Riddlesdown Park Runs - 5 consecutive PBs!

I've been running the weekly 5k Riddlesdown Park Run since the end of October, and love it! It's a free event run by volunteers (you have to volunteer 3 times a year yourself) and is just you against the clock running 3.2 miles.

More information can be found at http://www.parkrun.org.uk/

So far I've been running at the Riddlesdown event, as it's closest to me, but am looking to try Bushy Park and Banstead Woods soon for some variety.

I was a bit nervous when I ran my first race - I didn't know the course and thought I'd be the last one round! I soon learnt to pace myself as I shot off way too early and got a huge stitch halfway round - not ideal. I managed to get round in a respectable 28:36 but knew I could go a lot faster.

Since then I've run another 4 races and each week have been getting faster and faster, setting a new PB each week. I'm really pleased, and it's proving that all my other training is making me faster and stronger. The mid-week hill runs with running club are really helping me!

My results so far have been as follows:

Week 1 - 28:36
Week 2 - 28:20
Week 3 - 27:20
Week 4 - 27:06
Week 5 - 26:36

To be honest, today's run was really tough - the mud was ridiculous after all the mid-week rain we've had, and there was a strong headwind throughout the race. I definitely didn't think I'd get a PB, but I'm now confident I'll be hitting the 25 minute mark soon - something to aim for!

Here's me battling the mud at last week's event! Great fun all round and it really sets you up for the weekend!

Beddington Park 10k

Today I undertook my second 10k of the year in Beddington Park, Wallington.

This race was a lot smaller than the Croydon 10k a few weeks ago, with only 200 or so runners taking part.

The course wasn't the most exciting I have to be honest, consisting of 4 x 2.5k laps of the park's perimeter. There was a small incline at the end of each lap, but it was predominantly flat - good news for me!

Despite having to weave around people walking their dogs on the run route, I managed a really good time - 52:11! I was aiming for the 54mins mark and so this shows that my training is really paying off! It's a 4 minute improvement on Croydon a few weeks ago - can't complain at all!

Roll on the next race!

Here's me with the latest medal for my collection...