Park Run — More Than a Run
So many things come up for me on these runs…
I run. 🏃♀️
I walk. 🚶♀️
I listen. 👂
I observe. 👀
I dance. 💃
I choreograph. 🎶
I chat. 🗣️
I breathe. 🌬️
I push myself when I can and adjust my tempo when my body needs it.
No pressure. No obsession with my time. No chasing any personal best.
I choose me — and care enough to show up — fully, presently, my whole self, however I am. 💛
The views at Sherwood Pines are breathtaking —
the kind of place that feels more like the Canadian Lakes than the middle of Nottinghamshire. 🌲🏞️
So picturesque. So idyllic.
If you run too fast, you miss it.
Another reason to slow down.
To see it. 👀
To feel it. 🤲
To smell it. 👃
To appreciate it. 🌸
The families taking part are just as heartwarming —
watching them look after each other, cheering each other on, their furry friends running alongside them. 🐾
There’s a real strength in numbers here — a real community spirit. 🫶
Honestly, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than at a Park Run on a Saturday morning. ☀️
Exercise is a benefit — but it’s never been my motivation.
The real gift is the showing up. 🎁
The being part of something bigger.
The meeting myself exactly where I am.
Just like the weather shifting without warning — colder, warmer, colder again — I’ve learned that my body and needs shift too. 🌦️
Especially now that I’m trialling HRT.
It’s not something to control or fight.
It’s something to meet, like a change in the air. 🍃
So while others might arrive in shorts and t-shirts (or less), I often set out looking ready to meet snow. ❄️🧣🧤
Layers, gloves, hat — all carefully choreographed, not random.
I strip each layer as I go: hat first, then gloves, then jacket. 🧥
Allowing my body to breathe and brew its own rhythm while I move forwards. 🎶
It’s not about looking the part.
It’s about feeling the part — understanding what’s real for me now after a late diagnosis, and honouring that every step of the way. 🌟
On my third Park Run, I had started to pick certain things up about the protocol. 🛎️
The volunteers are exceptional in giving instructions and setting you up. 🙌
Repetition is key — it’s what helps me remember what to do on reaching the finish line. 🔄
Each run, a few more pieces drop into place. 🧩
Each step, a little more trust and familiarity builds up. 🛤️
By run #3, when I spotted the finish line, I was able to pick up the pace. 🏁
I started repeating in my head:
“Get my tag, get my tag, get my tag!”
(If you know, you know.)
My phone had died halfway round — but somehow, almost instinctively, my second phone was already in my hand. 📱📱
(And yes, I carry two phones — because it works for me. No one else needs to get it.)
Despite barely any signal, the Parkrunner app had downloaded. 📶
I collected my tag. 🎟️
I scanned my barcode. 📷
Because this mattered.
I mattered.
And I wanted every single run logged as evidence that Michelle was here. 📝
Now… where did I park the car? 🚗
And then came Park Run #4.
Same spirit, same approach — but it felt more automated somehow, like something had shifted again. 🔄
I noticed it in the way my breathing settled earlier. 🌬️
In the way my legs found their rhythm without overthinking. 🎵
In the way I trusted my body to guide the pace — not too fast, not too slow. ⚖️
Just right for me.
I didn’t fear anything or feel phased by anything.
I didn’t go out chasing anything.
And without even trying, I hit a personal best — again. 🥇
In fact, looking back, I’ve hit a personal best every single time so far. 🏆
Not by forcing it.
Not by chasing it.
By intentionally showing up. 🫶
By listening. 👂
By adjusting — one breath, one layer, one step at a time. 🌿👣
And yes — as I neared the finish line, those familiar words popped into my head again:
“Get my tag, get my tag, get my tag!”
Another barcode scanned. 📷
Another small but mighty moment logged. ✨
Four runs.
Four personal bests.
Four powerful reminders that it’s not about the speed — it’s about the showing up. 🏁💛
And yes… whilst I still had to wander around a bit before I found where I’d parked 🚗, I’d remembered enough after leaving it.
(When we get there it’s quiet — but it’s jam-packed when we leave!)
Some things are just part of the journey. 🚶♀️💫