I would love to be one of those champion runners. They  seem to glide on air, as they take long strides with their legs and pump their arms in perfect coordination. 

When I run, I often find myself questioning (or cursing) why I decided to set out on a run in the first place. 

My legs never seem to want to work properly, I’m an incredibly loud breather (which is why I have to drain it out by listening to music) and I often feel as though I’m on the edge of bursting a lung. 

I went along to Mount Isa’s parkrun on Saturday, November 24. 

I looked around and admired all the people, of varied backgrounds and ages who had turned out to do this event together. 

I live in Port Macquaire, NSW and I’m used to running in a crowd of about 150 people, along a breakwall and with much cooler conditions.  

When I arrived at Mount Isa’s parkrun, the sun was already bearing down its rays onto the path and it felt like the ground itself was radiating the heat through my shoes. 

It was not a good sign when I found myself struggling to get enough air in after just 600 metres. 

I considered giving up after 2.5 kilometres. My legs were heavy, I was sweating profusely and did I mention it was hot? 

However I somehow tricked my body into pushing through the gruelling run that seemed to never end. 

I focused on the other people doing the event and thought if they can manage to push through, then so can I. 

There was a young woman ahead of me who I admired for her high legs and long strides. 

I hoped that by watching her, some of her running technique would brush off onto me. 

It seemed to do the trick. By the end of the race it looked as though I had gone to have a shower… in my own sweat. 

It’s the community aspect of parkrun which makes it such a great event. 

It doesn’t matter if you choose to walk, jog or run. There are always people around and friendly volunteers who will back you to the finish with encouraging words and high fives. 

If you’re looking at getting into running or perhaps just want to work on your fitness, parkrun is a great place to start.