As we were in Cambridge for Friday night, I looked up the nearest parkrun and it turned out to be Coldham’s Common, one I had not been to before. It was 1.7miles from the hotel, so a nice distance for a parkrun sandwich but also meant I could be back early enough for a shower and breakfast before checkout without feeling rushed.
I was surprised when I got to the common (the route there was along a main road, then past an industrial estate before getting to the common) to have to walk over cattle grids and to then see a load of cows in the field. It turned out it was a proper old fashioned common.
Brooks were also there, with people having reserved trainers to try out during parkrun, so the start area was busy.
Cows on the common and the Brooks stand
Before the start, I ended up chatting to a couple of tourists from Wanstead Flats parkrun- it’s always good to chat about the random challenges and have someone else understand why you head off to different events and complete these arbitrary challenges!
Pop up photo and the view as everyone headed off around the first field
After the pop up photo, it was time for the first timers welcome (2 laps- mind the rabbit holes) and then onto the main briefing. Despite the large number of people (417) the briefing was well-listened to and I could hear all the milestones and announcements.
The course was as if you were running around the outside of an hourglass (around the right of the field, through the gap, around the other field, back through the gap and then around the left of the field) so there were no cross over points but you could see people from wherever you were which I liked. I managed to not get lapped which is always good on a two lap course!
The route is very flat with only a few short up and down sections (as if you are going down into a ditch or something like that) but there were plenty of rabbit holes (as we had been warned) and tree roots, so you did have to watch your footing. It was an overcast day so I was enjoying being outside and not being instantly baked by the sun. The course had a small wooded section but other than that it is very exposed so it would be tough on a sunny day.
Finish token/ small shaded area and the second field
I didn’t hang around when I had finished at all as I was keen to get back for breakfast. I did impress myself however by getting back to the hotel without using google maps at all- go me!
Andy had popped out to get us breakfast (some lovely vegan Chelsea buns from Fitzbillies) and once showered we checked out and headed into Cambridge for some more touristing (and of course a matcha from Bird and Blend)
Matcha latte from Bird and Blend/ pop up selfie at the finish (people token sorting behind me)
Voronoi update:
Not a big chunk added as there are lots of other parkruns around the outskirts of Cambridge.
That was parkrun 464 and location 164 for me- I quite like that that numbers line up in that way.
Up next? Hopefully something else for Lon-Done, and fairly soon a weekend in (or near) Manchester, so the plan is for a parkrun up there too.
The last two weeks have been local parkruns, for two different reasons.
Week 1- walking at Stanborough parkrun. Andy and I were off to London for a Jet Lag The Game premiere which started at midday. (I initially thought it started at 1, and my dad was going to drive me to and from Panshanger so I could have a quick shower and turnaround- however this was not possible with the 12 start)- the plan was that I would get up early and showed, walk to Stanborough, parkwalk it, then get picked up my Andy on the way to the station. It was a bit stressful but it all worked out well in the end.
Happily, Branka was already planning on being there (she was also going to the Jet Lag event but a bit later), as well as club mate Emily who was parkwalking, and then Danny from the With Me Now podcast was there. He did the first timers briefing which we listened to as Emily was considering offering to do this role in the future and wanted to see what it was like. Of course we got told off my Danny (in a jokey way) as he knew we were not first timers here!
Can you spot us in the first timers welcome photo? And pop up fun with Branka
All three of us in green! And the view of the start area when I first arrived
Stanborough is three laps, and I didn’t know how it would be as a walking one, but I really enjoyed it, with the three of us had a lovely chat on the way around. Lovely Lynne (from Birchwood juniors- and Danny’s mum) was marshalling and cheered us as we passed her (“Branka! Branka! Maria! Maria! Emily! Emily!”). I was carrying my tote bag with change of clothes- I would usually leave a bag on the tarpaulin of trust but for some reason (maybe because I had a different bag rather than my usual parkrun rucksack) I didn’t, so when we passed Danny after our second lap he asked me what was in it and suggested I leave it with them rather than carry it for the third lap- I said I would but said I really had to go straight away!
