Run 540
Average pace: 5:25/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 10:22 am
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 54:24
Weather: Partly sunny
Temp: 14ºC
Humidity: 82%
Wind: light
BPM: 169
Weight: 154.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 4202 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone
Because I last ran counter-clockwise at the lake, today I ran clockwise. However, I started my run a little after 10 a.m., which turned out to be around the time a running event was beginning at the lake. The runners, as tradition dictates, were heading in a counter-clockwise direction.
And so it was that between the 3-4 km mark I noticed someone dashing by wearing what looked like an event jersey. The design was too elaborate for me to read as he whizzed by, but then I noticed a few more and thought there must be a small running group out and aboot.
It was when I approached the bridge at Deer Lake Brook that I could see dozens of people in a slowly-spreading out formation, all moving toward me. I managed to barely stay on the edge of the trail and for a moment wondered if I should just switch direction and go with the flow. After another moment I figured they’d pass soon and all was well after that until I rounded the sports fields and about five young women sped past me like a bullet train toward what looked like a finish line. At this point I had no idea how many events were going on or where or how or why, I just quietly hoped I’d be off the trail before hitting the next batch of eager participants.
And I was.
With the forecast promising rain, I headed out with the temperature hovering around 14-15ºC, nearly perfect for running. I didn’t even notice any sweat until I was nearly three km in! The sky was a mix of cloud and sun but this was one of those days where the sun felt like a fall sun, unlike two days ago when it got weirdly warm (27ºC in Vancouver) and very much felt like a summer sun. I prepared for possible rain by protecting my nipples (I wish I could come up with a cute nickname for them. “The boys” seems wrong.) but the rain obligingly held off until two hours after I had finished the run.
I kept up a nice pace and the cooler weather made it easier to maintain the pace. Somewhere between the 5-6 km the left leg began to feel stiff but I waited it out for a bit and it leveled off quickly, so I was able to finish the full run and even felt a little spry in the last stretch (I wasn’t really any faster, but I did keep up a very consistent pace throughout). The walk home was fine and as I write this the leg seems to have recovered nicely. My overall pace was my second-fastest for a 10K this year at 5:25/km. I am provisionally prepared to say I am safe for running 10Ks on the weekend.
Which I will probably do in a counter-clockwise direction from now on.
