parkrun Centurion!

Well, I am officially a member of the 100 club! It's taken a long time to get here, but I have finally made it! I'd like to say that it was a glorious morning for completing my 100th parkrun, but it was quite the opposite! Yellow weather warnings were in place across the county and  I must admit, there were moments before leaving the house where I considered giving it a miss! A decision that The Fiance would have been very happy to support I think! 

When we arrived at The Stray, it was clear not as many people had turned out as normal (and with good reason!), but I was pleased to see the smiling face of one of my class who had volunteered especially for my 100th parkrun! (If I am being completely honest, this was my primary reason for actually leaving the house in the pouring rain!!) 

The run itself was almost a swim! We paddled our way around most of the course, as even the paths were under water! I fear that my trainers may never be the same again and even after washing my socks, there was still mud caught inside them but it was actually quite fun! It was made even better by the high 5s I received from the lovely corner 4 marshal each time I past by! 

Post run, we went to The Empress for a cup of tea and in true birthday style, had cake for breakfast! To top it all off I also got my best finishing position ever and came 3rd female!! 

Today has been even more active as I have completed my longest run ever in my life! And thankfully the weather was much better whilst I was doing it! 

Today was an 18 mile day and I am pleased to announce that I actually managed to complete it and I did it at a pace that would give me a 4 hour marathon! Is that a glimmer of hope I see on my marathon horizon?!

For a change, I completed my long run in the company of others! After doing an initial 8 miles by myself (including a few horrible hills), I met up with some fellow runners, including Mother Dearest! Despite running at different paces, it was nice to go on one of our excursions together, as with the exception of parkruns and the Brass Monkey, we haven't actually doing any of our training together.  As there was a group of us, we were able to branch off into two pairs, running at our different paces, doubling back to each other where appropriate. 

Even though I do enjoy the solitude of running, and definitely do 'run in a void', where I suddenly realise how far I have gone and can't quite remember what I have been thinking about for the last 3 miles, I really enjoyed the boost of having company today. It spurred me on and kept me going even though I was sure my legs might have been about to fall off! 

As it stands, I have very achy legs, but also a sense of satisfaction that I have completed my 18 miles and made it through without having to call The Fiance to rescue me like that last time I set out for 18 miles! We call this progress!! 

Please remember to head over to my Just Giving page and leave me a donation and message! We are getting very close to the marathon now - it is a mere 6 weeks away!! Terrifying!! 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-kitchingman