2020 goals

So next year will hopefully be a good a parkrun year as 2019 was.  Right now I have an idea of what I want to achieve but there are a number of factors which could change things.

In terms of tourism I would like to try and get 20 new Scottish parkruns done in 2020.  I am on 38 at the moment and if i did 20 that would take me up to 58 and there are currently 56 in Scotland at the moment with 2 starting in January and no doubt more throughout the year. So I don't expect to complete all the Scottish parkruns next year but I'll hopefully be in a good position to do it in 2021.  Most of the parkruns I have left to do, although not Glasgow, they are across the central belt.  There are still some scattered about such as Fort William, Oban, Aviemore, Inverurie and Montrose.  Then 2 island ones of Stornoway and Bressay (Shetland).  So a good bit of Scotland still to cover.  I have also have planned visits to Bushy parkrun and Victoria Dock parkrun which are both in London.  Bushy being the home of parkrun as it was the very first parkrun.

I am going to go for the sub 30 minute average parkrun time challenge again. The more I do Pollok or Queen's the harder it will be but its a fun thing to try.  It would be great to get my Pollok and Queen's time below 30 as it would mean I have a lot more chance of doing this challenge.

I also plan on volunteering more.  I'll keep going at Rouken Glen juniors on a Sunday and aim to volunteer once a month at either Pollok or Queen's where which one will depend on which one I spend more time at.

A milestone I should be hitting in 2020 is my 250th run.  Currently on 219 so just 31 runs to go.

Outwith parkrun I have entered the Great Scottish run - half marathon in Glasgow.  I have done this 4 times - 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2010.  I'll need to see how training is going about June/July to see if I'm up for it but I hope so.   I think realistically sub 2.30 would be a target at the moment.  Under 2.15 would be amazing. Then Sub 2 would be the ultimate.  Out of the 11 halfs I have done, I have never actually run a half over 2 hours before but I am prepared for it.

Happy new year when it comes and all the best for 2020.

2019 - A year in review

Surprisingly enough my running year this year has focused on parkrun. Although I have run slightly less parkruns this year than last year, I think my obsession level is still pretty high.

Tourism

Before this year, the maximum amount of new parkruns I had visited in one year was 6.  This year I started to think I wanted to try and do all the Scottish ones.  And with 11 for 11 challenge I wanted to do more parkruns that I hadnt done before.  In fact I ended doing 22 new parkruns this year, 20 Scottish and 2 English ones.  The thing is as well I did a lot of the furthest away ones in Scotland too - Thurso, Alness, Inverness, Elgin, Kirkwall and 5 of the Aberdeen ones. Then Crichton in Dumfries and Girvan down south. Then a few in Edinburgh and Fife too.  Its been awesome. From the planning to the train journeys to the parkruns themselves. Its been a lot of fun. The only thing that hasnt been as fun is I've learned I'm not that good at sleeping in hotels. But everything else has made up for it. And Thurso and Kirkwall were the only 2 nighters so for most of them, one nights lost sleep I can catch up on.  At the time of writing I am now up to 38 Scottish parkruns out of 56.  So still a fair way to go. But pleased with what I have achieved this year.

250 project/milestones

In about February 2018 I was on about 129 runs.  And I set myself the 2020 target of reaching 250 runs.  So basically a 3 year project.  I reached 175 last year, so the target this year was 210.  Currently I'm on 219. So well on track and hopefully will reach 250 next year.  This in turn meant I passed another landmark this year of 200 runs and I also did my 100th Pollok parkrun.

Sub 30 Average project

This year I set myself a target of having an average time at parkrun of under 30 minutes throughout the course of the year.  This was going really well for the first half of the year. But as summer past my times went up and down.  I did have a period of going to my home run Pollok more which is one of the tougher ones to get a good time in.  I did have a few good months in Autumn. But then October to December I didnt get out as much during the week as I should of and also volunteered more.  The thing is as well if I have a few bad runs I can end up runnning 37-40 minutes. And I can't trade that off with running a 20 minute run to make up for it. It takes several runs. But it is a fun challenge so I'll probably give it another go next year.

