I opted for a “full deal” (5K) run today, going counter-clockwise around the lake. The daily weather forecast curiously mentioned humidity, which it almost never does:
And it was indeed humid, though since I ran later in the morning, not overly so. It meant a little more sweating, but was actually kind of nice. Goldilocks humidity, if you will.
I pondered what sort of run to do as I walked toward the lake along the river trail, when three young women (probably early 20s) went zipping past me in the opposite direction, all merrily conversing because they have endless youthful energy. I hate them.
I decided to go CCW because after drinking at the fountain by the dam, I was in the ideal position to start, so I did. I was somewhat shocked when my first km came in at 6:03/km. I mean, I was trying to ease into things, but not quite that much. I pressed a little harder and managed to keep every km after under the six-minute mark, with the last again being my fastest at 5:47. My final pace of 5:55/km was only a second faster than my previous, but that was on the river trail, so this one was a harder run, but also going the easier route on the lake, so…basically, it was OK, but I’ve been a bit sluggish all week. Maybe my times will improve as my knees heal more and temperatures start to come down.
The trail was dry, so no puddle jumping, but was surprisingly busy for a weekday. For a time I was trailing behind a putt-putt car on an especially windy part of the trail. It would keep appearing and disappearing ahead of me. I wondered what would happen if I actually caught up with it. That ended up not happening, though. At some point, it either reached its destination or disappeared into the alternate dimension where all the putt-putt cars live.
Speaking of passing, though, that trio of young women passed me on the lake trail. Yes, they apparently ran to the end of the river trail, back to the lake, up the trail, caught up to me, then continued past, zipping by like a bunch of hummingbirds, except if they were hummingbirds, they would be chasing each other and trying to stab each other to death. They were still having a lovely, full conversation. I consoled myself by noting they were probably less than half my age. I wonder what sort of times I’d have put in if I had run in my 20s? Something to ponder should I ever wake up and suddenly find myself a 20-year-old again, all Twilight Zone style.
Anyway, the run was fine, but not great. I did all three without anything falling apart or off, so that’s a plus. We’ll see how next week goes!
Stats:
Run 803 Average pace: 5:55/km Training status: Productive Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 11:04 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 29:45 Weather: Sunny Temp: 21-22ºC Humidity: 63-61% Wind: light to moderate BPM: 153 Weight: 167.1 Total distance to date: 5895 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 (30/52/82 km)
