Earn STEEM & SBD for running at #runforsteem
Be sure to follow the @runningproject for everything Running-related!
Mixed feelings about this run, but it was really nice to get out and run a different Parkrun for the first time! Very nice to have gotten away from the sticky and pace-slowing mud of the Andover Parkrun and onto a 100% hard-surface route up in Norwich. I've gotten used to running with around 200 other people, but this morning there was 560 runners & walkers taking part (and apparently that's pretty quiet for this Parkrun too!) and it was tough going clearing through the field. I'm used to being able to start running 4:10m/km (ish) from the blocks but for the first 300-400m I was forced to run at around 4:45-50m/km which probably added around 25 seconds or so to my overall time. However, with every single run I'm adding to my log I am seeing improvement in my fitness and I cut 44 seconds off my Parkrun PB (albeit on a different course) but I'm sure that with clever positioning and even more running I can continue cutting time off of it!
As I stated above the run started off pretty slow, and I hadn't really thought too much about positioning but I have learnt that I definitely will need to in future runs! The first couple of kilometres were largely me just trying to work my way through the field, and my pace only really started to pick up in the 2nd kilometre but only by 4 seconds. I started feeling my long run (ish) effort from Thursday at about 4km in and couldn't really pick the pace up anymore - I caught up to a runner that seemed to be running at a similar pace that I wanted to run and stuck to his side for a while, before ramping the pace up hugely in the final kilometre. I had loads left in the tank with about 500m to go and I ramped it up even more, with about 250m to go I looked at my GPS watch and I was running at 3:34m/km (super fast for me) at relatively little effort (I probably could have kept that pace up for 1.5km instead of just 500m, but hey ho!). There is a Strava segment for the last 700m of the Parkrun route, and I ran that in 3:50m/km and it has a small incline so I'm pretty proud about my finish, but in hindsight that easily could have been harder effort spread across the whole run.
I was given the 66th finisher token on the finish line, but upon checking the official listings I have been given 67th so I'm a bit confused, but 1 position doesn't really matter. Next week I'm aiming to run 20:30 or faster and would love to get into the top 50. I'll probably do my longer run earlier on the week in order to make sure I'm as rested as possible coming up to Saturday, and then just a shorter less intense run on Thursday.
Feel free to check out my Strava!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1521603773/overview
Follow me for more Running Updates!