I wasn't actually a million miles away from my sub 30 minute average time. It was actually 30 minutes and 33 seconds. Compare this to 2017 (31.04) and 2018 (31.52). And it does show that I have improved this year. So that's a positive.

Times generally

26-27 minutes - 2 times
27-28 minutes - 4 times
28-29 minutes - 8 times
29-30 minutes - 6 times
30 + minutes - 22 times

Compare that to last year where I ran runs of 30 minutes or more - 35 times - So a markable improvement.

Volunteering

For the 3rd year running now I have been volunteering at Rouken Glen juniors quite a bit on a Sunday.  Its been a real privilage and a great hangout for me on a Sunday morning while at the same time feeling like I am giving something back to parkrun after all its given me.  I have mainly been doing tail walking too so a bit of excercise has been a bonus.  In terms of 5k volunteering I did have plans to volunteer more but they never really surfaced till later in the year. I was meant to volunteer at Pollok in April but I had to cancel due to sickness. I did volunteer at Drumchapel in May but it took till October to volunteer again as I was too caught up in running.  Then I realised I should be taking my turn more so in the final months in the year so I made sure I was volunteering at least once a month.

Heatmapping

I did have a plan to do heatmapping which is bascially trying to run round all the streets in an area.  I think I did about 7 runs and it worked wonders in getting my long runs. However, the further away I got from home the more complex it got in terms of working out distances and routes and my brain got frazzled.  So I moved on to normal longer runs for a bit before cutting down milage after the Milport 10 miler.

Overall I have really enjoyed this year and I hope for more of the same next year. I'll go into my goals in the next post. 

December parkruns

7/12 - On the Friday night I had my work night out through in Edinburgh. So I used the opportunity to stay the night through there and do an Edinburgh parkrun the next day.  I stayed in the Premier Inn in Edinburgh park so the nearest one to that was the Oriam parkrun which was only 6 events old that day.  I had a rough night hardly getting any sleep and I cant even say it was because of the drink as I don't drink.  I usually dont sleep very well in hotels but this was particularly bad.  Anyway I got up and managed to get the bus to Heriot Watt university campus with plenty of time before the start. I did a short warm up and considering my tired state I thought it was going to be a bad run today.

Oriam is an out and back course with quite wide trails to start with before it gets narrower and narrower. Generally on the way out it feels more uphill than downhill. And when it gets narrower, it also gets muddier. Once you reach that  point the faster runners are coming the other way and there isn't much room to avoid the muddier sections. So its a case of right through it.  And its thick mud too as oppose to wet mud so footing was a bit tricky. But the first mile and last mile are fine and you can make up time especially on the way back.  I had a pretty good run considering finishing in 31.33.  I would come back to this one hopefully in a more awake state!

14/12 - Today I was volunteering at Queens parkrun in some of the worst conditions I have ever seen at parkrun. The rain was torrential and the puddle at the start was just one long puddle.  If you went on the grass that was just as wet.  But everyones spirits were high and it was great getting to know more people at my local event.

21/12 - No parkrun today. I had a bad week sleeping due to stressing about things I shouldn't have and things snow balled a bit.  So I just chose to have a lie in to allow me to get my head levelled out again.

25/12 - Bonus parkrun today due to it being Christmas.  So I headed for Pollok. I thought I would park in the car park at the Burrell today.  I usually get there about 8.55-9am and today was no different. But what was different is that usually the car park is practically empty when I turn up with a few runners and volunteers kicking about.  Today it felt like the car park was already a lot busier.  So I drove right through the car park and parked outside the car park on Shawmoss road.  This is something I always used to do but due to Pollok being so quiet recently I thought the car park would be ok.  But because a lot of other parkruns weren't on I think a lot of people decided on Pollok and it turns out i made the right move.

