Run 602: Down by the riverside

Run 602
Average pace: 5:59/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 11:34 am
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 30:14
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 7ºC
Humidity: 79%
Wind: nil
BPM: 185
Weight: 167.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 4590 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 8

It took 11 days, but I finally ran again outdoors. Woo.

This time I accepted that I am out of shape and scaled things back a bit. Instead of a walk and full loop around Burnaby Lake (over 18 km in total) I walked to the river trail–about 1.5 km–ran the 5K and walked back, taking roughly an hour total.

Good news: Nothing broke, there were no cramps or other issues, though a stitch in my left side threatened, but never materialized. Pace was unsurprisingly improved over the previous run, as the river trail is a lot broader and flatter than the lake’s. I came in at 5:59/km. Or if you check the time on the phone app, it’s rounded it up to an even 6:00/km, being a complete party pooper. Despite numerous dogs off leash, none came over to sniff/jump/accost me. Finally, the lack of serious sweating by running in the cold continues to please me. I mean, you still sweat, but it’s not exactly the same as running in 30º C temperatures in the middle of August. Now that I’ve said that, I am pining again for the return of warm weather, despite the copious sweating.

Less than good news: If accurate, my BPM was up again. This is in itself not surprising, as the easier trail here encourages me to push a little more, but it topped out at an average of 185. That’s kind of really high. Yikes. I may need to focus on less strenuous treadmill runs until I am in better condition.

Weather-wise, it was virtually identical to the last run, with cloudy skies and close to zero wind. Perfect weather for a winter run, really.

Overall, I’m pleased to complete another outdoor run on my slow climb back into being in shape, though the high BPM is a concern.

Leave a Comment