It’s been a busy few weeks running related. Parkruns, physios and PBs (well almost!)

For those of you that haven’t been following too closely, I injured my knee last year. A running overload resulted in “runners knee” and an increased amount of time spent at home and inside (COVID restrictions and a newborn also contributed!).

Well on my way to recovery, I made my third visit to the physio and first for the year. I had my list of questions ready…When can I expect my knee to completely recover? What should I avoid doing? Am I able to increase my training load? At what rate? What should I do if it’s sore/getting worse? When should I come back?

Walking into his office I felt guilty. Had I done the prescribed exercises he had given me? Of course! Well, for the first couple of days anyway. 

He understood and was able to address my concerns. The visit also gave me closure and an indication that I was on the right track with my recovery. Good news! Just as long as I did my exercises – I promised I would.

Parkruns recommenced a little while ago now and I was not wanting to miss out on any. You never know when lockdown will be back 🙂 I had also made one of my 2021 goals to be visiting 5 new Parkruns and running at least 20 for the year. No time to lose!

Parkruns are a great opportunity to meet others, to race those at a similar standard and maybe most importantly, to test out a few of the local cafes! For those of you who haven’t checked one out before, read up on How do I Parkrun? for some tips.

The first one for the year was Westerfolds Parkrun. My most frequently visited and certainly a fan favourite with lovely views, varying terrain and local wildlife (kangaroos). I even managed to run a 19:32. Check out my run here. I was very happy as I wasn’t sure where I would be at with my 5 km time. I hadn’t pushed myself over that distance for a while.

Next we visited Lillydale Lake Parkrun. Although this wasn’t a new Parkrun for me (having previously attended in 2015), it had been a long time since i had last visited. I was very impressed by the organisation of the event and with the staggered start signage. So helpful! Two laps around a very flat course (elevation gain was 6m) I managed to pull off an 18:58. The second time I had run under 19 minutes. Check out my run here. It goes without saying, our group headed to a nearby cafe for the mandatory coffee afterward. Is it even Parkrun if there is no coffee?

As per my Upcoming Race Schedule 2021, I had marked down the Kilcunda Half Marathon as a key event to tackle. We made a weekend of it with a couple of friends heading down to stay at Phillip Island. As the race was Sunday morning, that left Saturday morning blissfully free. This meant a search for the nearest Parkrun. 

I would not necessarily recommend doing a Parkrun before a big event but the Kilcunda Half Marathon was not one that I was looking to do a PB on. It was quite hilly and I was just looking to enjoy it, push myself and check out some views. Stay tuned for a race report coming shortly!

Phillip Island Parkrun is not actually on the island at all. It is on Churchill Island, a neighbouring island. As it was the first Saturday of the month, it was also the location of a farmers market. Our wallets were a little emptier after our visit. 

I read up on what some of the previous results had been at Phillip Island Parkrun and I knew that I had a chance to win it. I have never won a Parkrun before so I felt this could be a good opportunity. I was focused on doing a great time and I managed to pull off a win with 19:22. Check out my run here. The views were very distracting and although Westerfolds will always be a favourite, this one is now a very close second. Looking forward to conquering this one again soon.

How have I progressed

• Additional race experience at the Kilcunda Half Marathon
• Increasing my running load
• Useful feedback from the physio on my running plans for the year

Stats since last update

• 12 km Swimming
• 87.53 km along local paths, trails and sand