I wandered down to the start and to my surprise there wasn't many people there and this must of been about 9.25.  Then all of a sudden everyone and I do mean everyone came up the road at the same time as if there was some meeting in the car park and now they were moving up to the start.  I had to stand right to the side and then make my way to the back of the pack as I thought it would be a slow one for me today.  I met Doug and had a good chat.  We walked to the start with the masses. And it was obvious it was way busier than usual. When it started you could run but as soon as I hit the first corner it was back to walking as the path narrowed. But after that it was running all the way. I was just pleased from that point I was running all the way round.  I ended up finishing in 33.57 which I could probably take a few minutes off but that's just want happens in big events.  To be honest I thought with the numbers today I was going to have to queue up to cross the finish line which happened earlier in the year. But it was fine. There was a queue for the scanners but it moved very quickly due to the quick thinking core team putting more scanners on. I think there was about 8 scanners today when usually there is 3-4 now.

If I'm honest the queue from the scanners at Pollok used to be one of my favourite parts.  I have met a fair few people just chatting in the queue and today was no different. I got chatting to 2 people both of which had done over 200 runs at Pollok with one over 300. I know there are people that need to get away after parkrun though so can understand the need to speed the process up especially today.

28/12 - Today I went to Dean Castle country castle park for my last parkrun of the decade, as my mum said she would drive me down. Once there I met Douglas, Craig and Jo who gave me the run down on the course as they had done it before.  It's basically a Y shaped course which you do 2 loops of.  My mum stood in the middle of the Y meaning I passed her a lot and she offered support.  But there was good camaraderie across the field with high fives a plenty both with runners and volunteers due to the 3 out and backs.  To be honest I thought I did better than my time suggested today but I think the short, sharp steep hills are what slowed me down.  But I did thoroughly enjoy it and thankful for my mum taking me down there.  My time in the end was 32.21.

Over the next few days I'll be doing an end of year review for my running.  Something to look forward to :-)

November parkruns

2/11 - The month started off with my first visit to Queen's parkrun.  It only started up in October but I didnt want to go to the initial events to stop overcrowding them and also I had already planned tourism elsewhere.  The park is just over a mile away from me, making it my nearest parkrun now.  Its so close I can't really drive there as walking/running there takes about the same amount of time.  Anyway I got there in plenty of time and that waas with leaving the flat at 8.55.  I got to the muster area and had a good chat with Ann before the start. I then met Kirsty and Pauline just before the briefing.  When it started they went off ahead but during the 3 laps we would be overtaking each other quite a lot and sometimes we would just run together and chat. Also spoke to June on the way round too.  I have never really run in Queens park before this and the course is very hilly. But most of the climbs are gradual.  And the main descent is all in the one go so it does feel like you are ascending more than you are descending but it is a nice course and you get great views from the top.  I came in about 31.30.  I then went into the church after for juice and biscuits. Had a good chat with folk and also got to sort the tokens.

9/11 - This week I did exactly what I did 10 years ago when I started doing Pollok parkrun. Where I ran the first week then volunteered the next.  Today I was marshalling and again there was an abundance of people I knew there today, including Rodger who was running his 250th.  It was another great morning followed by church afterwards to sort the tokens again.

16/11 - Today my brother joined me for parkrun. He wanted a trail course and I wanted to do one I hadnt done before so we settled on Drumpellier.  It was a very cold morning but I had a good run and enjoyed the course. It goes a bit round the loch then 2 loops of the woods and back to the start.  I felt I was running pretty well today. I ran with Ken on the first lap then gradually pulled away on the second lap. I think it helped that it was flat and I felt good when I finished. My time today was just over 29 minutes.

23/11 - No parkrun today as I had been off sick work on Thursday. I was back working from home on Friday but still hadnt quite shaken it off enough by the Saturday to even justify volunteering never mind running.

30/11 - Today was -6 degrees so it was a case of getting to the car at 815. De-icing. Then checking the phone to see what parkruns were on.  I was planning on doing Pollok but it got to 8.40 and they still hadnt declared.  But I thought the fact they hadnt probably meant it was on and even if it wasnt I could nip to Queens as that was on.  I turned up at Pollok and the set up team werent to return to where the volunteers meet till well after 9. Turns out they were doing an epic job since 745 getting the course into a fit state to run - with some extreme gritting.  Hats off to them. The reason I was doing Pollok today was it was one of my Rouken glen buddies Finola's 100th run AND 100th volunteer. Which is amazing to do both on the same day. I imagine not many people will have done that.

