I'm really enjoying racing the Tuggeranong Parkrun on Saturday mornings.
Never thought I'd say that, being a natural 'afternoon/evening person'
— I take forever to get going in the mornings and afternoon
runs are always more comfortable. Since my last post I've chipped
another 17 seconds off my 5k time, running 23:43 on March 8 in an
exciting race with a few of my regular competitors. As usual I ran by
feel but couldn't quite catch the fast-starting Jim. However I managed
to draw level with Karen (PB of 22:57) just after the 4k marker and
running with a good measure of desperation, held on for the 'win'.
Splits were 4:50, 4:45, 4:46, 4:47 and 4:35.
Yesterday I had a 'couldn't get going' type of run with Jim and Karen disappearing ahead in the fog. 24:08 for myself while Karen just out-leaned Jim in the sprint finish, both timed at 23:41. I still enjoyed the race, passing some other veterans and youngsters in the second half — including the old bloke and young lady pictured on my shoulder in the photo below.
I'm a track racer at heart, but competing in a field of six or seven for 12 and a half laps on Thursday night is becoming less appealing. I'd love track racing to be like the 'old days' when there were two divisions of the 5000 with 25 or so runners in each. Perhaps when the new track at Woden opens competitor numbers will improve. The great thing about the Parkrun is the intensity of the competition — that's all through the field, but especially around the times that I'm now running. Yesterday there were 41 runners finishing in the space between 22 and 25 minutes. That's my space! No wonder I look forward to it every week.
Yesterday I had a 'couldn't get going' type of run with Jim and Karen disappearing ahead in the fog. 24:08 for myself while Karen just out-leaned Jim in the sprint finish, both timed at 23:41. I still enjoyed the race, passing some other veterans and youngsters in the second half — including the old bloke and young lady pictured on my shoulder in the photo below.
I'm a track racer at heart, but competing in a field of six or seven for 12 and a half laps on Thursday night is becoming less appealing. I'd love track racing to be like the 'old days' when there were two divisions of the 5000 with 25 or so runners in each. Perhaps when the new track at Woden opens competitor numbers will improve. The great thing about the Parkrun is the intensity of the competition — that's all through the field, but especially around the times that I'm now running. Yesterday there were 41 runners finishing in the space between 22 and 25 minutes. That's my space! No wonder I look forward to it every week.
Preparing for a sprint finish with 200 metres to go in the Tuggeranong Parkrun
Chasing Karen with just over 1k to go in the 8 March Parkrun
