vegan food - Maria Runs

Egham Orbit parkrun for Branka’s Cowell!

I’ve been touring a fair bit recently, and this weekend was no different. Branka was achieving her Cowell (100 different parkrun events) and wanted to go to Egham as it was near to her uni. Dad was keen to come too as he is closing in on his Cowell too (this was his 93rd event), and after enjoying the trip last week, Mum came along too.

Holly and Branka were going to meet us there, but of course the weather forecast was not playing ball, with flash flooding and lightning predicted. I had originally planned to pick up my parents as they are on the way to the M25, but I asked Dad to drive so that I could check my phone in the car, as if Egham cancelled we would divert elsewhere. Dad was a bit apprehensive about us travelling that far when I got there, as he was (understandably) worried about flash flooding, but as the rain had not been too heavy by that time, and the lightning wasn’t then due until the afternoon, after a message from Holly about how the roads were OK, he was happy to go for it. The journey was OK, with some spray from vehicles and a few slower sections but nothing like we had expected.

The parking is next to the leisure centre, with friendly marshals pointing you to the overflow car park. The course page mentions that you have to cross a level crossing, which may be closed for up to ten minutes, so definitely factor that into your journey time. As we exited the motorway we could see the section of red road on google maps, but by the time we got there is was back to being blue, so it must have been closed during that time.

There are toilets in the leisure centre, but only 2 cubicles, so there was a bit of a queue which meant we missed some of the first timers welcome. Never mind, the RD (who was brilliant, very engaging) had us all chant “three, three, nearly two” to help us remember the laps. I was pretty convinced that I would get lost or go wrong, but it was fairly simple. At one point I ran past the start/finish area, and carried on straight (as there was a cone there) before realising I had to go right and go around the perimeter of the field, but with the volunteers there I don’t think they would have let me go off the route.

The first 3 laps were anti-clockwise laps of the field by the leisure centre, you then went under the motorway (through the “party tunnel”) and then did 3 clockwise laps of a little wooded area, before going back through the tunnel and doing basically 2 laps of the leisure centre field again. The “nearly” aspect is because you come out of the tunnel part of the way around the field. Dad quite liked that we did both clockwise and anti-clockwise laps, just like the M25 that we passed under. It was strange to hear the constant hum of the traffic- it really was quite noisy even with the thick row of trees between the park and the motorway.

*A few mid-run photos and then the three of us by the pop up at the end with our 100 shirts to celebrate!* *In the top left pic you might be able to make out the little umbrella covering the phone.*

I ran with Holly, with Dad going off ahead (not on purpose but he is a bit quicker and so naturally ended up further ahead), and Branka was parkwalking with one of her friends, Adam. I thought we would see them more during the course, but we passed them during our third lap of the first field, and that was all. Apparently Branka saw us at one point but we were too busy chatting (sounds about right). I only saw Dad when he had finished and we were doing our final lap of the leisure centre.

The first three laps had quite wide paths, so being overtaken was OK, but the wooded section was very narrow. I thought that we would have been finished being overtaken by that point, but in the woods we still had people coming up behind us, and we still overtook a few people too.

For a lapped course (and basically nearly 8 laps) it did not feel repetitive, and I agreed with Holly who said she enjoyed it a lot more than she had expected to. It was flat apart from a little downhill slope on the leisure centre laps, the wooded section had some tree roots to look out for, and there would be some shade on a hot day. The event team really shone though, they were all so friendly and this really added to the occasion.

The scene at the start as we walked from the car park/ token/ pop up and one of the helpful signs out on the course

After the horrendous forecast, the weather actually wasn’t too bad. There was some rain, but it wasn’t heavy for the most part. After I had scanned, I ended up chatting to Shelley, who I know on Insta (another With Me Now pod connection- and I saw later on that her friend Kel was also there), and then we saw Branka and Adam coming around so decided to join them on their final lap. I made sure I moved way over a long time before the finish funnel, but the timer volunteer still called over to me to check I had meant to avoid the funnel. (Side note- as mentioned above, the timer had a mini umbrella to cover the phone which was total genius!)

We chatted for a bit longer with some of the volunteers, and then headed into Egham for brunch. The leisure centre cafe looked nice (nicer than the one at Jubilee) but it was mainly coffee and cake, and we wanted breakfast food, so the Liberto Lounge had been chosen. It’s around half a mile away, so you could leave your car and walk in, but it was raining heavily by this point and so we drove and parked in the Tesco (this was what one of the volunteers recommended when we asked).

