Run 325
Average pace: 4:58/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.06 km
Weather: Sunny, some cloud
Temp: 18-20ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 389
Total distance to date: 2752
My run schedule was out of whack this week as much as my runs, so in order to space out the remaining runs I would need to run on Friday. Running on Friday takes a lot of motivation as the end of the work week is when you’re thinking about relaxing, not jogging hither and yon. Couple this with my last two runs being terrible and I opted to skip the run, explaining it to myself as a precautionary step, needed because I was obviously in need of extra rest and recovery.
Yes.
Today–Sunday–I headed out for my usual run and while I originally planned on doing a full loop around the lake, I again felt it would be wiser to go a bit conservative, so I need up doing a 5K to round out the month.
My last change before heading out was to strap the Nike+ sensor back to my Adidas Energy Boost shoes, to see if reverting back might make a difference.
Heading out, two things were in my favor: the left foot was feeling fine, and the weather was not as warm, with the temperature around 18ºC. The sky was mostly cloudy but the sun managed to beam through gaps in the cloud cover enough to make it sunny for about two-thirds of the run. It never felt uncomfortable, however. I didn’t even sweat much.
How did the run go?
Let me explain by saying this: when I started jogging I did not feel the hip at all. It didn’t last as I did feel it a little after maybe 20 seconds or so, but those initial moments of the run felt downright magical compared to the last two months.
It was quickly (ho ho) obvious my pace was much improved and I finished both strongly and with my second fastest run if the year, breaking the 5:00/km barrier with an average pace of 4:58/km, only two seconds shy of my fastest pace.
The left foot did start feeling sore after about three km of walking post-run but I stopped for a few minutes at Piper Spit to watch the ducks and geese and a few pigeons pretending to be waterfowl. That was enough time for the foot to recover enough to get to the SkyTrain station without unsightly limping or collapsing.
Overall I was quite pleased by the return to form. I’m going to stick with the Adidas shoes for Tuesday’s run. It will be interesting to see how that goes, as the current forecast is calling for Africa hot weather.
