29 July – 4 August 2019 “Running back to where I came from.”

Making a conscious effort to get longer runs in this week, I had a welcome return to runcommutes and Sunday long runs; only 9 and 13.1 miles respectively, but better than what I’ve done of late. Also, a return to parkrun! Though I recently haven’t had much of a racing spirit, someone’s impressive 3,000m race this week gave me the incentive to get back into the game.

Visiting Perry Hall parkrun as the closest and most convenient venue for me (though unbeknownst to me, a new one had started just a mile from my house just that morning!), it occurred to me I hadn’t been there for absolutely ages. Greeting some familiar faces with many more cheering for me on the course, it was as though I hadn’t been away. That’s one of the beauties of parkrun; getting to dip in and out with no loss of relationship, no compulsion to stay at the same one all the time.

Doing my usual reconnaissance at the start line, there was only one I suspected might give me trouble, but it turned out he was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if the 11-year-old right on the line might be a prodigy, but despite a 5:15/mile start for the first 100m, I easily passed and lost him early on. Instead, a long-haired female took the lead about a third of a mile in. Wait, that ain’t a woman. That’s a man, man! The bloke with long hair stayed a few seconds ahead of me, but as I was already struggling I chose to hang back and do my best to maintain second place. I hoped for a last-minute kick, but my lack of sprint training and mileage had taken its toll. Nonetheless, I finished only 9 seconds behind first place in 18:16; not quite what I hoped for, but perhaps better than I deserved.

My Sunday long run was a nice outing and trip down memory lane, being one of my first running routes and even took me past my first marital home, which I lived in when I first took up running. Casually drifting by the canal at a low 7:00/mile pace (though aiming for 7:30/mile), I had a fleeting thought about how far I’d come; unable to run a mile on that stretch of canal 8 years ago, I’d ran a marathon this year at a pace I’d once consider sprinting. And for once, people I saw were nice to me, giving me “the nod!”

Hopefully with a focus on shaking up my training regime and looking for new running routes, I’ll get back into the swing of things, continuing to achieve goals along the way.