Parkrun #15: FINALLY back to it (at Blyth Links)

SIX WEEKS.

That's how long it's been since I last made it to a parkrun. First COVID got in the way, and then again the following weekend. Then a family trip meant it wasn't possible. Then two weekends of iced-up paths meant nearly all parkruns in the area were off. Today, however, the ice had gone and I was free to attend at last.


Photo of the beach huts at Blyth Links, via wikimedia commons, courtesy of geograph.org.uk

Anyway, this week it was back to Blyth Links, chosen for its flat nature (given how knackered I was on the 3K yesterday) and for the fact it wouldn't ruin my new trainers with mud. 😂

Last time I was here, I got a 26:10 that might even have been a parkrun PB were it not for how boxed-in I was at the start. (That PB remains at Newbiggin, with a time of 26:07.) This time, however, I was just looking to get the 5K under my belt. I knew I'd find it hard, given I'd done 5K only twice in the past 6 weeks, and indeed it was.

As I lapped, I went from a mindset of "let's just see" to one where I kept calculating the percentage of the 5K remaining, to one where I wondered whether I'd end up walking part of it. Thankfully, I managed to avoid that, but as I came to the line, I felt I'd be happy if I'd got anywhere in the 28's. I'd already been lapped before completing 1½ of the 2½ lap course, which was something that didn't happen the previous time I'd attended.

So, when the text message finally arrived, telling me I'd got a time of 26:44, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's over half a minute slower than my last attempt, but I've hardly been sticking to a 3-times-a-week programme. All in all, it was quite positive and showed I've not slid back too much.

While I'm skipping the Christmas Day re-run tomorrow, I may yet go for the New Year's Day event. Just need to make sure that I fit at least one other run in before then.

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