Owls Count

Parkruns are weekly, free, timed, 5k runs. I have been to the Basingstoke parkrun several times and run the Brahmall Park and Leeds Hyde Park ones as well. Last week one started in Reading. As I was in London last week I could not make the first one, but went along yesterday.

The Reading parkrun is in the Thames Valley Park, providing a good course down by the river. The event is a few miles from where I live, so it provides a 3.5 mile warm up – through Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve, across the University of Reading – Whiteknights Campus, and then along the river. I left home a little later than intended and the run there had to be quicker than I had wanted.

I ran the 5k well, with the two halves being fairly evenly split. I started a little too fast, settled into a good rhythm and then finished quickly. The final stretch allows for a decent sprint finish and I overtook a few people in this section. I ran 21:51.

Having finished I then had the reverse 3.5m to home. In all this provided just over a ten mile run. A good way to spend a Saturday morning!