Day 20

Week 3, Day 6 - Saturday 4th of August

My favourite day of the week - Parkrun Day! This morning I deliberately left late so that I could jog the extra mile and a bit to get there as a warm-up but I didn't want to get there too early and having to hang around getting stiff.

Kath and I had arranged to meet just before 9 and I got there just at the right time.  Unfortunately, Kath (who doesn't know the park at all) went to the wrong gate and missed the introduction but she got there just in time for start off. Tommy announced that I was the winner of a new pair of running shoes and now, as it was official, it was really sinking in. Me, who never wins anything, had actually won. How good is that?

All the runners went off at quite a high speed today and I tried to keep up with them at first but it wasn't too long before I started to struggle and had to allow a few of them to come past but only one at a time.  The last two men didn't get past me until the second time around the top part of the circuit, so I didn't do too bad.  Thereafter I did let a few women past too as I was paying the penalty for going off too fast to start with.

My breathing exercises did help though as I tried to follow the rules of letting all the air out and then breathing in through my nose as slow as I could and then push it all out again.  It was very difficult to do but it helped and I soon managed to pick up speed again.

Because Kath missed the introduction, she didn't get to see the map of the course or any other advice that she could have had, she ended up getting lost and went 4 times around the lake.  At least she has secured herself a pb for the next time she is running the parkrun.

It was a little strange going to Flavours after as everyone seemed to have their food and drink and rush off dead quick.  Normally we all sit around and have a chat whilst waiting for the results but today even though I was last, I ended up leaving before my text came through. I was absolutely amazed that I had beaten my pb again, only by 21 seconds but still beaten it.  I really couldn't understand it since I had slowed down to more or less a slow jog towards the end of mile 2.  What can I say? My luck must run out soon.

Anyway, I called to collect a couple of parcels from the Sorting Office on the way back, ignoring the funny looks I had from the other people in the que.  Some of the people looked like they had just got out of bed and I had done a 4 mile run, so do you think "I was bowered"?

When I finally got my parcels; I ran all the way home, which is roughly a mile, if you take off the 0.17 that I went over the mile this morning, so 5 miles all-together. :-)