There is a parkrun tradition to hold a run on New Years Day and for pairs of nearby parkruns to stagger their start times so that it’s possible to run one, drive (or run) to another and do that one as well. I have done this a few times and it’s a great way to start the year.
Today I did a different parkrun double in that I turned up to Middleton Woods 40 minutes early to run the course once prior to the start and then run the “official” parkrun.
The Middleton course is lovely in that it is almost all through the woods; you run down a long tarmac path and then return up to the start through woodland paths. This is quite a challenge and you do this lap twice. I was pleasantly surprised today in that even though I did the course twice, my official time was a quite respectable 26:41 and I finished 19th out of 73.
(the picture shows two of my wonderful running club friends, Elinor who was volunteering as a scanner and Julie who was trying a parkrun again after a short break from training)
All I have to do now to finish my challenge is an itty-bitty 10K tomorrow morning. I am also pleased that my online fundraising target of £200 is nearly achieved with £190 of donations so far. It would be really amazing to hit that target before the end of the challenge.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Richard is running 10K every day during June, to raise money for a public access defibrillator to be situated at Rothwell Baptist Church. To sponsor him and make a donation, please visit his Just Giving Page.
Marathon Mann 