Running On Empty

Welcome to 2026! And good riddance to 2025! (I have my reasons.) Last post here was mid-November, so what have I been doing running-wise since then? Missing lots of parkruns, for various reasons: visiting in-laws, ill health, work stuff, and ferrying Daughter the First to her volunteering sessions at a local stable Managing to get out for a single 4K run (big whoop) Adding about 3 kilos in weight over Christmas and New Year Trying to attend a parkrun today, only to be scuppered by last-minute snow Needless to say, I'm not feeling the fittest I ever have done and I suspect I'm back to square one with my parkrun fitness revival. Hey ho. 🤷‍♂️ Sunrise at Blyth Links parkrun this morning, just after we'd been told it was cancelled I'd hoped to at least get 2026 off to a good start by doing both the New Year's Day run (at Newbiggin) and the regular Saturday run a couple of days thereafter. A banging headache and accompanying lack of sleep did for the fi...

Very quick post to say 2 things:  1. Volunteering at Leazes Park last weekend was called off due to the course being icy (the event was cancelled)  2. I'm unlikely to make it to any parkrun this coming weekend, volunteering or otherwise, as the family (including me) has some kind of plague (read: flu-like symptoms, but not COVID, apparently) So... zero exercise happening right now. Fingers crossed for Saturday 6th (though I'm competing with Tynemouth Christmas Market that day). 🤞

Groundhog Day! Last week, at Druridge Bay, I came 78th out of 161 finishers. This week, at Druridge Bay, I came 78th out of 161 finishers. Head asplode! 🤯 As for my time, it was 28:31, which was very similar to last week’s lateness-corrected time, but not identical. A little slower, in fact, but I’ll let myself off, as I did zero exercise midweek this time. The beach at Druridge Bay, but last week. Forgot to take any photos today. 🤷 I also had my running buddy back with me today, which was great and her positivity probably helped keep away the thoughts of “Why am I doing this to myself?” that I’ve been getting midway through the run. She even got me a coffee at the end, which was very welcome after the chilly wind outside had started to cool me down a bit. So anyway, I’ve run around the 28:30 mark 3 times now since returning to parkrun and it’s starting to feel like that’s my new plateau. Either I need to up my midweek game or I have to get comfortable with this level of achievement...

LATE! 😱 For the first ever time, I actually missed the start of a parkrun. I came close at Denton Dene once, but this time, I was actually about 45 seconds late getting to the start line. Things that didn't help: Having to do a U-turn just after I set off, as the barriers came down on the level crossing I was approaching Google Maps giving me the time it would take to reach the entrance to Druridge Bay Country Park rather than the car park that's a few minutes inside Me foolishly trying to find a space in the main car park, which was inevitably full Me casually taking photos for the blog instead of getting to the start line Me forgetting where the actual start line was and heading to the briefing area instead All in all, #FAIL. Yes, nice illustration of the wet conditions, but... GET TO THE START LINE, YOU IDIOT! Putting all of that to one side, remember I came back to Druridge Bay for a reason? The low-hanging fruit of a slow PB at a flat venue? Well... Previous best: 27:44 ...

A solo parkrun visit today, for the first time in a while. Certainly made getting out of bed a little harder than usual, but managed it nonetheless. Time: 30:34 (official parkrun time) Weather: 12°C and breezy Or, from my own timing as I crossed the start and finish lines, a much more satisfying 29:57. Yeah, I took quite a while to even reach the start line, but then there was a field of 603(!) runners and I was towards the back of that crowd. Oh, and a new record today: my worst ever finishing position of 380th. 😂 (That is, if you exclude the sole 5K I did with Daughter the First, when I came 530th). Heading North up the promenade offers a good view of the lighthouse on St Mary's Island It's still feeling like a bit of a slog, this parkrunning lark, but at least I'm in less doubt these days about whether I'll complete the 5K without walking. Pace was pretty consistently around the 5:40/km mark today, with a min of 5:36 and max of 5:45, but any thoughts of a sprint fi...

NINE! Nine runs at one venue. Whatever happened to the tourism thing? Result: 31:08. At a flat venue too, but I'm gonna let myself off given how congested the start is here. I'd practically done 2km before I was able to run at my own pace. Sadly, "my own pace" wasn't even quite what I'd hoped for, with a best pace of 5:41/km. The day before, on a training run, I'd managed 5:30ish. And the week before, I'd managed some around 5:20/km. So, improvement's proving a bit slow in coming. 🤷‍♂️ Swallow Pond at Rising Sun Country Park. Not today.  Photo © Oliver Dixon ( cc-by-sa/2.0 ) Any positives from this weekend's run? I turned up and I did it. Keeping the momentum is as important as anything else. It was hard. If I'm not finding it hard, I'm probably not helping myself to improve. The first couple of kilometres genuinely felt comfortable; though maybe that's because they weren't fast 😂 Yes, I realise points 2 and 3 kinda contrad...