Run 527
Average pace: 5:38/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:31 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 56:33
Weather: Sun and cloud mix
Temp: 20-21ºC
Humidity: 56%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 160
Weight: 156.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4104 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
Yesterday I exchanged the foot-killing Hoka Stinson ATR 3s for a pair of Brooks Cascadia 12s. I’ve had Cascadias before and found then generally fine but ended up not using them for running, as the shoes were a bit heavy for my liking. This year’s model is notably lighter.
With my new new shoes on, I set off almost on time this morning with conditions much better for running–around 20ºC and with a mix of high cloud and sun. The walk to the lake was promising, as there was no pain, just a very slight sense of discomfort in the left shoe which I can chalk up to that new shoe thing.
For the run itself it was the same. I aimed for a bit more conservative pace, hence my average of 5:38/km (which is still respectable) but completed it without issue. The walk home was also uneventful, so the new shoes get the proverbial thumbs-up. They felt snug, but not tight and it never felt like they were going to come untied, one of my major pet peeves with running shoes.
Two weeks after it went up the detour sign where the trail splits at Spruce Loop was gone and curiosity got the best of me, so I ventured down the main trail to discover that two foot bridges had been replaced, hence the longer-than-usual detour. My curiosity sated, I looped back up onto the Conifer Loop and resumed my usual router, aware that the boardwalk work that didn’t happen on Monday might be happening today.
And it was.
The detour sign was literally right in front of the boardwalk, with a handy arrow pointing to the right. I followed it up a trail I’d never been on before and quickly emerged onto a paved road, Glencarin Drive. Fortunately it’s a very quiet road and not an eight-lane superhighway. The road only went for maybe a hundred feet or so before ending at the start of the Freeway Trail. Shortly after getting onto it I reached the first entrance to Burnaby Lake, scooted down and was back on the main trail again. As detours go it was fairly short and uneventful, just the way I like ’em.
I did encounter one cyclist on the trail–and he was walking his bike. Weird! He seemed to be doing it as a deliberate choice, too, not because he had a flat tire caused by a rabid goose. Also weird.
Overall, this run was reassuring more than anything. I managed to complete the 10K without difficulty, had a decent pace, and broke in a new pair of shoes without also breaking my feet.
