Park Life?

I've had a self-enforced relaxing week. Three days off work were welcome after my triathlon. I correctly assumed that I would need the rest so booked some time off in advance.

Although I'd noticed the problem before last weekend, my right calf muscle has been niggling me. My after-event massage was excruciating so I resorted to the R-I-C-E principle - Rest, Ice, Compresssion, Elevation. It has helped.

Yesterday I did a 5km run at Concord Park. This was my first time at a Park Run event, a great initiative that takes place in Parks around the world every week. Its free to enter. You just have to turn up with your bar code that is allocated to you online. It's a very informal and relaxed race against the clock rather than the other runners. The competitive element does help though which enabled me to set a personal best of 26mins 55 secs. Hardly earth shattering but nice to know I'm improving my running slowly but surely.

Today was much harder, the aptly titled Moss Valley Madness 10km trail run. It was a killer. Valleys cut hillsides which in turn twist the tap on the lactate in the muscles. I was chased by four cows in a field and swallowed a fly. 1 hour 3 mins of pure hell. At least my Dad was there to cheer me on. He is a former cross country runner for the County. Unfortunately, there must have been some genetic mutation in my DNA as I don't seem to have inherited much from him when it comes to running over 5km. He told me about the time he entered the 12 miles Sheffield Star Walk once and was waved off by his parents. Now, Nannan and Grandad Crashbar will have been in their fifties at the time and I remember watching my Dad in that race, but it is amusing  to find out that he got to the finish of the 12 mile race at Owlerton Stadium on foot quicker than Nan and Grandad on the bus!

Because it was quite chilly this morning and because of my calf problem, I wore a longsleeved running top and compression tights for the first time in race. Both helped immensely though I was caked in mud all over by the time I reached the Hollin Bush for a well-earned beer.I was sat quietly with the bar to myself until I was joined by the pub football team en masse. The team must have either lost or all the players must be suffering from Tourettes because the language was appalling. I don't like bad language in public and I was nearly ready to tell them to shut the **** up until I realised there were 11 of them..

Next weekend, I've got my first Aquathlon event. A swim/run event in Solihull. Looking forward to this one.