Two things I wasn’t as a teenager.
My goals today were:
- Start a bit earlier
- Pretty much maintain the same easier pace as Monday
- Get back before possible showers
I achieved two out of three. But it’s not what you might expect.
I got my Garmin Forerunner 255 about two years ago (November 2022) and it has been tracking my runs dutifully since. Today I got two new records on it, one for fastest 1K and another for fastest 5K. How did this happen? I’m not entirely sure!
When I headed out, I mulled just doing the river trail, in a sort of “just get it done” way. Someone had a large dog off-leash, though, and though the dog seemed well-behaved, they can act differently/squirrelly when you are running, so I kept walking to the lake. I initially chose to do a short loop clockwise, but partly through it, and with the skies actually mostly sunny, I decided to just keep going and did a regular 5K.
My first surprise came at the 1K mark, with a pace of 5:33/km, much zippier than expected. My second km was 5:39/km, but the surprises just kept coming. I must emphasize that I was not trying to run faster at all. Conditions were obviously better (the performance rating for the run was +3) and temperatures were lower at 13-14C (which is perfectly comfortable for a run), but still.
The fourth km came in at 5:26/km, which made my eyebrows pop in surprise, possibly with a cartoon sound effect. I normally push just a little for the final stretch, and my last km came in at 5:19/km–the record 1K pace.
The overall pace was 5:30/km, which is 16 full seconds faster than Monday’s run. Which is a lot.
I obviously didn’t encounter any issues during the run. I did encounter other runners, including a topless guy (I mean, 13-14C is fine, but I’m not sure I’d want to do it topless) and the spitfire (technically post-run). My legs felt slightly stiff toward the end of the walk back, but seem fine as I type this. We’ll find out tomorrow.
For now, I will bask in this brief moment of glory.
Stats:
Run 893
Average pace: 5:30/km (record with Garmin Forerunner 255)
Training status: Strained1
Location: Burnaby Lake
Start: 11:04 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:39
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 82-80%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 167.3
Total distance to date: 6,325 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (110/215/325)
- Strained is defined as “Your training load is optimal, but your HRV status indicates accumulated fatigue. Be sure to give yourself enough time to recover.” ↩︎
