Run 484
Average pace: 5:39/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.05 km
Time: 28:34
Weather: Heavy rain
Temp: 7ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 168
Stride: n/a
Weight: 166.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3810 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone
After 18 days of not-running (I was using the unwelcome lump of something or other to justify the inactivity, then when I saw my doctor I forgot to ask if running was okay. Since the answer almost certainly would have been yes and since I’d obviously been running with the unwelcome lump but just not realizing it was there, I made the call to drag my butt outside once again).
Around 9 a.m. I eyeballed the conditions. A steady rain was coming down. I opted to wait to see if it would stop or at least ease up.
It did not.
Finally, shortly after noon, I got dressed and headed to the river trail under a dismal gray sky. Within a block I was quite wet.
But I would get wetter still.
I crossed North Road and proceeded along the short (roughly one block) stretch to the entrance to the river trail. Cars were flying down the hill from the north, as usual, and I observed that at certain points they would hit copious amounts of water on the pavement, causing the water to spray vigorously in the direction of the sidewalk. I made note of this and timed my movement to avoid getting splashed.
I got splashed anyway.
A bracing wall of water sprang from the road, tiger-like, and fell down my right side, soaking it thoroughly. At this point, I was already drenched from the rain so I shrugged it off and continued.
During the run, the sky began to brighten, which usually signals the storm easing up or even passing. This did not happen. It began to rain even harder, the brighter conditions simply improving the visibility of the rain.
It rained the entire run and on the walk back home. My running short and shorts are still a little damp almost 24 hours later.
But it was 7ºC and wind was minimal so it wasn’t too cold, a small but vital saving grace. I wasn’t burning up the trail but likewise, I never felt I was struggling to finish despite the time off since the last run.
In the end, this was a virtual duplicate of the last run. The time of the two runs was separated by a single second, the average pace likewise, though this time I was a smidgen faster at 5:39/km.
I experienced minimal soreness after, which is encouraging. I’ll try to stick to regular runs again as part of my 2017 HealthQuest.
The week looks depressingly wet. If April showers bring May flowers we’re gearing up for Day of the Triffids next month.
But overall, I’m glad I ran and am pleased that the results stayed the same as my last run.
