Parkrun 5k

Not sure that it was the wisest choice of run today. Having done 4 races in the previous 4 weeks, then had a cold and 3 days off running, a 5k race was probably not what the doctor ordered. However I went along to the weekly Parkrun event at Hyde Park in Leeds for my first run there this year.

I decided to do a good warm up as I have difficulty getting going for 9am starts. I ran the whole 5k course to make sure that my legs were ready for racing (or at least as ready as they were going to be). The course is not the fastest in the world mostly on tarmac paths through the park, but with a couple of very muddy sections, plenty of twists & turns and ups & downs. It felt quite cold, with the temperature about 1 degree, but fortunately no wind or rain.

Once the race got underway I was feeling OK, but didn't feel as though I could push it too much. My km splits were all over the place, given the nature of the course it's impossible to run at an even pace. My fastest km was 3:33 & my slowest 3:57. I finished in 18:34 in 9th place, time from my Garmin as I don't have the official results yet.

Mixed feelings about the run. It was my fastest time on this course & I beat the M55 course record, however I was disappointed not to get under 18:30 for the Ilkley Harriers club record. I would probably have been better off not racing today & doing a decent training session instead. On the positive side I feel that I could run much faster than I did today on a quicker course & with better preparation.

( Postscript: Just checked on the Power of Ten site & my time today should be the 2nd fastest M55 5k time in the UK this year, so I guess that I shouldn't be too down about it. Last year I didn't even manage to get a M50 5k UK ranking time, so it shows that my expectations have changed this year)