Run 414 Average pace: 5:50/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CW
Distance: 7.45 km
Time: 43:28
Weather: Rain, rain, rain
Temp: 9-11ºC
Wind: low
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 170.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3355
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
Today is the first day of spring and I’m pretty sure we hit our quota of rain for the season already. I know because I was there.
As I headed out, it was about 9ºC, which is relatively mild. A light rain was falling from the moment I stepped outside and it did not let up the entire run. It actually started coming down fairly hard toward the end. Fortunately it had not been raining for long before I went out so while there was a good amount of puddle hopping there was only one small spot that required especially dexterous maneuvering.
My lower legs still emerged covered in a spray of dirt and more curiously, a fair amount of bits of bark.
There were few people out given the weather, but the split was even between walkers and runners. Everyone looked very wet. Most walkers eschewed umbrellas for sturdy raincoats with hoods. Most of the runners just got soaked. Like me.
I started feeling a bit of a burn and then a stitch in my left side, a sure sign that my early pace was exceeding my grasp. I slowed down and eventually the stitch subsided. I tried picking up the pace toward the end and the splits bear this out, with the last 1.5 km being a bit brisker. That first km was 5:13/km, altogether too fast for my current level of fitness. Fortunately my body is not shy about sending signals to the effect of “OH MY GOD ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?! YOU ARE, I CAN TELL. SLOW DOWN, IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY, SLOW DOWN!”
My overall pace of 5:50/km is my best of my weekly runs and I even ran a decent bit more than intended, going 7.45 km instead of the planned 7 km.
The left foot was hurting a little but it was pretty minor and I don’t feel it affected my pace.
I am as pleased with this run as I am displeased with the weather during it, so pretty pleased!
I am tentatively planning on starting thrice-weekly runs again by heading out after work on Tuesday, probably on a 5K on the Brunette River trail. We shall see.
Run 413 Average pace: 5:56/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 7.05 km
Time: 41:55
Weather: Overcast, showers
Temp: 7-8ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 168.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 3348
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I headed out earlier today to beat the rain and beat some of it.
The rest fell on me.
The day was cool and a strong breeze made it cooler still. The sky looked semi-threatening and the forecast indicated I’d complete my run before any real rain would start. Just over 2.5 km in, having just exited the Piper Mill Trail, a light sprinkle began. It remained much the same for the rest of the run, picking up a little toward the end.
After the run it turned into a downpour, so the last four km or so I got thoroughly soaked. It was the kind of weather that would have made it very difficult to motivate myself to get out in, so the decision to start early was wise indeed.
I opted to run 7K and managed it without issue, coming in with a slightly slower pace that pretty much equals out to the 5K pace of a few weeks ago. That’s nice to see.
The left foot was a tiny bit sore during the run but perfectly tolerable. I experienced no other issues.
There were no cyclists on the trail today. Hooray! There were several unleashed dogs. Boo! The runners started outnumbering the walkers as the weather worsened but other than a few dedicated walking groups, traffic was pretty light.
The strange crashing happened somewhere after the 9K mark when I was walking out, a few hundred meters shy of the Avalon Trail. I heard a loud crash just behind me and to my right. I snapped my head back (after leaping into the air) and couldn’t see anything immediately obvious but the woods here are marshy and filled with deadfall. There was a very large branch weighing down on other fallen timber and I suspect that may have been what I just heard. Recent storms with high winds and heavy rain have created optimal conditions for trees and branches to come down and there were several chainsawed trees along the trail that hadn’t been there last week. The fact that it seemed to be happening while I was there made me eye every slightly leaning tree for the rest of the trip around the lake.
Nearly every tree leans slightly at Burnaby Lake.
I escaped unscathed, apart from getting completely drenched and overall the run was a success. I increased my distance, maintained my pace and felt fine after. Now that Daylight Saving Time has kicked in, I should be able to start doing 5Ks after work soon™.
