Distance: 11.08 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: slight
Calories burned: 774
Average pace: 5:19/km
Total distance to date: 1053 km
I have discovered of late that the longer I go between runs the harder it is, as if I lose my conditioning faster by not running as frequently. On the plus side I have also noticed that I recover quicker than before in terms of soreness/achiness and the like.
And so with four days off since my last run I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty and it wasn’t. In terms of discomfort it was probably the worst run I’ve had in quite awhile — and yet I still managed to beat my previous run by three seconds on average, probably due to the lower temperature and running Burnaby Lake clockwise, which slopes more downwardly. And despite the lower temperature I still felt hot and sweaty. A rare light breeze came up but only long enough to be a tease. It felt like a portent of changing weather.
Along the way I felt a nagging pain in my right shin but has subsided dramatically over the course of 24 hours, leading me to cautiously believe that it was sore and not hurt. I also had a weird phantom twinge of pain flare up during the first half of the run in my left upper thigh. It came out of nowhere and left the same way. I think it may have been responsible for the absolutely huge drop between my first and second km — 8 seconds, which may be some kind of record. By the end of the run I had my stamina back and was starting to feel a bit better but overall it was a dismal affair.
I knew things were not going to go well when I could not select a playlist at the start of the run. Apparently my iPod did not sync properly so I had to run for 60 minutes with only the sound of my own wheezing to serenade me. I did not prefer this to music.
Here is hoping the next run is an all around more pleasant experience.
Chart (All runs at Burnaby Lake except those in blue which are at China Creek):
| km | Sep 12 | Sep 7 | Sep 2 | Aug 31 | Aug 26 | Aug 19 | Aug 15 | Aug 11 | Aug 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 4:49 | 4:52 | 4:52 | 4:51 | 4:51 | 4:50 | 4:55 | 4:54 | 5:04 |
| 2 km | 4:57 | 4:56 | 4:57 | 4:53 | 4:55 | 4:54 | 4:57 | 4:55 | 5:05 |
| 3 km | 5:02 | 4:59 | 5:00 | 4:57 | 4:58 | 4:57 | 4:58 | 4:58 | 5:07 |
| 4 km | 5:05 | 5:02 | 5:02 | 4:58 | 5:01 | 5:00 | 5:02 | 5:00 | 5:09 |
| 5 km | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:03 | 4:59 | 5:05 | 5:01 | 5:05 | 5:02 | 5:11 |
| 6 km | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:04 | 5:01 | 5:08 | 5:03 | 5:06 | 5:03 | 5:12 |
| 7 km | 5:12 | 5:11 | 5:06 | 5:03 | 5:10 | 5:05 | 5:08 | 5:04 | 5:14 |
| 8 km | 5:14 | 5:13 | 5:07 | 5:05 | 5:12 | 5:07 | 5:09 | 5:06 | 5:16 |
| 9 km | 5:16 | 5:16 | 5:08 | 5:06 | 5:14 | 5:09 | 5:11 | 5:08 | 5:16 |
| 10 km | 5:17 | 5:18 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:16 | 5:11 | 5:13 | 5:08 | 5:17 |
| 11 km | 5:19 | 5:20 | 5:10 | 5:10 | 5:18 | 5:12 | 5:14 | — | 5:17 |
| 12 km | — | 5:22 | 5:10 | 5:11 | — | — | — | — | — |
