Parkrun #57: Gateshead, run 4

Another Saturday, another attempt to tick off one of the 27-minute-plus venues on my parkrun list. I'd had 3 previous goes at the Gateshead run and it feels slightly surprising that all 3 of them had been over 27 minutes. It doesn't feel like it should be that hard a parkrun... until you're doing it. And then the run up the slope from the lake kills you on all 3 of the laps you do it. Well, make that all 4 laps, as you do the climb up from the lake on the opposite-direction first of four laps too. Yeah, it's an unusual lap setup here.

Saltwell Towers in the rain; pity the parkrun course doesn't go around this place

On my previous visits, my times had been:

So, clear if somewhat slow improvement. And today? 26:21. 🥳

It probably helped that, in hindsight, I started a little closer to the front than my times merited, though it wasn't like I was swamped. I did overtake a good number of people too. The other thing that helped was that I knew I was going for the time and I pushed myself. Looking at my kilometre splits, it's fair to say I probably pushed too much at the start, as there was a definite getting-slower trend as the 5km wore on  (with the exception of the 2nd kilometre, which was all downhill or flat).

Knowing how hard I was pushing to achieve this time of 26:21 just puts me in awe of the fact I managed a 24:27 once. I could look at that and think "Crumbs, I've really lost my form" but actually I prefer to think "Wow, I did a good time, go me!". Maybe one day, on a flatter course than Gateshead, I'll be able to come a bit closer to that kind of time again.

For now though, today comprehensively ticks off another of the 27-minute-plus runs on my list. So what's left?

  • ✅ Gateshead: 26:21 (was 27:01)
  • ⬜ Chopwell Wood: 27:21
  • ⬜ Silksworth: 27:27
  • ⬜ Druridge Bay: 27:44
  • ✅ Windy Nook: 26:58 (was 27:48)
They're all a decent drive, so not sure how soon I'll be able to tackle them. Maybe next time I go for one of my goals, I'll hit up a new venue instead. Fulwell Quarry, maybe? I just hope I don't get a 27-minute-plus time! 😂

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Parkrun #24: Windy Nook

Image
YESSSSS! It's not often I come away from a parkrun with a time only just under 28 minutes (to be confirmed) and feel elated, but today is one such day. Finally bit the bullet today and attended Windy Nook , reputed to be one of the hardest parkruns in the area, wi– Sorry, I'll have to pause this blog post. My time's just come in on SMS and it's a 27:48. Woohoo! 😁 Anyway, as I was saying, Windy Nook is a parkrun with a reputation for being a bit of a killer. So, I was actually more concerned that I'd get a time in the 29's and at least be getting my worst parkrun to date, especially considering I'd been struggling to get under 28:30 during the week. In the end, I was delighted enough to get round without walking, let alone getting under 28 minutes. Normal attendance is around 30 runners, but Saltwell Harriers descended today Why Windy Nook? Last night, I was thinking again about doing Carlisle Park in Morpeth. Ever since doing it the first time, I've bee
Read more

Midweek: Hawksworth, LS5

Image
Another day, another pre-breakfast run. Hard to believe, but it happened. Today was the final day of our trip to Leeds and I was granted another pass out, which was most welcome. 🙂 This time, I decided to avoid having a ruinously steep hill near the end of the run and so just planned to run around the Hawksworth housing estates rather than dip down towards Kirkstall Abbey again. I briefly checked Google Maps to plan the exact route and then headed out. The idea was to head north till I hit the ominous sounding Butcher Hill, then take that road east as far as Spen Lane. From there, it would be south until I passed under the railway line and then west back up Vesper Road to the Airbnb. Everything went exactly to plan... until I got to Butcher Hill and saw fairly well worn but unofficial tracks leading into an area of scrub and trees. Curiosity piqued, I headed off into the wilderness instead of sticking to the road. I'd be rubbish in a horror film. This wooded area, whic
Read more

The 2023 Great North 10K

Image
Well, I did it. I finally bagged last year's only failed goal: to finish a 10K event. Finished 10K: ✅ Ran the whole way: ✅ Got under an hour: ✅ Beat my time from April: ✅ My official time was 55:07 in the end, which is frankly crackers. I've done plenty of five kilometre parkruns where I've not even managed that pace. Steve Harper and Brendan Foster getting ready to release the green wave. There's so much I could write about today, but it's already quarter to eleven at night and I don't want to be sat here when today becomes tomorrow. So let's just bullet a few items: The warm-up . I surprised myself by really enjoying and appreciating the orchestrated warm-up. I normally hate being manipulated (that's how I see it), but the guy leading it made it clear it was the best way to avoid injury, so I just went with it today. Being overtaken. Lots . I started very close to the front of my wave, as we were all people who'd said we'd take an hour or more
Read more