There is always a parkrun dilemma in our house. Is it worth forsaking a lie in, travelling at least 30 min in either direction just to run a 5k? I'm sure my parkrun account of 26 since 2010 would be far higher if we had a local event.
Sadly we don't, but this allows us to be parkrun tourists. Of those 26 runs, 14 different locations have hosted us. I've even considered moving our Copenhagen flights to take on a parkrun in a different country.
Yesterday we travelled to Oak Hill in north London, where our friend Fergie is a regular. The event was celebrating its 2nd birthday so the opportunity for cake persuaded us not to hit the snooze button!
Oak Hill is also where I made my debut for my cricket team back in 1996, although the pitch I played on seems to have been retired.
The Run
My much scribbled over CPH plan had Saturday marked as a parkrun PB attempt. After a week that included a near 10k PB and a slight hamstring injury I had no idea what to expect. Fergie had guaranteed me a fast course, but could I guarantee a fast Chris?
I started reasonably quickly, my splits for the first 3k were good. Throughout I felt a mid 25 was the likely outcome, especially when I seemed to tighten up at the start of the third lap. A mid 25 is something I'd have settled with having not run properly all week. As the final turn approached I looked at my watch and it was still showing 23 something, being a parkrun tourist I'd judged the course incorrectly so kicked too late. To cross the line at 24:31 was a big surprise, being just 10 seconds over my PB tells me that despite a bit of ring rust the training over the past has given me some pace back.
Now looking to break both 5k & 10k PBs before the end of the year!
The Eat
At a birthday party you expect cake & Oak Hill was no different! A slice of parkrun cake for both Paula & myself was a nice reward for the run!
No comments:
Post a Comment