In an attempt to look and feel more like a runner I thought it was about time I got some decent gear, can you believe it's been over 10 years since I last brought a pair of shorts or a top!? The tops I had been using were from a couple of races I did where they handed them out as prizes. So I ordered some stuff online and over a couple of days my gear arrived, including my new socks, and oh what a pair of socks they are! Now with all my gear assembled and race day only a couple of weeks away I thought it would be wise to try my new kit out. A 5km run around the park should do it!

It was later in the evening than usual by the time I got out the house and to the park, and it was also still considerably warm so I made sure to bring along some water with me. This time of day is probably one of my favourites, with the sun hanging low in the sky and everything in front of me bathed in a golden glow, it felt almost magical and the park had a peaceful and tranquil prescence about it which just added to the magic. I started off beneath the trees at a comfortable pace following the Park Run route, about half a kilometre in however I was stopped for a few seconds by a woman asking for directions to the gate. With the woman happily on her way I carried on and cresting the top of the hill I was greeted by a spectacular view of the Shard and the London skyline! I made my way down hill along the tarmacked path and it wasn't long before I noticed a pain once again(!) radiating from the outside of my right calf. It didn't last long though as it morphed into what felt like a knot at the bottom of my calf. The 2-3km was marked by a gentle, grassy slope which with my calf was a struggle but by the time I reached the top it meant I was on my way back towards the finish line. At this point the path turned to loose gravel and was fairly flat up until the last kilometer, what I wasn't expecting though was my left leg starting to feel the burn, it must have felt sorry for my right leg and taken up some of the strain! I made use of the flat ground to recover a little knowing that the last kilometer would be all up hill and it certainly helped, the short downhill gave me a last little respite and my legs had seemed to recover, now it was time to focus and tackle the climb. I'd made my way to where I had began, and with only roughly 200m to go and feeling pretty good I decided I'd push myself to finish strong. It was a challenge as I passed beneath the trees as it was now fairly dark beneath their canopy and I knew the surface was uneven, and with my tiring legs I did nearly trip but I managed to hold it and crossed the line sucking in mouthfuls of air at a time. It felt good!

Now, one thing I noticed throughout my run was the lack of a blister that had plagued me during my other outings, and I'm going to put that down to my new socks, quarter length Steigen, 100% blister proof socks, and as advertised on their site, it didn't feel like I was wearing any socks at all, they were both light and comfortable and I'd defintely recommened them to anybody. Not forgetting about the rest of my new kit, I was impressed, it was extremely comfortable and kept me cool in the warm conditions, plus I felt more like a runner to boot!