This run was odd in a number of ways:
- I don’t normally run on Sundays
- I ran in the early afternoon when it was already Africa Hot™
- The course I took was a never-before crazy quilt of a little of everything
To explain:
Nic and I may go birding tomorrow, which is normally a run day, so it occurred to me that when I went out for my walk today, I might do a run instead and get one in if I do miss yesterday.
I decided it might also be a good chance to test the “higher heat is better than higher humidity” theory. Verdict: Higher heat is better! My first km was a zippy 5:55/km. And the reason I flagged a bit after is more due to the circumstances than anything else. To explain even further:
I was a little over a km into the run when I saw a young couple with a kid in a stroller approaching me. I eyeballed the route to the right I would take to navigate around them, but then the guy gestured like he wanted to talk to me, which he did.
I had a sense of déjà vu.
Sure enough, it was the same subject the woman had warned me about last week:
But even better, they reported not just a bear on the trail, but a mother bear and two cubs. You know how sensible mother bears can be when they think their cubs are threatened (do you see me getting gutted with one swipe of a claw? I do!. I nodded to them in appreciation for the info, said, “No thanks!” and immediately turned around.
My plan was to simply reverse course and run counter-clockwise. By the time I got to where the bears had been seen, they would be long gone, possibly sated by having gobbled up other joggers in the meantime. Or berries.
I made my way around and at the fork where the trail splits between main and the Spruce Loop, I chose the side trail, as I always do. As I approached the first corner I heard what sounded like barking up ahead (at this point I had turned the music off so I could hear my surroundings) and this seemed odd, because just past the trail here is a business park where you wouldn’t normally find dogs. It spooked me and I noped again, turning back and deciding to finish the run by doing a combo of:
- Lake trail
- Crossing Cariboo Raod
- Running up Cariboo Place
- Running the river trail until I hit 5K
Here’s what the route looks like from the Fitness app:
In the end I did complete 5K, and it actually wasn’t that bad considering the heat. The volume of bear sightings is more concerning, though. I called this one in and am hoping they can capture and relocate the bears. I have no idea where they are coming from, since the lake is almost completely surrounded by two highways. Maybe they are driving in by van. For future runs, I am going to invest in a clip-on bell, so I can jingle all the way and alert the wildlife to my presence long before they see me. I may also look into bear spray, though I don’t like to imagine scenarios where I would feel it necessary to use it.
As for the run itself, no issues despite the heat. This coming week should be more like normal summer weather, so as long as it stays bear-free, I expect it to be generally more pleasant.
Stats:
Run 699 Average pace: 6:14/km Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) and Brunette River Trail Start: 1:11 p.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 31:21 Weather: Sunny Temp: 32ºC Humidity: 42% Wind: light BPM: 150 Weight: 163.8 Total distance to date: 5120 km Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Brooks Caldera 5 (228 km)
