Freedom run: As Park Run was cancelled on... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Freedom run

Amerynthe profile image
AmeryntheGraduate
3 Replies

As Park Run was cancelled on Saturday morning, I decided to do a 'freedom run' on Sunday afternoon - that's a run round the Park Run track but outside of the normal Park Run time. I'd peaked a couple of weeks ago at PR, with my time getting a few seconds worse in the following two weeks, not better. And I haven't been able to run for a full 30 minutes ever around the course - although on my first attempt I did manage 25 minutes but then had to walk the rest of the way. I still couldn't run the full 30 minutes, and the course was still icy in patches - so I walked very carefully over those bits. Don't want a broken arm or leg or anything else, for that matter! Instead of having to leap out of the way of over 1000 other runners as I do on a Saturday morning, I had to dodge hundreds of small children on their Christmas presents of motorized scooters and those boards you stand up on (or attach to a cart) and bicycles that they haven't yet mastered, so it wasn't the carefree solo run I had been hoping for! But according to my friend, Strava, it was the best 5K I had done (if only by a couple of seconds!) So I'm taking that as a personal best, even though a Freedom Run doesn't count towards my number of official Park Runs, and the time doesn't count. It is very encouraging to see, though, that I am making progress, even if it only a second or two at a time!

And while I was doing my 5k yesterday, my brother was doing a charity 10K in London - and only took 2 minutes more to do 10 than I took to do 5! I think it will be a cold day in hell before I can match his pace! :-)

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Amerynthe profile image
Amerynthe
Graduate
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3 Replies
cheekychipmunks profile image
cheekychipmunksGraduate

Brilliant Amerynthe! 👏👏👏 I use my parkrun courses as part of my regular list of routes and I love doing them when they’re quieter - or like you say, full of people other than runners. 😀

Good for you for your 5k PB too. I can’t seem to get one out of parkrun! Enjoy your running, and here’s hoping spring comes soon. 😀🏃‍♀️

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate

Great running. Don’t worry... you can always spike your brothers tea with some laxatives before a parkrun and you’ll smash him!

It’s not about him... it’s not even about running... it’s about you being awesome... and you’re smashing that.

Amerynthe profile image
AmeryntheGraduate in reply to UnfitNoMore

Thank you! :-)

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