Pace Setter

Yesterday Chris & I went to the Southbank Park Run for the first time. There, we met another friend who was participating in his first Park Run. The day was surprisingly cool but the sun was out.
It was fun to try a new 5k course. The route was hillier (we went across the river and back in a loop, which required going over two bridges) but it was also a bit less busy, with wider paths.
I was the pace setter for the three of us. Suddenly I felt like my role had gone from "personal trainer" (when I was just with Chris) to "pace runner" (when there were now two sheep in my flock). It was a bit of a challenge for me and I was rather sporadic with my pace, but Ben & Chris were very good natured about it. It made me really appreciate how tough a pace runner has it. They are first and foremost setting the pace. All the chit chat and friendly banter has to be second to that. Of course, it was a slightly different situation for me as the pace I set remained dependent on Ben & Chris' ability to keep up. Where's the fun in setting a pace that they couldn't maintain?
We had one period of walking to the top of the second bridge, but even with this we finished in a time of 35.01min. And the best part was all the smiles at the finish line!

Me, Ben, & Chris finishing our race.