Park run

I should say that I'm not sure what possessed me. I asked myself that when the run started at 9 am, on a windy Saturday morning. It was cold, but I was determined.

Quite frankly, it's been 22years in the making. I've been once before. But this time, I registered myself as an attendee. I got my registration barcode and appeared at the park.

I got there on time, but I missed the beginners' introduction. I was busy trying not to be overwhelmed and taking pictures. But I figured it's not rocket science, just follow the person in front. I was glad I wore my contact lenses because I would need that distance vision 👀 to guide me.

I appeared with my phone, ready to capture the moments and memories around me—meanwhile, my running mates were busy doing warmups and all manners of pre-running stretches. I couldn't understand why people lifted their knees to their heads while standing. Abeg, that's not why I'm here.

It was reassuring to know that there would be a "Tail Walker", a volunteer who would walk behind the last runner. That last runner would be me. I quickly familiarised myself with the tail runner.

I was determined to walk this 5k. It wasn't a choice. Because I can't run to save my life, my legs are like bricks, and I've mentally prepared myself for 22 yrs to join a park run even though I can't run.

The alternative to this park run is to go for a walk as I would normally. But running with a group is a great way to keep motivated for the duration of the run. Though I am used to going on long walks on my own I also enjoy change. The trail has a start, middle and finish line with volunteers stationed at these milestones, which was quite encouraging.

So it was a brisk walk that lasted 50mins, and I am happy I joined this weekly event.

Cheers to many more park walk.