Run 433
Average pace: 5:51/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.26 km
Time: 30:50
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21-26ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Stride: n/a
Weight: 161.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3477
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6
I held off running for longer than planned due to a combination of weather (resuming runs in the rain makes for fine alliteration but it’s hard to motivate yourself to begin again while getting soaked) and general trepidation (mainly the fear of resuming too soon and risking aggravation of injury).
But today I finally committed to myself to head out on a basic 5K for the first time in six weeks.
I started by sleeping in. Whoops.
I eventually headed out around noon and started the run clockwise at Burnaby Lake around 12:30. Today also happened to be the day the summer switch got flipped back to ON and it was 21ºC when I started and rose to 26º by the end. It felt quite warm and I was thirsty and sluggish and the idea of aggravating injuries seemed the stuff of fantasy because I felt like I was barely moving.
My pace turned out to be 5:51/km, ten seconds slower than my last run but in line with what I’d expect after the month and a half of inactivity. My heart rate was up significantly, from 160 bpm on the previous run to 169 bpm today, but that can be attributed to the heat and greater overall strain in running.
On the plus side the only negative effect was my left foot feeling a little sore but not enough to slow me down or really make a difference. It was more like an annoying bug you can’t swat away. That analogy sucks but mainly it wasn’t an issue. I did not feel any other pain or soreness during or after the run, so that was encouraging.
The current plan is to resume a regular set of 5K runs and see how they go and eventually move back to 10K. I’ll try another 5K on Tuesday and see if it goes well. If so then yay. If not, then boo. It’s pretty simple.
The trail was in good condition overall, most of the puddles having dried up after recent rains–except for one giant puddle that was hidden around the corner, at the end of the path that leads out to the athletic fields. This puddle was big enough to be unavoidable and had the curious effect of leaving my feet utterly soaked even as I felt as parched as a nomad wandering the desert without a handy bottle of Gatorade.
Overall I am pleased that I got through and got through without any pain. We will see what Tuesday brings.