Highbury Fields revisit for Plan C

The plan for this weekend had always been for some parkrun tourism with Branka, and originally we were going to head to Stockley Country parkrun (not Stockwell as I kept telling Andy- he was very confused when he couldn’t find it, and could find a Stockwell park elsewhere in London while I was insisting it was close to Heathrow…). Anyway, the weather was not forecast to be great, and we didn’t fancy driving around the M25 in torrential rain, so looked at a few other options. Branka mentioned Raphael, but looking at journey times it was going to be similar, so we decided to look at train options. I am happy to repeat venues, and Branka hadn’t done Highbury Fields yet, so we decided to head there. We could both get trains to Finsbury Park, and from there it was one stop on the Victoria Line to Highbury and Islington station, and the parkrun is so close to the station (just across the road) it seemed ideal.

Plus, as a bonus, the Angel branch of Bird and Blend is about half a mile along Upper Street (and the walk passes British Patagonia who make amazing vegan pastries)- parkfaff would be sorted too!

My train was due to leave at 7:55, and with the rain I decided to drive to Hatfield rather than run to WGC, so I didn’t need to leave home until 7:30. (Branka had called me as she had a slight issue with her train ticket but she had plenty of time to sort it thankfully) My train was running a few minutes late but even with that (and me having a slight panic as I got off the train that I couldn’t find my car keys and worrying that they had fallen out- they were actually just deeper into my pocket than I had felt when I first checked), a visit to the station toilets and then getting the underground, we were at H&I for 8:30 -plenty of time!

My improving selfie, a photo mid-run, token photo and our pop up picture

We took our purple pop up photos before, and Branka continued with tutoring me on my selfies- I am getting better!

The first timers welcome was very amusing- I would not be surprised if the person ended up doing stand up comedy. She was very engaging and it really made the event feel welcoming. There did seem to be a lot of tourists- of course if you hang around the sign for a bit you end up taking photos for other people and then them taking your photo. One couple had come from north Wales! We said we should look up in case it was a specific event number (but it was 609- that’s not a prime and I can’t see what the fascination would be)- maybe just the proximity to the tube means they get lots each week.

I’d packed a t-shirt, jumper and waterproof in an old race bag to leave on the tarpaulin of trust, but thankfully the torrential rain that was forecast didn’t arrive, just a few spots of rain here and there.

The main run briefing was a bit disappointing as we just could not hear a thing- people all around us were talking, and I think I heard a few milestones announced, but it was one of those briefings when you just clap when other people clap. At least in the first timers welcome they mentioned some of the course hazards such as the uneven pavement and the muddy slippery puddle.

Now, if you don’t know, Highbury Fields is 5 laps. The only other 5 lapper I’ve done is Heslington in York, around a bike track. Here, you start in the middle on the grass, head out to the perimeter of the park (and really it is the perimeter as it is on pavements outside the park- it feels very un-parkrun in that respect as you are by houses and roads and parked cars and all sorts), and then run 5 laps before heading back in to finish on the grass. I decided that to keep count, I would try and have a different song in my head for each lap. I was hoping for songs with numbers, but the first lap was to the tune of Frère Jacques (this is the first lap, this is the first lap, around we go, around we go, run around the park, run around the park, keep on going, keep on going), and I realised that I could easily change the number for each lap and then I’d get muddled. For Lap 2I wanted a song with 2 in it (not sure why I didn’t choose Song 2 by Blur) but I ended up with Bones by The Killers in my head then. Not sure why. Lap 3 was the turn of Three is a Magic Number by Embrace (good for learning that 3x table backwards), Lap 4 was All For One from High School Musical, and then lap 5 was the theme tune from Girls 5 Eva (‘what are you waiting five?’).

I felt like I was running well, and was overtaking people towards the end, but I don’t usually look at my watch. As I crossed the finish line I stopped my watch and saw that the course had measured short- 2.8 miles. I briefly panicked that I hadn’t run the full 5 laps, but I knew I had, and the people around me had finished at the same time. If I had gone for an additional lap it would have been way over. I say all the time not to rely on GPS, and particularly on twisty routes it isn’t 100% reliable. Looking on Strava later, I could see the 5 laps (and the 5 bumps for the slope in each lap), and I could also see that it had cut off the corner each time as the route takes you out of the park at the bottom.

After I finished, I changed my top as it was still on and off raining and I didn’t want to get cold. Branka finished soon after me, and we chatted to a few tourists before walking along to our parkfaff locations. Just after we commented on how lucky we were with the weather, it rained quite hard, but thankfully we were soon in Bird and Blend, getting matcha lattes and topping up our tea collections.

Purple pop up “after” photo, the matcha wall of dreams, heavenly vegan pastries and a matcha latte.

