If it wasn't for the grey skies...

we wouldn't see the sun.

I DID IT! I ran parkrun 5K in under twenty four minutes! 23.44 to be precise and I have been smiling ever since!

It was a beautiful sunny morning, barely a cloud in the sky, and far too warm to be running quickly... but lets be honest, I was never going to listen to my own advice on that one!

I am soooooo pleased to have broken the twenty four minute barrier, my previous PB of 24.01 was just heartrendingly close.  I am hoping that I can leave it now - for a while at least! Although when my friend asked me what my next target was, 23 or 23.30....  I knew that answer straight away 23.16 (C's personal best stands at 23.17!).

Sitting outside the cafe in the sunshine afterwards with a group of people who are rapidly becoming close friends there was a real sense of togetherness.  The support for my fundraising efforts is beginning to grow and I am sincerely touched by both the kindness, and encouragement I am receiving.  Not for the first time I realised how fortunate I am to be part of this particular parkrun family.

Walking the dogs later with Al, I was full of the joys of spring. We don't live in the country but we are very fortunate that there are fields within walking distance and climbing over a stile I couldn't help but stop to admire England's green and pleasant land (which coming from a Scot is praise indeed!).  It was a beautiful snap shot moment where everything seemed perfect.  What made it all the more special was that Dougal seemed to sense it too and chose that very moment to go and roll in the stinkiest greenest excrement he could find, clearly as happy as a proverbial pig!

Three miles at parkrun this morning followed by a further three with the dogs, and I have broken the 100 mile mark! Couldn't have done it on a better day. Lunch sat outside with the boys, Arsenal winning the Cup Final (which means little to me, but made for a very happy husband), and my day is complete.

I often hate the British weather.  I spend an awful lot of time walking the dogs on days when I would rather not put a foot outside the door.  For every cold, wet, windy and sometimes icy Saturday morning that runners and volunteers alike have braved the conditions to make parkrun happen, we have earned today.  It is part of what makes it all worthwhile.

I don't know how I managed to run faster today, I can't pinpoint anything that I did differently nor did I feel that everything just clicked into place...
so in the absence of anything else I think the best and most pleasing conclusion would be to attribute it to yesterday's toast!

M - 724
Distance covered                 3 miles run
                                          3 miles (walk)
Total distance covered  100.8 miles