Category: Stuff I love!

Walthamstow parkrun- travelling like Wombles!

Walthamstow parkrun has been my NENDY for absolutely ages, and this weekend was finally the week for me to visit.

Branka was free for touring and of course keen to visit another London (for Lon-done) parkrun, and although we looked at driving (it’s not far from Pymmes which I had driven to) the estimate was around an hour, and of course the journey back would probably be much longer. The train estimation was similar, so it was time for another train adventure.

As the trains on the closest line were running, it meant I could run from home to the station, rather than having to drive over to St Albans station. It also meant Branka could get the same train (as some from her come through the same line that I am on). It was a few stops to Finsbury Park on the overground, a few stops on the Victoria line (underground) to Walthamstow, and then back on the overground to Highams park, the closest station to the parkrun, and then a walk (wombling free).

The train connections were all great, with hardly any time waiting at any of the stations, after getting the train at 7:20 we were walking to the start at 8:10. It was about a mile away- the park was private and linked to the leisure centre so didn’t seem to have other entrances, just the main one by the car park. It was definitely easier than the stress of driving and navigating (there is a car park there so that would have been fine).

Fun with the pop up and selfie frame– that’s the sports centre and car park in the background too- it’s all right by the start so a very easy one to visit in that respect

The team were so friendly when we arrived. We chatted to a fellow WMN pod fan (hi Gail) as this was her local one so we had messaged to say we were coming (and she was very helpful in confirming about which train station we needed to aim for), took some photos by the pop up (and found a selfie frame), left our bags by the tree of trust (rather than the tarpaulin) and then listened to the first timers welcome- they had a few brand new parkrunners as well as some tourists which is always nice to see.

More of the signs, the tree of trust and the view as we began heading up the slope

The main briefing was brilliant- the RD said something about being a headteacher and you could see why- he got his points across well (a few health and safety reminders) with humour and clarity, and everyone listened. Then it was time for us to begin.

The course is three laps and a tiny bit, as you start a bit before the finish funnel on your first lap. It’s all on grass, around the perimeter of sports fields, with a slope that felt more like a hill on each lap! I think had the terrain been easier (for example a tarmac path) it would not have felt hard, but the thick sticky mud was great at sapping the energy from your legs. I had worn trail shoes and was glad of it, although by my third lap they had filled up with mud so I was beginning to slip a little bit. There was a small hump (a reverse ditch as I call them- there is one at Oaklands too) and this was a bit tricky to navigate as the run went on too, but as we had been told, it was not pb conditions, so it was just a run to enjoy and go gently. I had spotted some of the signs when we arrived (like the “sprint finish starts here”) and enjoyed spotting them on the way around, and took a few photos. I ended up chatting to a couple of the marshals as I ran past too, explaining what I was doing, and then on the final lap continued the conversations with them. It was a really ultra friendly event. One huge bonus for me was that no dogs were allowed. I am not a pet person for many reasons, and I am very anxious around dogs off leads, especially ones that jump. I also really get frustrated at parkruns when you can’t hear the briefing because of dogs barking, and I have seen people being tripped (and near misses) so many times- it does surprise me that dogs are allowed at all at parkrun- so it was good to be able to run without having to worry about a dog leaping up at you or minding out for their leads etc.

Some of their signs, views during the run and the little token sorting tree

After finishing I chatted to a few of the volunteers and admired more of their signs and their little token sorting tree. They had a pb bell, and had even given out certificates to regular runners for their milestones. There were so many touches that made it seem such a welcoming event and a really clear community. I was glad I had packed spare socks and shoes as my feet were so muddy, so I changed those and put on my jumper. We had originally thought about combining it with a trip to Angel (Bird and Blend and vegan pastries) but Branka had to be back fairly soon so we walked back to the train station. We had seen these lovely mosaics on the platforms on the way, so stopped to admire them on the way back, as well as seeing this amazing owl painting on the side of a building on our way back to the station.

Beautiful mosaics, owl sculpture and painting

We didn’t have to wait long for the overground train, and then the underground was fine too, but as we got to the platform at Finsbury Park, the train we needed was just leaving (if only the screen had been a teeny bit quicker at scrolling past all the stations then we would have known it was one we could both get)- I am not one for leaping onto a train, especially there where some of them as non-stop to Stevenage. Anyway, this meant we had to get separate trains back, so we had just enough time to get a cup of tea from the kiosk on the platform before getting on our respective trains.

My muddy shoes and leggings, token picture (somewhat lower number than last week at Battersea!), heading back from the train station and tea and snack on the train home

So that was parkrun 392 for me, and my 126th venue. Of course I am gradually ticking off the London events, so that was my 29th London event.

