Twas the morning before Christmas, when all through the country, Not a creature was stirring, apart from me as I slip away at 6.30am for a leisurely drive down to Conkers via Derby for my 2nd ever Park Run of the year. And why you may ask not just because I can but because I had to. I didn’t have a santa hat and I didn’t hat two but I had to run.
You ask me why I run? The same reason I breathe.
The roads are silent, the moon is still out as I drive down, no christmas songs on the radio this time of morning, the silence deafens me. Bliss.
Colder than I thought, I arrived with my best friend at Conkers. This was not about the game of Conkers nor about Horse Chestnut trees, or the smell and taste of roasted chestnuts, this was about runing 5km around a Park. Conkers Park, near Burton on Trent.
Some people were dressed for the occasion, the snowman, the Santa hats, the dog runners, and the normal runners and me. Little me and my little legs and over 100 other people. Today you people are my friends.
There are no strangers on Christmas Eve – Adele Comandini and Edward Sutherland. Michael O’Brien (Charles Winninger), Beyond Tomorrow, after proposing that the partners invite three strangers to dinner (1940).
And 3 and 2 and 1 we were off down the path, and I was off, mud flapping everywhere, should have invested in a running mud guard after all. Splosh splash overtaking the cute little kids also having a go and establishing myself amongst some people that looked like they were running.
And onwards, the course was quite flat with an uninviting little hill in the middle and a lake thrown in for good measure although I believe the course was pretty accurate and no one got thrown into the lake today. Goodwill to all men and women.
At 2 miles I felt good, but mostly running on my own as the big heard of runners had gone charging on in front like Reindeer hearing the sound of the gun. Maybe they were reindeer? Thank goodness this morning it didn’t rain my dear.It wasn’t even Frosty the snowman either. I could just feel the air in my lungs and my legs taking me where I should be taken – into my own little space.
Running is the feeling of someone pushing you from behind and realizing it’s you. – Author Unknown
And a lovely family marshaling waved at me, grinned at me and told me I was first female – huh? Sorry did I hear right? maybe… the field can’t be that strong today? Keep on Running…oh wrong song lets have a Christmas song instead..’running home for Christmas’…
And back on the same path as we came out on for the last one mile and push, and splash splosh splash through the puddles and the mud mud glorious mud and round back to the start, and handed over my token that said no 12 on it – in park run terms did this mean I had come 12th? Correct! Not only did it mean I had come 12th even if it wasn’t the 12th day of Christmas, and a position of first female, my true love gave to me a cracker of a 5km PB in 20.31, packaged up with a PB from my best friend Becky who ran around with fellow UKNetRunner Dean. If I can do it on Christmas eve so can you, I hope this will sleigh you to try a park run in 2012 if you haven’t already
Thank you legs and feet I didn’t think I would be running today after my plantar fascitis flared up on Tuesday evening. Thank you oh thank you oh come all ye thankful, hic. And yes they were serving hot mulled wine after the run but no I didn’t drink any as I really didn’t want to become legless I have had enough of not running in 2011. But what a brilliant ending to a roller coaster year of running that’s for sure.
To remind you all I started off on New Years Day with a 5 miler at Belper, followed by a number of XC’s for the club, 3 half marathons, 2nd place for my age group in the South Yorkshire Road Race Series, 4 plus months off with Plantar Fascitis and then x2 10km PB’s in Nov and Dec amongst some very enjoyable club events. And my little icing on the top is this, my 5km time smashed. Happy Christmas Feet.
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more – Dr. Seuss,
Results
Time: 20.31
Position: 12th out of 110
Gender Position: 1st Female
