It was the second park run of Darley Abbey only a few minutes walk from my friends’ house, so hell why not? Something to do on a Saturday morning. My last park run was a good 12 months ago at Sheffield Graves Park. I had no expectations, didn’t want a particular time just wanted to run and enjoy. That’s my state of mind. I had drunk 1 cup of tea in the morning with a homemade ‘energy-museli-cereal-type-bar’ from the freezer, enough for a nice 5km around a lovely park in derby. I didn’t tweet this though. There were around 60 people at today’s park, half that of the week before. The sun wasn’t shining but the rain wasn’t pouring either, just an average spring morning then. The organisers walked us over to the start ‘the bridge’ and off we went. No pushing, shuffling or needing to get to the front as it was a huge open space of grass grass and more grass. A completely perfect start to a race. Life is better when you’re running.
You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later green grass would break through.. – Ilya Ehrenburg
Immediately I found myself dancing along in 2nd, 3rd then 4th. I eased back slightly as I wasn’t sure where I was going and followed the men. The terrain was hard, grass and hard set mud but very much my sort of territory. Like, like like. The course was easily marked with little cones, so turning up on the hard trail grassy path I had been warned of the hill? Really, a hill in Derby? This wasn’t a hill it was just a slope going upwards a little bit. So up I went pushing hard. Once on the slightly undulating flat my bodily function began to operate in the wrong direction. For some this may be nosily functions for others poop functions (been there done that last year) this time it was the one golden fluid.
Happyness is like peeing in your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel its warmth. – Shut up and run
I am not the only person on the planet that suffers from this which is why I am talking about it. The fancy name for this is stress incontinence, a slow leak of the bladder. I have many “pee-soul sisters out there (copyright shutupandrun).
IT IS COMPLETELY NORMAL TO PEE WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING. YOU’RE NOT BROKEN, IT’S JUST A BODY THING.
Because the next bit was downhill it just made things worse as I had to hold back down hill. It wasn’t easy. Round the cricket pitch path I was aware of my issue but kept running, I am embracing it, its just a body, hell what do you want me to do? My body felt fine but I was aware, self aware far too much to go any faster. Round on trail I went watching for the odd tree stump and dog that nearly chased me around making me loose my balance and back round to the bridge – the start. The next lap was a shorter lap for I had already done 2 miles but refused to look at my watch, so onwards I went still placed around 6th or so. Still with a slight issue.
There will always be people ahead & behind you in the pack: just focus on chasing your own potential. – #runningtips
Back up the hill the trickle started again and I slowed down a bit, self aware again I was dreading the downhill, embrace it girl embrace it as I ran down the hill with as much dignity as I could and round the grassy field up and down the grassy bumps round a tree and to the finish.
Running water never grows stale. So you just have to keep on flowing – Bruce Lee
The time was 21.05 respectable minutes, happy with that, pretty much average for my 5km time, an average of 6.45 minute miles. I am not a 5km runner I will never be a 5km runner so I am happy. My best mate Becky came in at a very respectable 30.03. This is not a fast course because of the terrain, because of the hill (upward slope I mean) and because of accidents that females sometimes have. Enjoy your running, that is all.
Don’t ever stress about finish time. Whatever it is, you’ve done something most spend lives dreaming about. – #runningtips
Give me an ultra tomorrow please… well kind of, will 25 miles of the Stanage Stumble do instead?
Results
Time: 21.05 Position: 6th out of 61 Overall position: 1st Female
