmill in a nice climate-controlled community center.
Results:
Total distance: 10.03 km (previous: 10.17 km) — quite enough, given the weather and conditions 😛
Average time/km: 5:36/km (previous: 5.41/km)
Best time/km: 5.08/km (previous: 5.11/km)