Note: The Speedgoats are still bleeding blue into my soaks for the fifth run in a row. I may pick up a different pair of shoes this week or at least see if I can exchange these ones as they’re clearly defective or my feet have new mutant color-absorbing abilities that coincidentally only activate when I’m wearing the Speedgoats.
Run 412 Average pace: 5:54/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CW
Distance: 6.06 km
Time: 35:50
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: moderate
BPM: 166
Stride: n/a
Weight: 169.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3341
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
The forecast thundershowers did not materialize for today’s run and though it sprinkled a little before and after the run, I once again lucked out by having the run itself stay dry. The recent rain meant the area around the fields required some nigh-impossible puddle-dodging, however. This is the last stretch of trail around Burnaby Lake that hasn’t been effectively shored up, so regular rain will often still produce mini-lakes that force you to go into the field to avoid. In this weather the field’s edges are bog-like, so it’s not much of an improvement. Basically, you don’t want to be wearing nice shoes here.
It was also 11ºC again, but with the wind gusting less, it felt much milder. It was nice.
Speaking of shoes, the fourth time out the Speedgoats still bled blue onto my socks, however the blue is a lot less prominent now and maybe in another half dozen runs or so it might stop. That’s still not really acceptable, but it is something to look forward to, sort of. The laces again felt loose on the walk back, but remained tied.
The skunk cabbage did not stink this week. It will stink again, though, as sure as spring officially arrives in two weeks.
Two cyclists rode past me as I began my walk back along the Cottonwood Trail. I thought evil thoughts as they went by (“Crash into each other!” “Get attacked by insane squirrels!”) but really, all I’d like is for people like them to use the roughly billion other trails and spaces in the lower mainland where cycling is allowed.
The run itself was largely a repeat of last week, with the pace within the mathematical margin of error at 5:54/km (it was 5:53 last week). However, I did push out to just over 6 km instead of the usual 5 km, so I was effectively faster. The extra km did not prove taxing so I’ll probably continue ramping up toward doing a full 10K loop again.
Overall, I was pleased with the effort. I can tell I’m making progress as much of my thought process during the run has shifted to various random things and away from “Dear god, when is this run going to end?”
Run 411 Average pace: 5:53/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CW
Distance: 5.35 km
Time: 31:30
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 11ºC
Wind: moderate with occasional strong gusts
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 169 pounds
Total distance to date: 3335
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
For my third weekly run I changed things up a little by running clockwise and running a wee bit farther, as the 5K marker is about 300 m further along the trail when approaching from this direction. The forecast threatened thundershowers but fortunately the rain held off entirely, though it was occasionally quite gusty. Despite being quite warmer than the last run, the wind was sharp enough to produce a chill on the walk to the lake.
The Speedgoats again bled color into my socks so grr on that. On the plus side, my left foot held up better. I tried to pace myself on the first km again and pretty much failed, with a pace of 5:21/km, much faster than the rest of my run. I’m not sure how much extra energy it would give me for the remaining four km, anyway.
I generally felt more energetic, which is nice with a lowly once-per-week pace and look forward to seeing even more rapid improvements when I resume running multiple times per week.
My pace was improved again, from 5:56/km to 5:53/km. Not much but I’ll take it.
A family of three were riding bikes, including the inevitable kid-wobbling-like-he’s-going-to-fall-over, one of my favorite things to encounter on the trail. Another guy was riding solo and he looked a bit sheepish when I shot him The Look as I jogged by. Here’s a good way to avoid feeling sheepish: DON’T RIDE YOUR BIKES AT THE LAKE.
The trail was a bit puddle-filled in places but only required a bit of minor dodging and the next sign of spring (after the early budding of trees) was in the air. And the air stunk. Specifically, the skunk cabbage is beginning its annual bloom and this earliest stage is among the stinkiest. Fortunately the stink was confined to a stretch adjacent to one of the boardwalks.
Overall, a satisfactory effort. I’m still undecided on wearing the TomTom but may do so next time.
Run 410 Average pace: 5:56/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 5.13 km
Time: 30:32
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 6ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 166
Stride: n/a
Weight: 168.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3330
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I replicated last week’s run, doing the same route, with one change: I used the orthotic insoles in my Speedgoats. While my left foot did hurt, it started to hurt much later and minimally enough that I didn’t consider it a serious issue during the run.
