A wedding saw me staying down the road at Lea Marston this weekend, giving me an opportunity to try Kingsbury Parkrun. I’d wanted to try out this other local parkrun for months on account of it being flat as a pancake and a great opportunity for a 5k PB so I checked my gin intake on Friday night to ensure I woke fresh and ready to test my legs!
Parkrun PBs have been avoiding me like the plague for months now, with my last one coming in March of this year. Since then I’ve not even been able to come close despite running more and improving my speed, so was getting quite frustrated!
Kingsbury was a much smaller field than what I’m used to at Conkers but I was slightly worried at the rather fast looking people who we’re gathering at the start line. Showing your barcode got you into the car park for free which was a great touch and having parked up we got ready for the torture of the next 25-or-so minutes.
The course was indeed flat and fast, despite being windy and narrow in places. Beautifully scenic, it took in the boundary of Bodymoor Heath Water plus a bit before rejoining the outward section for the last 1.5k. The K markers were probably a nice touch but as I work in miles and had my watch on anyway they weren’t too necessary for me. Having said that, the 400 and 200m markers did help me know where the end was on account of my not knowing the course. That way I could drag my tired heavy legs a bit quicker in my poor excuse for a sprint finish.
But finish I did and, with a time of 24:48 I finished with a new PB to boot. Words cannot describe how thrilled I am to have finally pushed through the block and not only got a new PB, but got under 25 minutes too. Let’s just say, any time I want a new morale boosting PB I’ll be making the journey here!
Water at the finish line was a great touch from the marshals, giving my poor body a bit of help recovering and making the journey back to the car a little less hot and sweaty. Overall it was a lovely Parkrun and one I will definitely come to again – great scenery, great marshals, and great finishing touches.
Winning week = DONE!
