Month: September 2023

Bedford Twilight 10k 2023

The race was at 5:30pm, so after volunteering at parkrun in the morning, I had a fairly relaxed day before Dad picked us up to head up in the evening. The event HQ had parking close by, and you could pick up your number from the event village before it started- all the relaxed vibes that I like.

Thankfully, although it was warm, it wasn’t the hottest day (that came the following weekend) so it was pretty good running weather. We had a “before” photo and then headed off.

The route was really good- very flat apart from a few bridges, out along the river, around a big park and lake, and then back along the river. It was pretty congested for the first mile or so, and it took a while for us to get into our stride- you know when you are behind people who are just slightly slower than you, so you spend time overtaking and trying to find a gap?

As it was still so sunny we did enjoy each time we headed into some shade, and I really enjoyed all the views too. I don’t know Bedford very well, but there was loads going on- several kayak clubs, camping, all sorts of activities.

The before picture, scenes during the run, and the race essentials- race clips, parkrun wristband with my ICE number on it, buff, lip balm, face wipes and a hoodie for after.
The “after” pic with medals, a ginger and peach mocktail in the pub, sunset views as we walked back to the car.

Dad had 3 goals- to complete it, to run it all, and to finish in under an hour. We came in just over the hour in the end, but managed the other two and enjoyed it. Mum and Andy were in the event village, listening to the band that were playing, so we hung around there for a bit, but decided to go to a pub for some dinner. We’d passed one on the drive in, and then run past the same one during the race, so we went and had dinner there, sitting outside by the river.

An evening race is a bit strange to prep for, but it does mean you can shower and go straight to bed once home!

I really enjoyed the event- Active Training World do lots of local events and they have the same vibe- well organised but relaxed.

Recovery on the Sunday looked like this- a walk around Panshanger with a lovely iced matcha, and then chilling out on the sofa.

Medal Monday! It’s a really nice medal too, with various landmarks on the ribbon.

On the Monday I did a short run (check out the amazing sunbeams seen in the woods), some yoga, and walked to the tip and back via the shops.

Jersey Farm- running one week, volunteering the next

After being in Florida for nearly 4 weeks (and being happy to make it to one parkrun while I was out there) it was lovely to be home and back to a parkrun routine. It was Jersey Farm parkrun for two weeks in a row- the first one was a lovely run with Dad.

We ended up being in matching outfits unintentionally (250 tops and blue shorts/crops) so had to get a picture of course. Jersey Farm is obviously a tourist magnet for those alphabet hunters as J is a rare letter, so there is always someone by the sign who you can ask to take a photo for you (and take one for them in return).

It was quite a warm day and I was still struggling to sleep with the jet lag, so we took it easy and chatted (as we so often do) and it was very enjoyable. I couldn’t decide whether to wear sunglasses or regular glasses, and I’m so glad that Dad persuaded me to opt for sunglasses as it got very bright not long after we had left.

After breakfast at my parents, I had some jobs to do in town, and treated myself to a matcha latte from a cafe- it was so good (and so pretty).

The following Saturday we were both back at Jersey Farm again, this time as marshals. For the last couple of years, I’ve got Dad a 10K race entry for his birthday, and this year we were doing the Bedford 10k. It started at 5:30pm on the Saturday, so not a good idea to run parkrun the same day. We both decided to volunteer, and ended up being at a marshal point together. (I had mentioned this in the email as I knew a few of the points had more than one marshal, but of course said we were fine to be at other points if needed).

We ended up being at one end of the park, where there is a track that leads to a house. The “Caution Runners” sign was to warn motorists of the runners, but we were instructed to stop runners and let any vehicles pass. They were only expecting the post van, but we had a couple of vans drive up and back, but when it was quiet. The summer route (that we are on) has an outer and then inner lap, and so the marshal point has to cover both paths during the run. There were 3 of us (we had a lovely D of E volunteer with us too), so after the first runners went through on the outer lap, I stayed with the D of E volunteer, and Dad moved to the inner loop ready for the front runners. They were passing by before the tail walker was at the outer loop, but once they had gone through we were all back together on the inner loop.

I do love cheering on the runners and walkers (even saw some vegan runners- yay). So many of them say thank you (we always do when we run, but you don’t always hear others around you), but a lot of the walkers apologised for being slow- they are not by us for long but I kept saying that they were all welcome to walk the whole way. I really wish this message was out there more because people should not be feeling guilty for walking at these events.

I commented on the parkrun adventurers post about marshalling, and so got a surprise on Tuesday morning when I saw they had chosen my photo for the cover of their podcast that week! Fame at last!

Mum made us a delicious breakfast once home (vegan pancakes with apple compote- made with apples from their friend’s garden) and we met up later for the race (but I’ll post that another time).