No signs of stopping

Andrew loves a good walk in the countryside, but (not)parkrun has inspired him to run like never before.

He’s battled the wind and rain, and has now clocked up over 100 (not)parkruns.

Whether it’s the lockdowns and tiers, I don’t know, but (not)parkrun has inspired me to run like never before.

I much prefer a good walk in the countryside.

I came to the party late, almost by accident. Although I’ve done a couple of dozen ‘normal’ parkuns, I don’t feel that I’m a runner and certainly not a regular one. However, after an initial out-of-the-blue “I’m sure I can still manage one” 5k run, almost as a wager, I remembered the emails about (not)parkrun and decided to log it.

We recently moved house, so decided to find a decent and more convenient route. Modern technology does help with these things. That was in the middle of August 2020.

We’re now in late January 2021 and I’ve flown past 100 logged (not)parkruns. Most are before breakfast, as a get-me-going for the day. They’ve been in lots of wind and some rain, over some very heavy frosts and during falling snow.

If I don’t get out by the next day I’m almost physically itching to get my trainers on again! Some days I’ll add extra laps, after my (not)parkrun, to get more running and lately I’ve made it 10k on a Sunday.

Even trying to run into a 25mph head-wind, or taking a corner at 45 degrees whilst slipping on ice, it’s still better than being inside. It’s invigorating, healthy and utterly compelling. It’s helped me shift a stone in weight and I see no signs of stopping.

Andrew

Main photo credit: Paul Brogden