Signed up for the 2019 edition, my ... 12th? 13th, perhaps.
Ah well. I've signed up on the basis that if I do so I'll HAVE to get off this couch and actually run a bit, otherwise I will be dodging the road-sweepers and missing the Sunday lunch starter.
Hamstring trouble at ParkRun #97 meant two weeks with no running, during which I opened and closed events in Rotterdam and Panama. Back-to-back shows at the end of a long year was not the best prep for a half marathon campaign. I'm knackered.
And yet ... relaxed about things. I'm back running, twice a week (last week) in the damp hills, ParkRun on Saturday (formally cancelled by the organiser on health & safety grounds after a deluge; a few of us did it anyway). That would have been #98. I reckon with that rogue run I've bagged at least four that didn't count (no barcode on the day being the anomally for the previous three).
I joined ParkRun in March 2008, well over 10 years ago.
I wonder if my ton will be one of the slowest, chronologically, in ParkRun history? A dubious honour which I rather like the sound of.
Chatting with OATR the other day, we figured most taking that long would either have passed the milestone, passed away or given running up as a bad job. Research required. There are just over 50,000 in the '100 Club' out of a total of 2.9 million individuals who have/ do run ParkRuns. There are 3,300 in the +250 Club and a measly 26 have completed more than 500 since the first run around Bushy Park back in 2004.
Brian Courage, a fellow Moyleman trustee (and a fine runner) is also on 97, though over less time. It would be nice to complete our centuries together, albeit that I'll come home a good 5 minutes after Brian on the day.
I returned to the Twittens yesterday after quite a few weeks. It was tough, but not so nasty as to convince me to ditch them altogether in favour of longer hills and softer ground. This was followed by the small matter of Lewes v Manchester United Women at the Dripping Pan. A crowd of 1958 crammed into the old place to witness one of the bravest performances I've seen in years.
United, apparently given a budget of 5 million over three seasons, are full-time; they train five days per week, eating, resting and having massages in between training sessions with their phalanx of coaches, led by former England international Casey Stoney. Our lot have day jobs and train three evenings a week. It's a long, dull story; teams in the FA Women's Championship are supposed to have 8 hours 'contact' - training/ match time - per week. United, forged in Satan's furnace over the summer, should by rights be in the Women's Super League, with City, Arsenal, Chelsea et al, but because the FA needed them to join in yet did not want to be seen to slide them in at the top, we have this swaggering cuckoo in our division.
Here's a link to the match day Progcast, our paperless, interactive, free-to-download match programme
https://wp.me/pa4SLB-hG
Our illustrious guests ran out 2-0 winners, though we held them at zeros well past half-time, a feat the partisan crowd celebrated loudly during the interval. United thumped Millwall 8-0 last week, and Villa 12-0, at Villa earlier in the season. I was hugely proud of our players for putting on such an impressive, defiant display, and of our club for hosting such. a large crowd. Down to Earth with a bump this week, we're away to Millwall on a wet Wednesday night for a dead Conti Cup rubber. Football, bloody hell.
Back to running, there's no training plan for me (cue the groans), just a general commitment to get our 3-5 times per week and chuck in a couple of 10 - 12 milers in January. That should see me right for Almeria, where the news from Antonio is they've tweaked the course. Again. Nice to know there should be some chaos on the day.
I'll pop in here now and then with an update.
Toodle pip.
