Walk 18: The pause that wrecks your stats

I was feeling slightly lazy at the end of my work shift and toyed with the idea of not going out, of indulging in some good old-fashioned laziness. Then I considered the consequences of starting off a new month this way. What next? Scarfing entire bags of donuts?

I went out, half an hour later than usual, but out all the same.

Weather-wise it was cloudy, but still warm and rather muggy. I sweated a fair bit.

But my pace was good on the way down the trail and I was confident that I’d maintain that level of energy after almost not going out at all.

Given my tiny bladder, I diverted briefly onto the usual side trail to take my usual bio break. I paused both the music and the workout while I did my business, as I always do. I then resumed the music and the workout, refreshed and ever-so-slightly lighter.

Except I didn’t actually un-pause the workout, only the music. When I went to check my distance a short time later I immediately realized I had done this. The stats below reflect this, in that it shows me running about 300 meters less than I normally would.

Undeterred, I still managed to get a full 2 km stretch of uninterrupted running in by extending the running part into Lower Hume Park. I even caught a break on traffic on East Columbia, allowing me to exit the trail and cross without having to stop. Better still, my pace for both was a zippy 5:25/km. I also matched this pace again in the final two-block stretch before getting back to the condo.

Overall, it was a good workout, where everything–except remembering to un-pause–seemed to click. I was a bit concerned about the shoes after yesterday’s lace fiasco, but both shoes stayed tied for the entire hour. I am probably ready to tackle another full 5K soon–perhaps this weekend.

Walk 18
Average pace: 7:30/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 7.24 km
Time: 54:19
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 21ºC
Humidity: 68%
Wind: light
BPM: 125
Weight: 169.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 137.11 km
Devices: Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 8

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