---
date: 2026-09-16
type: run
tags: [run, late-morning, down-week, break-in, new-shoes, comeback]
---

# Run — 2026-09-16

**2.01 km in 12:09 — 6'03" pace at 150 bpm (max 163). First run back after the Sep 13 ankle flare, and the break-in run for the new Asics GT-2000 (stability, "really cloudy"). Went out quick — km 1 in 5'56" — then bilateral achilles tightness at km 2, milder than the old shoes. Not lactate: the same dorsiflexion signature, fifth run running, softened by the new drop + stability.**

## Data

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Distance | 2.01 km |
| Duration | 12:09 |
| Avg pace | 6'03" /km |
| Fastest pace | 5'56" /km (km 1) · burst 5'23" |
| Avg HR | 150 bpm |
| Max HR | 163 bpm |
| Cadence | 168 spm (max 177) |
| Stride | 98 cm · 2,047 steps |

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| HR recovery (2min) | 22 bpm (dropped 22, 158→113) |
| VO₂Max | 46 ml/kg/min (held, "average") |
| Aerobic training stress | 1.2 · watch recovery: 8 h |
| Total / active calories | 156 / 138 kcal |

**HR zones:** Extreme 0 min · Anaerobic 3 min · Aerobic 7 min · Fat-burning 1 min · Warm-up <1 min. Splits: **5'56" → 6'08" → 0.01 km in 5s** (5'56" + 6'08" + 5s = 12:09 ✓). Running form: ground contact 292 ms, balance L 50.1% / R 49.9% (symmetric — no gait compensation showing today).

## Sleep — Night before

**6h 37min** · 00:18→07:08 · REM: 13% · Deep: 27% · HRV: **98** · Resting HR: 54 · Woke: 2× · Score: 82/100

> Two beers + nicotine-withdrawal insomnia (fragmented, rolling in bed). HRV held at 98ms — better than pre-quit for the same two-beer input. See [[Sleep/2026-09-16]].

## How it felt

> Monday: running shop, feet tested, bought the Asics GT-2000 — lots of support, "really cloudy". Told to give it a few light runs to break in; this 2 km was the first. First km felt faster and great in the new shoe; at km 2, achilles-tendon tightness in both legs, but not as bad as the previous shoes. Asked if it could be lactate. Left ankle still not 100% — still cracking on ankle circles, a bit swollen — but the shoe support helped with it.

## Comparison

| Metric | Sep 9 | Sep 10 | Sep 13 | **Sep 16 (today)** |
|--------|-------|-------|--------|--------------------|
| Distance | 3.24 km | 4.05 km | 2.57 km (stopped) | **2.01 km** |
| Duration | 19:21 | 26:52 | 20:49 | **12:09** |
| Avg pace | 5'58" | 6'38" | 8'06" | **6'03"** |
| Avg HR | 157 bpm | 154 bpm | 133 bpm | **150 bpm** |
| Max HR | 180 bpm | 169 bpm | 149 bpm | **163 bpm** |
| Cadence | 168 spm | 162 spm | 150 spm | **168 spm** |
| Sleep HRV | 127ms | 123ms | 119ms | **98ms** |

**The engine is intact, the tissue is still the repair item.** 6'03" pace at 150 bpm with VO₂Max held at 46 and HR recovery at 22 bpm (his usual 18–24 band) — the aerobic system never looked shaky, on a fragmented-withdrawal night. Cadence back to 168 after the 150 limp-on-Sep-13, and balance 50/50, so the ankle is carrying load normally again. What's unchanged is the calf/achilles tightness at ~km 2 — that's five runs in a row now, and it is **not lactate**.

## Verdict

**Not lactate — and that's the important correction.** Lactate is a burning muscle ache that comes on during hard effort and clears within minutes. Bilateral achilles/calf tightness that appears ~2 km in and then eases is the dorsiflexion restriction announcing itself — the exact signature logged on Sep 6/9/10/13, and the leading indicator that flared the left ankle a week ago. The GT-2000's higher drop and stability reduce the demand for that missing range, which is why today's version was milder. **A shoe doesn't create range** — the mobility floor stays the actual fix.

The one thing to coach is the opening. km 1 at 5'56" was fast for a break-in (feeling good in a new shoe always does this), and it seeded the km-2 fade. Next run, open deliberately at ~7'00" and let the achilles warm into it.

On the ankle: cracking on circles with no sharp pain is gas in the joint, generally benign — but it's still swollen, so keep circles in the pain-free range only and back-of-the-leg work first. The shoe offloading the peroneals is exactly what a stability shoe should do; it's not the cure, just less demand. This was the right-length comeback/break-in run, and the down week (one slot + the company hike) is still the plan — the hike on uneven ground is the bigger ankle test than any run.

## Connected

- [[Sleep/2026-09-16]]
- [[Runs/2026-09-13]] (the flare this run returns from)
- [[Health/mobility]]
- [[Half-marathon-plan]]