Despite a few sprinkles en route to Burnaby Lake, it remained dry for the entire five km and the trail was in much better shape, with the need to dexterously dodge and weave and sometimes plunge straight through puddles being unnecessary.
The Speedgoats proved to be a mixed success again. They passed the shoelace test but as I was nearing the dam on my walk back the lace on the right shoe was on the verge of coming undone. Had I still been running, I’m sure it would have, so I consider this a technical fail. Worse, the color leeching happened again. This time the only moisture in the shoes came from my feet sweating but this was enough to leave prominent blue stains on both socks. I’ll probably be taking them back to Kintec for a refund or exchange (likely an exchange, as I have to believe this is some sort of flaw in a specific production run).
I tried to pace myself a little better at the start of the run but mostly failed there. My first km was 5:24/km, fell to 6:10 for the second km and stayed in that general vicinity for the remainder of the run. The pace was a five second improvement, which was nice. My heart rate was also lower, which is also good. I expect to be sore again but not quite as sore.
I may wear the Tom Tom watch the next time just to compare (it also syncs to my Nike+ account).
Overall, I was hoping for small improvements and got them, so I’m pleased. Now I just need to finish runs without ruining more socks.
Run 409 Average pace: 6:01/km
Location: Burnaby Lake CCW
Distance: 5.18 km
Time: 31:56
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 9ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 171
Stride: n/a
Weight: 171.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3325
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
For the past month or so I’ve been planning on resuming running, having completed an entire run back on December 20. In fact, I was hoping to get a monthly streak going for 2016. That didn’t happen because I got sick, got better but was recovering, sort of got sick again, then actually did get sick once more. This weekend I felt sufficiently recovered from all of that to get out and run.
Run is a bit generous, though. My pace was so slow you may be excused for thinking I used a walker for assistance. In my defense:
I was wearing new shoes for the first time, the Hoka Speedgoats. New shoes usually lead to slower runs the first few times.
I am obviously still not 100% after battling multiple viruses
I am really out of shape, and what little shape I have is reminiscent of a pear
my left foot (you know, good ol’ #@$%!) was hurting even before I started
That said, conditions were decent, with the rain holding off apart from an occasional sprinkle, and the 9ºC proving balmy enough that I could have worn a regular t-shirt and not the long-sleeved one (the running jacket, which I briefly considered, would have been way too warm).
I elected to break in the custom orthotics with the new shoes, even though I’ve been wearing them relatively trouble-free for weeks now. This may have been a mistake as halfway to Burnaby Lake the left foot started to hurt. It remained tolerable so I stuck to my 5K plan, once more using my Apple Watch and iPhone combo. It seems reasonably accurate but distance seems to be a little generous, with me hitting marks slightly before I’d expect. I’ll probably switch back to the TomTom for the next run.
The first 500 m, on the spiffy resurfaced section of the trail, went fine. No matter how out of practice, that first stretch you always feel great. I knew this would change and braced for it. As I moved onto the Spruce Loop trail, it changed. Suddenly it felt like I had lead weights in my shoes, in my lungs and possibly tucked away in other spots. I thought about pausing the run, about walking for a bit, but instead I pressed on and let my pace drop.
Somewhere between the 2.5 and 3 km mark the second wind kicked in, though it was a gentle kick. This was still enough for the lead weights to go away. My pace didn’t especially improve but I felt a lot better and finished out the run without any further undue suffering.
I walked back from the lake and the left foot, while still sore, did not present a notable obstacle.
Overall, I’m disappointed at the sluggish pace, but it is totally in line with the conditions of the run. I am pleased I got out and completed the full 5K and look forward to more runs soon. The addition of the custom orthotic will be interesting to observe, as it’s bound to be quite noticeable when running vs. walking (I don’t particularly notice it now during my day-to-day walking).
