First Naas Parkrun - Race report

Today I finally got around to running the Naas Parkrun and what a day I picked!  Considering that the weather has been glorious the last while it was just typical that it was cold, really windy and a bit showery this morning when I arrived at Naas racecourse.  Personally I'd much rather run in these conditions than the heat but I don't like to stand around in it so that bit was a bit miserable.

Physically I have been feeling much better the last couple of days so was ready to give the legs a bit of a test drive at speed (relatively speaking) so a timed 5k was perfect.  Just a few minutes after 9:30 and after a brief warm-up we were off.  I started fairly conservatively and let most of the field sprint off in front of me......if there is one running flaw I rarely suffer from it's the fast start!  

Had settled in nicely just before the 1k mark when misfortune struck slightly.  I spotted my untied (previously double knotted) left shoelace flapping about in the breeze.  Noooo!  I gave serious though to just leaving it but within a few steps the shoe was starting to loosen noticeably on my foot.  This was not good!  So what's a girl to do?  Well what I did was swear a bit and complain to a nearby fellow runner, jump off the edge of the path onto the grass and fumble with the laces until my sweaty paws managed to tie and then double knot (again!) the bloody things and then sprint like an eejit to try to make up for lost time.  Newsflash and spoiler alert...this was a terrible idea! 

So the next bit up to the halfway point was okay as adrenaline got me over it mostly but the last couple of kilometers were painful and I'd be lying if I didn't consider walking/having a lie down/crying for my mammy at least once.  In retrospect I'm very thankful that I knew a few people due to volunteering previously so the others shouting for me shamed me into not doing any of those things.  There may have been some foaming at the mouth and an attractively runny nose though!  

Finished in 24:01 which isn't a PB but I'll take that with the wind and my little shoe debacle.  Better to come I hope!

Me looking suspiciously happy.  Must have been the first lap!

Shoes! Really this time...

As you can see, my orange-laced Saucony Omni 11's had passed their sell by date.  I got these just before I started training for the marathon so they have got well over the recommended 500 miles on them.  I do rotate my shoes but my other 2 pairs are both over 2 years old.  Shame on me!!
These guys have served me well and I have had no significant injuries in them so far so I made the decision to buy the exact same shoe online.  This meant I got last years shoe at a big discount which is ace as I'm broke :)  I have supported running shops in the past and most probably will again in the future but right now due to the financial realities of being a working single parent of teens I am not in a position to spend 135 euro on runners I can get for 70 online.  I will continue to pay my taxes, give to charity etc. but I'm just not a complete mug!

Can't wait to give the new one's a run out but yesterday, in the rain, on the curragh was not the time.  In fact I didn't even wear the dirty ones so that's not even why they are filthy!  I always wear a less cushioned shoe on the grass as I don't feel I need it as much and when it's wet or uneven I'm much more concerned about grip and contact with the ground than cushioning.  I'm liable to topple over at the least provocation at the best of times so I need all the help I can get on uneven ground.