We popped into British Patagonia on the way back, although I saved mine for when I got home as I didn’t think I could eat one of those pistachio pastries without getting in a bit of a mess! I had packed a cereal bar and water, and remembered to drink my water before I changed my t-shirt, but I really should have had the cereal bar too, as walking to B&B and back took time and so I was really hungry and tired by that point. I had it on the platform while I waited for the train home.

Once home I got the text saying it was a course pb too! Granted it was only my second time there, but I’ll take it! I was hoping for sub 30 and I ended up with 28:59 so I was pleased to squeeze in under 29. One of my few faster times this year (I’m never running that fast at Panshanger or Jersey Farm so I will make the most of tarmac).

Do you like lapped courses? Which London parkruns are good to visit by train?

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?

Bug Hunter Waters parkrun

I mean, with a name like that, who doesn’t want to go there?

Bug Hunter Waters is just outside Cambridge, so just about within driving distance. This was a fun little parkrun road trip, with me picking up Branka and meeting Holly and her friend Lou (and baby) there.

This is a relatively new parkrun, with my visit being the 12th event. That was the reason why we went that day, as Holly wanted to do event number 12, a fact she only remembered when they announced the number in the run brief!

The website directs you to park at the park and ride, although I used the postcode and got us slightly lost. I was following the park and ride signs, but they were a bit sporadic and so I turned off (where google maps told me to) and we ended up in a section of the housing estate. Thankfully we turned around and although the maps were not loading we saw a park and ride bus and followed that until we saw signs again (we were only about 2 minutes away). There was a parkrun car park marshal directing us to a section of the park and ride car park, there were toilets by the bus stop, and then it was around a km walk along a path which was part of the route, to get to the start. Very easy to find.

It reminded me a lot of Great Denham, with the parkrun course right by a new housing estate. The lake made it very scenic, and it was a very flat course too. It was narrow in places, and we were warned to slow down at certain pinch points on the course.

The start line by the water, some of the houses and of course the pop up. Branka and I were accidently twinning with our black shorts and green tops!

We took the obligatory pop up photos (Branka is teaching me how to line up the sign in my selfies too!), listened to the first timers welcome and then the main run briefing which was hilarious as the RD had managed to fit in a lot of Oasis quotes (they were off the previous Saturday for something else but he mentioned that everyone was trying to get Oasis tickets that morning instead).

Then we walked to the start. As it was narrow, they asked people to seed themselves which I always think works well but I ended up being a bit too far back- it’s always hard to tell!

A few photos taken while running, plus the token and solo pop up photo

I was going to run, Branka was run/walking intervals and Holly and Lou were walking so we spread out, and then we were off. It is two laps, with a sort of out and back section and then a lap of the lake. I really enjoyed the scenery, although at the moment there isn’t much shade so on a sunny day it would be quite tough in that respect. There were 249 parkrunners that day and it felt quite busy due to the paths being narrow in places, but it did thin out. I didn’t get lapped which surprised me, I thought I would at the end of my first lap. I did pass Holly and Lou walking towards the end of my second lap but by then there were not that many people running around me so it was fine to have people passing at that point.

Once I finished I made sure I stretched and had some water, and then not long after Branka finished. I really liked their token sorting board (see photo below)- I do love it when you visit different parkruns and they have their own way of doing things.

We walked to the cafe (of course we ended up getting lost going there too) and found a table so that Holly and Lou could join us when they finished. The cafe was really nice (Northstowe Tap & Social), with lots of outdoor seating. They had the most enormous pastries that I have ever seen, but the only vegan option was banana bread (which was tasty- I had packed an emergency cereal bar in case they didn’t do anything), and of course oat milk for tea. We sat in the sunshine for ages- I regretted leaving my sunglasses in the car as it was quite overcast during parkrun but the cloud really burned away after.

Banana bread and Earl Grey with oat milk, the token sorting board and the finish area by the water

So that was location 119 for me, and my 373rd parkrun in total. I’ve not been to many Cambridgeshire events, just Pocket and Wimpole before this one. It did get me a nice big purple chunk on the Voronoi map!

Before the after- look at that big purple chunk!

How do you choose new events to visit?

Futakotamagawa parkrun, Tokyo, Japan

Japan has been on our list of places we’d love to go for a while, and once we booked flights I had said to Andy that I wanted to do one parkrun while we were away. We were away for 3 Saturdays, but the middle Saturday was already taken with Ghibli Park, so I had two others to play with. Thankfully Plan A worked out well, as the parkrun I was planning on visiting went ahead- they were cancelling if the heat index was forecast to be too high. Just the 33C before 8am!