In terms of the run I took it easy today. I hadnt run in 2 weeks so it was just a case of getting back in to it again. I did have to walk for a bit of the second lap but generally felt quite comfertable.  I came in just over 34 minutes.

Overall I have let go of my running a bit this month. The weather has turned and motivation has decreased along with getting ill.  As long as I keep the parkruns going I'll be happy for this winter I think.

October parkruns

October saw a bit of a diffence to my usual running of parkruns.  For the first parkrun of the month I thought it was about time I volunteered again at a 5k.  The last time I volunteered at a 5k was at Drumchapel in May and I hadn't volunteered at Pollok since last year.  To be honest I dont really feel I owe anything to Pollok in terms of volunteering. I volunteered so much in the early days that I still have a pretty good run to volunteer ratio.  But I wanted to touch base at Pollok and catch up with folk and volunteering is a good way to do that. It was clear when I started to talk to folk that they had noticed that I hadn't been volunteering as much and I decided not to get into an arguement about it.  It has changed the way I think about volunteering and I think going forward I will try to volunteer more at 5ks.  I think I have been a bit too obssesed with trying to get to 250 runs and also I have been in the routine of just running.  But when I look at the big picture, why does it matter how quickly you reach a milestone? I'm not going to be the first person who hits the milestone so why not volunteer along the way in order for these events to go ahead each week.  So I have decided to try volunteer once a month and hopefully aim still for 40 runs a year instead of as many as possible.

So yeah I was number checking at Pollok and had an enjoyable morning catching up with folk.  During the next week I was ill and off work. I got to Friday and I was at that stage where I was still ill but getting better.  I did think about running but decided against it.  At about 6pm on Friday Tollcross put out an appeal for 5 volunteers for the next day. So I decided to go ahead and marshal there.  I hadn't really had much fresh air during the week so standing outside in the fresh air, cheering on the runners was exactly what I needed.  I have run Tollcross quite a bit due to it being my go to course when weather is bad, so it was good to be able to repay them when they needed it.

The next week it was up to Inverness. I have been through Inverness 4 times this year for various parkruns but this time it was the destination.  I stayed in the Premier inn west which was only a 5 minute walk to the start.  They used Whin park instead of Bught park today due to the overnight rain.  I did something today that I havent done before on my travels and that is volunteered and run.  The reason I did this is because although I speak to some people when Im on my travels, volunteering means you automatically speak to people.  When I saw there was a role for post event close down I took it.  It was good chatting to the locals and some of the core team prior to the event.   The run itself was very puddly and muddy conditions.  Two laps of the pond then 3 laps which are bigger and include the pond loop. It was easy enough to track the laps and I enjoyed splashing through the puddles.   It did make for a slower run and I was about 32 minutes.

Then finally for the month it was a trip to Dumfries to do Crichton parkrun.  The Holiday Inn I stayed in couldnt have been any closer to the start it was great.  It was a funny run as the first bit is all on roads round the campus connecting all the buildings.  You go about 200 metres from the church before joining the start of the loop which you do twice.  It was so twisty and turny I actually lost track of where I was.  I thought I was still heading out but then I passed the women who was marshaling the lap point where I realised I was starting the second lap. On the second lap I pin pointed the turn which goes round so much you almost go back on yourself. But its so gradual I didn't notice the first time.  Once two laps are done you go round into a different loop which is on paths and some trailish path.  It has some undualtions but generally quite a fast course.  I really pushed it today and was delighted to get round in 28.07. Especially as I havent really done much running this month.

My challenge to get my average parkrun time for the year is proving challenging and average time is currently 30.19 so it is close.  Problem is now that Queens park has started up and is very hilly and is now my local parkrun. So not sure if I can get that average down but I will try.  With Queens starting up it doesnt also bring about a new decision to make as to where my home run will be - Pollok or Queens.  I couldnt drive to Queens as it feels to close. Half an hour walk and I'm there. But Pollok is still easy to get to.  Maybe it will be clearer once I run Queens which I do plan to do in November. 

September parkruns

In September I managed 3 out of the 4 parkruns available.  None of which were in Glasgow so I clocked up a fair amount of miles.

