For today, I had no particular goal other than three basic things:
- Run 10K
- Go clockwise around the lake
- Target around my usual 150 BPM
I achieved all of these things (my BPM was 151, which is pretty close!) and yet, somehow, I also had my fastest 10K in probably more than six years. My average pace was 5:39/km and my 3rd and 5th km came in at weirdly fast averages of 5:33 and 5:34/km.
I ponder over such a strong performance by thinking, “What was different?” The answer is: not much! A few things:
- I logged just over 8 hours of sleep last night
- Yesterday was a relatively low-impact day, with little exercise
- I only ran a 5K on Monday
- Instead of a bowl of Cheerios, I had a small glass of chocolate milk and a banana for lunch
- I headed out later than usual, starting the run at 12:29 p.m.
- Conditions were fairly mild (no rain, little wind, not especially cold)
- My weight was down to its lowest of the month (162.1 pounds)
The only ones that really stand out to me are the full night of sleep and the later start. I have no idea if I can replicate today’s result, but since I didn’t actually push today (that 151 BPM) I guess we’ll find out soon enough!
I only had a couple of minor hitches during the run:
- At the 5K mark a stitch threatened in my gut, but never really materialized
- In the final km my left hip sent out a reminder, but it, too, didn’t amount to much
- My left shin felt ever-so-slightly tender at the start of the run, but this went away as I warmed up
Overall, this was kind of kooky and unexpected, but nice. I’ll take it!
Stats:
Run 754 Average pace: 5:39/km Location: Burnaby Lake (CW) Start: 12:29 p.m. Distance: 10.04 km Time: 56:45 Weather: Cloudy Temp: 7ºC Humidity: 80% Wind: low to moderate BPM: 151 Weight: 162.1 Total distance to date: 5600 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (272 km)