For this part of the holiday we stayed in Shibuya (by the famous crossing) and Futakotamagawa parkrun was about a 20 minute train journey with no changes, so this looked to be the simplest one. I was quite anxious the night before about navigating on my own, as we had only arrived a few days before, and then this was not helped by an earthquake alert on our phones and then an actual earthquake. Anyway, to the morning…

Due to jet lag and feeling stressed I was awake before my 6am alarm, took my time getting ready (lots of suncream) and I packed a bottle of water with a rehydration tab in it, plus a t-shirt to change into for the journey back. Our hotel was a short walk from the train station, but the station itself is huge so I allowed plenty of time to get to the platform (there are just so many). Google Maps was a great help as it tells you the end station, direction, platform number and time of departure so you know you are on the correct train, and then once on the train the screens show the stations clearly in English, so the journey was all good.

I’d watched their You Tube video of how to walk to the start from the station, as the construction work around the river was ongoing, but as I walked I met one of the volunteers, who walked with me and another tourist, and we also saw a volunteer at one point (in front of the bike shop) directing us to the cut through to the river, so no worries about getting lost.

First timers and volunteers photo, and a photo by the artwork under the bridge (no purple pop ups here)

(I used a Suica card, which is a bit like a travel card but you get the app and save it in your apple wallet- you then don’t even need to unlock your phone as you go through the barriers, you just tap your phone on the barrier and it pops up on the screen that you have an active journey and the total amount of Yen on your card)

I was there with plenty of time (around 7:30 for the 8am start) so I chatted with some other runners- one guy had on a Dunstable running top and this is just up the road from where I live, so we chatted for a while. He was intrigued as to how I would get on a as a vegan in Japan (as I had on my VR visor)- he was vegan but was not going to be for his trip. This was only a few days in to the trip but it had been fine until then, and we were there for 3 weeks and didn’t have any issues.

Anyway, back to parkrun. They did the welcome in both English and Japanese, and took a photo of all of us before the main briefing which again was in English and Japanese. We also got interviewed by one of the volunteers- I thought he was taking our photo but then he asked us about our home parkruns, and if you follow them on facebook there is a link to their You Tube (the channel I’d used to see how to get there from the station) and a lovely cringey bit of video of me saying that I was not travelling with the two people I was chatting to, and that Panshanger is my home event.

Heading to the start and then a few mid run scenes.

The route seemed fairly simple- along a path, two laps around playing fields, back along the path, a little out and back section next to some tennis courts and then back to the bridge for the finish. Sounds a little complicated but it was simple and there were lots of cones, arrows and volunteers out.

I really enjoyed the course too- in one direction you could see back to Tokyo and the skyscrapers, but we ran alongside a nature reserve so you could hear the circardas (which was the soundtrack to our whole Japan trip) and I saw loads of swallows and little wagtail birds. There were people paying baseball and tennis, one part of the park had these small man-made boulders which might be for dog agility? Not sure. The volunteers were all so wonderful, cheering us all on. I was still trying to be confident in saying thank-you in Japanese (“arigatou gozaimasu” as just arigatou is a bit too informal) but I waved and smiled and clapped as I passed each one and they were all fantastic at cheering back. It was a real mix of Japanese locals and ex-pats who were on the team, participating and volunteering, and of course a few tourists as well as local first timers.

There was not much shade out there- just this small section (below) under the large tree, so it was quite brutal, but I loved it. I did stop and walk a few times to try to cool down, but also I didn’t want to take too long to finish as then I would be out in the sun for longer.

They also took photos of us and these were on facebook so I have a couple of me out on the course too which is always a real bonus.

They had a tail walker and a few walkers and run/walkers as well as runners, so I felt confident taking my time and trying not to overheat, although I did get a bit carried away in the final finish stretch and felt a bit dizzy when I stopped. I was wearing my Ellenbrook Fields vest and one of the scanners asked me about it as he knew of it, and I think I answered him quickly and then had to apologise and say I needed to get my water as I felt not great at that point, but I did soon recover once I had cooled down.

Red and sweaty face after I had finished, and my token, plus views of the bridge and river.

I cooled down in the shade for a bit before walking back to the train station. I changed into a clean t-shirt as I didn’t want to be all sweaty on the train back. The journey back was fine- I didn’t need maps to get me back to the station as I just retraced my steps and it was simple enough, and the train back was fine as that station only had one line and Google Maps made it very clear which platform I needed, but back at Shibuya I came out of a different entrance (there are so many) so when I was back at street level I realised I was quite a few blocks away from where I needed to be, but then I had my bearings and could get back to the hotel fine, it just took a bit longer! Andy had popped down to Starbucks and got me a blueberry bagel (plant based and delicious) and made me a cup of tea plus another water with a rehydration tab as the aim was to have as much liquid as possible!

Walking back to the station by the river/ changed to a dry top/ back at the hotel/ the train station by parkrun.

I loved getting the results email as it’s all in Japanese! I can see my time (32:57) and if I click to translate I can get more (eg I was 62/76 people).