The Speedgoats were a mixed bag. On the plus side, they passed the shoelace test, with both remaining tied for the entire duration. The right shoe felt a tad loose on the walk back but still remained secure.
On the other hand, they did nothing to prevent the left foot from hurting. I think I’m pretty much doomed to all shoes being like this without an orthotic in them. Stupid foot.
More distressing was the fact that my socks had blue stains on them from the interior of the shoes. The trail was wet and squishy and I came out of it with mud splattered up my legs and my feet not exactly drenched but very much damp from a few unavoidable plunges through water. The interior of the shoes had a few wet spots and these appeared to allow the color to leech from the shoe to the sock, the first time I’ve had this happen in any running shoe. I was kind of shocked, actually. This shouldn’t happen, especially in a trail runner. I’ll be looking into whether this is a known defect of the Speedgoats or just bad luck on my part (49 reviews on the official Hoka site did not yield any mention of the issue).
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Updated tags for better searching and to note this was the first run using an Apple Watch (Series 0).
Run 408 Average pace: 5:42/km Location: Brunette River trail Distance: 5.0 km Time: 28:35 Weather: Overcast Temp: 7ºC Wind: light BPM: 172 Stride: n/a Weight: 165.3 pounds Total distance to date: 3320 Device used: Apple Watch (debut, Series 0) and iPhone 6
Here it is a mere four and a half months later and I’ve completed my next run, which I was totally not expecting.
Dedicated spambots scraping this blog for running articles may recall that my last run was on August 3rd, the first official day of my vacation. The run ended with my right hip (not actually my hip, as it later turned out) being hurt sufficiently that I knew I would be out for the rest of the summer or, as it turned out, almost the rest of the entire year.
Once I had sufficiently mended we were past summer and into fall and the days grew short and it was difficult to run after work. Running on the weekend also proved difficult because I just plain lost my mojo.
Today I had a Clif Bar for lunch (usual as I quest toward my target weight of 150) but a short while later I caved and had an apple strudel. It was loaded not only with sugar but also guilt. I had made a vow to stop snacking, and this was a clear violation. I soaked in the tub and contemplated how this, along with a planned pasta dinner, would contribute to The Fattening. I felt bad.
I decided to run.
I got changed and because this wouldn’t be an “official” run, I chose to not wear the TomTom watch. Instead I thought I’d give my fancy new Apple Watch and iPhone a workout (ho ho), using the Watch’s Activity app.
Setup was simple. I chose Outdoor Run, it advised me as this was my first run that I should run for at least 20 minutes to let the watch suss out my average pace. I planned 5K so this would not be an issue as I have not recently had bionic legs surgically attached.
I decided to walk the length of the Brunette River trail first, then start the run at the opposite end. This would get me heading in the right direction on the home stretch. I wore my usual gear, though the t-shirt was swapped for the long-sleeved version. This was not an unwise choice as it was 7ºC, not exactly tanning weather.
Upon arrival at the river trail I noted the bear sign was still up. It’s December 20th, I’m pretty sure the bears have gone south or started hibernating or whatever it is they do in the winter.
Using the watch, I selected my running music (from 1987, see previous post), chose the Outdoor Run activity and set the distance at 5 km. I tapped the Start button and three seconds later I began my first run in a good long time.
I kept the pace deliberate and actually had no trouble completing the full 5 km. A stitch threatened early on but never fully materialized and the only discomfort I felt was the usual “this is what it feels like to use certain muscles again after not using them for 18 weeks.” The left foot started to hurt but stayed tolerable. I stuffed toilet paper into the shoe to help provide extra cushioning but toilet paper squashes easily, something I forgot since I’m not in the habit of squashing it.
My pace seemed about right, given the layoff: 5:42/km. I broke the five-minute mark on the first km, slowed over the next three and picked up on the final. Again, this is all more or less normal. The BPM came in at 172, much higher than the 160 of my last run back in August. I’m not sure if this is accurate and thus worrisome, or inaccurate and no big deal.
While everything worked well enough with the Activity app, it is too self-contained and lacks some stats to really prove useful in the long term. I may try the Strava app on my next practice run, as it’s supposed to be spiffy.
