Parkrun Stories

Over the last two years I have done over 100 parkruns. Therefore, I have had a lot of random experiences during these parkruns. However, a lot of these stories are not that long to have their own blog post. So, I have decided to combine these stories together into one blog post, as I do find them interesting, and wish to tell them. 

Alright, the first story took place in the University of Stirling parkrun back in October of 2023. Now, a little background. This was my second attempt at the University of Stirling parkrun since my first time was back in the summer of 2022. I wasn’t happy with my first attempt, so I was very determined to get a huge Pb. However, the previous weekend I was sick, so my fitness took a bit of a drop. 

(Image description: Me before the start of the University of Stirling parkrun)


Now, on the day I was feeling good. I managed to recover some of my fitness during the week. So, during the first 3k I was running fast, and was ahead of my previous time. However, during the fourth kilometer I started struggling, and found it hard to breathe. During the last sprint I was gasping for air and shouting I can’t lift my legs. However, I managed to cross the finish line, and I got a time of 20:30 which was 1 minute and 46 seconds quicker than my previous attempt at 22:16.  The morale of the story is don’t run hard after being ill, or you will look like an idiot! 

(Image description: Me running in the University of Stirling Parkrun)


The final story took place back in April of this year. Now, the first Saturday of the month is pace week. I have always intended to be a pacer, but the idea of running slow puts me off from pacing, as I like to go fast. However, I finally decided to pace one week, and chose to be the 21-minute pacer, because 21 minutes is not as slow compared to sub-20 parkrun that I usually do. 

However, the one week I decided to be pacer it happened to be during a storm, so it happened to be extremely windy. Therefore, I had to make a choice. Option number 1 would involve being well under 7-mile pace for the first two miles, so I will have a lot of spare time during the final mile. This is important because the last mile is very open, so the wind would be at its strongest. However, the problem with this option is that I would be tired near the end, and struggle against the wind. The second is to go slightly over the 7-minute mile pace, so I will have fresh legs to beat the wind at the last mile. The only problem is I might not be fast enough to beat the wind. I decided to pick option 1. 

During the run, I was able to run comfortably under the 7-minute mile pace for the first 2 miles. However, at the last mile the wind was way too strong, and I finished in over 21 minutes. However, I do not intend for the run to put me off from pacing again. 

In conclusion, I have learnt not to run hard after being sick, and how adverse weather makes pacing very difficult. 

 

 

 

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