Well, having complained last week about how I can never really learn to love cross country running, I will counteract any negativity this week by writing some words I never through I’d string together: I really like 5ks.

On Saturday I did Fulham Palace parkrun - on smooth paved paths, three times around the park, it’s a fast course, good for a proper test. The thing about a 5k, if you really push it, is that it’s just so easy. No, no, wait, bear with me: your lungs might be screaming, your legs turning to jelly at the end, but there’s just no time for the mental battles that haunt your average marathoner. Over 26.2, even the elites have (just) over two hours in which to see-saw between good patches and bad patches, and the rest of us just have a whole lot more of it. If you do a 5k right, you don’t really have time to think much of anything.

Having said that, I definitely need to learn the opposite of what most people struggle with: “Don’t go out too fast” is the most common piece of race advice. Alas, I’m not sure I’m capable! Of course, there’s a fine line between cashing a cheque your lungs don’t have the credit for, and just setting down a pace. But I do need to learn how to run the first mile of a 5k just a few seconds faster, or that’s a PB that isn’t going to fall again any time soon!

I don’t run parkruns that often (simply because I love my Saturday morning track sessions) but whenever I do it’s always such a wonderful experience. So many friendly faces, such a supportive atmosphere, all those volunteers giving up their time ... you can carp about overcrowding and running etiquette and the like, but what Paul Sinton-Hewitt has done with this simple idea is quite extraordinary. If you don’t read it already, I recommend signing up to their email newsletter - each week, a parkrunner just tells their story. Some of them are inspiring, all are interesting and occasionally one will bring a tear to your eye. So on behalf of this runner (and quite possibly some of the other 2.7-million odd parkrunners around the world) - thank you parkrun.

So, over to you. Who else was parkrunning? Enjoying some early spring sunshine, or racing? As always, share your weekend woes and triumphs below the line.