Run 953: Unexpected mid-August puddle dodging

View of the swollen Brunette River, pre-run.

The middle of August is usually dry and warm. But not today!

An unexpectedly fat, moisture-laden system has developed and is moving through the region today, prompting rare summer rain warnings. This meant I was probably going to get wet.

I got very wet.

This was also one of those rainy days when you can’t game it and try to run before it starts or during a break. It’s just raining all the time.

I decided to wear my long-sleeve shirt, which was a mistake, because at 17C, it was not cold and the sleeves just got soaked and clung to my arms in a somewhat annoying way. Lesson learned!

Since I did not fancy walking 38 minutes in the rain to the lake before starting my run, I opted to do the river trail. I encountered one other sodden runner, a lone guy with an umbrella that was not doing a great job of keeping him dry, and a huge walking group I’ve seen before, but this time with umbrellas.

Puddles were copious, visibility was not great, but I maintained a good pace, except, weirdly, the second km where it dropped all the way to the six-minute mark. I’m not sure how that happened. I was not tired, so the only things to explain it might be:

  • my right shin was a bit tender at the start (it sorted itself out midway through–no idea why it was tender)
  • the second km has a long slightly uphill part
  • I was woolgathering like tomorrow and just started slowing without realizing it

I made up for it with a fast final lap of 5:27/km and the overall pace of 5:45/km is pretty good.

The river was raging (see the before and after photos for more). I’ll be happy to run in rain-free conditions next time.

Brunette River, same view, as seen yesterday afternoon.

Stats:

Run 953
Average pace: 5:45/km

Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 9:52 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:58
Weather: Rain
Temp: 17°C
Humidity: 94%
Wind: light
BPM: 150
Weight: 165.4
Total distance to date: 6,595 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (190/420/610)

Music: Long Distance Voyager, The Moody Blues

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