Token and a photo from parkrun down to Haribo Dave
As it’s fairly flat (there is a hill in each lap but not too bad when walking) I managed to finish in just over 51 mins giving me time to grab my bag from Lynne, have the briefest of chats and rush to the toilets to get changed. Andy picked me up at 10am and we got to St Albans train station with 5 mins to spare ahead of our 10:27 train. Perfect!
A photo of Ben on the stairs/ Ali Plumb (BBC film critic who hosted the Q&A), Adam, Ben, Sam and Tom on the stage after the premiere, and my excited face by the entrance!
The Picturehouse cinema had gone all out with Jet Lag branding and the day was great with a quiz hosted by the three of them, a podcast recording, director’s commentary on their first Tag season, the finale and then a Q&A with them after. As you can see by my expression I was very excited! Anyway, I was glad to have still managed to fit a parkrun in, especially as August is an empty month for me and I have many dates to fill for date bingo, including that date.
Week 2: Branka, Holly and I had planned to meet at Rothamsted Park parkrun as although we had all been, the three of us had not been there together. Plus, very close to the parkrun is The Waffle House which is a perfect parkfaff location.
Pop up photo– the person taking our photo suggested we turn around to show the backs of our t-shirts as we each had a different milestone top on- Holly’s has her Cowell (100 events) listed and mine is my parkrun alphabet (as there are 25 possible letters).
Scenes from parkrun- I love seeing the stream of colourful runners ahead/ finish token
It was a gorgeous but hot day- I ran with Holly and it was very enjoyable to catch up but it was tough in the heat as there isn’t much shade and the avenue that you run up (4 times) is quite steep at the top! After we finished and took our pop up photos, we walked around the corner for our parkfaff location. There were tables inside but it was the perfect temperature in the shade outside, so we opted for that.
Pop up photo and waffle!
They offer a vegan waffle as an option, and some of the toppings are vegan- this time I opted for banana with blueberry compote plus an iced oat matcha. We spent ages catching up and chatting- some more parkrun plans are materialising too.
And what a good decision this one turned out to be!
My dad was free to tour, so I gave him two options from my NENDY list, and he chose Gunnersbury (which was my actual NENDY and has been since I went to Wanstead Flats).
My brother was also free, so the three of us met up on the way, with Dad driving us once we had met up. I had looked up the car park to see where we had to go to, and I had seen some comments that it was app only, so I am glad I did this as luckily it was a parking app that I had (and Dad didn’t)- as there were no machines you would be a bit stuck if you couldn’t download the app.
The car park that we used was probably about 100m from the start- we could see the cluster of high viz vests in the distance. We were not sure where the toilets were, but had time to wander over to the start and ask a volunteer, who directed us to the sports cafe building (which was back near the car park)- no queues though and we were back at the start just as they called for the first timers welcome. I was glad I had checked the facebook page beforehand (this was mainly to check it was on, as well as looking for parking information as on the course page is just gives you a postcode) as they had posted to say they were back on their main route. It turned out that the main route had a different starting point to their alternative route, and so on walking back from the toilets we chatted to a few runners who were confused about the start point- these turned out to be regular Gunnersbury runners but ones that had not looked on social media to see about changes. One of them said it had happened to them before and they’d been in the wrong area of the park at 9 and had to run across to catch up.
First timers welcome had a personalised sign saying “First time at Gunnersbury”/ view as we start
Anyway, the welcome was useful as always- it is a one lap lollipop style course- down a slope, into some woods for a loop and then back up the slope to the start/finish area.
Pop up signs and the start as viewed from the car park
There was a tarpaulin of trust for us to leave our bag on (even though the car was nearby, in the summer I’ve been making sure to bring my bag with me so I can have water as soon as I finish, as otherwise I get a headache), and we took some pop up pictures. As it was 25th July I was wearing my ugly (not ugly) Christmas singlet from parkrun adventurers- I did get a few “Happy Christmas”s to which I could reply with “in July”, but no other parkrun adventurers were at that parkrun.
