2nd parkrun (and the small matter of registering for my second marathon this year).

This morning I got my second parkrun in as many weeks competed, and I'm pleased to say I trimmed nearly a minute off the time from last week on the same Killerton course.  The time this week was 22:05.  Looking at the results for the event (I'm told I mustn't call the parkruns  races....) I noticed that there were 14 SM 35-39 (my age category) and I finished in 5th place so I'm quite pleased with that really.  Overall I was 36/174.

The fact that I had completed the course last week really helped.  I purposefully stood closer to the start line so I didn't get held up as much as last week in the first few hundred metres.  Also, knowing the profile of the course help and I ran quite a good race I think, although I did tire in from about 2.5 miles.  I don't think I could have gone any quicker today, so I'm pleased with this as a realistic time and it gives me something to aim for now.  It was also great as my wife came along for her first parkrun and came second out of six in her age category, in a time of 25:25.

Oh, and I've entered my second marathon of the year.  I entered yesterday evening and I'm in for the Dartmoor Vale Marathon in October.  The course is very local to me, so although it is a tough course and a potentially demoralising race as it's a two-lap course, I decided to give it a go.  I need to get some hill training in though; the below is a the profile of the half marathon from when I did the race last year.  The full marathon is more or less two lots of this route, apart from the last mile or so which splits off towards the finish.  The section where it rises from 200ft to about 480ft in about mile is particularly tough.