Over 190 BPM! Pushing My Limits on the Hampstead Heath Parkrun Hills

We are back at Hampstead Heath for my second attempt at this course this year! Last time, I finished 2nd under "dubious" circumstances, but today the goal is simple: break the 20-minute barrier.

The Course: Two laps involving a notoriously "spicy" start/finish hill that can make or break your race.

The Challenge: I’ve admitted I’m not a fan of hills, and my fitness isn't quite where it used to be. To make matters worse, I may have made a critical error with my shoe choice; opting for road shoes on a course that felt like a cross-country mud bath by the end.

Join me as I battle a spiking heart rate (hitting the 190s!), a fading time cushion, and a sprint finish against a runner right on my tail. Did I go out too fast with a 3:35 first kilometre? And can I hold on up that final, grueling hill?

In this video:
Road shoes vs. Trail shoes vs. Super shoes.
The mystery of the "3, 2, 1, Parkrun!" countdown.
A heart rate monitor that can't decide if I'm alive or sprinting.
A frantic dash to the line.

Follow me on socials:
🏃🏻 Strava:   / strava  
📸 Instagram:   / racetosubthree  
📹 Tiktok:   / racetosubthree  

#Parkrun #HampsteadHeath #Running #Sub205k #RunningFails #LondonRunning #TrailRunning #Garmin #RunVlog #BerlinHarriers

0:00 Intro
1:11 The Start
3:01 Kilometre 1
4:32 Kilometre 2
6:10 Kilometre 3
7:45 Kilometre 4
9:59 The Finish