Run 355
Average pace: 5:06/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.65 km
Weather: Clear, humid
Temp: 18ºC
Wind: light to nil
Calories burned: 410
Total distance to date: 2973
My plan tonight was to beat the horrible pace of my previous water-soaked run and to go clockwise around the lake to Still Creek, a distance of about 5.6 km, so a little farther than a typical 5K run. I also opted to use the iPhone again, even though I secretly think it makes my run times slower.
With conditions exponentially better (ie. no downpour) I got off to my briskest start in a good while, with the first km coming in at 4:40/km. I had a 10% drop after that but managed to hold on for my best overall pace in a long time, 5:06/km, a full 20 seconds better than Tuesday’s run and a whopping 35 seconds better than Sunday’s.
Apart from being a bit humid in the more closed-in sections of the trail, conditions were pleasant and despite my left foot feeling a tiny bit sore before heading out, it proved to not be a factor.
The bonus joggers came in the form of a running club of 8-10 people that passed by in the opposite direction just before the 5K mark. Despite the size of the group, I had no problem skirting easily past. This stood in contrast to several other groups who remained oblivious to my approach and also spread themselves across the length of the trail, nearly forcing me into the brackish ditches alongside. The best was a group of three where two looked back, saw me, then failed to alert the third person who didn’t–and the one I was headed straight toward.
People are weird. And unobservant.
Still, I can’t complain too much after posting such a dramatically improved pace. This was the exact sort of result I needed after the two officially awful runs prior.
