Running for fun

Last week I rediscovered running for fun, as opposed to training for a race. Don't get me wrong, running is (nearly) always enjoyable, but it's been a change to vary my runs a bit now I'm not focussing on any race goal.

My only typical run was on Monday, when I got out for 3 miles in the evening. It had been a sunny day, but when I ran the streets were shrouded in thick mist, which I didn't enjoy. I actually heard a couple of cars hit each other behind me, although thankfully it was only a small accident and no-one was hurt. I felt very tired and my shins hurt, and I wondered if I had a virus of some sort.

My parents arrived on Tuesday to stay for a few days. The kids had a great time seeing Granny and Granddad, and on Wednesday they babysat each other so Pete and I could run together! It's been at least a year since we did this, so it was a real treat. As Pete hasn't run for a while, he is quite a bit slower than me, but it was great to have an excuse to run slowly! We did 4 miles at 10.23 min/miles pace and I was able to chat the whole time - how annoying for Pete. I really enjoyed it.

On Friday I cycled 10 miles, then on Saturday morning I decided to do a Parkrun race.

In a week full of sunny weather, it was cold and drizzley in the park, and I tried to shelter under a tree before the start. This was my 2nd Parkrun of the year, and my 2nd in Eastbourne, and I improved on my last time (Jan 28th) by 39 seconds! I felt as though I was running flat out, and finished in 25m24s, which is about 1 minute off my 5K PB. However, this course has a fair bit of running on grass and was quite muddy, so I should expect it to be slower.

It was probably the smallest race I've ever run, with just 55 participants, out of which I came 32nd. I was 5th out of 17 women though, which sounds a bit better.

I needed a longer run though, so I had got Pete and the kids to drop me off at the start so I could run the 3 miles or so home afterwards. What a mistake! I had not realised how tired my legs would be after some flat out racing, and I really struggled to get it done. I stopped and walked a few times, but the bits I ran took just over 30 mins for 3.1 miles! I might as well have tried to jog 3 miles after running a marathon, it felt so tough.

Then on Sunday it was Mother's Day. This was a big event this year as Robbie had been preparing for it all week at school and Emma at nursery. I got 2 homemade cards, a paper flower, some homemade chocolate, and a bunch of flowers. I also got breakfast in bed, lunch and dinner were made for me, some chocolate cake, and a new camera!
















It was great, especially as Robbie was really keen that I should be spoilt, and kept saying 'Happy Mother's Day', and making sure I was relaxing!

In the afternoon, we all went to a local park, and the kids cycled around on their bikes, Pete shot some hoops on a basketball court, and I ran loops around the park for 2 miles. It was not my furthest or fastest run, but it was a fun end to the weekend!

So in total I ran 15.2 miles and cycled 10 miles, but more importantly I did some running with the rest of the family and really enjoyed it!