h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Should I try and improve my 5k time or train for a 10k? I like the challenge of pushing distance, because it's beating myself. I'm unlikely to be the faster person in any race, but training for a distance is a personal challenge.

(I still don't know what it is but there were about 1/3 of people behind me I think, times are on the website later.)

Train for a 10k anyway. I would think that if you go for the longer distance then an improvement in time will almost certainly follow with the shorter distaance as a result of it.

Deke

Well the deed is done. I have entered a 5k race.

oophs a 10k

A 10k for the first weekend in October, which means I'll have to keep up training over the 4 weeks of holidays..

Which one Z?

My challenges for 2015 are:

1. Complete all 19 NI parkruns (so far I've done 12)
2. Get on the "20 events" hall of fame. This of course means doing some outside of NI, but I've already done Perth, St Andrews, and Crane Park, and am aiming to do Crystal Palace at the end of March.
3. New pb on the Titanic Quarter 10k. I've done it the past 3 years, and reduced my time each go, recording my one and only sub-hour time in 2014.
4. Relay team in Belfast City Marathon
5. Belfast half in September?

My three running challenges for 2015 are (were):

Do the Heaton Park Parkrun in under 25mins, last week I got 24:05!

Do the Manchester 10k in under an hour, my training 10ks are around the 57 mark at the moment.

Run a total of 500miles. This I'm struggling with due to an illness and an injury early in the year.

Good luck with those!

My challenges this time last year were:

1.) Great South Mini Run
2.) Eastleigh 10k
3.) Great South Run (10 Miles)
4.) Southampton Half

I've done number 3, am doing the Eastleigh 10k in a fortnight and the inaugural Southampton Half next month. I've completely bypassed the Great South Mini Run, though. At the moment my aims are:

1.) Do 50 Parkruns in 50 weeks (currently on 44 runs 44 weeks after my first Parkrun)
2.) Finish in the top ten in the Eastleigh Parkrun table.
3.) Survive Southampton Half.

<BB<

Oh now lookit, how have we done?


1. Complete all 19 NI parkruns - there are now 21, and I've done them all, and by my reckoning was the first female to do so (I now refer to myself as Norn Irn's first lady of parkrun). More will be starting, including the next one on 10th October. But that's the day I'm planning to run my 100th at my home event.


2. Get on the "20 events" hall of fame. Done. In fact, I'm now on 26, with 2 more in the offing next month.

3. New pb on the Titanic Quarter 10k. I've done it the past 3 years, and reduced my time each go, recording my one and only sub-hour time in 2014. Done. I've managed several sub-60 minute 10ks this year.

4. Relay team in Belfast City Marathon. Done, and raised money for Guide Dogs.

5. Belfast half in September? Done yesterday, raising funds for Clic Sargent. Didn't quite go according to plan - I'd meant to stick with the 2-15 pacers, but lost 4 minutes in a queue for the loos, and couldn't catch up with them again. However, finished in a pb for that distance of 2-24, with a smile on my face and my trademark skip over the finish line. And I took my recovery very seriously, so I wasn't a total wreck yesterday afternoon, and am feeling good today.

Off to start planning next year's targets

1.) Annoyingly it took me 51 weeks to do 50 parkruns, but I've now earned both the 50th and 25 Volunteer t-shirts and hopefully can claim them one day. I'm seeing if I can get to 100 parkruns before I'm able to claim my 50th t-shirt – I've done 72 so far.
2.) I did finish in the top ten in the Eastleigh Parkrun table at the end of last year's running season, although as there are now double the runners this year compared to last year, I'm currently 20th male.
3.) I did the Southampton Half – hurray!

This year's challenges are to get to 20 different Parkruns (currently done 9) and I'm signing up for a 24-hour Endure as part of a team (Probably)

<BB<

I think I was on my 80th before my50 shirt arrived - hopefully they will clear the backlog soon!

One of my next targets is to get the volunteer shirt. Think I'm on around 10, but will aim for one a month.