Hi everyone, this may be a bit on the short side compared to most of my posts since this is the 4th attempt to writing this post about yesterday's parkrun, plus some of the memories from that day has decided to up and leave from my brain so bits and pieces I don't have any memory of but will give it my best shot, I'm sorry about this being abit more weird than usual, but anyway here goes,
I went bed quite late the night before I think I ended up going bed around 11pm, I didn't get to sleep straight away but still managed to get up at 5 on the saturday, I get up even though I want to sleep for longer but my body said nope you've got to get up, so I get up have a shower, get changed, have some breakfast, make sure I have everything in my bag, I don't remember if i had everything in my bag but I do remember that I had around 40 minutes til I needed to set off for parkrun so I double checked my bag again, and still didn't remember to put in a spair pair of trainers in my bag just in case my running trainers ended up absolutely soaking, (I've just spelt soaking 'sockaing' it would be quite a weird and funny post if I didn't change the spellings to some of my words I write wrong),
I set off at around 7am, I take a steady paced walk to the bus stop and get there for around 7:30 as I decided to purposefully take it steady and slow so instead of taking me 20minutes it took me 30minutes but it allowed me to think more and relax more,
I get to parkrun for 8am, I stand chatting to other volunteers and we all have a laugh don't remember what about, then the run director with the keys turn up so we all set off to set up the course, I do my usual duty of putting out the small cones around the course, I put the starting cones out as well but don't remember if I put out the cones to direct people off the track and don't rememer if anyone else did yesterday, the run still went well even if they wasn't put out,
I then stand chatting to volunteers whilst people put up the new gazebo the run director was kind enough to get, I decided to leave some of the other volunteers to set up the gazebo as I have a problem with setting up things because they either break or I get frustrated so putting out small cones around the track might not sound like much but it's just enough for me to handle especially since my balance was really off yesterday,
Some of my friends turned up so started chatting with them, and then me and julie nipped to the toilets leave my coat to the side of the track and go back to the volunteers, chat to other people and then listen to the run brief whilst trying to find julie as I lost her after I left her doing a few more laps around the track for a warm up,
We then go to the start and then we are off, I'm near the back but I don't mind, since I'm still getting around and still enjoying parkrun, I'm nearly all the way round the track when the run director comes up to me asking if I'd step in as tail runner, I was honest and said I wanted to get a time but then decided since there was literally only 2 people behind me, I said that I would, the run director made sure it was ok that I jump in as tail runner and I said that it's fine, but I told her (there was 2 run director's yesterday, one was in training practicing for the takeover for next saturday) that next week I can't be tail runner, was open and honest with her and she said that it's fine because they have 2 tail runners next week,
So I get on a hi-vis jacket and become tail runner, didn't dawn on me until almost around the first loop I have no landyard in case of an emergency so I was hoping nobody got hurt or unwell during the run, luckily nothing bad happened, I had a few pictures took on the saturday, I crossed the line with a time of 48:01,
This week it was slightly different, I helped a man with special needs get around the course, gain a PB and also have a good time, if it wasn't for parkrun this young man might not have had anything to enjoy on a saturday morning and yes it took him nearly 48 minutes to get round the course, he did walk some of the course but he gave it his all, he enjoyed himself, he gained a PB, I got a thank you at the end of the run and I also had a great time talking and listening to him talk about things,
He was worried when we was near the end that he was going really slow, and I told him that he is going a lot quicker than I am, and I'm struggling to keep up which made him more determined to run even faster but it also put a smile on his face and to me that was all that mattered even if I didn't get a PB, I helped out by being tail runner and helped a young man have a laugh and have fun around the run, and hopefully he will want to come again,
like I've said in previous parkrun reports, parkrun is inclusive so anyone can turn up and run, no matter your weight, your size, your age, gender, disability etc, everyone is included for who you are a runner, so be brave and go to your first parkrun or if you are really shy or you don't feel like you could run around your local parkrun or you think you are to slow at the moment then why not go down and ask about marshalling, by seeing all the people that turn up at your parkrun, the quick ones and the people who may not be as quick, it may give you the confidence to turn up at your local parkrun and give it a go,
Why do I not want to tail run next week you may be wondering and I will answer that question before I forget, next week I will be hopefully meeting a fellow parkrunner who like me has suffered a brain injury, and we hope to be able to run together around the course, so I'm a bit nervous, but excited as I've yet to meet someone with a brain injury that runs, I've spoke to people who run and has suffered a brain injury but never met anyone, hence why I just want to enjoy the run, don't want the added pressure of me being a tail runner, which I honestly don't mind, it's just going to be to much stress for me if I was tail running and meeting a new person and trying to run around with them if I'm right at the back, so I'm taking a nice week off from tail running, I am still going to help with setting up the course in the morning though so I'm still putting something back to them 
Take care and I hope you all have had a great weekend,
Siobhan xx
P.S. this post is today as yesterday I went to a friend's birthday party and this morning I volunteered at junior parkrun and it's took me hours to actually write a full post about parkrun.
Parkrun Tourism
Tail “walking”
