Run 428
Average pace: 5:45/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.01 km
Time: 57:39
Weather: Suny and warm
Temp: 16-20ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 159
Stride: n/a
Weight: 164.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3447
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I had two concerns going into today’s run, one entirely cosmetic, the other a little more substantial.
The cosmetic one concerned my new shoes and the potential for “color migration.” The more significant concern was how my right leg would feel as it started feeling sore after last Tuesday’s run and has been a bit sore since.
There’s good news, iffy news and bad news.
Good news: I made it through the entire run and walk back. Although my pace was off last Sunday’s spectacularly fast average, at 5:45/km it was still better than previous runs despite the soreness. My more deliberate pace also meant a BPM on the lower side at 159.
Iffy news: The first few km the leg felt fine but starting aching during the 3-4 km stretch. I briefly thought of shortening the run to a 5K. I pressed on and somewhere around the 5-6K mark the endorphins kicked in and it didn’t feel too bad. It continued to not feel bad the rest of the way and I kept on at a steady pace through to the end. The soreness extends beyond the injury of last year, with what feels like multiple muscles affected. The good news is none of this comes anywhere close to the blowout that happened last August where I experienced very sharp pain that actively inhibited my ability to run altogether. It just aches like muscles that have been worked a bit harder than is ideal.
I’m hoping that by stretching and being careful not to push that the muscles will continue to slowly improve while I still run. I’ll take time off if I need to but I’m hoping that won’t be necessary.
Bad news: The new Speedgoats are a complete bust. Not only did the color bleed, it’s even worse than the first pair. My socks look like they’ve been tattooed or branded:
On top of that, the right shoe was chafing against one of my toes, leaving the skin raw. It actually hurt more than my leg. At this point I would refuse another replacement pair. I’ll just put up with these until the bleeding stops (8 or 9 runs) and then get a different brand next time. This sort of quality control (“lol quality control??”) is not acceptable.
I got out fairly early, starting the run at 9:53 a.m. It was already 16ºC and went up to 20 by the end of the run. I actually felt sweat run down my face, not something I normally expect for the first day of May.
The trail was not overly crowded and I’d say there may have been slightly more runners than walkers. Apparently some event was taking place at the rowing pavilion or nearby as its parking lot was completely full. Whatever it was, all the people were squirreled away off the trail, which was okay by me.
I’m not sure what to expect on Tuesday’s run and haven’t decided if I’ll try the less familiar Langara trail or go back to the Brunette River trail, which is a gentler run.
