Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.33 km
Weather: Cloud and showers
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: moderate to none
Calories burned: 804
Average pace: 4:58/km <– personal record
Total distance to date: 1325.29 km
Note: I ran all three optional loops today: Piper Mill, Conifer Loop and Spruce Loop.
Due to being up late on the Victoria Day weekend (installing a near-release DVD of Vista on my old PC and then sitting through 5+ hours of downloads and updates) I was too tired to run as per usual on Monday. But not wanting to slack off, I ran today instead, curious to see how the extra day off would affect me. Sometimes it makes the run harder, oddly enough.
With the forecast offering a 60% chance of showers (translation: 100% chance, just a matter of when) and the temperature a mild 15ºC, I set out and quickly fell into my usual starting pace, clocking the first km again at 4:42. For the first seven km it remained dry but then it started to spit. The spitting became a steady shower in short order and it persisted for about 3 km before easing up. I was almost dry by the end of the run. This was the sky’s cue to open up and it poured on me on the walk home, insuring I would arrive cold and soaked. At least it stood in contrast to the dry and slightly parched runs of the past few weeks. Variety and all that.
I noticed few geese today. Maybe they were hiding from the rain. Also hiding was the train, which is usually trundling by as I run the Cottonwood Trail section. Today I had passed the midway point and was starting alongside the athletic fields when I heard a loud rumbling that I first thought was a helicopter. I looked back and over and saw the train rumbling by in the distance. Apparently my pace has picked up to where I am now getting through the Cottonwood Trail before it arrives.
And speaking of pace, I had a breakthrough today. After coming teasingly close several times I finally cracked the 5:00 minute mark and finished with an average pace of 4:58/km, beating my old record by three seconds. It also marked the first time I’d run 10K in under 50 minutes. Better yet, my legs are feeling good, not creaky, afterward.
I’m undecided if I will shift my schedule by a day for the rest of the week or try running again tomorrow. For now, I bask in my new personal best!
(Also, Lance Armstrong came on and incorrectly congratulated me for my longest — rather than my fastest — run to date. The sentiment was still appreciated.)
Chart (average pace is bolded if different than the last km):
| km | May 22 | May 18 | May 16 | May 14 | May 11 | May 9 | May 7 | May 4 | May 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:42 | 4:42 | 4:54 | 4:51 | 4:50 | 4:55 | 4:52 | 4:42 | 4:58 |
| 2 | 4:47 | 4:47 | 4:57 | 4:55 | 4:56 | 5:03 | 4:59 | 4:50 | 5:00 |
| 3 | 4:51 | 4:51 | 4:59 | 4:59 | 4:59 | 5:06 | 5:04 | 4:54 | 5:02 |
| 4 | 4:53 | 4:53 | 5:00 | 5:02 | 5:01 | 5:08 | 5:07 | 4:55 | 5:04 |
| 5 | 4:54 | 4:54 | 5:01 | 5:03 | 5:02 | 5:08 | 5:09 | 4:56 | 5:05 |
| 6 | 4:55 | 4:56 | 5:01 | 5:05 | 5:02 | 5:10 | 5:10 | 4:57 | 5:05 |
| 7 | 4:56 | 4:57 | 5:02 | 5:06 | 5:04 | 5:10 | 5:12 | 4:58 | 5:05 |
| 8 | 4:57 | 4:59 | 5:03 | 5:08 | 5:05 | 5:11 | 5:15 | 4:59 | 5:06 |
| 9 | 4:58 | 5:00 | 5:04 | 5:07 | 5:05 | 5:12 | 5:17 | 5:00 | 5:06 |
| 10 | 4:59 | 5:01 | 5:04 | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:12 | 5:19 | 5:00 | 5:06 |
| 11 | 4:58 | 5:02 | 5:04 | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:12 | 5:20 | 5:01 | 5:06 |
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