Three other things of note on the run:
There were a lot of fishers out there and more people in general than I expected
As I looped back to the entrance of the trail, a Metro Vancouver worker was removing the bear sign, as if he had read my mind; for reasons unknown (conspiring with bears?) the other sign at the western end of the trail was left up
Some dope with a dog let his dog off-leash and while he was bent over tying his shoe on the other side of the trail, the dog came running after me, nipping and barking at my heels. It wasn’t scary so much as annoying. I shot the guy a dirty look as he called Cujo back, then observed, with no surprise, as they headed off, the dog was still unleashed. I pondered what it would take to get him to decide it was a good idea to put the leash back on (he had a leash with him). I decided nothing would because he was a stupid, selfish jerkface.
I now wait to see how my body feels tomorrow (I’m thinking a little sore but not bad). I could potentially run again in three days, but may wait until next weekend. The important thing is I ran, I survived, I worked off that strudel, and I’m curious to go out and do it again.
Run 407 Average pace: 5:43/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 57:20
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23-27ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 160
Stride: 175 strides/min
Weight: 152.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3315
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio
The good news is despite sleeping in a little, my first holiday run actually happened in the morning and temperatures remained comfortable throughout.
The bad news was the thing of evil known as my right hip. Never known for acts of great villainy before, it made up for it today, doing its best to topple me.
Yesterday I walked my usual run router and noticed that the right hip was feeling a little sore. I believe this stemmed from sleeping funny and twisting my leg in a way that is sub-optimal, similar to how some people will wake with sore backs. This happened last year then went away. It returned this year and while I have noticed it on runs it’s never really interfered, it’s more something I feel.
Yesterday’s walk was a warm-up, though, because today the hip made its presence known so strongly it completely knocked me off my usual pace. My left foot also started hurting between the 2-3K mark, though it leveled off quickly and I don’t feel it was a factor.
By around 9K the hip mysteriously started to feel much better, so much so that I put on the afterburners to get a good finish in. Halfway through this (with 300-400 m left) the hip did a full reversal and felt like it was on fire or going to explode or something. I had a few moments where I wondered if I would even finish the run. I did and also managed a slow walk home.
I’m not sure why the hip has suddenly gone haywire, unless I’m continuing to sleep wrong. I would correct this if I could stay awake while I sleep but you see the problem there.
I’ll see if I bounce back from this quickly or if it turns into some yucky long term situation.
Other than Hell Hip, the trail was rather crowded today with walkers and joggers out enjoying the nice weather of BC Day. Bonus: no cyclists!
Run 406 Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 8.02 km
Time: 43:13
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 30-26ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 156
Stride: 178 strides/min
Weight: 153.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3305
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio
Tonight’s run was marred by a series of mildly unpleasant things, ranging from yet more hot temperatures (it was 30ºC when I started out) to a stitch in my lower right side (possibly caused by my guts boiling from the insane heat) to a tickle in my throat that was probably an ingested bug that led to a lot of coughing, watering eyes and general horribleness.
Despite all this, my pace of 5:23/km, while much slower than my last 8K, was actually fairly decent for the weather.
But the best part of all came a little less than a kilometer in when, on the Brunette River trail, I saw a beaver sitting on the path near the fence to my left. It was glistening and shiny from having just climbed out of the river and was pondering its next move, seemingly oblivious to my presence. I found this odd because I imagine beavers don’t encounter a lot of joggers. After I passed by I looked back and the beaver was ambling across to the other side of the trail, heading toward the new stream created a few years back, no doubt intent on a little re-engineering of the local ecosystem. I felt a little bad for the beaver having to waddle around in the oppressive heat wearing a fur coat. On the plus side it can jump into the river to cool off without fear of drowning, unlike me.
The Peregrine 5s held up much better this time, with both shoes remaining tied. Plus they are blue and snazzy-looking:
The left foot was better-behaved, as well, only getting slightly sore by the time I was waiting at the station for the SkyTrain.
