Run 536: A fast 5K with no chest mishaps

Run 536
Average pace: 5:12/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:26 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:12
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20-21ºC
Humidity: 30%
Wind: light
BPM: 171
Weight: 155.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4174 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone

One of the minor annoying things about after-dinner summer runs is the sun is low enough in the sky to shine directly into your eyes.

The fact that the sun was already too low to do that tonight is a good indication that summer is coming to an end. Also, all of the rain in next week’s forecast. My poor nipples. 🙁

And speaking of, I wore one of my sleeveless shirts tonight because the fabric is a little lighter and smoother than my other running shirts. Since I was going without nipple protection, this seemed to be the best way to avoid another chest-related bleedapalooza. And it turned out fine. I think I’ll only really have to cover up, so to speak, when it is raining, because that’s when the clothes start sticking.

So next week, as per the forecast I mentioned above.

Two things I noticed on the trail tonight: the first was a pervasive dusty odor. Despite the bit of rain we had on the weekend and a brief shower yesterday morning, it’s still quite dry, so cyclists are still churning up clouds of dust along the river trail. Weirdly, the whole trail still smelled of dust even when none was visible hanging in the air. It was kind of weird.

The other thing I noticed were lots of cyclists. They were all well-behaved, so no issues there.

Conditions were quite nice. With the sun tucked behind the trees and the temperature hovering around 20ºC it was nice and comfy, with only minimal sweating and no real dry mouth to bother me.

My idea was to settle back a bit after the last few runs but I somehow managed to end up with my fastest 5K of the year, at 5:12/km. My last km pace was 4:546/km, marking the first time this year I’ve broken the five minute mark.

At one point it felt like a stitch was going to develop, so I eased up a little, but even that had no effect on the overall pace.

My BPM was back up to 171, which is about where it goes when I basically sprint for an extended stretch.

I’ll try to moderate my pace for real next time.

Also, it was starting to get dark about fiften minutes after I got home, meaning the extended runs along the river and then to the lake are pretty much done for the year, there simply won’t be enough daylight after dinner. Alas. Even the 5K runs are going to start getting iffy in about a month’s time. I’ll have to decide between treadmill or noon runs then. I don’t like either option.

But for tonight, I soared.

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