Hen Do parkrun

I know I know, getting up early on your Hen Do to go and run 5k is not a normal thing to do. I do know this! However when my lovely sisters asked what I wanted to do during my big send off before getting married in July, my only request was that we didn't do anything we wouldn't want to do during a normal weekend. I have zero interest in decorating a pineapple, sewing my own pants or painting pottery (all legit Hen Do activities folks) on any normal weekends, so why would I want to do it on my Hen Do and make all my friends suffer along with me? No thanks. So I decided that we would all suffer by running with raging hangovers instead! Much better!

Squad

Doing a parkrun meant that we were doing one of my favourite ever things - running! And doing this with my best pals who might not have run one before, and potentially introducing some of them to the wonder that is parkrun, was just the icing on the cake. The early morning start also meant we weren't lying around festering in our hangovers all morning. No, we were warriors, sweating out last night's booze instead.

Dressed in obligatory matching t-shirts and wearing a rather fetching sash, badges and a beautiful and not-at-all-tacky veil, we arrived via minibus at Bath Skyline parkrun. Everyone was SO friendly there and loads of volunteers came to ask me about the wedding and wish me congratulations. Out of 14 of us, 8 did the parkrun while the others supported. I'm not going to lie, I don't even remember getting to bed the previous night so waking up early to go run I was feeling more than delicate. I had no plans to run fast and my only goal for this particular parkrun was to not vom at any point.



The course was beautiful, starting off under a canopy of trees and incorporating lots of trails through fields, paths and with a stunning view of Bath at points. As always, the marshals were really friendly and encouraging. I ran the whole way with my sister Katie, which was great as we had a lovely chat the whole way and I was able to watch out while she did a nature wee and narrowly avoided getting stung on the bum by stingy nettles. Sisterly love eh?

After we finished my mum was jsut behind us, so I ran back to find her and finish together. She was amazing - this was the furthest she's ever run and she did brilliantly! As did everyone.

Run done, we went straight for some classic post run re-hydration - strong bloody mary's and a bottomless brunch. The early start meant we were home by midday for a lovely nap before the shenanigans continued. This is probably my favourite parkrun experience EVER and one of the best parts of my hen do! Thanks for coming ladies!