Leisure centre lap, the woods section, breakfast and everyone heading off at the start.

If you’ve not been, the Lounge chains are really good for mixed parties, as you scan a QR code at the table and order and pay, (or you can order at the bar)- this means no worries about splitting the bill or anything like that. They also have an entire vegan menu, and are good at catering for different dietary requirements. I opted for the avocado on toast, tea with oat milk, and I loved that the jug came with a little oat milk sticker on it as this is one of the things I am most paranoid about.

Holly and I gave Branka a Cowell notch (a gold one, as apparently that is rules!) to mark the occasion. It’s been fun to join in with so many of their touring adventures. We spent ages chatting (mainly about parkrun touring but also other topics), and later on were joined by Branka’s friend Ruth, who had been token sorting. It was a lovely laid back morning, and it had even stopped raining by the time we walked back to the car!

So that was my 412th parkrun, and 137th location. It doesn’t count towards the Lon-DONE challenge, but it does count towards the Lon-DONE+ (which is all the parkruns with a section of the voronoi map inside the M25…. yes those challenges are quite specific!). It does give me another nice purple chunk- you can see I am less likely to visit the parkruns close to Heathrow!

After, before- *That purple patch is gradually working south*

Up next- a holiday, so a few Saturdays will be parkrun-less for me, but I am hoping to repeat one while I am away (no new events).

Preston Park in Brighton to celebrate a Cowell!

As you may well know, I will never pass up an opportunity to go to Brighton, so when Holly said that she wanted to celebrate her Cowell (100 different parkrun events) in Preston Park in Brighton, I was very happy to tag along.

Holly and Branka had the Friday off, so headed down in the day – they were staying at a different hotel to me so I would meet them in the morning. Andy got the train from home, and I drove from work (as work is close to the M25 so I am part of the way there). Of course Friday traffic wasn’t great but I got in around 7pm, so time for us to order a pizza (Purezza- so good) and then enjoy a breezy walk by the sea.

The weather had been to hot locally, but in Brighton there was a lovely cool breeze so it was actually really enjoyable to cool down for a bit.

In the morning I jogged the mile from our hotel to Preston Park, arriving just after Holly and Branka. We had all worn our 100 milestones shirts in celebration!

Pop up pics to celebrate 100 different events!

Pop up photos, chatting, first timers welcome and before we knew it, it was 9! I decided to line up around the 28 minute mark as it’s a fast course, and I was pleased to finish in 28:12.

That was my 9th time there and just as enjoyable- it is a busy course now but the paths are wide and you don’t have a long time with runners passing you on their final laps.

*A few pics from the event as usual- token, pop up and the busy start area.*

We didn’t chat for too long after finishing, as I had an 11 o’clock check out and wanted to have a shower before we met for brunch. I had a bit of a dramatic jog back, as I passed a domestic disturbance outside some flats (with a lady and two kids shouting and crying that this guy in their flats had tried to hit her)- I ended up calling the non-emergency police number as I was not sure if she was on the phone to the police at that time too- it turned out not so then police were dispatched- I was glad I had called but it did make for a bit of a panic jog back to the hotel when I finally got off the phone. In the end I got back at 10:30 so I didn’t have long to shower and pack!

Then the three of us met up in Bill’s for brunch, where I found that they do vegan pancakes so of course that is what I had. We spent ages chatting about parkrun (and life, parkrun adventurer style), as always so good to spend time together catching up and making plans.

Holly and Branka were getting a train back after lunch, whereas I was staying all day, so after a little wander around the shops they headed off and I met up with Andy for our typical Brighton Saturday- a walk by the beach towards Hove, Bird and Blend visits and dinner at Oowee before driving back home.

What a fab 24 hours in Brighton!

Next weekend is a non-parkrun weekend as I am off to DLP, but after that I have a few more bits of touring to fit in before the summer holidays.

Ben’s Yard, Ely parkrun and perfect parkfaffing

My parkrun touring buddies Branka and Holly are rapidly approaching their Cowells (100 different events) and so careful tourism planning is coming into play to make sure they don’t achieve them early. This relatively new event was one that they were both planning on going to, and as I was free I was very happy to head to a new event too.

