---
date: 2026-09-20
type: run
tags: [run, long-run, distance-pr, shoe-lacing]
---

# Run — 2026-09-20

**10.01 km in 1:27:11 — 8'43" avg at 147 bpm (max 182). A new distance PR by a mile (previous ~6.5 km), and the left ankle — feared "fucked" this morning — held the whole way. Two shoe-stops for tightness/numbness scrambled the splits (12'05", 10'21", 18'46"), but once the lacing settled he ran clean: fastest km 5'46" and a 3'09" burst through a green light (cadence 200).**

## Data

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Distance | 10.01 km |
| Duration | 1:27:11 |
| Avg pace | 8'43" /km |
| Fastest pace | 5'46" /km (km 8) · burst 3'09" |
| Avg HR | 147 bpm |
| Max HR | 182 bpm |
| Cadence | 133 spm (max 200) |
| Stride | 94 cm · 11,607 steps |

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| HR recovery (2min) | 20 bpm (dropped 20, 178→137) |
| VO₂Max | 46 ml/kg/min (held, "average") |
| Recovery time | 22 h |
| Total / active calories | 993 / 861 kcal |

**HR zones:** Extreme 4 min · Anaerobic 35 min · Aerobic 18 min · Fat-burning 15 min · Warm-up 13 min. **Splits (stops scramble the middle):** 6'33" → 6'18" → 6'27" → **12'05"** (shoe-stop) → 7'47" → 6'42" → 10'21" → **5'46"** → **18'46"** (shoe-stop) → 6'22" + 0.01 km in 0'04". Running form: ground contact 301 ms (Excellent), balance L 50.0 / R 50.0 (clean 50/50).

## Sleep — Night before

**9h 41min** · 22:33→08:15 · REM: 7% · Deep: 19% · HRV: **126** · Resting HR: 49 · Score: 79/100

> Full repayment night after the wine crash — HRV 63→126, back in baseline, bed 22:33. See [[Sleep/2026-09-20]].

## How it felt

> "Had to stop 2 separate times because the shoe was too tight and my feet started numbing — that's why the pace is all over the place. But after that the shoe felt great, supported my ankle fairly, and I could go at a solid pace — even running through a blinking green light at a pedestrian crossing at 3'/km for a burst (cadence 200 for those few seconds). Slight tightness in the middle of my back, otherwise at the end the shoes felt great."

## Verdict

**The ankle question is answered — and it's a no.** Feared "structurally fucked" this morning, it carried 10.01 km without complaint ("supported my ankle fairly"). The two stops were the *shoe*, not the tissue: midfoot tightness → numbness, the exact compression pattern from Sep 18, and the re-lacing (runner's loop) settled it mid-run — he finished clean with a 5'46" fastest km and a 3'09" sprint. That is the single most valuable data point of the block so far.

**Two honest flags.**

1. **This is a huge jump, and it came on loaded legs.** 6.5 km → 10.01 km is a ~50% leap, one day after a 14.67 km hike. It worked because the ankle is genuinely stronger now — but two big days back-to-back means the recovery bill lands tomorrow. Recovery time reads 22 h; respect it. Don't let 10 km become the new baseline — the plan's +1 km/week discipline is what *kept* the ankle healthy, and today was a beautiful accident, not a new floor.
2. **The 8'43" average is a stop-time tax, not a fitness number.** Strip out the two stops (≈41 min of slow/stopped km) and the actual running pace is ~6'30"/km — right in line with Sep 18's 6'04". No collapse, no fade; the engine is fine. The 35 anaerobic minutes are the sprint + the start-stop HR spikes, not steady state.

The back tightness (mid-back) is new — likely arm-swing/upper-body fatigue over 10 km on top of yesterday's hike. Watch it; if it persists past a day of rest it's worth a look, but for now it's the kind of thing a long run surfaces once and never again.

**Net: the fear this morning was pre-run nerves, and the run is the proof.** 10 km banked, ankle silent, shoe finally dialed after the re-lace. This is a genuine milestone.

## Connected

- [[Sleep/2026-09-20]] (the repayment night this was built on)
- [[Hikes/2026-09-19]] (the 14.67 km hike the day before — loaded legs)
- [[Runs/2026-09-18]] (the lacing experiment that predicted today's numbness)
- [[Half-marathon-plan]] (10 km was the Oct 18 checkpoint — hit a month early, messy but banked)