Peterborough Parkrun 28.12.13 22.33Heidi and I decided to mix a shopping trip to Peterborough in with being Parkrun tourists and headed to the park which is just off the A1 for our first visit. It takes about an hour to get there from Lincoln and is a gem of a run !
It is a two and a bit lap affair around the scenic Ferry Meadows Country Park and today saw a bit of sunshine too ! I decided to try and run 3 evenly paced laps and made my best effort of the year so far : 6.58, 7.07 & 7.22 to leave an average pace of 7.15m/m and a year PB of 22.33 - roll on 2014.
Lincoln Parkrun 21.12.13 22.42
Before I had even started, I had a plan to get a good time - I had worked out that I needed to hold 3 steady laps at the same pace of c.7m15s per mile - simple enough plan then !
In reality, I did what I always do - I went off far too fast and was running at something ridiculous like 6.40 when I hit the witham turn for the first time. Clearly I couldn't keep that up and I soon started to slow and struggle. The first mile clocked 6.53 which was a first mile best as far as I can remember - but it was far too fast which meant that I was again hanging out of my backside for the second lap which registered 7.17.I can't say for sure what the third lap looked like but I wouldn't be sprised if it was as slow as 7.40, as my average dropped to 7.16m/m but a great time of 22.42 at the end of it.
Next years target set at running 21 minute 10k's.
I managed mile times of 8.30, 8.27 & 8.30 to come in at 26.24 with no stiffness felt afterwards - so you could say job done !
This also meant that I completed the Lucozade 'Chase The Place' challenge to try to win a place in the London Marathon next year.
So, I was sat at home this morning getting ready for Parkrun , when Heidi shouts up to me to say we are cutting it fine - I look at my watch and its 8.52 - plenty of time, then it clicks - Parkrun starts at 9 - shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit !!!!!!After a mad dash, we get to the Park at 9.02, I manage to run to the start and nearly get there before I hear the klaxon going off and the start is under way. Nothing for it, I start a sprint and as I pass the start line a marshall helpfully tells me there's already 40 seconds on the clock. By the 2nd bench though I've already caught the back of the field and start to thread my way through what would eventually be 111 people !
Got down to the Witham turn and the pace said 6.56, got to the end of the first lap and that read 7.10. I had expended far too much energy on that first lap zigging and a zagging, so tried to settle the pace down for the second lap. Couldn't tell you how fast I ran that particular lap nor indeed the last lap - all I know is that I made it up to 45th position on the day and that my Garmin said 22.38 in the end - albeit my official time from the gun was a still respectable 23.16 !
That's dedication, well done Andy!
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