A big chunk of my 13181 steps today were done at Capalaba parkrun. It was nice. Lots of birds. Ponds were full. Several familiar, smiling faces. A puppy dog who was keen for pats. It was a totally fine way to start a Saturday morning.
And... and, the almost obsessive love affair I've had with parkrun seems that it may well have run its course. (No pun intended).
For several years now (with a healthy break for a Covid shut down) I have been striving, seeking, trying to get all as many parkrun achievements as possible.
I've run or walked 164 (5km) parkruns.
I've gone to parkruns in 122 different locations,
across 6 different states and territories (in Australia).
I've volunteered a total of 60 times,
at something like 30 different locations,
in 22 different roles.
I've helped new parkrun locations launch.
I've helped train new volunteers.
I've contributed to the parkrun Australia newsletter.
Heck, I've even written on behalf of parkrun Australia.
And... I think I'm kind of over it. All of it: The parkrun stats. The endless challenges. The same conversations about parkrun stats and challenges over and over and over again.
But I'm not quite ready or willing to walk away from parkrun yet.
I like the tiny bit of routine it gives my otherwise wonderfully fluid life. I like that I can hang my week around Saturday and that it's a consistent influence on my life. I like that there are many options for different locations and that we still can drive in different directions each weekend.
And since I adore going to new places, perhaps the one thing that does truly excite me (and Mr B) is doing new parkruns in new locations. Since we've got more than 400 of them in Australia and more than 2000 (spread across something like 20 countries) worldwide, I think that will keep us pretty entertained for as long as we still want to do this free, weekly, timed 5km community event ;)
But I think, for the most part, I'm ready to spend more of my time doing things that are more meaningful to me. Seemed like a good reason to spend less time thinking about and talking about parkrun; to do more good in the world in the unique way that only I can.
Bless parkrun for all it's brought to my life (foremost being my darling love, Brad). May it live a long and prosperous life for many, many years to come.
Photos #1, #3 and #4 by Brad/@new.things. Photo #2 by a parkrun volunteer.