100 parkruns later

Yesterday I ran my 100th parkrun, earning myself a place in the "100 club" and qualifying for a much coveted black parkrun Adidas tshirt. 

My 100th run was great fun - I ran round with my husband and some of my best parkrun buddies, one of whom had arrived early to decorate the course with balloons & bunting. They dressed me in a tiara, wand & massive 100 badge and tied a helium balloon to me - it was amazing! I got cheered the whole way round & it was an excellent example of why I love parkrun. Unfortunately I forgot my camera but I'm sure you can imagine! Thank you Michaela :-)

My first ever parkrun was on 25th June 2011 so I've run 100 events in almost exactly 3 years. My first one was all about completing the full 5K - I was nervous that I wouldn't make it, but the fact that parkrun is a run not a race really came into its own & I was cheered down the finish straight just as loudly as the front runners had been 15 minutes earlier. I completed that first one in 31.40. The first target was sub-30, then each minute after that was a new challenge. My PB is currently bang on 24 minutes and getting under it is proving tricky, but I remember when getting under 28 was just as tough. I've been paced round by excellent pacers (thank you Dr Dave, Sam and Rob) and been proud to lead my own pacing buses around a course I know so well. Sometimes when I run I push myself as hard as I can go, sometimes I run with my friends, sometimes I tail run, sometimes I just chill out by myself. 

Afterwards, however the run went, I'm always glad I got up for parkrun. 

I've volunteered 53 times, not because parkrun ask you to but because I love it - it's helped me become much more involved in the parkrun community and I enjoy it as much as running. It's also led to new opportunities - in a few weeks the Tour de France is coming to town and I'll be a Tour Maker, something that I'd have never thought of doing before I volunteered at parkrun. Without parkrun lots of things would be different. I wouldn't be a runner, which means I wouldn't have done a marathon - one of the things I'm most proud of. I wouldn't have joined a running club or have entered a triathlon. I wouldn't blog! I wouldn't know lots of people who I'm lucky to call my friends. I wouldn't have an easy way to balance the stresses of life and I probably wouldn't be as happy. 

Last week Paul Sinton Hewitt, founder of parkrun, was made a CBE. It was very well deserved. Thanks parkrun.