And now, rather excitingly, I have a new NENDY of Hackney Marches. Coincidentally on the train we were looking at the overground lines and saw that Hackney is on one of those overground lines, and would involve a similar trip with a short underground journey and then an overground one out there, so it is yet another one that we can get to fairly easily. (Also, there is an amazing vegan bakery in Hackney- WAVE- so of course I am hoping to combine the two…)

Before and after map- hooray for new NENDY’s!

Another fun morning and of course, more parkrun tourism planned (some plans more concrete than others). Next up I have the Brighton half so we shall see if I manage a parkrun there, as Hove Prom is off on Saturday (would have been my nearest)- watch this space!

Hove Prom parkrun – keeping up with the pacers

After a week away from parkrun (due to a visit to DLP- sadly no parkruns in France for now or the foreseeable future), the following weekend we were down in Brighton for our wedding anniversary, so I opted for Hove Prom.

It was my 12th time there, and as always, fab. Our hotel was around a mile away, and the run there was straightforward, along the seafront, and a good warm up. Rather than a tarpaulin of trust, they have boxes by the beach huts, and the first timer welcome was right there too. Even though I’ve been there lots of times, I like to still listen to the welcome, just in case there is a course change. There are so many people there now (850 that day) that you cannot hear the main briefing because of people talking. It’s also really nice to see the new runners and tourists coming along- that day there were a few running club trips from various places including Kent, so you get a bit of a feel for the people there that day by going along to the briefing.

Photos taken on the way to parkrun

I’d seen that they had pacers, so I decided to try and come in under 28 minutes as I have not managed many speedy times this year. The start area was so busy, and I could not hear (as previously mentioned) and could not see any of the pacers either. As we started I was a bit boxed in with people, but managed to overtake a few people and could see the 29 pacer (who I overtook quickly) and then the 28 min pacer up ahead. I kept them in sight and at the first turn around point I was pretty close. I managed to get ahead of the group and just tried to stay there. Hove Prom is out and back twice (but you start in the middle, so you really go out, turn, back, turn, out, turn, back, turn, into the finish) and so at the turn around points you can see how close you are ahead of the pacers, and in the second lap I managed to get a bit further ahead, and could even see the 27 min pacer up ahead. It was so busy there that as I got to the finish, the queue was backing out of the finish funnel and onto the course, so I stopped my watch, but with a combination of not hearing the start, and of course not knowing when they would stop meant I didn’t know if I’d managed sub 28 even though it should have been OK.

Watch and token showing my possible time…

I scanned, got my jacket from the box by the beach huts, got a few photos by the purple pop up and then headed back to the hotel for breakfast (Andy had popped out to get vegan croissants). When my text came through later, I was so pleased to have achieved 27:12 – well under the 28 minutes I was aiming for. This was actually the same time that I managed on my first ever parkrun back in 2013- I had signed up to Marathon Talk’s Jantastic, and as part of that you had to do some sort of time trial, where you estimated your time, then entered your actual time, and then gained points the closer you were. I had put down 27 minutes for a 5k, and did my first parkrun as the time trial, and then it turned out I had actually filled it in on the website as 27 hours so I was way off!

Selfie by the old pier and the purple pop up

I don’t often aim for a time at parkrun- I am more than happy to run around and chat to people as I run, and if I am touring I like to see the new event, take photos as I run around and so on. But on this occasion it was good to have something to aim for.

So that was parkrun 380 and my 12th time at Hove Prom.

Do you like aiming for a time or are you happy to enjoy the atmosphere?

PS A few Brighton photos – delicious vegan pancakes from Nowhere Man, Bird and Blend cups and a walk to Hove.

Happy 20th birthday parkrun!

At the start of October, it was 20 years since Bushy parkrun launched, so the first Saturday was international parkrun day, where all parkruns celebrated the 20 year anniversary of parkrun.

I had planned to run Jersey Farm with Dad, as it was the first Saturday in ages that we were able to run a parkrun together, so it was the perfect way to celebrate, with running together and then Mum making us vegan pancakes for breakfast after.

All the posts made me reminise a bit. My first parkrun was in March 2013, so it’s crazy to me that it’s been a part of my life for 11 years now, but also it’s one of the best things of my life.

Dad got into it via his tennis umpiring, as some of the other officials from Wimbledon were going along to Wimbledon parkrun, so he went with them, and then a bit later found out we had a local one in St Albans. That first year we were very sporadic at going along- my brother would come along too and we tended to go about once a month. However, when Panshanger parkrun launched (and that was back in the day of inaugurals being advertised- I saw the poster in the local Sweatshop when I went along there for a run) we pretty much started going each week, and in fact my 50th was celebrated on Panshanger’s first birthday. Of course once Ellenbrook Fields started we properly found our parkrun home- I knew whenever I went there that I’d know lots of the team and lots of the participants- always friendly faces there and the most enthusiastic marshals. I love that we have regular family time together via parkrun, and although my mum doesn’t run, she does sometimes come along to watch, and is very happy to make us breakfast for when we have finished which is always amazing.

