Hooray, no rain!
This past summer has been rather bear-y at the lake, and I have directly encountered bears twice, with the most recent being just a week ago. With these bear encounters in mind, I decided to make a change with today’s run.
I opted to run counter-clockwise, but instead of continuing around the lake to head back home, as I normally would, I turned and headed back the way I ran. This was partly because the bears I’ve seen were on the south shore (while they can be anywhere, playing the odds seems like a good starting point), but mainly because the north side offers a lot more clear lines of sight, is closer to the rail lines and generally less bear-friendly, as such things go.
As part of this, I also opted to skip all three of the usual side trails. The main effect here is that I had to run a little closer to the actual 5K marker to finish the run. Sometimes change is good!
As for the run itself, the cooler conditions and slightly reduced humidity kept sweating to a minimum and the sun meant a few more people were out, but it was still pretty light, traffic-wise. I saw a decent number of fellow joggers, though. I think we are past the topless jogger season now, though you never know. Some guy is bound to think his abs are just too sexy to hide, regardless of the temperature.
Weirdly, I turned in my best pace in quite some time–5:37/km (the final lap was 5:21), with a BPM of 149. Very nice, and with no issues at all to report. I am pleased. I have no idea if skipping the side trails had any effect.
Also, I earned a new Garmin badge. I guess it’s time for new shoes!
Stats:
Run 972
Average pace: 5:37/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:08 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:17
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 13-14°C
Humidity: 83-82%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 164.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,690 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (285/630/915)
Music: R.E.M. (shuffle mode)
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