We are enjoying some great weather for the Easter weekend. It was warming up as I headed for Henlow Bridge Lakes. I had attempted to get @todayslight to come and walk it today, but he is not feeling up to it right now. I had said I would walk it with him, but I was going to have to run today. I did not run during the week due to work and a dental checkup, so I was not sure how it would go. I was feeling a bit stiff after some DIY yesterday, but it seemed to improve as I jogged through Arlesey.
It was looking like we had more people there this time and there were a lot of people new to the course with some new to parkrun. There were several young boys chatting away as I walked to the start. I suspected they would be quicker than me.
Once again I tried to resist going off too quick and was around my target pace for the first half lap. There were a few runners around me who I tried to keep up with, but some got away. In the end there was on guy I was determined to keep up with. I pretty much managed that and it kept me pushing harder than I might have done otherwise.
Starting on the final lap I was feeling a little more relaxed and warmed up. I just had to keep running. My legs were tired by the last stretch and I tried to find a little speed once I could see the finish. I was not too far behind the guy I was chasing, but a younger guy passed us both.
The time was an improvement on what I had done recently and my best of the year so far. I just managed to get over 60% for my age grading. I had been hoping to get back to that. Now I need to beat my course record.
I needed to walk a fair bit of the way home before I felt up to jogging, but that was okay once I started. I have some more little jobs to do over the weekend.
Run free and stay well.