girls who run

Bedford Park Run is my favourite so far. I’ve only tried 3 different ones, but I would love to make a mission to travel and try them all! Or a lot more at least. Bedford has got a bit of everything. There is a small hill which is a bit of a killer by the last lap! It’s 2.5 laps of the park and there is a lovely pond with wildlife and a water feature, plenty of greenery and tennis courts. My favourite bit is the cafe at the finish point where I often go for their famous hot chocolate. It is a beautiful park on sunny and not so sunny days; you can visit my instagram for more pictures.

Today marked my 21st Park Run which means I have 4 more to go until I reach my first milestone! I will definitely be purchasing some merchandise to celebrate hitting said milestone. Yesterday was actually my 5 year Park Run anniversary, thanks to the guys at Park Run for letting me know that. So 21 over 5 years isn’t that great but I have done 8 this year so far and I plan to run every Saturday this year when I am not at work.

Today wasn’t my fastest time or even my fastest time at Bedford. I found it a bit of a struggle today and I’m still learning what causes these off days. Maybe I didn’t eat enough yesterday. I never usually eat before a morning run as I used to find that I would get abdominal cramps half way through if I did. I do hydrate before hand and I take some fast acting sugar with me just in case. Love heart sweets are my favourite for this purpose. They come in mini packets and are easily stashed in my running leggings pocket alongside my barcode and car key.

I’m also not very good at pacing myself when running at these events. I get overwhelmingly competitive with myself and I push myself to my limit. I certainly wouldn’t be able to talk at the pace I run at Park Run. I felt like I started off too quickly, to get a head start. However, looking at my Apple Watch stats it isn’t true. I appear to have started off slower for the first mile, the second mile was quickest and then slowed down for the end. Probably as I felt like I was dying and my legs were tired.

The volunteers at this event are fantastic at boosting morale. I feel like I’m completing a marathon, the way they cheer us all on! Without them, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun or worth doing. There’s a couple of regular super cheerful volunteers that keep me going back each time.

I’d love to hear your advice for running a great 5k and feeling good for the whole time. If that is possible! Also which Park Runs do you recommend I try next? I live in the Bedfordshire area, but I am willing to travel to try some good ones!