Here’s how the temperature went this morning:
- Wake up: 18C. This is the overnight low.
- Head out for run: 22C
- Start run: 24C
- End run: 25C
- Get back from run: 28C
In other words, in less than three hours, the temperature has gone up 10 degrees. It is hot.
I headed out early, though perhaps not quite as early as I’d have liked, but I need my beauty sleep! Still, it was before 10 a.m. and not too bad when I started, but there was very little breeze, which is good for Dry Mouth Syndrome, but not really good otherwise. The sun beat down on me for almost the entirety of the Cottonwood Trail. The humidity was relatively high.
It felt like it was taking a lot more effort to produce worse results. Still, I can’t be too disappointed. I am still recovering my form and my knees (a tiny bit stiff, but otherwise fine). My left hip acted up on the walk to the lake again, but for the run didn’t seem to be a factor. Taking these things into account, I can’t be too piqued by a slovenly pace of 6:10/km and a BPM of 156.
A few other people were also out jogging. One of them ahead of me was wearing a blue t-shirt and white shorts. I lost track of him for a few minutes when the trail got bendy, but when it straightened out, he had taken his short off. Hubba hubba. Would it provide incentive to keep me going, to close the gap? He was not running fast. For a time I was edging slightly closer, but when we hit the Cottonwood Trail I felt my energy start to drain away, and he pulled a bit ahead. With his shirt off and his long white shorts, he looked like a boxer trying to find the fight. My luck turned when he stopped at the bridge over Still Creek. I got full opportunity to ogle up close. He rated about half a hubba hubba. A hub.
After the run I supped from every available fountain. Here’s how I rate them:
- Fountain by the playground at the athletic field: Shoots water about a km out, but the button is super stiff, so it takes an unusual amount of effort to press and hold. Fountain also sits in sun all day so water always starts out hot. 6/10.
- Fountain by dam. Shade much of the day so water cools quickly, but flow is so weak you almost have to perform mouth-to-mouth on the fountain to get a drink. 6.5/10.
- Fountain at Hume Park, near the water play area. It’s the perfect height for adults, has good flow and the water isn’t piping hot to start. 9/10.
Also, right near the end of the run, I passed another guy running shirtless. He was a hubba. Curiously, he was doing these weird spinning movements before setting off, which reminded me of a boxer.
Overall, the run kind of went as expected, maybe a little worse. Conditions look to be the same on Wednesday, so I’ll see if I can set out earlier.
Stats:
Run 797 Average pace: 6:10/km Training status: Maintaining Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW) Start: 9:48 a.m. Distance: 5.03 km Time: 30:59 Weather: Sunny Temp: 24-25ºC Humidity: 69-64% Wind: light BPM: 156 Weight: 166.7 Total distance to date: 5865 km Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation) Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 12 (535 km)