07/09 - First up was a trip to Girvan. My Dad has been saying for a while that he would be happy to drive me down to Girvan and this was the chosen weekend. It turns out the reason was so him and mum could have a round of golf at Girvan as the course is included as part of their season ticket. And of course to let me run the parkrun. A win, win for all.  So we headed down on Saturday morning, getting there nice and early. We went to the parkrun start initially to see where it was then headed for the golf course.  I watched them tee off then walked round to the start.

Usually at "away" parkruns I'm not that sociable, just keeping to myself.  But due to the smaller numbers at Girvan it is pretty easy to socialise.  I got talking to folk from Inverness, Girvan locals, Strathclyde, one of the prospective directors at Stranraer parkrun and even someone from my home parkrun Pollok.  31 of us took part today and the course goes out beside the coast, does a lap round the grass and comes back along the coast and you do that twice. 

I set out at a pretty good pace and it felt like there were plenty of people around me. As the first lap went on I realised I was picking people off. When folk were coming the other way I realised that there weren't that many people in front of me. I was thinking - could this be my highest place at a parkrun yet?  I kept maintaining a good pace and finished in 27.31 and to my delight got 8th place! I hadn't run that well in months so it was a good confidence booster.

14/09 - From Girvan in the south east of Scotland the previous week. This week I was up to Ellon in the North East of Scotland.  I stayed in central Aberdeen on Friday night and got the bus up to Ellon in the morning. There is a bus stop convientley placed about 5 minute walk from the start. It was quite a wild morning with wind and rain but once you got going it was fine.  The director giving the pre-run brief was from the prospective Inverurie parkun and she did a grand job along with the rest of the volunteers.  I think I started a bit too far back as it took until crossing the bridge over the river to really find my stride and placing in the pack. But after that it thinned out and it was fine.I enjoyed the bit where it goes right beside the river particuarly as it was very pictureesque.  The route does a loop round a small park before going back along the river. This works well as it means there is not too much traffic in the out and back section.  I got a time of just over 28 minutes so again pretty pleased with that.

21/09 - Today I was meant to go to Pollok as I was heading down to Newcastle for the football straight after.  But when I woke up I just felt like today was going to be a bad run. I wasnt ill but just not feeling it.  So I decided just to do a run round the block.  I had to walk after 5 minutes so I was glad I didnt go to parkrun as timings would have been tight to get my train.

28/09 -  Another Saturday, another adventure. This time it was up to St Andrews parkrun. On the Friday night I met my mum and dad at Glenrothes and stayed the night in a Travelodge. Then we drove up to St Andrews on Saturday morning.  We got to Craigton park about 9 and walked up to where the start was on the map, only to find that the start is now right next to the car park.  After the first timers briefing, the guy who did it saw my Pollok parkrun t-shirt and we had a chat. Turns out it was Andrew the Fife ambasador.  It was quite busy day due to the golf being on at St Andrews. And that is exactly why my mum and dad were there as we were heading there after.  Another win, win for both of us.  This run was a bit different to usual. it was 3 laps and the first lap I was thinking I need the toilet. Then I realised there was a toilet so went.  Then the next 2 laps I was thinking how glad I was there was a toilet on the course.  lol.  Anyway the course is fairly flat but there is a slight incline at the back of the course which I did notice but it is still quite a fast course.  I was delighted to dip in under 29.29 even with the stop!

So pretty pleased to get 3 parkruns under 30 minutes this month which will bring the total average down for the year. I have a funny feeling if I did do Pollok it would have been game over as it could have quite easily been a 40 + minute parkrun. As much as I wouldnt mind that, it was the right decision to miss it on this occasion.

A guide to touristing the Aberdeenshire parkruns

I have managed to get up to all the Aberdenshire parkruns this year and enjoyed them all. Whatever you look for in a parkrun I think there is something for everyone in this area.  If you want to find out about the parkruns themselves I have done blogs on them throughout the year and also I would recommend searching for Douglas Mason's videos on You tube if you want an even better idea of what they're like.  But this blog is mainly aimed at how to get to these parkruns if you can't drive or just would prefer to get public transport.  To make it easier I have split it up into different sections. I realise if you don't live in Glasgow or Edinburgh the first bit might be mute. But once you get to Aberdeen I think everyone who can't get there in the morning faces the same dilema. So here is what I have learned and what I did.

