After examining my Brooks Caldera 5’s, I noticed that the heels are basically gone from both shoes. This is suboptimal for providing cushioning to said heels. Today I wore my old Saucony Switchbacks, which I last wore on Run 670 back in December 2021. I have a pair of Peregrine 12’s on order from Amazon but have yet to get a shipping date for them, which is odd, so may look elsewhere or perhaps return to the Speedgoats for that pillowy goodness they offer.
Pillowy goodness is not something the Switchbacks offer. At size 8.5 they fit a little more snugly, but with enough room for my toes to wiggle. The drop is minimal, and the padding overall is thinner than the Calderas. They’re not full minimalist shoes, but at one point on the run my left foot rolled over a rock and I definitely felt it more than I would have with the Calderas.
I really like the lacing system, though, especially since the Caldera laces are weirdly long and the whole lacing/tongue system feels cumbersome.
The shoes held up fine, though my left foot continues to not hurt exactly, but is clearly feeling the problems of yore before I got my orthotics. I should book an appointment with Kintec soon and look into getting them updated.
I did feel some strain in my lower right leg muscles post-run, but they seem to have worked themselves out now, so it’s something I’m noting but not concerned about…yet.
As for the run, it was 15C, my self-proclaimed ideal running temperature and despite sweating due to the high humidity, it felt nice. I ran with no particular goal, except to not push and try to stay close to 150 BPM without being too strict in monitoring it. I ended with an overall BPM of 151 and a pace of 5:54/km, which is perfectly pleasing to me on a mid-week run.
The trail was perhaps busier than expected despite my earlier start, but the crowd skewed heavily toward the exercise type, and it was another gorgeous sunny morning. One young guy jogged past me with a jacket that he will regret having worn. I’m surprised I didn’t see any guys running topless, really. It feels nice in the sun at 15C, not hot.
I sometimes post shots taken before or after the run looking from the Cariboo Dam toward Burnaby Lake. Today here’s a shot looking back to the dam instead. It’s not exactly the Hoover Dam, though it’s probably holding back as much water right now. /sadclimatechangejoke
Stats:
Run 723 Average pace: 5:54/km Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:42 a.m. Distance: 10.06 km Time: 59:17 Weather: Sunny Temp: 15ºC Humidity: 85% Wind: light BPM: 151 Weight: 158.6 Total distance to date: 5327 km Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Switchback ISO (230 km)
