Dear Dad
I always find myself with mixed feelings at this time of year. With Father’s Day fast approaching, it’s a bitter sweet reminder of how blessed I am to have had you as my Dad, and how sad I am that you were only around for 24 years of my life.
It’s been 12 years since I last held your hand on that humid, stormy summers night. The lightening illuminated the sky and the thunder boomed and cracked, as the heavens were preparing to open for you.
I’ve been training hard for the Chelmsford Race for Life, I’m out 3 times a week and really enjoying the challenge. I’m not sure I’ll be able to run 5k in 30 minutes by 10 July (in hindsight, a bit of a tall order for a newbie!) but I’ve definitely made improvements on my pace over the past few weeks.
I entered my first Park Run this Saturday. What an amazing group of volunteers who put this event on every week, come rain or shine. Despite the humidity, I managed a time of 34 mins 36 sec. Running with others really changes your mindset. I’m usually quite good at pacing myself, but I was swept away with everyone and found the last kilometre quite an effort. I was really pleased with the outcome, despite the young girl who sprinted the last 100 metres to pip me on the finish line!
James and the kids came to cheer me on; it was great to have their support, especially for my first Park Run. Definitely the first of many.
But as I’ve been training, a different, unexpected challenge has arisen.
