Run 323
Average pace: 5:32/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.09 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-26ºC, felt like 27ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 392
Total distance to date: 2737
Yesterday I compared two different pairs of trail runners, the Saucony Peregrine 4 and the Brooks Cascadia 9.
The Peregrines were lighter and more flexible, with the upper more reminiscent of some of the minimalist shoes I’ve used. It also has very pronounced teeth-like knobs ringing the sole. The Brooks is stiffer and heavier but overall I preferred the fit and feel and felt the sole would work better on the tamer trails I run on.
Today I wore the Brooks for my weekly Sunday run. I had a few concerns going in. While new shoes often result in a faster run the first time out (giddy with excitement, perhaps) the weather was looking quite warm and humid today. That would slow me down. The hip was producing a strange twinge of pain for about the first 30 seconds of the walk to the lake before disappearing, meaning it was probably going to be a bit sore. Finally and most ominously, my left foot was sore even before I left.
The new shoes provided ample cushioning so the walk to the lake seemed uneventful and for a pleasant change I didn’t need to use the port-o-potty as soon as I got there.
I made what in retrospect a tactical error by choosing to run clockwise. This is the “easy” way but the southern side of the lake is also a lot more exposed to the sun. I should have stuck to CCW. But in the end it may not have mattered because my left foot started hurting noticeably right away and got bad enough that I knew I wasn’t doing a full run. I managed 5K before calling it quits. I even took the unusual step (ho ho) of sitting on a handy bench by the athletic field for about five minutes to let the foot recover a little.
I walked out of the park and caught the SkyTrain home from Production way station. Once home and with the shoes off, I tried flexing the foot and it hurt so much I ended up taking a Tylenol.
I don’t believe the new shoes made matters worse, as my right foot still felt comfy and fine after the run and the walk. I have no idea why the left foot was especially bad but I think I’m going to get it checked out by a foot doctor and look into extra padding for it for runs in the meantime.
I was hoping to come in around my last 11K pace of 5:12/km but instead finished with an abysmal pace of 5:32/km–for a mere 5K. That’s 36 seconds slower than my last run! The first km I came in at 5:21/km, which is Granny slow, so the run was doomed from the start.
It’s hard to imagine how the next run could be worse. Perhaps a giant sinkhole could open up on the trail in front of me or a crazed bear could come bursting from the bush, with an even more crazed raccoon riding on its back. Or my left foot could hurt even more.
My plan is to stick to the new shoes and see how they fare in the second outing. As I said, the right foot was fine and I felt no discomfort/tightness or anything caused by the shoes themselves.
Here’s hoping the next run is better. It would be difficult for it to be worse.
