.........I am not really a fan of Parkrun. It is usually a struggle for me to attend, honestly. I know, this is sort of illegal to admit to, as both a runner and a Wooter (and a sometimes Five30 runner) but Parkruns/ the 5km distance = not my favourite thing. Don't get me wrong: I love seeing friends and all the other runners there, doing their thing, and the wonderful supportive atmosphere (and hats off to all the amazing volunteers too!), and yes I quite like the Parkrun email I get afterwards. Oh, and I love getting to feature in Darrel's famous weekly Parkrun Wrap. I do also like this part:
But I struggle with two main things: 1) the crowd/congestion: it reminds me of the first few kms of a marathon, where you're just jostling for space and trying not to trip over feet: definitely my least favourite part of the race; and 2) the 5km distance: it's simply over too soon.
However, Saturday's parkrun was different. I feel I may have cracked it, lol.... Why do one parkrun, when you can simply turn around and do two? A two for one deal. This is what we did at Mailtand parkrun, and it was awesome! It was such a beautiful course anyway (perfect course actually: a mixture of gravel/dirt/trail, a lake in the centre, lots of winding, fun parts, and lots of shady tree cover too), so I was stoked to go back and do it again, albeit with WAY less congestion and people the second time around. Starting your weekend with a lovely cruisey 10km in the sunshine is definitely the way to go. (It also helps that for once I wasn't working til 11:30pm the night before: another major obstacle for me to want to get up and get dressed for a 5km at 8am).
So, yes, I may not truly be a fan of parkruns, but if I can stretch them out to a 10km, and then finish with the prospect of a delicious café breakfast, then I am one happy runner: