Tag: vegan brunch

Keeping it local- from zero parkfaff to extended waffling

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.

Gunnersbury parkrun- another London parkun

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.

Catford parkrun- another London event visited

After various touring and home commitments, Branka, Holly and I were all free to tour on the same Saturday, so it was off to visit another London parkrun for us. At least at this time of year, getting a 7am train isn’t too bad as it’s light when you leave home.

We have quite a few to visit in south-east London, and some of these are relatively easy with a train to London Bridge and then a different train from there, so we met at London Bridge to travel together on the second train.

Catford parkrun confusingly is in Mountsfield Park, and the closest train station is Hither Green- it must have been one of the earlier parkruns with the previous naming convention. Anyway, the walk from the station was very simple and not far (about half a mile). It was forecast to be a bit rainy, but we were quite lucky as it stayed dry on our walk there, only raining as we started parkrun and then easing off again after we had finished.

First timer welcome and the bandstand at the start

We arrived a little before the first timers welcome, so we took some pop up photos and left our bags under the bandstand (as it seemed that was the done thing)- at least they would be sheltered if it poured! The welcome was great- the guy enthusiastically informed us that part of the course went around a place that “famously” (?) Charlton Athletic had used for one year, in something like 1927. I like the personal touches and it was good to hear a bit about the local area.

Pop up pic and a few photos from the run

Even at 8:45, there didn’t seem to be many people about at all, but it was close to lots of residential areas and seemed like the sort of parkrun where people appeared at five to nine, as when the RD was doing the briefing it suddenly got very busy.

The course was three laps, but the third lap was a bit shorter than the first two.

I ran with Holly and we both got slightly confused at different points- the paths were quite meandering so it wasn’t easy to keep your bearings and so before our third lap I had forgotten how many times we’d gone past one point, and as we came up to the shorter section of the final lap Holly was thinking we had to do a bigger loop before finishing (I checked my watch to see our distance but handily as they had pacers we could also follow that person in to the finish). The park was varied, with exercise equipment, fields, small wooded areas and some allotments, plus lots of friendly marshals (and people with instruments cheering us on too). We were not in any danger of getting lost as there were loads of cones as well as plenty of marshals, but of course when it’s laps you need to keep count!

At one point I had a deja-vu feeling as it reminded me so much of a section of Brockwell parkrun (and weirdly Branka said it reminded her of it too)- there was part of a path where you ran close to the gates to exit the park, and you were running down at that point and then had to turn and run up- it was just so similar to how I remember that small section in Brockwell too.

After finishing I enjoyed a vegan cookie (as someone was celebrating their 100th and had kindly provided them) and we sheltered under the bandstand for a bit as the rain got a bit heavier. Then it was time for a final pop up photo and a walk back to the station.

Post parkrun pop up pic/ Poddington came along and I remembered to take a photo/ vegan cookies at the finish!

There was a little cafe in the park that looked quite cool- it was in a converted shipping container (although possibly you had to sit outside)- however there is a Leon at London Bridge so we decided to head back there on the train to get breakfast in a more sheltered place.

Parkfaff from Leon (I had the vegan breakfast sandwich, hash browns and tea)/ the cafe in the park/ matcha from B&B and the sun coming out at Borough market

The trains on that line were pretty frequent so we didn’t need to wait long to get back to London Bridge, and then we had a lovely parkfaff chatting about all things (including some more tourism coming up). I was going to head to B&B on my way home, as I was getting a different train back, so after Branka and Holly got their train back, I walked around to get some tea and the sun even came out on my walk back!

Voronoi update:

That was parkrun 454, location 158, and currently 41/65 in my (very long term) Lon-done project. Weirdly my progress towards that challenge and the newly named Explorer 250 are both on 63%

Up next? Probably a few local ones but maybe another London one at the end of the month, we shall see.

Clare Castle parkrun to celebrate my 450th!

Due to various factors, I didn’t know that I’d be home for my 450th parkrun until the weekend before, so it was a bit of last minute planning. After finding out I’d be home I looked into some London ones (I really wanted to see some bluebell woods), however rail replacement buses at the weekend just made the journey to any new one a real faff, so I started looking at drivable ones instead. Branka moved some things around too and so she was coming with me to celebrate, and to make it a new event for us both (and a pretty one), Clare Castle was chosen.

It was about an hour drive from picking up Branka so not too bad, the traffic was good and when we arrived in the car park we could see the parkrun flag so we really could not get any closer to the start.

I had drawn and coloured a 450 logo and used race clips to attach it to my 50 top, but I didn’t want it to tear while I was driving so I changed in the back seat once we got there.

The visitors board, my 450 logo and my top

As we walked into the park we could see the ruins from the castle that was once there (it reminded me a bit of Berkhamsted castle), as well as some wooden sheep sculptures, old railway tracks and little wildlife areas. They had a visitors board so I added the two of us, and then soon after the volunteer gave the first timers welcome, explaining the course- it is three laps with each lap including an out and back section. There were lots of narrow paths so you needed to keep left- sometimes you’d be overtaken and other times you’d be having other parkrunners heading back towards you on the other side of the path.

Pop up photo (from before- do you like how our socks match our tops?) and the selfie frame which we found after

We took a few photos of course- the pop up had the castle behind so it was a great backdrop for the photos, and then it was time for the main run brief- as I’d written my milestone up on the board I got an unexpected shout out from the RD which was lovely. (Someone had on the board their 250th and I was briefly worried that I was overshadowing a real milestone but it turned out to be their 250th different event so that was OK!)

Photos of the course

Then we were off! We had been warned that it was narrow and would thin out, and definitely the first lap felt a little crowded. There were lots of tree roots (the team had marked lots of them with cones) and little uneven bits of ground, so although it was fairly flat, not a pb course because of the ground but also the narrow paths. I just loved it though. The park was so pretty, and each lap had a good variety of things to see (play parks, a river, wooded areas, the castle ruins)- there were lots of very enthusiastic marshals out too (wishing everyone a great weekend on their final laps).

The route:

The strava trace illustrates how we must not rely on GPS to measure accurately though (it said 3.09 on my watch but now says 3 miles)- each lap was identical but the tracing is all over the place due to the twists and also the trees.

More photos from the course

It was a warm day and I was very glad of the shady parts of the route. At one point I went past a parkwalker and they said to me “well done- only another 6 months to go!”- I think it’s going to be about 13 months until my 500th!

Token/ finish area/ Found the selfie frame

The finish area was compact with the scanners at the end of the funnel (I just had time to take my routine photo of my barcode before it was scanned) and then I noticed the ‘selfie frame’ so of course had to have a photo. Loads of people were hanging about chatting and cheering, it had such a good atmosphere. Branka actually managed to take the photo with us both in the frame so we can call it a selfie frame when she is using it!

I did look at the cafe on site, but the only vegan options were chilli (not sure I fancied that for breakfast) or a pre-wrapped flapjack, so we decided to head to Vutie Beets on the way back instead.

Pop up photo after so that it actually happened/ Breakfast bap and mango matcha

The journey back home wasn’t much longer than the way there (a little traffic by Duxford)- a bit easier than any M25 parkrun that always seems to take twice as long getting back from. We managed to have our breakfast baps before midday anyway!

Voronoi update:

As you can see I have some big gaps around Cambridge, so at some point I need to visit some of those events to join up some of the orange squash.

So event 450 completed at location 156! And what a pretty event it was too.

Obviously it’s a while away, but I have started thinking about my 500th.

My participation milestones (official and arbitrary) so far have been:

50th- Panshanger

100th- Ellenbrook Fields

250th- Henlow Bridge Lakes

300th- Church Mead

350th- Lee on the Solent

400th- Victoria Dock

450th- Clare Castle

So, no discernible pattern apart from no repeats (and HBL for 250 was because EF hadn’t come back- if EF was still going it would have been there).

Where do you go for milestones?

Rothamsted parkrun for Queen of Herts again!

The new parkruns in Herts just keep coming at the moment, and a new one in Harpenden started a few weeks ago. Lots of OH ladies were heading there this past week, so I decided to go along as well.

I was giving my friend and her friend a lift there, and we left at about 8am and parked in the Lydekker car park at the top end of the high street (I don’t know Harpenden particularly well, and this is where I usually park as there are usually spaces and it’s free)- this was around a half mile walk to the start, basically straight down the high street- very simple and easy (I would always rather park further away and walk than have a hard time finding a space on the street or in a busy car park)- the event team have asked people to not use the leisure centre car park as this was one of the conditions of the parkrun getting permission- I really hope that people take heed of this and don’t jeopardise the event.

