Honestly, yesterday’s Parkrun was great but, as you can see, I was knackered afterwards. This was the first time I had been to the Parkrun on Dunstable Downs and so this is how it went.My good friend Dave couldn’t make this Parkrun but I did pick up Rosie and her son Daman on the way. It did seem strange not having Dave’s words of encouragement along with the motivational pep talk; I quite missed that!
So, we got to the start, just by the Visitor Centre, heard from the briefing it was a one lap course and then we all shuffled over to the start. Actually there’s a lovely sense of community with Parkrun with newcomers, visitors etc all being welcomed, especially those Parkrun tourists from further afield.
My friend Paul appeared and took me by surprise, a pleasant surprise at that! We ran alongside each other for pretty much all of the course. Well, when I say “ran” I should say Paul felt it appropriate to skip etc his way around for some of the course, as if it were a Fartlek exercise. Towards the end I heard Paul say he was going to walk a little, so I continued running in a very self-focused way.
I should have known, Paul was simply catching his breath and he came shooting past me once the finishing line was in sight. Although my pace had been consistent, there was no energy for a sprint finish. He finished 15 seconds ahead of me and, in all fairness, did very well.
Much of the terrain is familiar to me, though not to meadows. I have clocked up hundreds of miles over the years on Dunstable Downs including once holding the brutal Bison Hill course record. Truly it is a lovely place for running. On a nice day you can see for miles, often dramatic skies and savour the delights of the soft, gentle landscape below. No two days are the same.
Afterwards we had coffee in the overpriced cafe. Not that it’s exactly brilliant coffee but I suppose it is for a good cause in keeping the National Trust afloat and having these lovely places to enjoy. Naturally a number of other runners make the most of a post-run coffee and we were joined by a number of Lycra clad cyclists hobbling around in their cleated shoes. Having a coffee after a Parkrun is now becoming an integral part of a Saturday mornings.
Tthe Parkrun team appeared at the next table and Paul was intrigued to see them working out the results, ready for posting on line later in the morning.
For me this was another significant run because:
- I hadn’t run for at least two weeks, not even a little jog. Partly due to a dip in energy and feeling incredibly tired for a while and then just being too busy and preoccupied with other things. Nevertheless I did it!
- I had that lovely “runner’s high” for a few hours afterwards
- My time wasn’t bad, even though I’m not in particularly good shape, so feeling pretty chuffed
- A very helpful reminder of how running is a beautiful sport. It is such a cheap thing to do and there are so many benefits from running – mentally and physically
- My ankles were a bit puffy (kidney issues) but my running shoes still fit well and that’s brilliant
- Seeing our friend Nick there as well. He’s an accomplished runner and had already run for a few miles to get there. After the Parkrun (he finished in the top 10) he then continued his run. All with type 1 diabetes! He minded me of my previous fitness levels. I long to return to those levels and surely, I must be able to, surely?
- It was such a joy to feel my heart and lungs working hard and I could still maintain a conversation with Paul, albeit a little disjointed. I was conscious of the incredibly well designed feet on the end of my legs working so well, making all this tiny adjustments as My feet landed one foot in front of another…. it really is great when you get that sense of your body working well, so many different components all coming together in such a brilliant creation
