Just had my time come through for this mornings parkrun - the first one for 6 weeks - 26'36. I have no idea where that time came from because I found the run this morning incredibly hard. All the muscle groups in my legs and bum were screaming, I was breathing like a racehorse yet I managed to do a decent time which has bemused me somewhat!
Only 259 runners this morning (there's usually a lot more than that), so I suppose a lot of them are on their summer hols. I saw a few familiar faces there but sadly no TurboTortoise. Not even the delicious Sophie Raworth was there today, but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself.
There's no doubt, the Richmond parkrun course is a sly old thing. It starts you off with a slight incline which very quickly turns into a lovely looooonnnng downhill section. This lulls you into a false sense of security if you're not careful, as valuable energy expunged here can come and bite you on the arse on the dreaded second section! At the bottom of the loooonnnng section there's a flat half a K across grass before you reach the stony gravel of the Tasmin Trail. It is here that your leg muscles and bum muscles start saying -
"errrr.....Dan? Careful mate. Go easy ok? It doesn't look like it - but this is a very slow incline...."
to which I reply
"Awwww shurrrruppp legs! You're always moaning! We'll be fine. All we have to do is keep up the.......OWWWWW!!! This is HARD!"
"Told ya" say the legs.
This last 2K is a challenge in itself. There's even a mini mountain - alright, a steep slope - that you have to negotiate. But just when you're in pain screaming for your mummy and thrashing about on the ground wailing like a two year old, there is the glorious downhill bit which loops around the trees and over a wooden bridge thingy. It's here you can pick up a few seconds that may have been lost on the previous hellish stony trail section.
Somehow I managed to cross the line in a faux sprint and was handed my barcode token. Queued up and got that sorted. Quick stretch then a walk back to the scooter where I was home in time to listen to my fave radio show on LBC "Ken & David" (an extremely funny and irreverent look at the weeks politics!).
With Mrs Dan sunbathing in the garden, I'm off to visit my dear old Mamaaaa!
Happy running folks
Dan.
ParkRun
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