Really enjoyed last Saturday’s Parkrun. Enjoyed it for two, three, four…. reasons. Oh heck, let’s just say I quite enjoyed it and I’m so encouraged. And as for my friends doing it, well what can I say…..
I have enjoyed running for about 12 years and used to regard it as a chance to escape on my own. A kind of lone solace, to think, daydream, to mull things over as the miles drifted by almost unnoticed. Nowadays it’s a little different and I do enjoy the ‘social’ side of running. Wow if I carry on like this I’ll be joining a running club (could do a lot worse).
Run in numbers
Distance: 5k / 3.1 miles
Time: 26:47 (new PB!!!)
Average pace: 8:45 mins/mile
Position: 32 out of 103
Calories: 432
Friends who also ran: 6 (Dave, Rosie, Sarah, John, Jeremy and Chris who I hadn’t seen for a while)
The run itself
This is the view I had of Jeremy’s head on the run, or at least during the first few metres and before he shot ahead.
At the start line I couldn’t stop myself from asking him why he was wearing headphones. Something about being focussed. This probably means not being distracted by people like me chatting away and slowing him down. So Jeremy sped off at the start and I must admit I was surprised to have him in my sight towards the end of the Parkrun at one point. In the end he finished a couple of minutes ahead of me.
Otherwise we all seemed to spread out quite quickly. Normally I like to latch onto a runner in front of me as a kind of pace setter for me. The most I could hope for this time was hearing heavy breathing and footsteps behind me; these kept pushing me forward.
I said “hi” or “thank you” to the marshalls as I went passed them around the lovely course. One highlight was sailing passed the point where I had to stop running and walk a while back. This time I was feeling pretty good and did the whole run non-stop.
As the end was in sight, I could hear the footsteps around me were multiplying and closing in quickly on me. I just didn’t have the energy for a sprint finish and so I was seriously overtaken. It is always a relief to reach the finishing line unscathed and get my card scanned and so on.
Jeremy was there, happily chatting away now he’d finished and taken off his headphones. Well he would as he’d got his breath back, more than I had! I reflected on my last marathon being at a pace which was somewhat quicker than my Parkrun pace.
Then Sarah unexpectedly said to me “I have a bone to pick with you Doug” and I wondered what it was and whether I ought to be worried about something.
“Where’s my Runner’s High? You always used to say how good it was but I don’t feel anything!”
I struggled to know what to say. As I suggested running a little further or faster might help I realised I was digging myself into a hole. I added that it’s different for everyone but I’m not sure this was helping at all. I left it there, thinking my motivational skills had vanished and I’d said the wrong thing.
Then I clocked Dave and Rosie we’re heading off. Seeing as how Dave had my car keys, I figured I ought to catch them up. We finished back at our house for coffee once again – nicer and certainly more economical than in the Downs Visitor Centre!
I really enjoyed this Parkrun, already looking forward to the next!