Scrawny Old Man

By richtoller

Giving this a go

I think I can steal Debi's journal title for this blip - we introduced her to blip and she introduced us to parkrun.
Alternative title was going to be Confessions of an ex-ex-runner.
So here's my confession.
Back in the 80s I used to run - 2 marathons, some half marathons, stuff like that. Some people would finish a long way ahead of me but I wasn't bad. 10k was a sprint. Gradually my running faded and I was looking forward to being 40 and officially a veteran, thinking age group targets might give me a new incentive. But 11 days before my 40th birthday I fell off a ladder, smashed my leg and ended up with it full of steel, a condition which continues to this day. When I tried to run I found it very uncomfortable and had no incentive to persevere. Stuff it - I'm an ex-runner.
But then I fell off the wagon, perhaps I got complacent and the old addiction caught up with me. This is what happened.
Boxing Day 2011 - Mrs RT ran the Forfar Plum Pudding Plod, and I really wanted to be running not standing around watching.
New Year's Day 2012 - Mrs RT joined Debi and Cameron in the Frimley Lodge parkrun and I thought if parkrun comes to Dundee I might give it a go.
It has, and I did, after a huge amount of training in preparation (2 runs last week, 2 this, total distance maybe 14k). Much slower than I used to be, but I got round the 5k and more important, enjoyed it. A very good and hilly course round Camperdown Park (Mrs RT took nearly 2 mins longer than she did at Frimley). All the bits I thought might give me trouble (mainly the right hip but also the thighs and knees) seem to be fine but when we went for a walk on the coast south of St Andrews this afternoon I was hobbling on a very uncomfortable achilles tendon. It'll be fine.

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