The main briefing was tricky as we could not hear what was being said- we were not that far from the front but so many people around us were chatting. They had volunteers walking around with the “quiet” baton signs, and one even came and stood in front of two people who were talking but they just ignored the volunteer. It’s such a shame when people cannot be quiet for a couple of minutes. (And this is in no way a complaint about the event team as the volunteers did as much as they could)
Because of this we didn’t even hear them start, just realised as people ahead started moving.
Some of the lovely shady route and things seen along the way
The course was so enjoyable- the first part was in the sun and it was a hot day, but fairly soon we were in the woods which was so much cooler.
My Garmin hasn’t been recording the start of runs all the time, so this map is not quite right as the start is the same place as the finish, backtracking along the perimeter path (down the left hand side) so this isn’t quite the entire course.
It was all on tarmac, with nice wide paths, and so much to see.
More mid-run views
We passed a sort of stately home, some formal gardens, a folly, various signs for things such as wildlife trails and mini golf… you could spend ages in the park I am sure. We looped close to the sports centre (where the toilets and cafe are) but also passed a different cafe in the woods. We had already decided to head home though as Mum was going to make us breakfast, but it would be a good place to parkfaff.
A few more landmarks from the course/ token/ Back into the sun at the end
Towards the end we got back out into the sun again for the run back up the slope, and here I started regretting my breakfast. Due to the jet lag I had woken up really early feeling really hungry, and although I don’t usually eat before I run, I decided to have something as it was about 2 1/2 hours before parkrun started. I was feeling Ok for most of it but then at the final part I just felt very nauseous- I told Dad to run ahead as he loves a sprint finish and he managed to finish 20 places ahead of me- very impressive! I had that feeling when we finished where you have to keep moving about rather than stopping.
We cooled down in the shade and had some water before heading back to the car, and again the journey back to Hatfield (where we had all met) was about 35 minutes, so it wasn’t far and we were back home having vegan pancakes cooked by Mum at 10:45.
Voronoi update:
I’m finally making a little dent on the parkruns close to Heathrow! I’ve got a little cluster around there still, and then it’s a lot of the south of London.
That was parkrun 461 and location 163, and 43/65 London parkruns for the LonDONE challenge (and my NENDY is now Brentwood in Essex- they are swapping around a lot at the moment)
Up next? A few weeks of local runs due to various factors, then maybe some touring towards the end of August, but nothing concrete.
Our hotel in Nagoya was about 2.5km away from the parkrun (as the crow flies), however due to the gridded streets it would have been further (and longer due to the fact that no-one jaywalks so you have to stop at every intersection) and the heat (high 30’s) and mad humidity meant I decided to walk a bit of a way to the train station, and then get the train a few stops to the park. The line I needed ran clockwise and anti-clockwise so again it was very simple to check on the platform that I was going the right way as the signs showed clearly which stations would be next.
Getting the train part of the way turned out to be a very good decision- the humidity was so crazy that by the time I arrived at parkrun I already had rivers of sweat pouring down my legs, and the walk to the station took even longer than anticipated due to all the road crossings.
The station (Meijo Park train station) was right by the park, and the instructions said to use exit 2 (train stations in Japan have many many exits so you need to pay attention to the exit number)- however once crossing the road I passed exit 8 which was closer? I always have a bit of anxiety around whether a parkrun is actually on or not, especially when teams don’t use the volunteer roster or are not that active on social media, but the team had posted on facebook a day before to say they would be on, so all I had to do was locate it. There were lots of runners meeting up but this didn’t match the pin in google maps, so I followed that and saw the actual parkrun flags- hooray!
