With apologies to DEVO.
Conditions were slightly warmer and slightly sunnier today (though high cloud blocked the sun most of the time), but not enough to make a difference compared to the last few runs.
What did make a difference was my spontaneous decision to veer off the usual course taking me down the Southshore Trail and to continue straight ahead instead down the Freeway Trail. I’m not sure why I did this, but it may have been that I was planning a short loop and realized this was one way to make it more of an actual loop, instead of simply backtracking the way I’d come. Variety, and all that.
It would also have the effect of slowing me down, which I wanted to do, so I don’t push my legs/knees/miscellaneous organs too hard as I get back into a regular run routine. The Freeway trail is more uneven and hilly than the lake trail, so it would either slow me down (yes) or I’d have to push extra hard to compensate (haha, no). I probably ran around 2 km or so on it before diverting back to the regular trail.
The diversion also had the added benefit of getting me away from the crowds, because it felt unusually busy for a Monday morning. I don’t know if it was my slightly later start or people panicking and trying to get in activity before summer ends, but after the weird absence of people last Wednesday, it’s been People++ since then. No issues, though, which is nice.
The Freeway Trail did indeed slow me down, as my pace was 5:49/km along that stretch, which brought my overall pace to 5:42/km, which is still perfectly fine. The legs and knees held up, with no pain or discomfort. The shins are still adjusting, but again, no real issues.
Overall, a perfectly cromulent start to the week.
P.S. There was a BDI1Bad Dog Incident post-run and I was going to detail it, but I’ve decided to just let it go. No one got hurt, so I’m not going to dwell on it.
Stats:
Run 886
Average pace: 5:42/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW, short loop)
Start: 10:42 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:39
Weather: Sun with high cloud
Temp: 17-18°C
Humidity: 71-69%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 151
Weight: 165.9
Total distance to date: 6,290 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 6 (75/161/236)
