Distance: 11.21 km
Weather: Sun, cloud, light shower
Temp: 17ºC
Wind: light breeze
Calories burned: 784
Average pace: 5:10/km
Total distance to date: 878 km
After more than two years of running at China Creek park I finally tried something new. Tonight Jeff and I drive to Burnaby Lake and I did my run on the trail that circumnavigates the lake, a distance of approximately 11 km. I started at the parking lot near the Burnaby Equestrian Centre and ran counter-clockwise, finishing with a total distance of 11.21 km and a time one second under 58 minutes.
There are two remarkable things about this run. The first was the huge number of black slugs on the trail. It was like a 1950s science fiction movie where black slugs invaded the Earth, except the slugs were normal-sized and not really invading. I successfully dodged all of them.
The other remarkable thing was my time. I finished with an overall pace of 5:10/km. This is a full seven seconds better than my previous best pace and it was also the only time I’ve come in under 5 minutes on the first three km (and the fourth was only one second over). I’m not really sure why my pace was so much better. Was it running in the early evening after three full meals? Was it the excitement of a new course? The variety on not looping around the same path a dozen and a half times? Alignment of the planets? All of these things?
I did my usual — keeping the pace steady and there are several long straight stretches that made it easier to maintain speed (the northern Cottonwood Trail stands out in that regard), but I also had my share of miscues. One time I mistakenly turned down a path to a viewpoint and had to swing back onto the main trail. When the trail turns south it enters a stretch I hadn’t anticipated where it crosses a road, parallels another, goes over a parking lot and generally looks very un-trail-like. It also doesn’t help that most of the trail affords no view of the lake at all, so you can’t use it as a navigation aid except to know that it’s ‘somewhere over that way’.
The trail itself is fairly good for running. It’s not too hard-packed and the stretches over concrete and pavement are brief. There are a couple of points on the southern side where you have to run along wooden boardwalks built over top of the bog but they’re in good condition. It’s all very scenic and woodsy.
I look forward to doing it again, though I suspect it will be awhile before I can beat my 5:10 pace.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
| km | Jul 11 | Jul 9 | Jul 6 | Jul 4 | Jul 1 | Jun 28 | Jun 26 | Jun 21 | Jun 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 4:54 | 4:58 | 5:08 | 4:58 | 5:04 | 4:58 | 4:59 | 5:00 | 4:53 |
| 2 km | 4:56 | 4:58 | 5:11 | 5:02 | 5:06 | 5:03 | 5:05 | 5:04 | 5:01 |
| 3 km | 4:58 | 5:03 | 5:14 | 5:08 | 5:07 | 5:05 | 5:10 | 5:07 | 5:04 |
| 4 km | 5:01 | 5:07 | 5:17 | 5:12 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:13 | 5:11 | 5:09 |
| 5 km | 5:03 | 5:10 | 5:20 | 5:14 | 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:13 |
| 6 km | 5:03 | 5:12 | 5:22 | 5:15 | 5:12 | 5:13 | 5:19 | 5:15 | 5:15 |
| 7 km | 5:04 | 5:15 | 5:25 | 5:17 | 5:14 | 5:15 | 5:21 | 5:17 | 5:18 |
| 8 km | 5:06 | 5:17 | 5:27 | 5:19 | 5:16 | 5:16 | 5:23 | 5:19 | 5:21 |
| 9 km | 5:08 | 5:19 | 5:30 | 5:21 | 5:17 | 5:18 | 5:25 | 5:20 | 5:23 |
| 10 km | 5:10 | 5:20 | 5:31 | 5:21 | 5:17 | 5:19 | 5:27 | 5:21 | 5:24 |
| 11 km | 4:59 | — | — | — | 5:19 |
