Wednesday 8th May 2024
On Wednesday 8th May, I took part in the Met annual 10K race at Battersea Park. It was so heartwarming the Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens who came to cheer on the runners as well as giving a lovely speech to thank the runners for the fundraising to support the Care of the Police Survivors charity (https://ukcops.org). Thank you so much Ma’am 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
This is a very popular event and due to the shared use of the park policy at Battersea Park, this event was limited to 500 participants. These 500 limited places were all snapped up well before the event. The criterium to enter this event is that the applicant must be either a serving police officer (including special constable) or police staff or contractor or volunteer with valid security clearance. Since I am still a Met Volunteer with a current vetting status, I am eligible to enter. John is not eligible as he has retired from the Met but he accompanied me to Battersea Park to give me moral support and to capture the moment as my “official” photographer 😀😀. For full results, please check:
https://results.eventchiptiming.com/Results.aspx?CId=16202&RId=5213&EId=1
I didn’t take part in this event last year as John and I were in Spain hiking along the route of the Camino Santiago de Compostela so the last time I did this event was in 2022. It was so nice to be back after 2 years. Even the finisher’s medal has been changed to “CRIII” in honour of His Majesty King Charles III, replacing the long standing “ERII” of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It was a poignant reminder of the changes we’ve experienced and a tribute to Her Majesty’s legacy. 💜 💜 💜.
Many runners, myself included, wore the Police Thin Blue Line top to show our support for the Care of Police Survivors Charity. Knowing that our efforts would directly benefit the families of fallen officers was a powerful motivator, and it reinforced my deep respect for those who bravely serve our community despite the risks and danger in the line of their duty they face every day. I just feel so humbled to have been part of the police extended family continuously for over 22 years since I joined the Met as a civilian staff in January 2002.
On a personal note, I was thrilled to be running again after recovering from a nasty and chronic knee injury that had plagued me for years. I initially tore my posterior crucial ligament while stretching my leg after finishing the Stroud Half Marathon 2012 to try to get rid of a very bad cramp on my left calf. Over the years, the knee injury came and went but I never made a full recovery. I was still running and hiking. It got worse when I twisted my knee while hiking along the West Highland Way in Scotland in May 2022. I fell on the very slippery and muddy ground. This time, the injury spread from the back of my knee to the side of my knee. I had to rest from running for a few months with a knee injury which was not caused by running at all.
While I was trying to inch back to running, another nightmare happened in December 2022 when I fell on the very slippery and invisible black ice while walking in the street from the gym to home. On that very morning, I was quite happy with my pace on the treadmill and was very optimistic about the prospect of my running. I never expected that less than an hour later, I had to limb to get home. I didn’t manage to recover in time for the Hyde Park Serpentine New Year’s Day 10k in 2023 and I had to reduce to walking pace. I didn’t run at all for 7 months and only regained my confidence to run from end of July 2023. Since I resumed my running, I finished the Run The River 10k race in October in 1 hour 11 minutes. Then I finished the Hyde Park New Year’s Day 10k 2024 in 1 hour 10 minutes. I am pleased I have finished the Met 10K in 1 hour 7 minutes this time. In between these 10k events, I just ran 5k in the local Parkrun events and I finished in between 32 and 33 minutes. My local park in Oak Hill is very flat and many people gain their PB there.
Whilst I am not focusing on setting personal bests, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue running and am determined to gradually build my strength and endurance for longer distance. The journey may be long, but with patience and dedication, I hope to just keep running 🏃♂️ 🏃♀️ 🏃♂️ 🏃♀️