The parkrun sign and all the cut outs of the milestones (I love that they already have the 1000 ones ready)/ a picture by the flag/ the run brief
As soon as I arrived, I was spoken to by an English person who was living in Nagoya for a few months- she was part of the volunteer team and so explained the course to me. The course was a simple one- 4 laps of the park- and there was plenty of shade around too. When I commented on the heat and humidity she explained that because Nagoya is surrounded by mountains it is notorious for being hotter and more humid than other places in Japan. This parkrun cancels for all of August as it is too hot, and I can see why. A new runner approached her, explaining that he was from South Korea and wanted to know if he could run, so she tried to help him register there and then.
I had brought water + electrolytes with me, so had some before we started before leaving my bag on the little wall that everyone seemed to be using.
There was a first timers welcome in Japanese, and at this point a Japanese man came to speak to me and ask me where I was from. When I said England, he said to me that it was where parkrun originated, and he would love to go there. He offered to take my photo by the flags, which was very kind of him. Later on a different person spoke to me, and we had almost the same conversation where they commented that England was where parkrun started. It was nice to have these brief chats and to hear that people are positive about parkrun and would like to tour.
The main briefing was in Japanese, and the noise of the crickets/ cicadas were so loud that I could barely hear the RD, and then we were off.
The route was shady and fairly flat so that was good. I had thought (incorrectly) that I’d be able to see Nagoya Castle from the route, but there was still lots to see. There is a huge arena in the park, decorated with flags on thick bamboo poles, and this was because there was sumo wrestling going on there at the moment (the next day when we were leaving we saw lots of sumo wrestlers at the train station). There were lovely lakes/ponds with little bridges going over them, and lots of trees and plants to look at. There were also so many other runners out, not taking part in parkrun, so I did have to concentrate a bit. There were a few people with milestone shirts, so I kept them in sight for the first lap, and then I knew where I was going (past the arena, to the perimeter of the park, past the pond, alongside the moat and back to the start/finish area). On my first time of passing the finish area the volunteers were cheering and taking photos of us, and then the next time they were getting ready for the first runners, still cheering us as well as getting themselves ready in the funnel. Each time I passed I had some encouragement from the volunteers and this is definitely a plus point for a multi-lapped course (and the reduced risk of getting lost).
A few mid-run photos
It was so hot, but at least there was shade. I was concentrating on the laps which meant I didn’t think so much about how hot I was. It didn’t feel like long before I was heading into the finish funnel after completing my 4th lap.
Mid run photo/ a photo taken by the team as I went past the finish area/ passing the tail walker
The scanners were right there, and after scanning I quickly got my bag so I could have more of a drink. I was keen for a photo with the sign (the roll out ones as they don’t have the big pop ups)- it had been beautifully displayed on the ground along with little t-shirt cut outs for each milestone, but I couldn’t find it and didn’t know if it had been moved or packed away. I can only say a few words of Japanese, so I was not that confident asking, but I can say excuse me, and so I then pointed to a photo on my phone of the sign, which thankfully they understood!
Both directions from the finish line (towards the finish line and back to where everyone had left their bags)/ my pop up equivalent
This parkrun was very different to the other parkruns in Japan that I have been to, in that they didn’t seem to get many tourists/visitors, and it had a proper local vibe. (For example all the other ones have taken first timer photos with all the first timers together) It was good to experience a more local one rather than a super touristy one. And as has been my experience wherever I have been in Japan, the people are extremely welcoming and friendly, and really willing to help with whatever is needed. One of the volunteers took photos while I held the sign, and then I chatted a little more to one of the Japanese people who I had talked with at the start. He even thanked me for coming to Japan.
It briefly began to rain here, but it was such light rain it wasn’t doing much, and it was so hot and humid that it was a relief to not be in the baking sun. I walked around to look at the castle (and popped into the toilets to change- PSA is that the toilets I went into were footplate only, however I’ve been in others where there is a mixture, and the train station ones tend to be ones with seats).
