Dulwich parkrun

I’ve not really been slacking. Well, ok, maybe I have, but shhhhh.

I had a great day today. Following the 10k last week, Geraldine, Jo and I decided to indulge in some parkrun tourism and visit Dulwich. I’d never been there before but Geraldine had grown up in the area and Jo had run there the week before. Geraldine picked me up and we met up with Jo and her friend Jane.

Dulwich Park is really pretty and has the distinction of possibly being the prettiest parkrun I’ve been to. It’s also tarmac and flat which is a bonus. I usually dislike running laps, especially when I have to run 3 of them as I feel like a hamster in a wheel, but as the route was pretty and enjoyable, I didn’t mind it on this occasion. The only downside was how chilly it was and the ice on the ground – brrrrr!

I didn’t get much sleep last night having got in from bowling very late. I eventually went to bed after 1am, so I wasn’t feeling confident about running well on 6 hours sleep. However, running is a strange sport in that you can feel terrible and run well and on other days, you can feel great and run badly. I wasn’t expecting miracles today but was shocked that I managed to keep Jane in sight for nearly 2 miles and was even more shocked to discover that I ran the first mile inside 10 m/m pace for the first time since having Rose. I was then stunned at the end of mile 2 when I discovered that I’d run it fractionally faster than the first mile. Unfortunately, the wheels came off a bit then and I ultimately couldn’t quite maintain the pace but was delighted to complete the course in 31:26, a huge post pregnancy pb. Hooray!

Jane ran a PB, Geraldine also ran well and Jo ran a stunning time, so a fantastic morning all round, especially when we rewarded ourselves with various hot drinks, bacon sandwiches and iced buns in the cafe afterwards. Yum.

I’m definitely looking forward to going back to Dulwich at some point. A fast course with a friendly volunteer team – definitely one to check out if you are PB chasing.

Carrying on the activity this afternoon, Jimmy and I decided to take Rose to the park (Avery Hill, home of Greenwich parkrun) as the weather was so nice. This ended up being another 2 mile walk and I decided to wear my polka dot dress and do some prancing about.

Finally we went home, but not before spotting a tree…in a tree.