Running On Empty

Groundhog Day! Last week, at Druridge Bay, I came 78th out of 161 finishers. This week, at Druridge Bay, I came 78th out of 161 finishers. Head asplode! 🤯 As for my time, it was 28:31, which was very similar to last week’s lateness-corrected time, but not identical. A little slower, in fact, but I’ll let myself off, as I did zero exercise midweek this time. The beach at Druridge Bay, but last week. Forgot to take any photos today. 🤷 I also had my running buddy back with me today, which was great and her positivity probably helped keep away the thoughts of “Why am I doing this to myself?” that I’ve been getting midway through the run. She even got me a coffee at the end, which was very welcome after the chilly wind outside had started to cool me down a bit. So anyway, I’ve run around the 28:30 mark 3 times now since returning to parkrun and it’s starting to feel like that’s my new plateau. Either I need to up my midweek game or I have to get comfortable with this level of achievement...

LATE! 😱 For the first ever time, I actually missed the start of a parkrun. I came close at Denton Dene once, but this time, I was actually about 45 seconds late getting to the start line. Things that didn't help: Having to do a U-turn just after I set off, as the barriers came down on the level crossing I was approaching Google Maps giving me the time it would take to reach the entrance to Druridge Bay Country Park rather than the car park that's a few minutes inside Me foolishly trying to find a space in the main car park, which was inevitably full Me casually taking photos for the blog instead of getting to the start line Me forgetting where the actual start line was and heading to the briefing area instead All in all, #FAIL. Yes, nice illustration of the wet conditions, but... GET TO THE START LINE, YOU IDIOT! Putting all of that to one side, remember I came back to Druridge Bay for a reason? The low-hanging fruit of a slow PB at a flat venue? Well... Previous best: 27:44 ...

A solo parkrun visit today, for the first time in a while. Certainly made getting out of bed a little harder than usual, but managed it nonetheless. Time: 30:34 (official parkrun time) Weather: 12°C and breezy Or, from my own timing as I crossed the start and finish lines, a much more satisfying 29:57. Yeah, I took quite a while to even reach the start line, but then there was a field of 603(!) runners and I was towards the back of that crowd. Oh, and a new record today: my worst ever finishing position of 380th. 😂 (That is, if you exclude the sole 5K I did with Daughter the First, when I came 530th). Heading North up the promenade offers a good view of the lighthouse on St Mary's Island It's still feeling like a bit of a slog, this parkrunning lark, but at least I'm in less doubt these days about whether I'll complete the 5K without walking. Pace was pretty consistently around the 5:40/km mark today, with a min of 5:36 and max of 5:45, but any thoughts of a sprint fi...