Hello C25Ker's. I thought I'd post in here to give those who are doing the programme some encouragement to show what you can achieve in a short time. I started C25K at the end of October 2017 as a non-runner and I'd been wanting to do a Park Run ever since graduating from C25K last January. I've had my barcode printed and laminated since February, but never got around to dragging myself out of bed on a Saturday morning and going...
6th October was Park Run's 14th anniversary AND my 50th birthday, so I decided that this was the one to do. I woke early and my 6 year old daughter helped me unwrap my presents, and this year she even managed not to tell me what they were before they were unwrapped 
I was a bit apprehensive of going and was worrying about where to park and what to do with the car keys while running, but luckily my other half volunteered to give me a lift, although rather than staying to cheer me on she decided to go to Lidl :\
It was a cold and damp morning with the wind whipping across the newly created park land at Great Denham, and I'd elected to go only in my shorts and short sleeved running top. My teeth were chattering as I stood and listened to the first timer's talk and I couldn't wait to get moving.
I followed the masses toward the start line and positioned myself about a third of the way from the front, being mindful not to get caught up with slower runners but also not wanting to seem overly confident by going too near the front. The run started dead on 9am and I immediately found myself wishing I'd started a little nearer the front as I was having to dodge left and right onto the grass to pass slower runners. I tagged onto a group of 3 runners who I thought would be running at about my pace and soon settled into a nice steady rhythm. Breathing was nice and easy and my legs felt strong, and by the time the first km had passed I realised I could go faster than the group I was running with, so I upped my pace and was soon overtaking several much younger runners.
By the end of the first lap the field had spread out and I now had quite a gap between me and the runners in front, so I decided to try and pick them off one by one and see how I felt after each overtake to see if I could keep the pace up. The second lap seemed to fly by and I overtook several wearing 50th Park Run shirts and a few Milton Keynes Redway runners. I had no idea how far up the field I was and with about 1km to go I caught a very athletic looking lady who did not take kindly to being passed. She put her head down and started puffing away like a steam train as she gently passed me heading into the finishing straight. I think I could probably have taken the position back, but it seemed an ungentlemanly thing to do. I finished 1 second behind her and later found out that she was the 2nd position lady!
My strava app told me that I'd beaten my 5k PB at 22:10, so I was happy with that. When the results came in later that day I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had finished in 26th position with an official time of 22:19. I was also 4th in my age category.
This was my first ever timed event and I really enjoyed it. It has brought out the competitive side in me, so I will be returning soon to try and better my result.
Keep up the good work and happy running!
First Park Run Today!
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