Parkrun

Hello blog readers

I had to be at parkrun this morning, it was our Caroles 50th run! There was cake, and a tray bake!  It's one of the best reasons to run!  I was driving this morning, Naggyneighbour was ready and we collected Tracy.  I wanted to be early because last week the parking was just almost impossible!  We were there in plenty of time!  We met up with the rest of the gang, J.J. LittleJ, Auriol and Carole and Michael!

There looked like quite a few runners again, there must be at least 700!  It's a popular past time this running thingy!  Andy was the RD today and he introduced the new sign lady, I am sorry I have forgotten her name, but there are a few people that are deaf that love running too!  So after all the preliminaries and also giving out the congratulations of the mile stone runners, like our Carole, we were ready to get back into line and get ready for the off.

I started at the back as usual, with all my buddies, but I am on a mission, a mission to chase down my new P.B. I know it's going to be bloody hard, but I need to put the effort in so I got to work hard.  That was in my mind, So as soon as I could I just moved up the field, I had to go on grass which was a bit muddy.  I was feeling pretty good, a bit tired, sleeping is not been to good lately, but I'm still with the no drinking and the no smoking.  I just need to cut down on the food intake now!  I had worked hard on Thursday, my first double of the year,........ok ....you're right, I am laying the foundations for when I reveal my official parkrun time a bit further on in my blog!  But excuse or not, my legs were still a little sore after the double running.  I haven't done any sit ups or planks for a couple of days either, my abs still hurt a bit.  I shall give it a bit more rest time and begin again with that on Monday, hurty or no hurty!

I could hear all the chatting as I was running along, I can't remember too many conversations but what did stick in my mind was the fabulous support everyone gets and gives at parkrun!  You can hear people telling people they are doing well as they pass by them, there are people there doing their first parkruns with their mates and to hear them encouraging them is just brill!  The first lap I just knuckled down, I felt as if I hadn't done as well as I did last week, for a start I wanted to stop running after just doing half the park this time, but I did keep my fat ass moving forward!  The next lap is when all the faster runners start passing by, some of them pass by before I had even got to the start line!  And that's when I start to hear, "Go on Donna, you're doing well" and "Hey Donna" as they pass by!  I wish I had a photographic memory so that I could remember everyones names!

I was running along the long straight on the second lap, and  I heard my name called again from behind me "Hi Donna" he said, I said "Hi" back.  He passed on by with his boy, "Say hi to Donna" and his little boy trotted on by! There were quite a few others that passed me by as they lapped me, all PWR's of course.  I guess when I am up at the front on a Tuesday evening taking group 1 as leader people do get to know my name! 

On the final third of a lap Carole and Michael passed me by!  I was quite pleasantly surprised too, as she said that she was just going to take it easy, but there she was overtaking me and looking pretty strong.  I smiled, I thought maybe I could even try and keep up with them, but I just didn't have the energy!  I did some walking, doing a Jeffers as NaggyNeighbour had told Carole to do if she found that she was getting tired or too many twinges.  But looking at her go by I don't think she had any intention of walking!  As one of a couples who joined PWR through our beginners course I felt rather proud!

Anyway, back to my ass kicking, I was pretty annoyed with myself as I tried to keep up an failed miserably!  I kept on at myself to keep on going, I ran as fast as I could along that last short straight to the finish line, having picked my targets to over take or keep in front of (and one of them was Neil and his boy, sorry Neil, but when I passed you I felt pretty cool!)  Mind you, I am sure his boy was taking it easy as he was having a swimming lesson straight after!  I managed to get in the finish funnels at 38:16 official time, and guess what my Garmin said? Yep, that's right, 38;16!  So a good few seconds slower than last week, I am pretty gutted with that, and I did tell myself off too!  Gary was token volunteer today and he said "Well done!"  I finished it, I did it, I shouldn't beat myself up......but I can do better!

Geeky stats.