Today I decided to go clockwise around the lake and started without any complications–well, except for one. I forgot to put the phone in the belt, so it would have jostled in my pocket throughout the run and been a terrible distraction. I realized this and paused the run around four seconds in. Phone secured, I started off again and was astonished when the first km came up and I found my pace was 5:43/km–this was way faster than I intended.
Fearing burnout, I eased up to 6:03/km for the second km, then it happened.
Yes, I had to heed nature’s call. I paused the run, then had to search for a discreet location. Since much of the Freeway trail is closed due to sewer work being done (how appropriate), I went up a nearby connecting trail and took care of business. I resumed the run, but rather than feeling refreshed, I felt a bit off and a little crampy. The crampiness was not run-related. My pace slowed a bit more, dragging to 6:14/km for the fourth km. Even though I finished at 5:57/km, my overall pace fell a little shy of breaking the six-minute mark, But so close!
The humidity also did not help. At times, it felt like the 60% humidity was closer to 600%. I suppose this is marginally better than having my mouth go dry, but I have a water bottle now! And haven’t really needed it to date.
After walking the first km post-run, I began to feel a bit better and ran fairly consistently after that. Perhaps next week I’ll finally start pushing beyond 5K.
Still, it’s another week of 5K runs under my belt, my body is intact (and lighter) and I maintained my schedule even after an unplanned shifting of each run day.
Stats:
Run 689 Average pace: 6:02/km Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 12:44 p.m. Distance: 5:03 km Time: 30:22 Weather: Sun and cloud Temp: 21ºC Humidity: 60% Wind: light BPM: 153 Weight: 166.2 Total distance to date: 5048 km Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Brooks Caldera 5 (163 km)
I know crampiness isn’t a real word, but I have to say, I am delighted by the suggestions that LanguageTool came up with as replacements:
