Run 551
Average pace: 5:26/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:14 pm
Distance: 10.04 km
Time: 54:36
Weather: Cloudy, light showers
Temp: 9-10ºC
Humidity: 78%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 174
Weight: 156.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 4285 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
There was a threat of rain in the forecast today but at least the temperature was back to seasonal, hovering around 10ºC. I wore a long-sleeved t-shirt and shorts and was fine for the run.
The rain held off for about the first half but light showers persisted through the second half. Fortunately they were genuinely light, so I never felt I was getting drenched. The showers turned heavier for the walk home, which had two consequences I will get to shortly.
I was a tad concerned about the run because I missed both of my usual weekday runs but in the end my pace was the same–5:26/km–and the overall length of the run was nearly identical, with today’s being three seconds faster–again, that’s over a stretch of 10.04 km–than last Saturday’s. A little weird.
BPM is still higher than I’d like at 174, possibly a combination of being off form and the cooler temperatures. Or something.
Generally I felt fine, though the upper left leg started stiffening up in the last few km. It felt fine after.
There were more people out than expected (looked like something was happening at the rowing pavilion. Rowing, perhaps.) and this led to several traffic jams where I had to actually jog in place before I could get through.
I also had two near-collisions with other runners, which is pretty rare. The first came when I make a sharp left coming off the narrow feeder trail near the sports fields. A runner came up on my blind side and was dressed darkly. I scooted around him and all was well. The second runner was being naughty by cutting a corner, putting him in my direct path. He dodged out of the way on that one.
The trail was actually in good shape, the park workers having removed the five billion leaves that had been piled up all over.
On the walk home the rain picked up and this had a couple of undesirable side effects. The first was the return of the chafing on my ever-so-sensitive nipples. While they didn’t gush blood they got as close as possible and are still feeling unhappy now. Stupid nipples. If rain looks possible next time I will dutifully wear my nipple guards. As soon as I invent them.
The other consequence was tracking the 4 km walk home. I actually thought about locking the face of my Apple Watch, as it tends to get squirrelly and do its own thing when it gets wet. Sure enough, after 2.87 km (when I was walking along North Road) it managed to shut the walk activity off and change my default watch face. It then restarted the walk somehow for about five more minutes, stopping for good midway through Hume Park, so it got most of the walk recorded. Next time I’ll lock.
Overall, the pace of the run was better than expected, though the various complications were annoying. I give it three out of five chintzy jogging trophies.
