After some indecision I managed to haul myself to club on Friday evening. The boys went off at their usual fast pace, Helen and Gill were just ahead, I had a lovely, if slow and steady, 6 mile run with Pam. I felt much better for it afterwards so was really pleased I made the decision to go.
I also received a very kind offer of a lift to parkrun from my sister-in-law Tricia! I didn't however, fancy the prospect of taking Dave in her car since he would have had to sit in the car itself rather than being able to be tucked away in the boot! Apart from the risk that it would rain and he would end up being all muddy and wet I am also acutely aware that he is very unpredictable and may well have taken a dislike to travelling in a saloon car, no telling what might have happened.
The number of people who shouted 'where's Dave?' as they ran past was incredible! One of the two young ladies I was running with made a valid point, 'would people ask where I was if I were missing?' We joked at the prospect of Dave running round as back marker alone and people quizzing him as to where I was!!
This week it was a joy to see an elite athlete from Ethiopia (I must admit I did wonder if he was Kenyan when I first spotted him!) on the start line with all the other parkrunners. Just another fine example of the versatility of parkrun - a joy to behold running around the park effortlessly and most probably unaware of the admiration surrounding his presence! It's a mystery to me how he knew about the run, had he stumbled upon it by mistake? He hadn't registered in advance and thought he needed a number to run! Unfortunately, although he won the race in a fantastic time of just over 16 minutes, over 2 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, he went down on the results as 'unknown' which is the best you get if you don't register in advance and print off your barcode! Incidentally, and much to my surprise, I even spotted my dentist running this week!
So, having gone against all that might have been on Friday and Saturday I felt better prepared for my intended race on Mothering Sunday. I was just a little apprehensive as I stood under starters orders for the first of this year's Yorkshire Veterans Athletic Association races at Horsforth Hall Park, why I have no idea and as Helen pointed out we run much further on a regular basis in training but a race, for some reason, causes those little flutters just before you set off! The sun shone and though a little breezy the conditions were perfect for a run, with the added bonus of being part of our Eccleshill team, I just love the team spirit! I had a really good race, the course was rather tough, a two lap course with it's fair share of downhills as well as up but one of those where you really are satisfied you gave your all. The results never seem to reflect that though but hopefully my continued effort on club nights will rectify that situation over the coming months, with a bit of luck! I'm not expecting great things but live in hope that I can get back to where I was this time last year and I remain optimistic about that goal. To move nearer to that we have another 'Speed & Hills Session' at club tonight!
Team ERR at Horsforth
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