How poor are they that have not patience!

Well, it’s another year over and a new one just begun. What a great way to start a new running year with my 100th parkrun. It’s not all wine and roses though, there is guilt as well; I was supposed to run my 100th with club mates Jaz and Linda on 1st January, but Linda ran the abortive Santa Dash parkrun so fell one behind. Jaz did the decent thing and missed a run so they could reach the milestone together, but I lack that level of altruism. Running my 100th on 1st January has been a target since I first realised that if I didn’t miss one then that would be when it fell.
I ran my first parkrun on 23rd August 2008. I’d started to run in public the previous month for the first time for thirty years. In the old days (not quite black & white) it was just football training and I don’t recall running anywhere but round the pitch. So at 9.00 a.m. for 100 out of the last 124 Saturday mornings I’ve run a free, measured 5km time trial. I’ve volunteered on several of those missing occasions when I’ve been injured, in need of a rest or because they were desperate.
The attraction is all of the usual suspects – it’s free, it’s always on at the same time each week, all I have to do is turn up, it’s the same course every week so I can make meaningful performance measures. The real clincher though is the people who both run and organize the events. What a great bunch of people.
Then there are all the things that give each parkrun its own unique identity. For Leeds, it’s the special events which take an awful lot of preparation and promotion – step forward Sam Dooley; the development of the students who grow in confidence and then make their own mark - Ned and Fraser; the post run coffees and chat about how we did it and what other runs we’ve got planned.
Now for the stats: I’ve run 95 of my runs in Leeds with 4 in Bradford and 1 in Coventry. On 41 occasions I’ve been first home in my age category and I’ve been “first lady” 31 times. I’ve proudly worn the orange jacket of pacemaker on four occasions and have been an unofficial pacemaker on a number of other times. I held the record for my age category at Leeds for a single week (thanks Bernie!) and for 12 weeks at Bradford. Both records are now an impossible dream.
So sorry ladies, I just couldn’t wait.