Colwick Parkrun

I attempted my first 'parkrun' today as I headed over to Nottingham to compete in a 5k race held at Colwick Country Park. This free event is part of a free series of races held around the country at over 30 locations and funded entirely from donations and staffed by volunteers on the day.

Parkrun details can be found here : http://www.parkrun.com/home

I arrived at Colwick about twenty minutes before the start time of 9am. There was no start area that I could see and there was a sign directing the runners along a path. Well, we just kept on walking and eventually found ourselves halfway around a lake before being told that the start area was where we originally came from.

Once back around lake, some kind volunteers unfurled a makeshift start area, and within 2 minutes we were counted down from five and we were away. I started again like a rocket, and attempted to run the race the same way that a ran ' No Walk' a few weeks ago. I managed to keep the good pace up for the first section of the run which is a lap of the smaller lake before the course lengthens to lap a second larger lake. My pace dropped here but I was still pushing along and felt really good. I had a chap breathing heavily on my shoulder and I thought that he was going to pass me, which he did, but then the course kicked upward a little and I regained my place at the top.

There was another loop to navigate of the smaller lake which saw my pace die a little before crossing the line with a finishing sprint. The time = 22.55 which is outside of my PB by some 14 seconds.

Frustratingly, I felt I had run faster than that, and Heidi did say that she did hear marshalls say they sent us the wrong way - maybe the course was a little long but I will never be sure.

What I do know is that I will definately keep my eye out for further park runs in the future because I really enjoyed my first one !