The journey was around an hours’ drive from Branka, so I left home at 7:15 to pick her up at 7:30. This didn’t seem too early compared to some of our London tourism, and so I was surprised when checking my list of NENDY’s (nearest event not done yet) that Ben’s Yard was number 93 on my list! There are 92 parkruns closer (as the crow flies)that I’ve not been to. Shocking! As I am relatively close to London, all those south London parkruns would be closer even if the journey is a lot trickier and more time consuming.

Amazingly the journey went by without a hitch. After my last time driving into Cambridgeshire (Bug Hunter Waters) where I used the postcode and got us lost in a housing estate, I had finally remembered to pin the parkrun as a starred place in my maps, so the directions took us right to it.

The location is really brilliant for a tourist with everything you need in one place- ample and free parking clearly sign posted from the road, toilets, cafe, restaurant and shops. I am not sure how easy it would be to get to if you lived in Ely (eg could you cycle or run/walk, or would you need to drive) but for us it was great. As we pulled into the car park we saw the “parkrun parking” signs, and then saw Holly in her car. You could see the start area from the car park, so again, a tourists dream! We took our pop up photos and then jumped up and down trying to keep warm- the weather was not living up to the sunshine that had been promised. I can imagine that in the winter it would be quite brutal with cold winds whipping off the fields- you would stay in your car until the last possible moment.

Pop up pic!

We had a super first timers welcome (two laps, keep left until you are about to finish) and then were told to head to the start. As we walked towards the pop up, we were all called back as they wanted to do the main briefing in the same place that the welcome had been, rather than by the actual start. However, we were still at the start line and off pretty much at 9 o’clock (very unlike last week!).

Map- run along the path into the first field (on the right), loop around that field, then along a path and up the slope to run around the lake (left hand loop) and repeat.

I ran with Holly and we had a lovely catch up. The route was so enjoyable. It’s very flat (one hump that you run up, a bit like a bridge- was it a bridge?), around a field and then around a lake and through some woods. The field was quite rutted so I felt I had to keep my eyes on the ground to make sure I didn’t twist an ankle, but the rest of the course was gravel paths and a lovely running surface. I expect in the winter the field part would be very muddy, but the paths would be OK (maybe collect puddles?).

A volunteer took some photos and put them on their facebook page so we got a few mid-run pics which is always nice. Plus the pop up with the car park in the distance, and the token (111- a great number!)

Near the finish area is a huge photo frame lined up with the cathedral in Ely, so I took a photo of that as we ran past on our second lap. Really we should have taken photos of each other but I didn’t think of that until we’d finished. I really enjoyed that you ran past the finish area going into the second loop- the marshals and volunteers were all so enthusiastic so it was a great boost to pass them all half way around. The finish came up so quickly too- I think as the route was so varied.

A few photos taken while running including the frame with the cathedral in the background

Once we had finished and scanned we had a few minutes chatting before Branka came in, and then we headed back to the yard to find some breakfast.

You can see the car park and yard from here- it’s all so compact

They had told us in the briefing that there was a bakery/cafe, and a restaurant, and if you showed your parkrun barcode you would get 10% off in the restaurant. We decided on the cafe, and joined the big queue. (Holly popped out to check out the menu just in case we changed our minds) The cafe was lovely, with loads of pastries and cakes, and very pretty flowers hanging from the ceiling. It had a few vegan items but nothing really for breakfast (rocky road or a brownie), so I got a rocky road for later and was pleased I’d packed a vegan croissant in my bag. They did have plant milk so I could get a tea which is the main objective after running for me.

*Cafe views and the pretty wall of flowers in the yard- they had a few vegan items, and I could get a tea with oat milk*, although we were given takeaway cups even though other people had china ones, not sure why.

We spent ages in there chatting and discussing future parkrun plans- the best way to parkfaff! We had a little leg stretch walking around the yard area- there was a little knick knack shop filled with all sorts of pretty mugs and random Jelly cat toys and that sort of thing, as well as a farmers market style shop where I bought some salad topper (more interesting than it sounds). There was a very pretty wall of flowers so we had to get photos in front of that too. Then it was time to head home- again a straightforward journey and I was home and showered in time for lunch.

Stats: parkrun number 403, venue 132

Question- who is Ben? All I could think of was Ben Folds Five, but I am sure it is nothing to do with that. Probably.

