Average pace: 5:21/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Ran Piper Mill Trail, Conifer and Spruce Loops
Distance: 11.2 km
Weather: Sunny, humid
Temp: 26ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 810
Total distance to date: 2333 km
It was 26ºC when I headed out for today’s run around 1 p.m. but the weather site ominously listed it as feeling like 28. It also noted 57% humidity. I also had a strange bad feeling about my left foot.
All of these bad feelings made no difference as I started out. Despite having to come to a dead stop on the Avalon Trail to let a car pass (first time ever) and eating its dust for the next ten seconds, the first km was quite brisk, so brisk that the second km looked plodding in comparison (a whopping 10% drop in pace). The worst was yet to come, though. The high humidity sapped away my energy and before long what looked like plodding was actual plodding.
On the plus side, I did improve my pace marginally or hold steady at the 7, 10 and 11K marks and my right tendon behaved itself, making its presence known in a very mild way for the last few km. The left foot did the same and didn’t affect the run. It did start to hurt on the walk back along the river trail and began to plainly hurt as I continued up Fader Street, a few blocks from home. This is the first time the foot has really hurt in awhile so while I’m relieved it didn’t start till after the run it’s still a disappointment.
The horrible, sloggy pace of 5:21/km (14 seconds off the last 11K run) was also disappointing but July has been a strange month, weather-wise, with a combination of both higher-than-average temperatures and on many days much higher than normal humidity to go with it. The combo is not conducive to a good run. In fact at this point I can safely say that I’d have preferred it to be several degrees hotter if the humidity was similarly lower.
While it’s nice to not have my mouth parched dry on a summer run, running through what feels like warm molasses is not better.
I may run again tomorrow, either early or late and see how it compares. Or maybe just take a cold shower.