Birchwood junior volunteer team, parkrun tourist crew (Branka and Holly), the visitors at Futakotamagawa in Tokyo, and Dad and I at Jersey Farm at the birthday celebrations (collage has missed out the name though!)

The beauty of parkrun is that it can be so many different things to different people. I am not fussed about times, although every now and then I will aim for a time (usually if there are pacers I might try to keep up with a specific one). However, before my dad moved to a new age category he decided to try and be first in his age cat at various parkruns- a good challenge for him to aim for. Some weekends, like this past weekend, we will go along to our local one, but other times we will fancy touring, maybe for a specific reason but usually just the fun of visiting somewhere new, meeting a new event team, admiring new scenery and discovering a new park that you didn’t know existed. Of course you can work towards the official milestones (celebrating my 100th at Ellenbrook Fields is probably my favourite parkrun memory as my mum came along too and handed out cakes while we ran, loads of the OH ladies were there, it was fantastic), and there are all the unofficial challenges too (parkrun alphabet, pirates, Wilson Index etc).

Lots of my memories come from volunteering too- the first time I did the first timers briefing my legs were shaking as I was so nervous (I am not one for public speaking), and at the end a runner came up to me and thanked me as he remembered me from the briefing, and that little interaction really helped me develop some confidence there, and it became one of the roles that I loved doing.

The fact that it is popping up in more countries is exciting too. Of course if we are on holiday then I’d love to do a parkrun if there is one nearby, but I’m not going to not go on holiday for fear of missing one. The more parkruns there are, the most fantastic places are just waiting to be visited!

The parkrun touring crew meeting Danny (from With Me Now pod) at Birchwood juniors launch, solo tourism in Brighton (Preston Park), Jersey Farm with Dad in the cold, and my 350th celebrated at Lee on the Solent.

More parkruns with Dad, more solo touring and volunteering fun!

Touring with Dad, being on the cover of parkrun adventurers podcast, one of the best ever photos with Branka and Holly walking at Letchworth, and finally claiming my German flag!

(I was meant to run a parkrun in Berlin in December 2018, but our Friday night flight was cancelled and we couldn’t get out there until the Sunday, so I was not there for parkrunday sadly, so a German parkrun has been on my wishlist since then. In May 2024 we went to Germany and happily were not that far from a parkrun, so I finally claimed the flag!)

More touring fun with the OH ladies (Harrow and Leavesden) and with Branka celebrating Christmas i July and the best ever tail walker at Southall.

The parkrun pause was super tough, as by then parkrun had become such a part of my routine, and such a high point of the week. I really am so grateful that it restarted, and I really cannot imagine my life without parkrun. We introduced my dad’s cousin to parkrun a few years ago, and he is now a regular at Linford Wood. He recently had his 80th birthday and he is still running and volunteering. Life goals right there.

How did you celebrate parkrun’s birthday? What does parkrun mean to you?

parkwalking at Letchworth and enjoying the sunshine

After my weekend in Brighton, I was home for the following week, and had arranged to head up to Letchworth to parkwalk with Branka. It turned out that the High Sheriff was there too (after seeing her at St Albans a few weeks before)- she really is doing the rounds.

It was the most beautiful day, although it started off quite overcast and I only made the decision to wear my sunglasses at the last moment as I left the car.

After the briefing a lady sidled up to me and said rather apologetically that she might be walking too. We chatted for a bit and it turned out that she had not been to a parkrun since before the pandemic, so was feeling quite nervous. I reassured her that there was always a tail walker as well as the parkwalkers, and hopefully me telling her to take her time and just enjoy it made her feel a bit better. We didn’t see her as we walked but of course if we had have done then that would have been fine. I just hope she enjoyed it.

The Sheriff, scenes from the parkrun and my token

It is such a pretty route with views across the fields- it’s two laps which can feel harder if you are walking, but with the scenery and company it was enjoyable from start to finish. We had one incident with one of the front runners. We were walking on a narrower part of the course, and suddenly we heard this guy shouting “ladies, ladies”, he then basically ran into me and grabbed my shoulders, trying to get past, and then once he’d passed us shouted “I said ladies but none of you moved”- I was taken by surprise and couldn’t react quick enough to reply- had he said something helpful like “coming up on your left” then we would have moved over. We did try to be considerate, going single file through the field opening (but then why should a faster runner get priority over a walker? Maybe we were on for a walking pb?) and everyone else was very nice.

Standard purple sign photo (although we should have got one with the three of us) and a mid parkrun pic

The bottom photo above is one of my favourite parkrun photos- we were keeping over to the side as the runners finished their second lap, everyone looks so happy, the sunshine is filtering through the trees, it’s fab.