Of course I had to check the 5K app and now I’ve got a little purple chunk in Tokyo, and a Japanese flag!

I am so glad I got to go along to this parkrun- the experience was really special, every volunteer was so welcoming and friendly (we experienced this with Japan as a whole- everywhere we went the people were wonderful), so thanks to everyone there!

So, my 9th country and again just a really special place to visit.

Wormwood Scrubs parkrun

Dad fancied some tourism, so I sent him a list of my ten NENDY’s and asked him to choose (apart from Walthamstow as Branka wants to go there and we should manage a joint trip at some point). He said Wormwood Scrubs had caught his eye, so that was decided!

My brother also wanted to come along, so we met at Dad’s at 7:30 for the journey that Google Maps said would be between 35-55 minutes. With that big variation, we wanted to leave lots of time free. I’d found in the parkrun tourist facebook group that there was free street parking, and the journey there was relatively straightforward with us getting to the parking spot at 8:15. We could take our time walking to the start, which is in the centre of the scrub land and not that obvious from the road. I had saved the location in my phone and we were following those directions but obviously it wants us to follow actual paths (or what it thinks are paths) and we ended up wandering through a few places that looked like they used to be paths, before coming out onto the open scrubland and seeing two other people dressed in running gear who pointed us in the right direction. I tracked it on Strava and the walk back (which was more direct) was 0.4 miles so it’s not far but it’s not right by the entrance either.

Walking to the start/ the misty buildings/ the start area with the flag and pop up

As we walked across it was drizzling a little and I was glad of my last minute decision to wear my hat. The tall buildings in the distance were fuzzy as the rain/cloud was so low, but later when it cleared up we could see them clearly.

Our “before” photos

Not long after arriving at the finish area and getting some photos the new runners welcome started. The RD was so positive and enthusiastic, and gave a great little speech about why the location was so unique- it hosts an area of SSI and animals including bats, snakes and lizards live there- very exciting indeed! I always forget we have snakes in the UK and it’s amazing to think that wildlife is clinging on in the centre of such a busy city.

Mid run views, bottom right is everyone walking to the start.

They then did the main briefing before we walked to the start- the course is just over two laps and although they all congregate at the finish area, they then walk back to the start position just before 9. The RD was very impressive in his briefing, naming all of the marshals in each spot and again talking a bit about how special the area was. He also mentioned that the old road running next to the park was part of the 1908 London Olympic marathon route, so that was quite cool to hear about while the Olympics were going on.

The route started on the green dot and was anticlockwise, so you did two laps and then the extra to where the finish is.

Suddenly we were off and both my dad and brother were ahead of me getting swept up in the faster runners! We did try to place ourselves further back but then some people who were walking were stood on the start line, and as it narrows quickly we didn’t want to get in the way, so my brother spent the whole run ahead of us whereas I managed to catch up to Dad and we then ran together. The course was really enjoyable- varied scenery with the scrubland, a little bit of wood, some Gaelic football pitches, and lots of twists and turns. The ground was rock had with big cracks in places, and a lot of it was single file running as the grass was long on either side (and we had been told that because it’s a nature reserve the landowners want to keep it that way). I was quite conscious of not twisting an ankle as a few times my foot would “give” a bit as I trod in an unseen hole, hidden by longer grass. It would be a proper cross country route in the winter but as we are used to both Panshanger and Jersey Farm which don’t really have paved paths, we enjoyed it. I had chosen to wear trail shoes which I think is a good option even in the summer due to the uneven ground.

We saw the RD a few times as we were running as he was walking parts of the course in the opposite direction, and he was so friendly each time, cheering us on and chatting to the marshals too. Again, an event with a really welcoming vibe.

The two and a bit laps whizzed by and soon we were being cheered on, being told we had 400m to go and then being cheered on again at the final corner.

Purple pop up picture post parkrun/ token photo

After scanning, we asked someone to take our post-parkrun photo (red faces all around) and then headed back to the car. We had thought we might get a drink from the cafe/ community centre, but it was at the other end of the park to where the car was, so in the end went straight back home where Mum cooked us pancakes (she is becoming an expert at vegan pancakes). Driving home we got to see a few places from Dad’s childhood including the street he lived in when he was born (briefly), the block of flats his uncle lived in and the school his cousins went to. That was unexpected and really added to the morning as well.

New section of the map has turned purple (which means I’ve been there)- I took the screenshot on the Friday in case the 5K app had problems again!

So that was my 370th parkrun, and event 117. Another London event ticked, although I don’t think I’l ever manage to visit them all.

To continue the parkrun theme, OH ladies had a volunteering takeover at juniors on the Sunday, with most of the roles being filled by our members. It was so lovely to see so many familiar faces and really felt like the good old days of EF parkrun, where you were guaranteed to know lots of people whenever you turned up.

When you are touring, what makes you choose a particular event?