Lost shoes and Olympic inspiration 

Back after several weeks away, mainly due to family holidays. I have to confess I've been pretty lazy these past few weeks (isn't that what holidays should be about though?!), so completing the Endcliffe Park course today was a bit of a struggle - my time was too embarrassing to mention! 

I took my running gear to Italy with the intention of doing a few gentle runs with my son and daughter on most days despite the heat. However, these plans were scuppered on day 3 of the holiday when I left my running shoes in a bag at a town market - by the time I'd realised it was too late, they had disappeared - hopefully into the hands (or should I say onto the feet!) of a nice Italian man with size 12 feet who is now using them for their intended purpose. Even better, they could be taking part in one or more of the 5 parkruns that currently operate in Italy - although I would accept that is rather unlikely as the nearest one to where we were staying is in Pevorita, some 2.5 hours drive away!  

There was a nice addition at Endcliffe Park today - Olympic swimmer Max Litchfield, a Sheffield Hallam University student, showed up and took on a role as one of the tail runners - part of a UK Sport initiative designed to connect elite athletes with their local communities. Similar to the commitment of Adam Peaty, Rio Gold Medallist and his coach Mel Marshall (herself a former Olympic athlete), who have just completed 50 hours of non-stop sport raising money for the Perfect Day Foundation, a charity supporting sports and play projects in Zambia - an interesting interview on BBC Five live this week where their commitment to the cause was very evident. Hopefully all 3 of them will also have inspired a few people to get and stay active.

I really enjoy writing these blogs - they only take a few minutes each week and I find the process quite cathartic. They are designed to reflect the spirit of parkrun whilst also hopefully bring a smile to people's faces. I would appreciate some feedback if you can spare the time - things like:

Do you enjoy reading them?
Do they adequately capture the parkrun ethos?
Do they bring a smile to your face? 
Any suggestions for improvement? 

 Must dash - off to buy a new pair of running shoes...

Until next time - happy parkrunning.. 


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