A selfie by the castle/ the castle
It is a really beautiful castle with the pale green roof and gold details, and I could hear some sort of announcement happening (this must have been 9am) but I couldn’t see the entrance- we had looked before and thought it was closed for renovations while we were there. Anyway, then it was time to head back, via Starbucks for a cold drink and to get us some breakfast. The train and then walk back were fairly simple- I was glad I had noticed the big ferris wheel near the station on the way in, as when I came out of the station it was a different exit a few roads over so it took me a bit of time to orient myself and work out where I needed to go.
Voronoi update:
This parkrun covered most of Nagoya- there are others on the outskirts including one that is very mountainous, so had we been here in August there would have been options still.
That was my 460th parkrun, my 5th in Japan and my 162nd parkrun location, and even with running at Clermont in Florida in August, Meijo Koen was the most humid parkrun I’ve ever done!
Up next? Back in the UK for some local events and a bit more touring- maybe a few more Lon-Done events while the early mornings don’t seem so bad!
This was the parkrun that escaped me on my last trip to Japan, as we were staying nearby, but we were flying to Hong Kong on the Saturday and the timings of the bus to the airport didn’t really work (and I had a bad cold which meant the 2.5km each way from the station to the parkrun would have been too much). So, this trip I was keen to head there.
This parkrun is very close to Tokyo Disneyland (only a few more stops on the train) but at this point of the trip we were staying in the centre of Tokyo, so my journey was quite a bit longer than it would have been if I were travelling from the hotels in the vicinity of Disney. I had to get 3 trains and then either a bus or a 2.5km walk from the final train station, so it was an early start (5:30am- thankfully the jet lag worked a bit in favour of this) in order to get all the connections to line up. Ideally I wanted to be at the station near parkrun (Shin-Urayasu Station- on the Keiyo line) at about 7 to give me time to walk there as I had not got a bus before, and the walk was a straight line so very simple. I slept so badly as I was having all sorts of worries about missing train connections and getting lost, but thankfully my journey went fine (in that I got there in the end) but even finding tracks at the first station (that was literally right next to our hotel) was challenging as the line I needed turned out to be in the Basement-2 level and accessed by one lift going down to B1, walking a bit and then finding a way down to B2. Google maps is your friend when navigating trains in Tokyo, and it does leave time for transfers as it knows how far apart the platforms can be, but any sort of error and backtracking can mean you miss a connection. I had purposely gone this way rather than a two train option that went through Tokyo station (the Keiyo line to Disney goes from there, however it’s such a long walk through the station (at least 15 mins) to the tracks that I wanted to avoid that as I thought I probably knew the way but if I got lost in a huge station like that I would probably miss parkrun).
(If anyone is interested I went Shiodome station – Tsukishima on the Oedo line, then Tsukishima to Shin-Kiba on the Yurakucho line, then Shin-Kiba to Shin-Urayasu on the Keiyo line, and got briefly lost in one of the stations where I had to change, but had left enough time to still be OK to walk. The good thing about the Tokyo metro is that on each line, each station had a number (so the Oedo line are all E, so I went from E19 to E16, and then Y21 to Y24, and then JE05 to JE08)- the platforms and maps are all clearly labelled, even with arrows showing which station and direction is next, so it is very clear once you are at the platform that you are going the right way. I got a little confused at the final platform as that line shared a platform with another line, but I worked that out too).
It was a warm morning, so I pretty much walked the whole way there. I’d taken water +electrolytes with me, and a tshirt to change into for the journey back. They post a bit on social media, generally posting photos after the event, and there were previous posts about a cancelation due to a typhoon, and posts about the meeting point changing, so I was pretty sure it was going ahead, however I was still relieved to see the parkrun flag at the end of the road.
The course is right by the water, so this was the view from the end of the street right by the meeting point- pretty impressive.
The view from the end of the road, right by the starting location
After taking some pictures I headed into the park to the meeting spot.
