Parkrun #55: Rising Sun, run 8
Run EIGHT! Eight times at one location! Good grief, how tedious! 😉
Anyway, despite still being desperate for a lie-in after getting back from Italy, I hauled my carcass out of bed this morning and headed to the nearest parkrun so I didn't hog the car for too long. Mercifully, the weather's been good recently, so I figured the Rising Sun was unlikely to have any muddy or outright waterlogged sections for once.
Arriving, customarily, at the very last minute, I did a few stretches and joined the back of the throng. Turns out there were 352 runners here today; more even than when they held their 300th event. Even when it has around 200 runners (which I'm more used to), the start is a bit mad. Everyone's instantly funnelled onto a path that accommodates around 2½ runners shoulder-to-shoulder, with nettles, hedges, brambles and fences preventing an off-course overtake.
Today, it was so bad that we jogged the 50 yards down to the pinch point and then... just... stopped. And waited. And then walked. And paused again. And then walked. And then finally started jogging at a snail's pace, desperately waiting for an opportunity to pass friends running side-by-side. And that was all after it taking me 20 seconds to even cross the start line. Gotta say, it was frustrating, but I have to acknowledge that I did have the choice about where in the pack to start. I chose very close to the back because further forward, it just gets a bit too bumper-cars for my liking. So while I accepted the consequence of my choice, I did kinda regret it too.
For the first 500m or so, it really was a case of picking off one person to gain a handful of yards and then waiting for the next chance. About 600m in, I knew there was a path joining ours from the left and at that point the path widened where they merged. Needless to say, I positioned myself to the left and practically sprinted into that opening, getting past two groups in one go. A small victory, I suppose, but it was only the clock I was battling, not those runners (who were 100% entitled to run that pace).
After that, the first proper widening onto an old wagonway happened just before the first kilometre mark and at that point, I started to run closer to my own pace. That said, I was wary of being goaded by my frustration into running too fast. I was still having to pick my moments to pass people, but certainly not having to wait as long. By 2km in, things were getting a bit easier, but then there's a roughly kilometre-long stretch that's pretty much one-and-a-half people wide and it was back to prolonged waiting again, albeit at a higher pace than at the start.
Much to my shame, just before we exited that tight section, I went for one quick pass too many and accidentally barged my way past someone, knocking their arm with mine. I said sorry, but that's really not good enough. I've been mightily annoyed when people have done that to me in the past. The nettle stings I'd acquired in the process really weren't punishment enough.
Back on the wagonway for the return leg, I checked my phone and saw that I'd done just 3.46km and the time was already ticking up to 20 minutes. I didn't bother to do the maths, but it felt bad. I was still hopeful that my increasing pace would see me home in a time I'd be happy with. I'd been pleasantly surprised enough times recently that I even felt confident.
In hindsight, maybe I was getting complacent. I set my sights on catching someone ahead in a brightly coloured outfit... only to see them rapidly pull away. I couldn't compete, so half set my sights on other, nearer targets and basically just got my head down. Very gradually increasing the effort, I got a surprise when I started catching the odd person. Heading down the path back to the car park, I made an extra to gain a slight, though appreciable, difference in pace as well as effort. And finally, rounding the corner to the funnel, with very vocal encouragement from an earlier finisher, I practically sprinted to the line.
30 seconds or so after finishing, I finally managed to unlock my phone with sweaty hands. What time awaited? Low 28's? Even a dip into mid 27's? I dared to dream. And then I saw it as Google Fit ticked up: 29:36, 29:37, ...whaaaaat?!?
Gutted.😞
Official time was 29:06. First kilometre, according to Google, was 6:36. Splits thereafter were 5:22/km or better, with a best of 5:01/km. Total distance, allegedly 5.35km, but... still. Not chuffed.
Looking back, and in light of the number of people attending Rising Sun these days, maybe I just need to accept that I should start further forward and also that I will get buffeted. I also need to accept that if I can finish with a sprint like I managed today, I've not been running hard enough before seeing the funnel. That was easily my most energetic sprint finish to date; I'd clearly left too much in the tank.
So, plenty to work on. I'd love to come back and nail a PB here.
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