Hackney Marshes for a NENDY visit

I thought I would be staying local at the weekend, but Dad mentioned he was keen to head to a new event, and suggested Hackney Marshes as one that we could drive to, so off we went.

It was around a 45 minute drive from me, so I was picked up at 7:45 and we headed off on a fairly straightforward journey. As we neared the exit, the Olympic velodrome came into view- it is quite exciting to be that close to the park (and then to try not to remember how long ago the Olympics in London actually were!). The parking was free, next to the Hackney Marshes visitor centre (toilets available), and from there it was a short walk, following other runners, across a little bridge and into the starting field.

The starting area had a great feel to it- there seemed to be loads of people, lots of tourists in matching club hoodies (maybe down for the London marathon weekend?) and we saw lots of pacer vests too. The first timers welcome gave us a great description of the route (around the first field/marsh, over the bridge and along the river, away from the river and alongside another field/marsh, and then back around the first field in the opposite direction.

There was a little speech at the main briefing as one of the RD’s was standing down, so she was presented with a framed RD vest which was a lovely idea. We thought they might mention or point out the pacers, but no, suddenly we were off!

The route was very flat, and the grass was lovely and springy, not too energy sapping like it can be sometimes. I had opted for trail shoes but road shoes would have been fine as it was so dry. The first field that we ran around was huge- maybe .75 of a mile before we exited? I loved seeing the colourful runners stretch out in front of us all around the perimeter of it. You could see some of the Olympic buildings (including the Orbit) as well as lots of blocks of housing that have all sprung up in that area.

After exiting the field we ran over the little bridge and then started the section by the river. I had wondered if this was an out and back section, but we had not been told to keep left so thought we were OK, and although we saw lots of runners going along the path in the other direction, these weren’t parkrunners, just people out for a Saturday run. After turning left at the end we realised it definitely wasn’t an out and back, and we skirted another huge field, this one covered in football pitches. The scale is hard to comprehend but it’s a huge green space.

As we passed back over the bridge we saw that the finish funnel was packed with people already, whereas we still had to go back around the first field again.

*The river we ran over, the finish funnel as we ran past, token and pop up sign*

It wasn’t long before we were in the finish funnel too, being reminded to keep in order as the masses finished with us.

After scanning and taking photos we headed back to the car, as Mum fancied breakfast out with us, so we drove back and then walked to a cafe close to their home where I had a very generous amount of avocado on toast (but also tea in a glass- why???).

*First picture- all the runners stretched out ahead of us around the field/ avocado toast/ finish funnel and the path by the river*

Of course, the all important map (after/before):

So, that was parkrun 401 and location 131, 32nd London parkrun (out of 65 currently)- I’m getting close to half way there!

Do you like tea in a glass? Either James Acaster or Dave Gorman did a very funny routine about it- I don’t know why because I drink other things from glasses but tea in a glass is just wrong.

North Walsham parkrun

Andy and I were off to Norfolk for the weekend in the Easter holidays, and last time I was there I went to Blickling parkrun, so I had a look to see what would be nearby. The roads around where we were staying are these little twisty single track roads, so 10 miles might be a 30 minute drive, and as we had plans for the rest of the day I didn’t want to go too far. North Walsham was about a 15-20 minute drive away, so it was decided.

The parking for the parkrun was in the town centre, close to the start, and although I parked up at 8:30, I was in the car park for a while as I couldn’t get the machine to work (it kept declining the contactless on the phone)- I had packed an emergency credit card so had to get that from the car and second time around that worked. I then jogged the short distance around to the park- I had seen the parkwalker pink flag on my drive in-and felt the happy feelings that parkrun tourists get when they see all the “caution runner” signs. There was no-one about (and this was maybe 8:45?) and across the field I saw what I thought was the finish funnel. When I got to it, it was parkrun tape, but just taping off a section of the course. I then saw one marshal in high viz (hooray)- but when I asked her where the start was, she very helpfully proceeded to give me a very in depth description of the (complicated) course. I asked her “do I go through that gap in the fence?” and she said “no, er, well, you need to go back to the road, oh, just follow those two runners”- pointing to two people running past on the road outside the park. I thanked her and ran after them, but when I got to the road they had disappeared from my view- I saw a little alleyway down the side of a building and took a chance (as they couldn’t have gone that far) and thankfully came out onto the field in view of the purple pop up.

