Yet another late start and as I headed outside, it was sprinkling a little, so I went back in, grabbed my Echo hoodie and headed off. Almost immediately the sprinkles stopped and I felt overdressed for the entire time I was out.
Welcome to early fall running.
I opted for the river trail and despite Performance Condition being +2, I still felt kind of slothful-even with a good night’s sleep, too. I was over six minutes for the second and third km, and just barely squeaked in under at 5:59/km for the overall average. I have no idea why it is taking so much more effort to get to a decent pace now. Is it the humidity? Am I now super sensitive to temperature change of any sort? Is my body still clogged full of cookies and slowing me down?
The good news is I experienced no issues, did pick up the pace and had an overall BPM of 147, which is pretty good. The weather meant the trail was nearly empty–I only saw one other runner and a cyclist for the entire time I was out.
Also, I saw at least seven squirrels before and after the run (curiously, none during the run. Maybe the river trail is not their preferred environment). After the run I spied a black squirrel clutching a chestnut in its mouth and being harassed by a crow clearly coveting the prize. The squirrel took advantage of its lower height by hiding under a parked car. The crow moved on. Score one for the squirrel’s winter stash.
Stats:
Run 1,071
Average pace: 5:59/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: +2
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:44 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:05
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16°C
Humidity: 90–88%
Wind: light
BPM: 147
Weight: 170.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,162.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (142.5/288.5/431)
Music: Shuffle play