David Syme - Jogging along

Jogging along by David Syme

In praise of parkrun

For a while I thought that a parkrun was beneath my dignity. For one who has run much further, and who enjoys the solitude of a solo run, what does a 5K event with a horde of jolly joggers have to offer? Well reality is dawning; now I find 5K quite a wee challenge, and the urge to achieve a decent time has gripped me. I welcome the buzz of consorting with runners of all abilities and am determined to lower my times, whether they are exact or not. I am also determined not to be overtaken next time by those two children who look to be not long out of nappies. Yes, I am hooked. After one parkrun I start to look forward to the next, and am trying various tactics to improve my running.

I am looking carefully at my stride. It seems to have become shorter recently. My default pace has become an energy-saving trot, OK for a solo run while admiring the views, but slow – desperately slow. I am therefore making a conscious effort to run with a more athletic, loping stride; the stride I have always adopted for a few metres if I encounter another runner out in the countryside. Now I am trying to keep this up for much longer – head up, chin out, tummy in and lookin’ good! I’m also working on the problem of feeling exhausted after 3K. This should not be! I must do longer training runs, and focus on good breathing, arm pumping and a proper footfall. I might even lash out on a new pair of road trainers to add to the “one shoe fits all terrain” pair I use now.

At time of writing I don’t aspire to wear a T-shirt with the parkrun logo and 500 on it, but who knows what the future holds? Next Saturday I will be up early, nervous pee, one of the first to arrive at the parkrun, short warm-up, then I’ll give it my best shot.

In short, parkrun has rescued my running mojo from a slow death.

David has produced two collections of short stories about running world-wide: “Running Away From Home” and “Running Home and Away”. All proceeds from sales go to support Tong-Len UK, a charity for street children in Northern India.