42 days to go: parkrun day

Parkrun is great both as a dose of competition to pep up and motivate some harder running.

It is also enough of a prospect of discomfort to prompt a large case of FML!

I have been running well this last week and my clever watch has been telling me nice things about my running.

I figured that good things might happen this week at Ashford parkrun.

Arriving there with plenty of time I caught up with a fellow runner from our local club.

We lined up. It’s hard to know where to start in the pack. I don’t want to start too near the front and hold others up. I also don’t want to have to over take lots of runners.

I placed roughly where I thought I would finish in the field. The race briefing happened and then 3…2….1…. Go

I pressed start and immediately found that another runners was still stationary and fiddling with her watch and phone. I couldn’t dodge around as everyone was already passing me to the side.

Eventually I got underway. Catching up as I chased down the initial straight. Passing a lot of people jogging along.

I pushed the thought from my mind about why people and me find it so hard to get in the right position at parkrun.

Anyway. I felt good. I knew I had dropped some time at the start but felt able to catch it up a bit.

I ran through the first lap at 11:30. So I reckoned a good time beckoned.

The second mile was around the same time as the last time I was there two weeks ago.

The third lap. Jesus!!!!!!! Sufferfest.

Wonder if it is because of the heat or maybe just making excuses.

Finally over the line in 24:23

Not a fast one but decent enough. I want to get this below 23 and then back below 22 that I was doing 5 years ago. I need to fix that last mile where I really fade!

Recovered at home with bacon butties (on the bbq) (yes I do the toast too), and some gardening and rest.

To make sure I was doing my additional 2.5 mile run I went out with my wife Susie around the fields and trails locally. Nice easy jog at 10:59 a mile.