It's only 5k

So today, to celebrate Halloween, my local Parkrun asked its runners to all dress up. The last park run I did was back in June. (It would appear OCR got in the way a bit). So I got up extra early this morning to put my face on, having spent last night tearing up a bed sheet because like the amazingly organised mother I am, I left a fancy dress costume to the last minute and there's nothing left. Anyway after scrabbling around looking for the white face paint (cheers Stacey) I slapped on my makeup for the morning and headed to Kent Life where my local one begins. Yes I got some very odd looks on the way down but then if this:

......was behind you, I imagine you might have done a double take too. My nine year old thought I looked and behaved like a weirdo and sat in the front next to me slowly getting lower and lower because obviously he didn't want to be seen with his weirdo mum asking me to do the window up. Yep I was being spooky out the window at passers by too. 

So we were off, the lovely Amy (dressed as a cat) and I set off on her first park run. I'd say the first 2k I was absolutely fine, it was a nice pace and didn't feel like I was pushing myself too hard. I begun to get rather warm. But then I was wearing an old white bed sheet so hardly surprising. From then on in I struggled quite a bit, with everything, regulating my breathing, being mindful of not heel striking, and then my right knee started niggling at 3.5k so ended up walking a bit, jogging a bit, walking again. We ran up Howard's Hill at the end and I finished in 43.33 according to my Strava. This is still a PB from doing it back in June which I should be estatic about but all the way around I just kept thinking how the hell am I going to do a marathon. Even looking at my fastest mile it would still take me about six hours. 

The lovely Amy and I 

After a bath and a small Facebook talking to, I've decided that I should acknowledge that it was still a PB, I also still ran my fastest mile ever and that it's going to take time, stamina and most definitely a positive mental attitude to not only keep going and dragging myself out there whether rain or shine but to finish and to get fit enough for the marathon in six months time. 

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