Four years ago, I had never ran in my life – other than at school, which I hated! So why in my 30s is running on Christmas day one of my favourite things to do in the year? I now love to run (as most of you know), it is one of the highlights on my social calendar, I run for me and my fitness and because of the feeling I get once i’m done. But Christmas run Day is something extra special. The streets are quiet and the odd person you see smiles, waves or adds a little festive cheer. And there are no cars so I can run freely!
This year, I joined in at one of my local parkruns (http://www.parkrun.org.uk/forestrec/) – this one has the odd hill (or 4) and is two laps (so at least 8 hills!). I dragged my six year old son away from the newly opened presents and off we went with our dog. Obviously all in some form of fancy dress – obviously… Even Barney, the Springer pup dressed as a reindeer.
In previous years, I have ran solo on 25th December, but I loved adding parkrun to Christmas. I met lots of running friends and we completed our 5k. And in true parkrun style, there was cake at the finish line. Forest Rec parkrun is always a joy, but Christmas Day was extra special and there was an extra buzz when all 360+ runners started the course. The festive dress selections were fab! A big thank you to all the marshals who made the event happen.
Well done to everyone else who got out for a Christmas run – lots of you were earning medals and I really enjoyed seeing so many pictures of your achievements. Hope running over the festive period is a continued tradition for many years to come.
So, going back to my earlier question of why do I love running on Christmas Day? Simply, because doing something you love with people who mean lots to you on Christmas Day is what it is all about. And there is always the bonus of feeling like you deserve that extra portion of dinner. Because 5k is 5,000 calories earned, right?