It was a lovely sunrise in Manchester, but foggy in Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
Despite a 20 minute alarm error, which left us just ten minutes to get out of the house after waking up (we managed it in 20 minutes), Sue and I got to Rosliston soon after 8.30.
This is one of Mick and Gayle's local parkrun venues, and we soon met up. They were also early, as Mick was volunteering and the Health and Safety regime here has a volunteers' briefing at 8.30.
Gayle is a 'selfie' expert, and took the above picture after the run, and after we had collected Mick from his marshalling corner just before their very own Deep Muddy Passage. Luckily, as the course is a convoluted one of just one lap, you only have to go through this once, though there are several other less muddy sections.
Today it was also icy in places. Sue and I took trainers; trail shoes like my Salomon Speed Cross shoes would have been better.
Whilst I diced with a South Derbyshire Road Runner, Gayle and Sue had a chatty time, with Gayle just moving ahead in the final sprint to the finish.
The 'sprint' is uphill, so today's picture of Sue near the finish wasn't as blurred as usual!
They weren't actually that slow, both coming in third in their respective age groups. Full results are here.
Unlike last week's café at Alexandra Park, which steadfastly stayed closed until 10 am, The Hub Café here was open for coffee and cake and was warm and comfy inside. A good venue.
Looking out from the café, runners were still arriving home on the frosty morning, albeit completely windless, so not feeling too cold.
After a pleasant hour in the café catching up with Gayle and Mick, Sue and I continued to a family gathering in Hinckley, where a furry friend, Jasper, joined the party - seen below, replete from scouring the room for accidental droppings from our lavish lunch. Many thanks to the cook(s), it was a lovely meal.