The timed run in question was the Buckingham Parkrun. For those who have never heard of Parkrun before, and I hadn't until a few weeks ago, they are an organisation that puts on free, timed 5km runs in the UK, Ireland and Denmark. They are open to all, regardless of fitness, size, experience etc. You just register in advance, print out your personal bar code and turn up. At the end you get a finishing token, which is scanned and linked to your bar code. The bar code is then used so you can track your progress and get updates on how you did. It's a free run, with a free app sort of built in should you wish to use it. I had every intention of using my bar code today, but I left it on Alex's coffee table when we left for the run. Bugger. Thankfully, I had my phone with me, so I could at least track it my with usual running app.
In our usual organised way, we had to run to make the start line on time. The whistle goes at 9.00 if you're there or not. We made it with maybe 10 secs to spare. The day was a little colder than I wanted, at maybe 1C, but I had thought ahead a little and put a t-shirt on under my running top. The run itself is fairly flat, with a few gentle rises and falls. However, I still found today to be hard work. I'm not sure if it was the cold, or the hard mid-week run that was more to blame, but my breathing wasn't very even at all today. This is reflected in how my pace dropped off as the run went on.
I had a target of 30mins on mind at the start, in keeping with my intended pace of 6mins/km. I had hoped to be able to beat this and I just about managed it! It did require a sprint finish, as there was no way I was going to let a guy leading his dog beat me round!! One thing that shows up is that my app isn't 100% accurate, as the route is a measured 5000m, therefore my distances and times are a little off. I did have to slow to a walk twice to get my breath back, so I was no where near keeping up with Hannah or Alex. Given how heavy my legs felt, I think if I had a longer break between runs I could go a bit quicker. Either way, the final reward was a visit to a local coffee shop for a much needed warming brew.
With the running activities over for the day, there remained the issue of getting Felix and I some road running shoes. I've been using my trail shoes for everything so far, and they're less than ideal for road use. Given where my blisters are, they're probably part of why I keep getting them as I run with an uneven gait. So a trip down to Milton Keynes was in order.
The first thing they do is get you to jog across the store and back so they can assess your gait. This is to ensure the shoes support your feet and ankles in the right way. Turns out I over pronat. That means my foot rolls from my heel onto the ball of my foot, causing extra stress. Being a size 12 means there is a slightly limited selection available to try on. But they did have a few to try and I found a pair that felt great to wear. I couldn't even feel my blisters when I was running round the shop. The only downside is that they make Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz look tame and dull!!
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