1) Getting to Aberdeen from Glasgow or Edinburgh

2) Where to Stay

3) Aberdeen parkrun

4)  Hazlehead parkrun

5)  Crathes Castle parkrun

6)  Stonehaven parkrun

7)  Ellon parkrun

8) Going home

9) Reasons I ended up staying central

1) Getting to Aberdeen from Glasgow or Edinburgh

For all my journeys to Aberdeen I got exactly the same train from Edinburgh each time. The 1736 from Edinburgh Waverly which gets into Aberdeen at 2005.  Its ideal if you can just go straight from work and you can also go up from Glasgow Queen street.  The trains to Aberdeen from both are generally once an hour.  If you live in Stirling, Perth, Dundee or surrounding areas you are on the way too.  I would say if you are going from Edinburgh, you are as well going from Waverley if you can rather than Haymarket as the trains do tend to be busy and by getting on at Waverley its a lot easier to get a seat.  And if you have a seat reservation which you get with cheap singles, I wouldnt bank on it because every time I have been on that train there have been no seat reservations. So it is just a free for all.  

In terms of cost I made the mistake the first time I did it of getting an open return.  Yes I could come back anytime I wanted but at £70 it was expensive.  Getting cheap singles by booking in advance (earlier the better!) is the way to go in my opinion unless you want that flexibility. Because getting the cheap singles does mean you are commiting yourself to certain trains. I realise not many people will live exactly in Glasgow or exactly in Edinburgh. So will probably have to get another train to get to Queen street or Waverly.  If you are doing this you are as well seeing if buying each part of the journey seperatley is cheaper and it is quite often the case.  To give you an idea on how much cheaper it can be. On my last trip to Aberdeen I got cheap singles and it ended up costing £24 return.

I know a lot of people choose to drive, but I would recommend the train even just once for the amazing views you get going up the coast both in Fife and in the North east. Some of these views you can only see by train.

2) Where to Stay

With every parkrun in Aberdeenshire you have a choice as none of them are right in the city centre.  You can either stay in the centre, then get a bus or run to the parkrun in the morning or alternatively you could get a hotel closer to the parkrun and travel to it on the Friday night.  I did a bit of both.  Its basically a choice between B & B's and independent hotels nearer to the parkruns or chain hotels in the city centre.  

3) Aberdeen parkrun  - 10 minutes by bus north of city centre

For Aberdeen parkrun I took the bus from the bus station in union square which is right next to the railway station on the Friday night.  I stayed at the Brig Inn which is litrally just 10 minutes on the bus.  There are quite a few buses which go out that way so no issues on getting a bus at that time.  From the Brig Inn it is about 400 metres to the start. So its an ideal location if you want a lie in. I used booking.com to book it and it was only about £35 for the night.  

In saying that now I know how easy this parkrun is to get to, I would probably have stayed in the city centre next time. As from the bus stop its about a 5 minute walk to the start.

4) Hazlehead parkrun - 2-3 miles west of city centre

For Hazlehead parkrun there does seem to be buses which go past the park entrance and it is about 10 minutes to get from the park entrance to the start. But I stayed in what I thought was the nearest hotel to the start which was the Double tree hotel.  It didnt seem like it was that handy for the buses and when I arrived in Aberdeen on the Friday night my thinking was I just want to get to the hotel. So I ended up getting a taxi which was about 7 quid.  It was only about 2-3 miles out from the city centre.  From the hotel in the morning it was about a 20 minute walk to the start.  Again this was booked on booking.com for about £40.  To get back, it was a nice day so I ended up walking and it took around 50 minutes.

As nice as the hotel was, I think if I was to do it again I would stay in the city centre.

