Glutton for punishment

[MotherPip]

So Piplet wanted to do parkrun and wanted Mother Pip to go with her. Mr Pip is on the IC so is stuck in volunteering mode.

Strangely I plucked up courage to go along.

Again I took it extremely slow...But bearing in mind I did 2 x 8 minute runs reasonably successfully just 2 days ago and am therefore ready for the 20,one might be forgiven for expecting me to manage more than a minute or two... But no,I struggled from the get go... And I understood why... 2 weeks ago I would have blamed my fitness and the quick start.. But I deliberately went very slowly...So not too fast... I blamed mornings... But not that...I struggled to breathe .. diagnosis? Anxiety. Not something I often face up to and admit but I do suffer from it in some situations , often situations involving groups of people.

It took ages to get my breathing to relax... Stanley also was chipping in with advice that it would be fine if I just did the one lap as at least it was a run out...

I did feel like quitting but somehow carried on and managed to finish...I thought I had done slightly better than last one but I was slightly slower. however I felt a bit better than I did for my 1st one so that s good...And I never met the tailrunner either. On a negative it is slightly disconcerting to run and not catch up the strolling dog walkers in front of you...But they were very nice people and didn't mind when I surged in a sprint towards the finishing line ( sprint 😂😂... As if )

Piplet finished ahead of me... I think I was with her for about 15 seconds at the beginning so not quite sure why She needed me 🏃 and she beat her last time by a smidging...And all in her new apricot shirt. The first one to run in a homerun shirt at just our towns 3rd parkrun.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

That is a super post... yes it is! Go you...!

Despite all.. you went and you did it.. Piplet wanted you , she needed you to be there.. and you were...that is wonderful!

[davidhwynn Graduate]

Wow, wish I had a "piplet" to bully me, I'd love that – my equivalent to a piplet is my son, 40+ and does triathlons. My grand-daughter is in an elite athletics group and so bloody super-fit it's unbelievable (so I suppose she's sort-of a "piplet" but at 17 she wouldn't like that term much, except just maybe she'd put up with it from me as her "Gramps" - (well, better Gramps than "GRUMPY" where I started! No, actually we get on SOOOOO well, I love her to pieces) .... I've told them both that it's COMPULSORY to do a Parkrun with me in May on my birthday. They can DRAG me along if necessary and I'll be grateful for all the help I can get. I haven't broken the news to them yet that they can do a PW that day (Personal WORST). I haven't plucked up the courage yet to do a Parkrun, I've got my barcode but I'm just still chicken. I haven't lined up for a run of any sort since I left school and only did it then because I couldn't find a good enough excuse and someone had a big stick..........

[MotherPip Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

My Piplet is 20 and God help me if she finds out I call her that haha. She is a bully too. We are very alike she is a chip off the old block, is hefty like me too. She does go to the gym a bit and does swim a bit. Being younger I think she finds it easier than me. I do have another 23 year old Piplet. She is skinny and not into much exercise at all...though has just joined a gym recently with her chap so that's good news really. I did my 1st parkrun 2 weeks ago... I am not at all ready for parkruns, but I did that one as it was the inaugural run in my town, I just had to try even though I was still recovering from a grotty chest infection. My objectives were to try and jog a bit in amongst the walking and 1) finish 2) within the hour...which I did. I spent the whole distance with the tailrunner.

I have realised a few weeks ago that running is very psychological.. ones own head is the main barrier rather than just fitness. I am clearly not psychologically up to parkruns in public. I find it easier to pound the promenade late at night away from the public eye and under cover of darkness. Therefore I think really I must try and expose myself to parkruns more - stepping out of my comfort zone... like flood therapy. The more I do it I will eventually reduce the anxiety hopefully.

I'm going to volunteer too, which is also quite brave of me...again it involves mixing with people which actually does scare me... but I guess the more I do it the better I will get.......

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to MotherPip]

Must be really great having your "Piplet" with you (well, ahead of you!) I don't find the mixing with people bit hard, but like you I am finding that this running stuff is perhaps 40% physical and 60% psychological. That 40% hurts a bit and I'm not sure I like it: that 60% I haven't really learned yet how to cope with properly. I don't even mind too much making an exhibition of myself, or being last because over the years I've often been there at the back. Mind you, not for a very long time because I simply haven't done it. I just might - perhaps, possibly - do a Parkrun soon. I met one of the local Parkrun organisers in my gym, she seemed very friendly and was very encouraging. My original target was to do my first Parkrun on my birthday in May 2017 and to press gang my adult son and at least my 17 year-old grandaughter to do it with me. My reasoning was that by then I shouldn't make a complete idiot of myself. Based on my W6R2 (on a treadmill earlier today) and extrapolating the time/distance it suggests that I would manage a 5K in about 42 minutes. I did a sneaky 5K round the Parkrun course on my own a week or so ago and walk/jogged it in 44 minutes. I admire you doing it, perhaps I'm still too chicken!!

[MotherPip Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

If I can, you can... Why wait .... If you feel ready go for it

[Redbillie21 Graduate]

Well done MotherPip. Every run is an achievement 👍🏃‍♀️

[melly4012 Graduate]

Well done! Sprint finish too - go you!