A beautiful morning, with a warm sun on our backs, and a great turnout of over 100 runners at the Park, with pacers put in for the 20/25/30 minute marks. I started just ahead of the 30 minute pacer, as I was hoping to run comfortably under 30, aiming at staying ahead of the pace group all run. I started nice and steady, feeling comfortable on the early downhill stretch to the river. Continued smoothly along the river valley, and then when we turned for the first real hill on that first lap, I eased up the hill, not taking a walk break and continued on. The second lap was much like the first, only, for the first time, I was overtaking runners. It has been the pattern in the last few weeks to slot into a position early on, and gaps in front and behind and meant that I haven't passed anyone, nor been passed. Today it was much better, and I plugged on, caught a fellow traveller, and checking the watch, I knew I was on to be well inside my Parkrun PR.
Just the last stretch to face. Julie O'Connor, our Race Director calls it the Waterstown Gentle Incline - She lies well! It's a feckin' hard climb, and I am still confessing to walking this bit - I'll rest my target goal, it's to run this hill and finish strong before the end of September - Today, I walked it, and started to run as I saw the finish line, before the peak of the hill, and kicked on, crossing the line in 44th place, out of 105 finishers, and far more importantly, in a time of 28:30, yep, well under that 29 minute target -
OK, revised goal, Sub 28 minutes by end of September.... Might run the Rathfarnham 5kn on the 28th, the course is actually easier than my Parkrun, but there are plenty more Parkruns before then.....
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