I did it. I finally ran my first Parkrun. The Storeys Field parkrun in Cambridge, England. Which means the end of a long-lasting running gag.
Okay, I probably have to explain that last sentence. I think it’s almost two years ago that Sara, my wife, and I registered at parkrun.com. I heard about Parkrun on the podcast of Runners World UK for the first time. I looked it up and discovered there is a Parkrun in Eindhoven, close to us. Well, it’s half an hour by car, but that’s pretty close. So we signed up, planning to go.
Running gag
Well, that’s now two years ago. We’ve done precisely zero Parkruns. Yet, every time I run an ultra and I have five kilometres to go, I will sent a message to Sara, saying: ‘Just a Parkrun to go.’
So why didn’t I do one? It never fitted in my training schedule, or we were so knackered at the end of a week of work that we didn’t have the courage to go. Sometimes it’s just nice to stay in bed on a Saturday morning. Have a chai latte, read or study a bit, and only worry about running when you have been in bed so long that your back starts to hurt.
Cambridge
But I’m not at home. I am in Cambridge, as Sara has a yoga study weekend with Donna Farhi and I’m tagging along. England means great bookshops. That’s why I came with a half-empty suitcase, and will return home with a full. So far I have bought three books: Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov and Einstein the Penguin by Iona Rangeley.
The last one is a children’s book. I like to read to Sara and children’s books are great for that. My favourite children’s book writer so far is Amy Sparkes. We loved her series, The House at the Edge of Magic. Super funny.
Bodies in The Bookshop
I found both books at Bodies in The Bookshop. Nice little store in a side street in Cambridge, next to Espresso Lane. If you’re around there, try their Chai Latte and dark brownie.
Of course, I bought a running book as well: Solo by Jenny Tough. I hadn’t heard of it. I wanted to get another book by Richard Askwith or Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes, but I can get them back home. Jenny’s book I had never seen. So I picked it up. I admit, I wanted to buy all three books, but before we walked into Waterstones, Sara and I promised we would only get one book. I mean, we still go to London after this, so we have to keep some space in our bag.
Parkrun Cambridge
But, I’m drifting off. Let’s get back to the parkrun. My first. As I said, Sara is here to study. I’m just joining her here. Making the most of my time by studying, writing, drawing, reading and running. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Cambridge, but it’s this magical little city. Or better said, it’s one big campus, full of university buildings and sports fields.
Somewhere, on one of those fields, I saw a Parkrun sign. When I looked on the internet, I saw there is even a Parkrun in front of the apartment we’re staying in. That meant no more excuses. I mean, when you have to run and you walk out of the door and the Parkrun is directly there, you have to run it. And that’s what I did.
Torn ligaments
And I have to say, it was fun. I know May 18, the Trail des Celtes, isn’t that long ago, but it does feel so. Simply because I didn’t finish that race, as I tore my ligaments after 32k. Ever since I’ve been working on my recovery. Even today was supposed to be a recovery run. Three times ten minutes. Well, I did a bad thing. I planned to run 10 minutes, walk one minute, run another 10 minutes, walk again for a minute and run to the finish. I didn’t.
RELATED: Trail des Celtes; Trail running at its best
You know how it is when you’re in a race. Okay, a Parkrun isn’t a race, but still…. People are starting fast. Running fast. Yes, you’re allowed to walk, but when you’re running, you want to keep running. At least, I did. So I made it one big run. One big run of 23 minutes and 40 seconds. Not crazy fast, but fast enough to feel like some serious running again.
Not too painful
My ankle was fine. There was a tiny little false flat on the track. My ankle didn’t like that. For the rest, it wasn’t too painful. And now, now it’s nagging a bit. But it doesn’t look thicker. That’s a win. Let’s see how it is after lunch. If it’s still fine, I might test it one more time. Not for a run, but to bring me to a bookshop. One more running book, before I go to London, should be possible. Just one more.
Keep on running.