My photo with Stanley and the parkwalker flag that took me to the public park and not the start/finish area

As I snapped a photo I heard the call for the first timers welcome- that was lucky timing!

So, the course. It sounds complicated, as you start in the middle of one of the laps (see above!)- but basically one lap of the school field, one lap of the public park, a second lap of the school field, a second lap of the public park, a final lap of the school field and then a loop around to get into the finish funnel (also in the school field)- you passed the finish funnel on your third lap of the school field at around 2.5 miles and I bet some people have run in there rather than complete their final lap!

Anyway, we were told that if there were pairs of cones, run between them, and if there were lines of cones, run next to them, and that seemed to pretty much work.

After the first timers welcome, one of the volunteers asked the tourists to stay for a photo, so I got a picture holding their Stanley (the little dog mascot), and then the main briefing began. There were a few milestones and celebrations, and they called out where some of the tourists were from, and then we were off.

A few photos from the route plus my token

The course was fairly flat. I’d worn trail shoes after seeing that advice in the parkrun tourists facebook group, although as it had been so dry leading up to it, road shoes would have been fine. I could imagine that it would be very muddy in the winter though as you are all on the grass pretty much the entire time. There were a few signs on the course with arrows for laps 1, 2 and 3, and loads of cones. There were also so many marshals out- in some places there were 3 together. There were a few points where you passed the same marshal but in a different direction and on a different section of the course, so at those points some marshals would be facing you, and others facing other runners on a different part of the route. It was all so friendly and of course on a sunny day it looked wonderful. As you left the public park you ran through a little copse and it just looked so pretty with the sun shining through the trees.

I did get slightly disoriented as I left the public park for the final time- thinking I was going to turn left after the woods but in fact had to go forwards further before turning, but this was fine as there was a fence where I thought I needed to turn, and cones out everywhere. It was just that sort of feeling where you anticipate turning and then realise you can’t.

I really enjoy these courses where you can see lots of the route too- it makes it feel more of a communal event with runners ahead and behind. They had a pb bell and as I was running around the school field for the final time I kept hearing it go, and then everyone clapping after, so that just added to the community feelings. It didn’t feel like a long time before I was heading into the finish funnel (and I did double check my watch before I turned in there!).

The little copse and then the pop up sign

After scanning and putting my token into their chocolate box collection container, I asked some other tourists for a pop up photo and then headed out of the park and over to Dark Room Chocolates. I cannot remember how I found out about this place, but at some point in lockdown I ordered some buns from them, as they used to make amazing vegan cinnamon buns, cardamom buns, almond buns etc. (all plant based). I think they maybe had a cafe in Norwich or somewhere that you could collect them from, but at some point their business pivoted from baking to making chocolate, and now they make chocolate (two ingredient chocolate too-just cacao and sugar) and have a little cafe that is only open on Saturday mornings, in North Walsham. The cafe is plant based, and they do hot chocolate, iced chocolate and coffee, and then a range of based goods, as well as all of their chocolate bars- you can even get a flight of their chocolate to taste all the different types.

Just some of the many cakes on display and my iced hot chocolate

I’m glad I had looked online as it is by a car park and looks from the outside like an industrial building, but inside there were tables with lots of people eating and tasting the chocolate. I ordered an iced hot chocolate to go, and got a couple of cakes for us to share later on, but there was a huge selection. The iced hot chocolate was so good. I didn’t get any of the chocolate bars as it was a warm day and I thought they would end up melting in the car (and if not then, on the journey home on Sunday), but the iced hot chocolate was perfect in the heat.

I had a banana in the car to eat too before I drove back to our AirBnB, and then it was time to have a quick shower and then head out for the day to some National Trust places (including Sheringham which does have a parkrun but would have been a bit too far to go in the morning and get back) and Blickling (previously visited) as we knew it was a nice one.

So, the all important voronoi map has been updated- the best thing about the runs close to the coast is that you get a rather huge purple segment going into the sea!

I also saw on the 5K app that I completed the Vegan Runner challenge (run a parkrun beginning with each of those letters- I needed one more N), and I have now done the compass challenge twice, as this was my second North, but I had already been to 5 South ones, 3 East ones and 2 West ones.

And the stats- that was my 399th parkrun (yes, the big arbitrary 400th next weekend) and my 129th location. All being well my 400th will be a new location too, fingers crossed.

So, another lovely weekend with some parkrun tourism in there, as well as lots of exploring and fresh air.