Run 578
Average pace: 6:03/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:36 pm
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 30:31
Weather: Light showers
Temp: 15ºC
Humidity: 75%
Wind: light
BPM: 168
Weight: 163 pounds
Total distance to date: 4475 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8
My last run was on May 12. That was 22 days or two infections ago.
Surprisingly, my pace actually improved after three weeks off.
I was not looking forward to the run for three reasons:
- the long time off meant the run would feel a lot harder than it would otherwise
- my knees
- the rain because I can say with 100% certainty, I never enjoy running in the rain
The knees were not a real factor. I could feel them at the start, but after a few minutes they were fine and not a factor. They felt worse, as they have the last few months, on the walk back.
The rain was fairly light throughout, though it never fully stopped. Still, it was as close to not being obnoxious as it could get, and dry mouth was not an issue. Or dry anything.
Stamina was definitely an issue. At several points (I remember around the 3K mark in particular) the idea of just stopping and not running was a delightful and enticing notion. I pressed on, even as the slight uphill grade on the Cottonwood Trail seemed like a mighty mountain pass.
My pace was fairly steady, slowing a few seconds for the first three km, then actually picking up for the last two. The last km I actually came in under 6:00/km and my overall pace of 6:03/km was six seconds better than the previous run.
Despite the rain there were more people out than I expected and save for a couple at Piper Spit, none of them had umbrellas and many didn’t even have any headgear. I guess people don’t mind getting wet if it’s warmer.
Speaking of getting wet, I ran into some weird technical issues on the walk back that I think were weather-related.
For the run, I shuffled a playlist on the phone and locked the screen of the watch, so wacky things wouldn’t happen if it got wet (I have verified said wacky behavior in the past). After the run I switched to an Open Goal Outdoor Walk, and I did not lock the watch as the rain was very light at that point. That may have been an error, as after .45 km, the walk spontaneously turned into a 5K outdoor run. I was alerted to this when it noted I was at the halfway point after 2.5 km. I stopped the run shortly after, switched to an outdoor walk, locked the watch, and all was well until I got home.
Meanwhile, I assume the wet watch was also responsible for my music playback going bonkers. The music player kept stopping songs early and skipping to the next track. It got so annoying I paused the music and kept it paused. It spontaneously unpaused about a minute later, then started madly skipping ahead of songs again. I paused once more and at that point the watch display was locked, so it behaved after that. Lesson learned. If it rains–even a little–lock the watch.
The rain also brought out the first slugs I’ve seen in a long time, testing my rusty slug-dodging skills. I don’t believe I orphaned any slug families.
Also, as I was nearing the Cottonwood Trail I spotted a cyclist. Before starting my run, a parks worker had set out on the same counter-clockwise route and sure enough, she met the cyclist. They appeared to have a pleasant exchange, she asked him to dismount and walk his bike, then they parted ways, so he apparently got off with a warning. About 1.5 km father along I passed a young couple riding bikes, heading toward the same park worker. I figure there was a 50/50 chance she fined rather than warned them, having already used her “friendly reminder” up on the first guy (also, there is no way to enter the trail without passing at least one “No Cycling” sign, so claiming ignorance is not an especially convincing strategy). I can’t say I wanted the couple to be fined, but I wouldn’t have been sad, either.
Overall, the run went a little better than expected, though my BPM was on the higher side at 168, but that was perhaps to be expected with the amount of time off between runs. I really ought to start going out more often, knees willing.