As has always been the case at parkruns in Japan, the team were incredibly friendly to the visitors. As soon as I walked over I was shown the course map and had it explained to me (basically out along the coast in one direction, turn at the u-turn sign, back along the coast past the start area until you reach a marshal, up a little hill and back towards the finish). I am sure they always get people from other countries due to their proximity to Disney (and Tokyo station)- there were some tourists from Denmark and Australia as well as the UK. A lovely UK tourist came to chat to me (she guessed I was a tourist as I had my 250 shirt on) and we were all asked to have a first timers photo and then they took a photo of all the participants.
The briefing was done in Japanese and English, in that the RD would say something in Japanese, and then another volunteer would say that in English, alternating all the way through. As it was very hot, they really emphasised the need to run gently, be aware of the heat, and keep hydrated (even telling us that it takes around 30 mins for water to be absorbed so they hoped we had hydrated in our hotels before coming here).
Views from the run- bottom right is the marshal at the final turnaround point before you go up the hill
And then we were off. At times there was a lovely breeze from the sea, but not much shade so I was careful to run gently. You run next to the sea wall, so you had views out to sea and across the bay. Jo (the tourist from Sheffield) ran with me and we had a lovely chat which definitely helped to keep me going. She was so enthusiastic about running in general and was cheering on all the runners but giving big “girl power” cheers to the women who were passing us in the opposite direction.
More views from the run and the u-turn cone
Once we turned the breeze stopped and it became really hard work. I just tried to focus on looking at the views and keeping a steady pace.
The participants were quite spread out (there were only 50 according to the results), with lots of other runners out not doing parkrun, and mostly the course was very simple as you were by the sea. After the u-turn section and passing near the start/finish, there were suddenly loads of groups of runners setting off, and I did wonder if I would go wrong. However they had a marshal at the bottom of the little slope, and I could see them in the distance so I knew I was going the right way. The slope was steeper than I expected, but in the shade so that was a welcome relief.
The course:
As you can see it was very simple and pretty much by the sea the whole time.
Briefing/ some of the shaded route/ the scanner set up/ table with water and snacks/ blurry token
As I ran towards the finish the volunteers directed me in- I think I was heading past it to the flags as I didn’t notice the cones set up in a funnel shape!
I loved their finish area set up- they had a little stand that the scanner had put their phone in (and at times this was just left there- Japan is such a trusting society- people leave their phones on tables in cafes to indicate that they are using the table) so you could hold up your barcode and then token in front. They also had a table with cups of water and various snacks that they were offering to everyone as well. I made sure to have the rest of my drink and cool off in the shade a little before doing anything else.
Photos with the course signs
They don’t have pop up signs in Japan (I think more people use public transport or bikes so they can’t have loads of kit), instead they have these roll out signs, so I had my photo and I got one with Jo as well. Jo had got the bus from the station here, so said she would show me how it worked (it was very simple but I was so stressed on the way there that the bus would have been one too many things to work out)- this was good as I knew we’d be doing a lot of sightseeing for the rest of the day so it was good to rest on the bus rather than walk another 2.5km.
I popped into the toilets by the park to change into my top (and saw how red my face still was- it still alarms me) and then we caught a bus back to the station (although this did not turn out to be quicker than walking as it didn’t go the direct route but went weaving through lots of side streets). It was a good decision though as in the end I did 37,500 steps so at least I saved some energy for sightseeing!
Finish area with cones and flags/ red face even half an hour after finishing/ vending machine rehydration
I was still so thirsty so picked up a rehydration drink from a platform vending machine to have before getting back to the hotel. I got back to the station by our hotel at 10am, and didn’t get to the hotel until 10:15 as it took me that long to work out how to get back out of the station…
Voronoi update:
3 parkruns in Tokyo visited now-and it’s making a very pretty sort of windmill shape!
That was my 459th parkrun and my 161st location, and my 4th in Japan
Up next? Well, I was hoping for a second parkrun in Japan on this trip, and I managed it, so that will be coming up shortly too.
