Rob's Running Blog

Woodbank Park Run March 20th – 25:27 – Park Run PB!

I decided to rise at the crack of dawn and do the Woodbank Park Run again today – after a mile PB and a season’s best 5 mile time in the week, I’ve been feeling I’ve really got my running legs back of late 🙂

The logistics worked much better this time – buses went like clockwork and I got to the venue with 25 mins to spare, so I had time to use the loo and do a few laps of the track in the pouring rain, and get suitably warmed up without exhausting myself with a mad dash all the way from Denton to Stockport :lol:.

I set off at what felt and was a suicidal pace in the initial rush (sub 6 minute mile pace according to Garmin). I’m not used to starting so near the front of a field and chased the leaders before settling into my own rhythm, and didn’t try to go too fast, just went at my own pace. On the big downhill in Vernon Park, I conserved energy for the uphill, rather than trying to sprint down it and make up for the time I knew I’d lose going back up – then took the uphill slowly and steadily, and it sapped me a bit, and took a while to get back into my stride. Then another lap around Woodbank Park before the downhill and uphill for a second time.

I was kind of neck and neck with the older bloke who’d blown me away last week in the final k, this time, on the second uphill, I left him behind and although I slowed on the hill, I didn’t stop. I went past two blokes who were walking up the hill, they said well done to me – then in the last k I could hear them behind me, and one overtook me, and I thought, as I sometimes do, “Should I have walked up the bloody hill?” – then I overtook him, and in the last 200 we drew level and he encouraged me, so I then felt a bit bad for going into overdrive and finding a sprint finish and leaving him behind as I dashed over the line really gasping and gulping for air.

Official time was 25:27 which is a 52 second improvement on my Park Run of last week. I felt I held it together much better in the latter stages, so all the other running I have done has helped, and I’m just going to see how quick I can get on this course, and maybe try a 5k on the flat too at some point.