I was really pleased with my parkrun this week until....

[Model5]

another runner asked if I'm in the same agegroup as her.

I'm in the (top end) of the 40-44 group. We have a small park run and I usually finish 3-4 woman and 1-2 in my agegroup, with an age record of 65%

I had a particularly good run this week and finished ahead of a woman who normally beats me (I know, it's not a race )

She congratulated me afterwards and asked my agegroup as she was worried I'd taken her age record for the course. She's runs 2 groups older than me! I'm struggling to find a way this was a compliment.....

She was just defending her own age-adjusted record. Also letting you know you put in all that work to beat someone older than you. Neener neener!

Perhaps also giving you a show of your future, when you are two age groups up, and the young 'uns are biting at your heels.

She thought your excellent health and running form gave you an ageless beauty such that you could've been anywhere from 35 to 50... her fear born out of her own desperation to cling on to the one thing that keeps her self esteem up made her worry that you were at the upper end of that range...

Oh we all have one of those don't we??

I have two, on a really good day I can keep them in my sights, (wooded trail mostly) then we get to the HILL and they stay in fourth gear while I have to change down