Parkrun #64: Whitley Bay, run 6

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 finish were abandoned when my left hip started playing up about 500m from home.

Perhaps the thing that struck me most about the run, however, was how good I felt about it just five minutes after I'd finished. The sense of slog had gone and I was already into the afterglow (if I can dare to call it that 😊).

Hoping to get out again next weekend, which will be another solo effort before my running buddy returns on the 15th. By pure fluke, I'm currently on a tourist streak of 6 different venues, so I'm tempted to keep that going. Just not sure where exactly I'll go; it'll probably be dictated by how quickly I'm needed back at home, but it would be nice to try a new venue, I guess...

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