I originally thought about doing a short loop going clockwise around the lake, but changed my mind and just ran the full 5K, then walked the rest of the way around.
I skipped Wednesday’s run because my watch declared it a Rest Day and I obey my watch when it tells me to rest. My obedience is more uncertain when it tells me to do other things.
The highlight (?) of today’s run was: wind! And plenty of it. Post-run the weather app on my phone said the wind was blowing 21 km/hour and I have no doubt it was gusting much higher than that at times. The trail was covered in leaves, twigs, branches and the occasional downed tree. This, combined with bright late morning sun, meant I had to be extra vigilant to avoid branches hiding amongst piles of leaves and such. I am happy to report I avoided all obstacles1Well, I did get batted by leaves and small bits of debris multiple times, but nothing that could leave a mark and emerged unscathed.
I even managed to beat my slow start curse of late, managing to come in under the six-minute mark for all five km, with an overall pace of 5:54/km. My BPM was 149 and only edged to 153 at its peak. You might think the wind, when behind my back, may have helped me, but it did not. I distinctly remember a few times having it push directly against me, though.
There were some other runners out and some people strolling, but it felt like the numbers were lower, likely due to the tremendous wind.
In all, a somewhat odd but still kind of good end to the week (except for all the new ex-trees).
Stats:
Run 1,074
Average pace: 5:54/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:21 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:39
Weather: Sunny with high wind
Temp: 14–15°C (felt like 13°C)
Humidity: 64–51%
Wind: moderate to high
BPM: 149
Weight: 172.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,170 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (150/301/451)
Music: Time, ELO