Parkrun #60: Chopwell Wood, run 2

So, back to Chopwell Wood as a parkrunner for the first time since my 25th parkrun.

My time? 31:11. I'll come back to that later.

Anyway, I feel like a lot has changed in the 2 and a bit(!) years since that first time — giving up running, turning 50, leaving my job, and probably more — but it's lovely to see that this parkrun venue and its volunteers haven't changed; they're both still delightful. While the Morpeth parkrun has more than doubled in size (60ish to 130ish runners) and lost some of its intimacy, this run at Chopwell Wood was still a pleasingly small affair, with just 45 runners. Maybe it's the hills putting people off, maybe it was the weather (raining for once), but the event remains just how I like it. 🥰

Photo: 11°C and light rain throughout. Felt cold before the start and ran the first half in my fleece, but dumped it at half way.

So, yeah, my third parkrun back and I was still clocking well over 30 minutes. And I was nearly 4 minutes slower than my previous best time here. But... at Morpeth I was nearly 5 minutes slower than my course best. So this represents... progress? I'll take that as a win. 

I fully expected to be walking at some point on this run, but once again, I kept it going. Yes, there were times when my "running" was barely faster than someone in front of me who was walking — and I took forever to pass them — but keeping the bounce going is SO important, mentally. I feel good that I managed it.

How to sum up my feelings now though? Not sure. It's only my third run back, but I'm already getting impatient for a truly tangible improvement. Really, I want to get back under 30 minutes somewhere; anywhere. Before the run, I was even thinking about the fact that Chopwell is one of the few venues where I've not managed to get under 27 minutes. I know I'm a long, long way off that at the moment, but it would be amazing to get back to that goal one day.

In my heart, I know I need to do more than just the occasional parkrun to improve. But when I'll fit in the extra runs, I'm not sure. For now, it might just be parkruns. And that's fine. Just keeping that going is important enough for now. 🙂

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Choosing a 10K event for 2024

Image
Don't want to leave it too long before I get a 10K in, not least so that I can add a stretch goal of another 10K. So, it's time to get looking again — and to stop hoping I'll get into the North Tyneside 10K somehow. Searching on findarace.com, one in Hamsterley Forest in March came up. I figure the 4 weeks from that to the Allendale Challenge gives me enough time to recover from the inevitable injury. (After last weekend's heather running, I'm pretty much assuming I'll come away with some kind of issue from a run in hilly forests. 😂) Hamsterley Forest looks uncharacteristically flat here Switching to searching on SiEntries.com, the following two intriguing options came up: Chopwell Moon Runner , 19th Oct Blanchland Moon Runner , 14th Dec Basic idea here is that it's night-time trail running, using a head torch. Once upon a time, I actually owned a head torch (lord knows why), but I suspect it's no longer in my possession/loft. Regardless, runn...
Read more

Training: riverside 4K

Image
While my knees and toe probably would've preferred more bike work, I was working in the office today, so went out for a short run at lunch instead. Given I didn't want to aggravate the toe too much in advance of Sunday's orienteering, I went for a fairly flat route. I also just wanted to get away from people and be somewhere calmer than the centre of Newcastle on the run-up to Christmas. Today's route took me past the Black Gate, then under the railway line and onto Forth Street behind the station. It was around this point that the gentle rain turned into a downpour and I was glad I'd put my fleece on. 😂 The rain continued on and off as I jogged past the Centre for Life and onwards to the Arena. The new phone wasn't giving me announcements of my progress (yet another thing to set up), but a quick check showed I'd been going about 7 minutes. From the Arena, it was rapidly downhill to the Tyne before turning upriver. The tide must've been in, ...
Read more

Parkrun #13: South Shields

Image
After a whole week of no running (blame half term and a stinking cold), it was straight back into it today with another parkrun and another new location: South Shields . Driving from the north side of the Tyne, South Shields always feels like a bit of a trek, as you still have so far to go even once you're through the tunnel. And there's no fast road to the coast, just loads of roundabouts and junctions. At least, that's my excuse for only just making it in time. That and the fact I had to hunt for change to pay for parking when the website had said there was plenty of free parking. Hmmm... maybe there is somewhere , but not where I parked. 🤔 Anyway, once that was sorted, I headed down onto the prom. The weather was your typically dull, cool and slightly hazy, out-of-season British seaside weather. A slight nip in the air, but still more autumnal than wintery. Luckily, the first timers' explanation was held pretty late, so I got a quick run-through and the chance to a...
Read more