Aiming for under 30

Having PB’d with 29.37 on New Years Eve with the help of a fast and very competent runner, today I set out for my 23rd parkrun hoping to achieve 29.59. I had not run since my first 10km on New Years Day which I had really enjoyed as I had found someone there to run with.

This morning in the freezing cold - it was minus 1 - I desperately searched the crowd at the Norwich parkrun briefing for a woman whose name I know and whose parkrun times I had looked at, I was disappointed that I could not see her or her husband.

I made my way to the start line and set off - on my own. I started out fast and soon let my Garmin settle me into the pace I had in mind - an average of 5.59 minute kilometres which would get me a sub 30 minute parkrun time. As every runner overtook me, I looked at them to see if they were who I had wanted to run with. I tried to remember everything my pacer had said to me on New Years Eve, stride out on this lap, sort your breathing out here, take it easy here, push along there. Unfortunately I didn’t see the person I wanted to be running with, until halfway. Hooray, no more looking at my watch I actually had a pacer right there. I followed Lynda for half a lap and then had to resort back to my watch. I maintained my 5.59 however during the last half a mile I struggled to maintain the pace and kept dipping to 6.00. Each time I saw this on my watch I had to push on with my eyes fixed to my watch until it returned to 5.59. In the last few hundred metres I didn’t have much left to push so just ran, I didn’t even have a sprint finish in me! I forgot to stop my watch and when I remembered to I decided I must have just missed out on the time I had wanted.

My result arrived by text and to my delight I achieved 29.57. Wow. I had hated my run on my own but I had managed to pace myself a great time which I was really pleased with.

Happy 2nd Birthday Coventry parkrun!

It was the chile-est parkrun of the year so far at -7.5C, according to the temperature gauge in the car. I scraped the windscreen, started the engine and after releasing the handbrake didn't move forward an inch. Too cold for the brakes to work, norway that car was going anywhere! So a quick change of plan and I jumped on the bike round to my good friend Mr Slatford's house, which turned out to be a pretty decent 10-minute warm-up in the end. Arrived 5 minutes later than planned and after a quick czech realised the beard, sunglasses and headdress were all still intact. Phew.

Paul came to the door and we jogged up to the park together for a slightly-shorter than normal warm-up to allow for the late-running and pre-run awards ceremony. Not quite so many friendly waves and tooted horns on the way there as the Santa outfits had received a month or so earlier, but we still felt very pleased with our matching Arab costumes.

We arrived at the start line a good 20 minutes before 9am and met up with a few of the Coventry parkrun regulars. A few left-handed handshakes and twiddles of the beard later and the crowd was ready to be addressed. First up was the winner of the Women's Points Competition - Ruth Mahon. Many congratulations to Ruth for her efforts over the last 12 months. Great to see her getting into the spirit of 'Countries of the World' too with a Hawaiian grass skirt and flowery headpiece, neck piece and wristbands. Secondly, the winner of the Men's Points Competition - Andy Wilkinson (aka me). The presentations made and the cakes spread all over the table by the finish and we were ready to run.

Jason got us underway dead on 9 o'clock as usual. The resistance of the tunic meant there was not quite so much Arab spring in my step at the start but I still wanted to post a sub-20-minuter for the first run of the new points year. On completion of lap one in exactly 10 minutes, Paul and I decided to try and get a few seconds in the bag down the hill to the park main gates. Halfway around the second lap and we were only 20 seconds ahead of having to run at full speed to make our 20-minute target. A decision needed to be made. I lifted the pace slightly and quickly pulled a few yards ahead of Paul. I wanted him to come with me but I wanted the 19:xx finish time more. I crossed the line in a satisfactory 15th and 19:54. Time for some birthday cake.

One mini-roll, two shortbreads, two slices of birthday cake (with yummy icing), a mini-magnum and a pint of Mallory's Nesquik / For Goodness Shakes drink (to be confirmed) later meant there was no need for a bacon butty from the cafe this morning. Paul and I had another go at uploading the final results ahead of Jason's week off in 2 weeks' time. I think one more week next week with Jason on hand to answer any queries and we will have it sussed. Two hundred and thirty nine finishers today, a great turn-out for a great occasion. Many happy returns Coventry parkrun!

Norwich parkrun, First Timer

Hello and welcome to my first ever Blog and first ever parkrun, Saturday 4th February, cold and icy!! I only took up running in August and have been doing loads of 5 and 10K runs around the Thorpe St Andrew area and whilst away on business and you could say I'm hooked!! As far as organised runs are concerned I've only ever done two, the first was back in September when I did a 5K fun (I used that word loosely, back in September) run, which I struggled round in 35 minutes, but I did it and that's all that mattered to me as it was what got me started. My second was a New Years Day 10K which I completed in under 54 minutes and the rest they say is history...... So on to today, my first parkrun I heard about parkrun through twitter, where I have chatting with loads of like minded, Lycra wearing nutters who go out no matter the weather and pound the streets to get that fantastic feeling of well being (I can picture loads of you nodding your heads in agreement)and they suggested I get involved with parkrun on Saturday mornings at Eaton Park in Norwich, so I signed up, got my barcode, prepared last night by not drinking, eating sensible and getting plenty of sleep (maybe too much prep for a 5K, but hey, it was my first!), got up this morning, fuelled up with a banana and some porridge, slipped in to my Lycra (I say slipped, I'm mean squeezed) and off I went to take on the world!! When I got to Eaton Park, I started chatting with a guy who had been doing these for a while, so he talked me through what happens regarding where you start, where you finish, where you get briefed, and how the chipping and barcode system works, then he shot off to warm up (which for him was a full lap!!) for me it was just running about a bit, stretching and chatting with other like minded runners, some wearing SHORTS!! (it's minus 2!!), the whistle went and we all huddled close to hear (or in an attempt to get warm, you decide!) and clap the volunteers (top people!), off to the start line and waited in anticipation for the 3,2,1 off you go, where we all huddled for position and I shot off like Usain Bolt, far too fast, far too keen, far too many jelly beans!!! But it did mean I was at 2.5K in 11 mins 26 seconds!! I was never going to maintain that pace especially in the wintery conditions and I was right, but I did settle down and still had enough to power (I say power, I mean jog slightly quicker) past 5 other runners, to finish with a new PB of 24 mins 34 seconds and a pace of 4:55/K with is the first time I have been under 5 mins per K, so all in all a great time, great people and a great way to get 250/300 people running on a Saturday morning. This just left me to pop in to the park cafe and treat myself to a well earned Americano.......... I hope you enjoyed my first blog, if you did, let me know by checking me out on Twitter @iangolden (simples:)