March – parkrun location 47

A visit to March in Cambridgeshire this morning for parkrun #79 at my 47th location. After a warm-up jog, I quickly got chatting to people – it rapidly became clear that it is a particularly friendly event with a lot of mutual support going on for the full range of abilities.

The route is four laps of the pleasant park: out and across the grass, back on a firmer surface alongside the old course of the River Nene (about four miles from the modern straight course), up the dozen or so stairs, down the grass slope and back to the start. I’ve had a few steps before, but this was my first parkrun with a flight of stairs.

I’d planned to take it a little easier this morning, but I got caught up in the moment and ran with the 24-minute pacer. (They had 27 and 30, plus 1-minute-run-1-minute walk and 2-minute-run-1-minute-walk pacers too, the first time I’ve seen that – great idea.) It didn’t really feel like a sub-24 morning or course (I’ve run under 24 four times), and I had on my trail shoes which I don’t think are quite as fast, but I felt sorry for Clive who’d offered his services and didn’t seem to have any takers. We set off very briskly but soon steadied the pace.

First lap was reported as 5 seconds ahead, which was fine, but I was already feeling that I was pushing too hard for this morning’s legs. After the next half-lap, we were 7 seconds ahead, so I eased up a bit along the river, and we finished bang on target. The third lap was hard, but we were 5 seconds ahead again by the end, but I was now really starting to wilt. On the fourth lap Clive (PB 21:21, ex-military and a personal trainer) really earned his keep, as did Hugh (PB 22:51) who’d by now joined him in pushing me round, cajoling, encouraging, and insisting that I persist, with some very emphatic pointing at the ground alongside them telling me to get myself there, to lift my legs, to lengthen my stride. So I pushed my weary legs on, feeling that I was definitely slowing down, but tried to power up the steps and then find anything left for the run for the finish.

Final time 23:49 – very satisfying, and on more rested legs they would I’m sure have taken me close to my PB. I also found later that I was 18th of 153, my best relative position (11% through the field) yet. Good job Clive and Hugh.

Once I’d got my breath back, I lingered to clap and cheer people over the finish line, said thank you to the run director and a few volunteers, and was on my way after a good outing for the legs.