A tough junior parkrun day

Yesterday was a... character-building day for Daughter the First. It started out with great promise, then hit a real low, before finishing with a mixed bag of emotions but also the achievement of having done her first 3K.

Morning was, of course, junior parkrun time and for the first time ever, we set off for somewhere that wasn't the Town Moor. Instead, we headed to South Beach estate in Blyth. I suspect she was a bit outside of her comfort zone, but when the run began she was off like a shot. For the first time in ages I was running with her too and I was really impressed at her initial pace. Sure, she caught her breath with a brief walk before too long, but generally she was going really well.

And then it happened. A few yards ahead, some lad was running with his dad and the pair of them seemed to be arguing about which side of the narrow path they'd be running on. Holding hands, they were dragging each other left and right and generally being a right hazard to the other runners. 😠 Unfortunately they were also slower than us and just as the daughter went to pass, the young lad jerked into her path. She dodged, but only into my path and I clattered her over (mercifully onto grass, not tarmac).

That was it, though. On being comforted, she burst into tears while the idiots just ran on. I tried to gee her up, but we'd lost a lot of ground (which was demoralising) and the better decision was to just call it quits and come back stronger another time. She was really down and I felt really bad for her — and equally annoyed at the kid and his dad.

Later that day, we tried to meet a colleague and his son as they crossed the finish line of the Children's Cancer Run at Gosforth Park. Sadly, it took longer than I'd expected to walk there and we missed their finish (though we did bump into them afterwards for a chat). My forgetfulness in not bringing a drink, plus the fact it was hot, and my refusal to buy a junk food lunch all added up to more misery for the daughter. (Yes, I know I inflicted a load of that myself.)

Anyway, we gave ourselves the chance to end the day on a high with a first attempt at a 3K run, as practice for the Race For Life in July. In fact, it was the daughter's own suggestion, following the disappointment of parkrun, and a great suggestion it was. As tea was cooking, we set off for a couple of laps of the Triangle route, which makes almost exactly 3K. It may have been slower than her parkrun pace, but the main thing is that she did it. Granted, she was a bit glum at the pace, but honestly, she has nothing to feel sad about. We've since resolved to add an extra practice run into our schedules each Friday (while Daughter the Second is roller-skating) and I'm confident the pace will come. Really looking forward to seeing her sense of satisfaction come the day of the race itself — and hopefully at parkruns in the run-up to it, as she gains fitness and stamina. Come on, #1 — let's do this. 💪