I love Parkrun - I love the concept and I love to be able to go every Saturday and have a 'race' but without the same level of competition and not to have to worry about time etc if you don't want to, but still have the experience of running with a large group of people.
This week, oh my gosh!! Having had a fabulous club run (for me) I was not worried about my run on Saturday. However, it looks like my body had other ideas!! I hadn't had much sleep as I had been preparing 64 cupcakes and 5 large cakes for a cake sale on Friday (another £70 odd into the fundraising pot!), and I was feeling increasingly stressed with the encroaching end of Redundancy period.
So off I set and felt good, for about a quarter of a mile!
The course is undulating with some short steep bits, on paths, grass and mud all of which is pretty draining! As I was heading down the first bit of grass having eventually got to the top of the hill my chest started thumping which was a bad sign. I hadn't been going that quickly! After about 3 quarters of a mile, I knew I was in trouble. I went past the lovely Helen at one of the worse bits of the track and gave her a weak smile 'its too hard', I stammered, whilst contemplating giving up and could I sneak away with nobody noticing.
Then I walked. I haven't done that before. First lap and a half done. First bursting into tears!
Horrid snotty gasping mess!
More weak smiles as I struggled on past the volunteers. Back down to the football pitch, knackered. Motivation on the floor, hardly moving, cheerers having to wait for ages to start to cheer in case they had to for ages and feeling embarrassed! A few more tears.
Then back past Helen, this time the flood gates open and I can't control it! Bless her, she literally pulls me along, up the hill shouting at me ' if I can do it in wellies.....'
Ok, top of the hill and I pretty much have got my control back. Bloody hell, there is Adam with the camera, hope he is too busy taking photos of anything else at all!!
Round the corner, dragging myself along. Spot the back markers, glad she had a first timer to look after because that really would have been embarrassing (imagined conversation, 'is this your first run, you are doing great etc' 'oh no' I say 'I'm training for a marathon!')!
The down hill straight. Don't notice the wind that normally rushes up this bit of hill, I just need to finish and hope that I can get away with it.
But no - my lovely friends are waiting for me! Helen, Amanda and Allyson are there cheering and running up the hill towards me. Then they are there running back again to the finish, me with more tears and snot everywhere, Helen still shouting about her wellies. Finally it was over. Lots of people talking to me and wanting to make sure I was ok. This is the spirit of the Parkrun, but honestly I hope I don't have to experience it in this way again!!
It is my 10th Parkrun next week - PB??
Thank you to the amazing organisiers and volunteers at Corby Parkrun for a flawless event every time (https://www.facebook.com/corbyparkrun?fref=ts) and to Desborough Running Club (https://www.facebook.com/drrc2013?fref=ts) and its fab members xxx
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