5) Crathes Castle - 40 minutes by bus west of city centre

For Crathes Castle there was 2 options.  Either stay in Banchory on the Friday night which is just beyond Crathes Castle or stay in the city centre.  For this one I stayed in the city centre.  The reason being if you stay in Banchory you still have another 3 miles back to Crathes castle in the morning. If you can manage a 9 mile run round trip including the parkrun fair enough. There is also the option of getting the bus from Banchory back to Crathes Castle. But there is the 202 bus which goes from Union street in Aberdeen about 815 in the morning and is due in at Crathes Castle entrance at just after 9am.  It is still a 3/4 mile walk to the entrance which is probably about a 10-15 minute walk. But to give you an idea of how much time you have. My bus broke down and they had to get a replacement bus.  I got to the entrance at 926 and I still made the start of the parkrun - Just!

If I did it again I would stay in the city centre too.

6) Stonehaven - 15 minutes by train south of city centre

For Stonehaven I also stayed in the city centre and got the 827 train out from Aberdeen in the morning.  This train gets to Stonehaven about 845. Its a 10 minute walk from there to where the parkrun is, so I got there in plenty of time at 855.

If I did it again though I would probably stay in Stonehaven. There are hotels and B&Bs which are very handy for the parkrun. Also you stop at Stonehaven on the train on the way up and it did feel a bit pointless going all the way into Aberdeen and then coming back out again.  If there was a problem with cancelations I think it would be quick enough to get into Aberdeen then out to either Hazlehead or Aberdeen beach.

7) Ellon - 45 minutes by bus north of city centre

Ellon was my last trip up to Aberdeen and again I stayed in the city centre.  In the morning the 67 bus goes from Union square bus station beside the station about 815 and takes about 45 minutes. I use my phone to track where I am so I know where to get off.  The bus is a bit slow getting out of Aberdeen but once it gets out onto the dual carriage way its very quick.  The bus is every half hour for the way back. 

8) Going home

Depending on whether you like to go to cafes after parkrun or not will decide as to what train you choose for the way home.  All the parkruns I have done I have got back to the city centre well before 12 as I don't bother with cafes and prefer to get a shower in the hotel before I leave.  So the 1248 train to Glasgow has suited me well and there is also a 1312 train to Edinburgh which I have taken once as it worked out cheaper that time to get home to Glasgow via Edinburgh.   There are also plenty of lunch options both in Union square and Union street before getting the train back.

9) Reasons I ended up staying central

So apart from Stonehaven where I would probably stay in Stonehaven next time. Here are the reasons why I would stay central for the others.

 - When you get off the train on Friday night in Aberdeen you don't have to worry about connections to your bus. Aberdeen is your destination for the night.  Especially if your train gets delayed as you could end up missing the bus

- Being in the centre means there is greater flexibility in terms of which parkrun you do.  Where as if you stay beside a parkrun you are commiting to that parkrun. Moreover, when you are booking a month or 2 in advance can be risky in terms of bad weather, as it may lead to cancellations .  But on the otherhand you get more of a lie in!

- And finally I stayed in Holiday inn to get points and make use of their extended checkout which is 2pm.

August parkruns

Better late than never! Hopefully I remembered right what actually happened in August but I'll just start rambling as usual and see if it comes back to me

03/08 - Starting off the month at Pollok parkrun since it was Craig's 250th and he invited me to come along.  You might recognise him from the You tube videos his friend Douglas makes of their journey round all the parkruns in Scotland.  It was good chatting to him and Jo in the first mile of the run. For the second mile I caught up with Stuart and Pauline, also from Rouken Glen juniors and we ran together. For the 3rd mile Stuart speeded off, while Pauline fell behind. Despite all the good chat I was still giving a good effort really all the way round and managed to come in just over 30 minutes which I was pleased with.

10/08 - Back at Pollok again but this run was to be very different to the previous week.  I had been a bit ill during the week so no running and I clearly wasnt firing on all cylinders today.  I was yo, yoing a bit with Doug who I know from Rouken glen juniors and found myself walk/running after the first mile.  It was easy to walk so cant really say it was a tough run.  And when you do parkrun as much as myself, I have had many off days. So it no longer frustrates me to have a slower run. I just kind of accept it. So today I came in just over 37 minutes.

