Back to parkrun!!

Football may not have come home, but (in England at least) parkrun finally has.  Saturday 24th July was our first one since March 2020 and it felt like a momentous occasion.  I had been a little nervous in the days building up to it.  I think I've got so used to running alone that I seriously wondered if I would still enjoy running with loads of other people.  Would it seem invasive after those quiet Saturday mornings on the trail, which I had come to enjoy?  Everyone talks about getting back to normal but it's been so long that it didn't feel like normal anymore as I dug out my parkrun wristband and 100 T-shirt.  It did feel exciting though and I began to be aware of the 'Christmas Eve' feeling building up again on Friday night as I laid my kit out in the spare room and set my alarm.

So, off we went to Greenhead Park in Huddersfield, which is where it all started for us back in 2016.  It may not strictly be our 'local' anymore but it feels like it, because it's officially our home parkrun and it's still the one I have the softest spot for.  I had stuffed a mask into my running belt, just in case we were expected to wear them at the briefing.  (Despite the restrictions being lifted earlier this month, many people don't seem to be in a hurry to abandon their face coverings.  I would say about 90 percent of people in my local Tesco are still wearing masks.)  Anyway, I didn't see anyone in a mask at Huddersfield, so that was one less thing to faff about with on the start line.  People were social distancing as best they could, however, and considering there were 466 people on the start line, I think we did pretty well to spread out and make as much space as we did.  One of the changes is that the briefing is now much shorter, with no milestone announcements.  I can live with that and I'm sure when the weather takes a turn for the worse, we'll all appreciate being able to get underway quicker, instead of having to stand shivering in the rain, clapping for birthdays.  (The announcements won't be overlooked, just made on the parkrun social media pages instead.)

Another change was the absence of pacers.  This was done to prevent people sticking too close together.  Again, no great loss to me.  In some ways I think it takes the pressure off, not having pacers at parkrun. We were encouraged not to mingle for too long at the end.  Most people got their barcodes scanned and immediately walked out of the gates.  This is probably the thing I missed the most, as it's often at the end of the run when you fall into casual conversation with others.  All that really matters though is that parkrun is back and, whatever tweaks have had to be made to it, I'm sure we are all willing to go along with them because there was a time when we wondered if we would ever be doing it again. 

Once the run started, any fears I had about no longer enjoying running with others quickly disappeared and as we completed the first short lap of the cafe, I realised that I was running at a faster pace than I'd run all year.  It brought home to me just how much faster we can run when we are chasing other people.  I hadn't set out to consciously run my fastest time this year (although I wasn't planning a leisurely plod either), but I sort of fell naturally into my 'parkrun pace', which isn't something I've been able to do on my solo runs. 

My official time was 25.31 and I was absolutely thrilled with that.  It's not far off my course best for Huddersfield and I hadn't expected to do as well as that on my first parkrun back.  I'm a bit annoyed with myself too though because I can remember the exact points of the course where I felt myself flag and if I hadn't let my pace drop slightly, I could have saved myself a precious few seconds and maybe got a course PB.  But it gives me something to aim for in the weeks ahead and I'm even starting to think I could get into sub-25 territory again with a bit of work.

Rory hasn't done a 5K in a long time so he was hoping just to get round with a run/walk strategy.  He was expecting to take 40 minutes but came in at 38, which he was pleased with, especially as his knee seems to have coped okay.  (He has been troubled by a few injuries lately, so it does feel a bit like starting again for him, but I'm sure he will enjoy seeing himself progress as the weeks pass.)  He intends to keep the running up, even though golf has become the priority for him.

Afterwards we headed to The Wrinkled Stocking in Holmfirth for a post-parkrun breakfast.  Reviving this tradition was as delightful as the parkrun itself.  We chatted over a pot of coffee and felt very upbeat.  We were looking forward to going home and watching some Olympics and then cooking a nice meal later.  I had a saffron chicken pilaf and a sumptuous 'forgotten pudding' to prepare - a meringue topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries ('forgotten' because you put it in the oven and immediately switch the oven off, leaving it all night, as if forgotten.  It's heaven.)  Rory had his full English vegetarian and I had buttered crumpets and coffee.  It felt well-earned.  

It's great to have our weekend routine back again.  I'm already looking forward to next week's event and of course I also have the York 10K on the Sunday, my first race since Christmas 2019.  It's all rather exciting.  I don't think we'll ever take parkrun for granted again.  Most of us are conscious that, if hospitalizations increase or resistant strains develop, we could all find ourselves locked down again, so I don't think any of us are getting too carried away, but the re-start has certainly given us a burst of positivity.  Seeing so many smiling, happy faces on Saturday morning, passing through the gates of the park warmed my heart.  I'm still very much a lone runner, but it's so nice to reconnect with the running community now and again.