All in all, despite the myriad issues, this run was not as bad as it could have been. Thanks for brightening my run, beaver! Unless you were an omen of a bad run, then screw you, you tree-destroying little monster!
Run 405 Average pace: 5:25/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 54:21
Weather: Overcast, a little sun
Temp: 18-20ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Stride: 180 strides/min
Weight: 155 pounds
Total distance to date: 3297
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio
Today’s run promised to be exciting an ominous. The excitement would be from wearing new shoes, a shiny blue pair of Saucony Peregrine 5s. These are non-minimalist trail runners, though they have a fairly tiny drop of 4 mm (for non-runners this refers to the height difference between the heel and toes; minimalist shoes have a completely flat or 0 mm drop). The ominous part came from the weather forecast warning of possible downpours in the afternoon with pea-sized hail (!) being possible. I’ve run in hail before and am not a fan.
Luckily, despite some morning showers the worst that happened was a lot of cloud cover, with the sun poking through once in awhile. The temperature stayed low, ranging from 18-20ºC so it was pleasantly comfortable.
The new shoes presented two problems, one right away and the other about 3 km into the run. The first was the left foot started to hurt (not much, more just a “can feel it” sort of thing) as soon as I headed out. This evolved into it actually hurting proper around 5 km into the run itself. The second was the left shoelace (which I retied at home several times before heading out) coming untied less than 3 km in, a major fail and huge pet peeve of mine. Fortunately it remained tied for the rest of the run and the other shoe never came undone.
The laces are not braided so I either need to pay more attention when tying them before heading out or consider swapping in some braided laces or perhaps switch to some crazy space age technology to keep them from coming untied, like Krazy Glue.
The good news for the left foot being sore, such as it was, is that it didn’t keep getting worse, peaking almost immediately, and my overall pace was a virtual tie with my last 10K run (also when the weather was not that summer-like, oddly). My previous time of 54:19 minutes was exceeded by a mere two seconds today at 54:21 and the pace managed to get rounded up to 5:25/km, but realistically was unchanged from the earlier 10K’s 5:24/km.
Stamina-wise there were no issues, though the sore foot kept me from pushing. I suspect my time would have been better if my foot had been happier. It will be interesting to see if the new shoes break in or just break my foot. Outside of my left foot they otherwise felt comfortable and had solid traction, handy for dodging the occasional puddle from the morning shower.
I’m officially reserving judgment for now.
I am pleased that despite the foot I still equaled my previous effort, though. Excelsior!
Run 404 Average pace: 5:13/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 7.02 km
Time: 36:38
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Stride: 180 strides/min
Weight: 153.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3286
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio
Tonight’s run was pretty much a repeat of Tuesday’s, with the temperature being slightly warmer (23 vs. 21ºC), the distance slightly shorter (7K vs. 8K) and the direction slightly opposite (counter-clockwise vs. clockwise).
Because of the previously mentioned slightly tender shins I originally planned to ease up a bit for this run but when I spied another runner ahead of me as I came off the Piper Mill trail I decided to keep pace with him (if I could) and did just that for roughly the last two km or so. I think I actually closed the gap a little, woo.
As with Tuesday’s run I got a nice bell curve going, with the slowest part of the run in the middle and then picking up speed again in the second half. In fact I came the closest yet to dipping below 5:00/km in the last km, coming in at 5:03. Hopefully my shins will forgive me.
Run 403 Average pace: 5:14/km
Location: Brunette River trail and Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 8.03 km
Time: 42:03
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 155
Stride: 180 strides/min
Weight: 153.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 3278
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio
I upped the distance slightly for a weeknight run, going from 7K to 8K and thanks to a nice, not-fires-of-hell temperature of 21ºC I returned to the pace of my previous few runs prior to Sunday, with an overall pace of 5:14/km.
The only downside as such was a bit of renewed tenderness in my shins, likely due to a combination of longer runs and the relative zippiness of late. It’s fairly mild as these things go so I’m not overly concerned. Other than that there were no issues and in fact I had enough energy to pick up the pace for the last few km.