I absolutely love chatting about parkrun, and it was exciting to hear about Branka and Holly’s alphabet plans, how they try to wangle parkruns into other trips (eg wedding weekends) and chatting about places we have already visited because of parkrun. An hour well-spent for sure.

I’d given Branka some Brighton Rock Bird and Blend Tea (we’re now doing tea exchanges!) and I knew she had to head off pretty quickly as she was off to Oxford (handily with a B&B store there- more on that in another blog post) so I headed off to Vutie Beets for a solo parkfaff (a “me party” if you are a Muppet fan). I listened to With Me Now so it was very much parkrun-flavoured.

Pancakes, buns and my parkrun socks

Of course once I got home my parkrun socks had arrived – I feel like they purposely make sure their deliveries arrive on a Saturday so they are always too late to be worn to parkrun! Also with a random parkrun magazine that was about a year old.

Loving the sunshine at Panshanger park

We couldn’t go to a B&B store but we could go to Panshanger park and visit the Planted coffee van for an iced tea, which is the next best thing! It was a gorgeous day for a walk.

On Sunday our club had a run for the new and back to runners graduation, so we had a lovely run to the lakes (so many goslings!) and then breakfast after. I was very glad I’d put on suncream before I left in the morning. I always forget that in the summer although you have less layers to put on, getting ready still takes ages because of those sorts of things instead.

Another lovely parkrun visit- that was my 4th time at Letchworth, and my first this year which meant I visited another Herts parkrun for the Herts Vegan Runners most events table! I think I’m going to try and revisit a few of them this year as I really enjoyed the more local tourism for when I was chasing Queen of Herts. It’s just a shame there are not more Saturdays really!

Do you have local events that you like to revisit? I’m still working on my single-ton for Panshanger too.

January parkrun touring- close to home

Of course my first parkrun back after having a holiday was going to Jersey Farm and running with my dad. I’d been away for all the extra parkrundays over the holidays, so I was really looking forward to getting back to one.

I nearly forgot my barcode, and had to run back inside and could only find this one! Whoops!

Jersey Farm was actually not too muddy, as it had rained a lot in the week. There was one big puddle but actually if you stepped gently the water didn’t even go over the top of your shoe, so it was OK. We ran together and after finishing, walked back to the big puddle so I could get a picture in it.

The puddles and then a cup of tea to warm up after.

There were two girls trying to pick their way around the outside, and I did try and show them that the middle was actually better as it wasn’t that deep, compared to the squelchy mud around the outside, but they weren’t convinced!

The following week we had been asked to wear red for Comic Relief (and donate some money too- I even got an email from Sir Lenny Henry thanking me for the donation). I was keen to visit somewhere else, so in the end we opted for Aldenham. We’d been there once before, back in 2016, and on that day there were only 25 runners, I finished 16th with my dad and brother 10th and 14th! They were all runners too, with the final person coming in at 36 minutes! How things have changed. Two of my friends were parkwalking, and of course they have the tail walker role too.

Views of the lake (?) and the fab keyring for completing the 12 days of Christmas challenge with my running club.

It was a cold morning and I rally didn’t want to take my jacket off at the start area. Usually I wear gloves in the winter and my hands warm up quickly, and I would tend to take the gloves off after the first lap of a two lap route, but this time they stayed on the entire time.

My nails matched my tribesport top but that was being covered with the red top for Comic Relief anyway.

The route is two laps of the water (reservoir/lake?), very flat but lots of tree roots to look out for. I managed a course pb which was quite unexpected and nice to see in the text, this time 56th out of 110 runners- slightly more than last time! It’s a pretty route, but you have to pay to park (although there is a reduced rate for parkrunners) and I wonder if this puts people off.

Beautiful sunrise at home and then on my way to Panshanger plus all the ice.

For the third weekend I was off to Panshanger. One of my aims is to get to 100 runs at Panshanger (a single-ton)- I started the year on 90 and so this was my 91st run at Panshanger. Even though it’s my closest, I don’t run there as much as if my parents are about I’ll head over to JF, however they were away so I opted for a parkrun sandwich. I wore all green in celebration for a club mate who was doing her 250th parkrun, but in South Africa so it was being with her in spirit. There were huge frozen puddles near the end of the course but you could easily avoid them and the going was pretty good. An enjoyable run chatting to someone who recognised me from Instagram (hi Sam) but I was pretty cold by the time I got home!

I also marshalled at a couple of junior parkrun events over the course of the month, always a fun thing to join in with on a Sunday.

One Sunday above and another Sunday below!

My final January parkrun was a brand new to me event so I’ll save that for another time.

How has your January been? It seems like parkruns are getting a big boost in numbers at the moment.