The parkrun 20202020 challenge - Number 19

-

NENDY. My Nearest Event Not Done Yet was Hilly Fields. Why? Because it is a bruiser. The clue is in the name. I've avoided running it as part of my challenge because I thought I would never be able to get a sub 20 minute time. However...

Today I felt brave. I also reasoned that, whatever the time, it was another London parkrun ticked of the Lon-doing list I've surreptitiously started.

I kept the warm up short - 1 mile - and then hit the initial downhill section hard. I hoped to get some time in the bank for the big hills to come.

It is a very strange course. Three clockwise laps starting with a big loop that ends with a tough climb before diverting off down a steep path that leads to a shorter and even steeper grassy climb. Back around again with both hills, and then on the third loop you tackle the climbs before heading back towards the finish the opposite way to which you started. If that makes sense...

Anyhow. I reached the first climb and as soon as it started my legs felt like lead. All I could think was that I should have left it longer to rest after yesterdays sub 20 parkrun at Brockwell Park. I kept pushing though and recovered my breath on the downhill path leading to the grass hill.

Although I didn't realise at the time, I followed the path too far on the first two laps meaning that I had extra climb to do on the grass hill. That evened out however on the third as you will see.


I was panting heavily when I reached the summit and forced myself to push on. It was a relief to have some gentle downhill and flat. The second time up the path my legs again felt solid and slow but I made it to the top. (I think it was actually down to the effort I was putting in rather than tiredness.) Another down and up on the grass slope and one more lap of the park left me with just one more steep descent and ascent. Or so I thought.

I mentioned that I had extended the first two laps. This meant that rather than finishing 50 metres along the flat after the hill I reached 5km just half way up the hill. Although not an exact following of the course I probably ended up doing more hill as I didn't reach the final flat.

The only other course I misread during the 20202020 challenge was Bexley back in August, and again I made up the difference there. That is one of the problems of doing new courses alone that wouldn't have been an issue when I planned this pre-lockdown. I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Maybe if I had come in with only a second to spare I would, but today I finished in 19:17, way under my target. 

In my wildest dreams I didn't expect to finish that quickly. I had hope for a 19:59, but expected a 20:30ish. During the hills I was thinking it would be more like 21 minutes so it was a great feeling to see the time on my Garmin at the end.

One more to go.

Popular posts from this blog

Bushy, crewing and an Epping ultra

-
Image
What a weekend. It involved some running, some supporting runners and a bit more running. Saturday dawned wet and windy. 300 runners were assembling in Wendover ready for a 43 mile run into London. The fields were boggy, the paths were waterlogged and it was cold. Well, what do you expect on January 8th. These hardcore runners set off while I was driving from east to west London. My first stop was Bushy Park. This, as many will know, was the birthplace of parkrun. On 2nd October 2004 13 runners completed the first 5k with support from Paul  and Joanne Sinton-Hewitt. 17 years later it is a global phenomenon. This was my running pilgrimage. I have wanted to run Bushy since I ran my first parkrun in September 2012. This would be my 291st. A gentle rain was falling as I parked up by the Diana Fountain just across from Hampton Court. To stretch my legs - and kill some time, I was an hour early - I ran around the park exploring the tree lined avenues, gated gardens and open marshland.  Tiny
Read more

A bridge too far?

-
Image
A post on Facebook caught my attention. This is how many of my running adventures begin. Bex Band, founder of the women's adventure community Love Her Wild had walked across all the bridges in Greater London. Obviously this meant the Thames River. Less obviously there are 33 bridges in total starting at Hampton Court and ending at Tower Bridge. Of these, 26 have pedestrian access and she had crossed them all. 'Hmm, that would make a good run' was my first thought. Seed planted. A couple of months later on a mild, bright January day I travelled to Richmond. My first run was Richmond parkrun with my friend Vicki and her pal Nicola. 3.1 miles, no dear and a warming coffee later, I ran the nine miles to Hampton Court. Twelve miles done and I was ready to start my run! My goal was to cross each bridge when I came to it. That meant crossing Hampton Bridge and a sign denoting entrance to Surrey before turning and re-crossing it to begin. Yes, I am a pedant. Hampton Court Bridge I
Read more

The Druid's Challenge

-
Image
This weekend I signed up to be a member of the support team on the Druid's Challenge ultra running event in the Chiltern Hills. My friend Matt was running the three day, 85 mile event. I was allocated to help with set up and checkpoint duties on the Saturday and Sweeper on Sunday. The Druid has been going for 12 years. It is organised by XNRG, a family business that 'help people challenge themselves and break through their mental and physical barriers, whilst providing peace of mind with expertly run events, going the extra mile for every competitor.' They also put on the Pilgrim Challenge and a number of charity events raising money for Humanity Direct. To get there for the 7 o'clock start I left London at 3:30am. The benefit of this was clear roads and the ability to drive through the centre of London with no Congestion Charge to pay. I arrived at the agreed meeting point outside the village of Watlington.  The first wave of competitors were walkers. They were brought
Read more