Anyway, onto the morning. As soon as you turn into the park you could see the start/finish area and the pop up. It’s a lovely wide space for people to gather in, and as loads of OH ladies were there in various groups there was lots of catching up and chatting, before we joined the queue for the pop up (even in the queue noticing more of us)- we didn’t all manage to be in the same photo in the end but there was a good attempt (which you may be able to spot further down!)

Pop up and Poddington

The first timers welcome was really well done in the traditional way (explain the course first, then ask brand new parkrunners to stay back to hear about how the finish works)- the volunteer was given a loudspeaker to try and make sure everyone could hear. The course looks a little complicated, and I have heard it explained in a few ways (a double lap, a figure of 8 repeated, a butterfly)- but basically you start on the central avenue of the park, head up the avenue and when you first get to the top, turn right for a large loop of the park which ends at the avenue- the second time going up the avenue you turn left at the top (for a tiny loop), then repeat. So basically go up the avenue and turn right, left, right, left… simple. (See below- starting at the green dot and going down to the left in the map)

Course map

After the welcome, they held the main briefing, with the RD standing on the steps leading up to the leisure centre building, and it was really well listened to considering the number of people there (over 600). Then we headed to the start which was just behind us. There was no tarpaulin of trust (although I saw on facebook that they are going to get one) but there were loads of benches so I left my rucksack on one of the benches.

Our fun OH ladies photo/ bench of belongings/ main briefing

It was the most beautiful day with blue skies and a bit of a breeze. I had opted for shorts and I was glad of them, particularly when heading into the sun during parts of the route. It was gorgeous. The route was one of those where you can see lots of other parkrunners out ahead and behind you, and one of my favourite views is streams of colourful sportswear outfits stretched out in front of me.

Start line views and running up the avenue of trees

We were off quickly, and the start was nice and wide (although there are some benches that line the avenue so you do have to watch out if you are running on the side of the path)- it is an uphill path though so you will feel it! As I got to the top a runner from OH ladies (Clair) ran alongside me, and we ended up running together and chatting the whole time (Clair is a lot quicker than me but she had run there so was already on about 10 miles I think!)- it was great to have company during the parkrun.

I really enjoyed the route- it is undulating (especially running up the avenue) and as the second loop (to the left) is small it means you run the avenue twice in fairly quick succession in the middle of the parkrun- however the park is really pretty and you run through various parts including a tiny wooded area. You also go past the start/finish area and the volunteers were out in force- one marshal even had a tambourine that she was shaking as she cheered us- it did have a great atmosphere.

In the run brief they mentioned that they had extended the finish funnel as it backed up a bit the previous week (not a surprise with over 600 people)- as we finished we just about got to the funnel before stopping, but again I am not bothered by this. The scanners were right by the end of the funnel, and lots of people were stood about cheering everyone in and catching up.

Views from the parkrun- so many colourful people up ahead!

After scanning I went to get my bag before meeting up with the various groups of people who were coming for coffee, and I had a funny request. As I walked past the pop up a woman asked me if I could do her a favour that I probably hadn’t heard before, and I was thinking “yes, I’ll take your photo in exchange for you taking my photo”, but she asked if I could take a photo of her with my phone and whatsapp it to her as she had left her phone at home- the horror! Of course I was happy to do this and so after taking photos I added her number and sent them over. And she was correct, I had not been asked to do that before!

Then it was onto the parkfaff. Harpenden is absolutely full of coffee shops and restaurants (may I recommend The Waffle House if you want something substantial especially as you can book a table)- the cafe in the park was rammed so we opted to walk down the high street for a bit- we passed Caffe Nero (and a Costa over the road) which were both super busy, so opted for Harris and Hoole- they had plenty of seats as there were about 15 of us I think, and they did various pastries as well as cooked items so it suited everyone as people could either get a drink or something more substantial. The cup of tea was huge- it gets my approval- and they did a few vegan items so I could have something there rather than relying on my emergency cereal bar in my bag.

After a lengthy parkfaff it was time to head back to the car, but I will definitely be back (on more than one occasion) as it was really enjoyable and the post parkrun options are great there too.

The finish area/ finish token/ parkfaff- check out the big mug of tea!

So that was parkrun 447 and location 154, and of course as that was a new event in Herts, Queen of Herts is achieved yet again.

Voronoi update:

It actually was quite a big chunk of map.

(Also my app was not correct as it gave me a new NENDY but this isn’t right- it did update since then with the correct one, not sure what was going on as I was at home)

Have you ever had any funny requests at parkrun or at running events?