Run 329
Average pace: 5:08/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Weather: Sunny, humid, stinky
Temp: 29-27ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 388
Total distance to date: 2778
And creaky, too!
This is our first week of genuine summer weather and even though I headed out tonight after dinner it was still a positively balmy 29ºC.
I started the run by not choosing wisely…on the router to take. I went clockwise and this put the sun at an awkward angle for much of the run, where it was coming in from the side, making it hard to avoid (it was lower in the sky, so beaming straight toward my face). The usual counter-clockwise route would have been more shielded from the sun. Alas.
The start of the run my whole lower body felt weirdly creaky, like my legs needed to be oiled or something. Even my usually solid knees were feeling rusty. It sorted itself after the first km but it was not an encouraging start.
I maintained pace as best I could and though it was not a blazing pace, it stayed fairly steady. I even managed to hit my peak (4:50/km) right at the end. I was probably hallucinating a giant lake of cool water ahead of me. My average was 5:08/km, slow for a 5K but not too bad for the conditions.
The conditions were as follows: very war, very humid (the not-dry mouth is always a good indicator) and very stinky. It seems the rains of not-too-long ago, combined with the heat ‘n humidity, brought out the full piquant aroma of the skunk cabbage along the trail. And there is a lot of it. The second boardwalk (as you move clockwise) is pretty much lined with it on both sides and the stink was almost enough to induce a gag reflex. A plant that truly lives up to its name.
This was the first run using fancy Dr. Scholl’s inserts, which offer bonus gel cushioning on the heel ad ball of the feet. The inserts felt fine but when my left foot started feeling sore shortly after the run they didn’t seem to make much difference. A longer run may be a better test, though I think the issue is the gel does not come up close enough to adequately cover the affected part of my stupid dumb foot.
Overall, not a horrible run, not a terrible run, just kind of blah. One bonus is the hip didn’t seem to factor in at all. Yay.
