My sister’s first parkrun
My sister, Bryony, and her husband have come to visit from Australia. It’s which is fantastic as I rarely get to see her. We’ve been doing various festive things, including visiting Winchester Christmas market which is great fun.
On the way back from Winchester, we paid a visit to Alexandra Sports. Bryony wanted to buy a new pair of trainers and Stuart spotted a sign for the shop, so we thought we’d try it out. I’m familiar with the branch in Portsmouth but didn’t know there was one by Winchester. The sales assistant was lovely and seemed very knowledgeable. She talked my sister through her gait analysis before selecting a few pairs of trainers for her to try.
Of course, as Bryony had new shoes to wear then there was no excuse for her not to take part in her first parkrun the following day… even though she got up late. Also, she found the 7C (45F) temperature rather chilly. It was 43C (110F) where she lives in Australia!
As I had baby M in her running buggy, we started at the back of the run. Bryony also made it clear to me that she would be walking, rather than jogging or running as she has not trained recently.
Sadly, the cooler temperature (combined with the proximity to Christmas) meant that parkrun wasn’t as busy as usual, so some of the back-of-the-pack runners that I’ve got to know recently weren’t there. Bry and I were bringing up the rear, so it was great that there were some lovely ladies who were tail runners. They were saving their legs for Portsmouth Coastal Marathon the following day.
Bryony walked at a quick pace but found that the cool temperature made her face ache as she has recently had major dental work. The current route is two loops of the hill on the Common. The lead runner lapped us before we’d got to the top of the hill for the first time. When we got to the top of the hill for the second time, the tail runners convinced Bry to break into a jog.
I was really proud of Bryony when we crossed the line. I hope that she completes many more parkruns in future. She even managed negative splits with every kilometre being faster than the previous one 🙂
Have you ever taken anyone to their first parkrun?
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Tamsyn,
It is always hard to motivate others, but I think you’re doing a great job. I got my sister to start running last summer while I was there for a visit, but as soon as I left, the efforts quickly ran dry. Everyone wants immediate results, so it’s hard to get people to understand that the journey to being healthy is actually the fun part; getting to see what your body is capable of. Thanks for the inspiration.
-Jillian
Thanks for the comment, Jillian. I know my sister will get there… she’s moving across country for a new job this week. Hopefully, she’ll hae a less busy schedule and be able to fit in regular exercise.