17/08 - This adventure actually started the day before on the Friday as I headed up to Orkney for Kirkwall parkrun.  As I took the train up to Inverness. Then it was bus to John O'Groats, ferry to Orkney, then bus to Kirkwall.   My hotel was just a short walk to the start.  Its a really nice area they have for the parkrun which is really right in the heart of Kirkwall.  During the pre-run briefing the run director asked if there was any tourists. I was reallly surprised when about maybe 40% people put there hand up.  And when they went round where everyone was from, a lot of folk were from England.  As I say it is a really nice place to have a parkrun but I couldnt help but thinking the course was a bit of an accident waiting to happen for the first 500 metres.  Its a narrow path and within the first 500 metres there is an out and back. During this time people are still sorting out there position in the pack, weaving in and out. Meanwhile you have the front runners coming the other way in no time at all.  Maybe they looked at all the options and this was the only one which is viable though.  But positively after the first out and back people are spread out enough that it isn't an issue for the rest of the run. I was pleased to just dip below 30 minutes on what was a reasonably flat course. 

I had the rest of the day in Kirkwall as I decided to make it a 2 nighter and head back on the Sunday.  In the afternoon I had a really nice time walking round Kirkwall, going to museums and the historic Scotland site, as well as the cathedral.  I wish I had another day so I could have gone to some of the sites outwith Kirkwall as there were plenty of bus tours. But for me thats a lesson learned for when I do Bressay.

24/08 - Another adventure up north, this time it was to Stonehaven parkrun which is just south of Aberdeen.  I actually stayed in Aberdeen just because I was into the routine of booking the same hotel for the last few Aberdeen parkruns.  Although when I went past Stonehaven on the train on Friday night I was thinking maybe I should have just stayed in Stonehaven.  The train was fine in the morning though and it was only a 10 minute walk to the park in Stonehaven from the train station. I actually arrived at 8.55 to the park and there was no-one there so I found a bench and just chilled out for 20 minutes.  Gradually more and more people congregated right in the middle of the park. Then someone put all the signs out.  It did remind me of Drumchapel parkrun a bit. Quite a small parkrun in terms of numbers, 3 laps and some tough hillls.  I did get chatting to one of the women there too who I later found out was one of the run directors there.  Which is quite reminicent of Drumchapel as I always find myself chatting more at the smaller parkruns than the larger parkruns.  In terms of the parkrun itself, I enjoyed it.  I managed to run up the big hill twice, albeit slowly.  The third time I had to walk up but once I was up to the top I managed to increase the pace quite a bit and finished strongly.  So for this one I came in about 31 minutes.

31/08 - Today I was back at Pollok and it was for a wee parkrun landmark as this was my 100th Pollok parkrun.  For the first mile or so I was running with Craig, Jo and Pauline.  As we reached the main hill by the glade though they all started to pull away.  I did have to take some walk breaks but it wasnt as bad as the run I had at Pollok earlier in the month.  So came in about 33 minutes.

So getting an average time of 30 minutes or less is suddenly getting a lot tougher especially as I seem to be doing a lot of hill runs at the moment. But I did complete 50 miles for the month which is what I set out to do. So hopefully I can continue to build on that and that in turn will get my times down a bit.

July parkruns

06/07 - First parkrun of the month was back at my home parkrun Pollok for my 200th run.  I had told a few people beforehand but I didnt really see this one as a big one with 250 being potentially 1 year to a year and a half away. I got to the start and to my surprise my parents were there to support today.  I didn't tell the run director it was my 200th but I had told someone who I thought was going to tell him but forgot so didn't get a shout out. No big deal.  The run itself was the best run I have had at Pollok since they changed the course dipping in, in just under 29 minutes. Another person I told it was my 200th was my mate Alan who I didn't realise was there until 200 metres before the end when he sprinted past me.  Afterwards I made the stupid move of going to the run director who was doing barcode scanning and telling him it was my 200th run. I said it wasnt his fault as he didnt know but I still should have probably kept quiet. But a good day nevertheless, I got a good time and glad the parents and my mate came down to support. I'll be sure to email in myself for my 250!

13/07 - I was off on my travels again and it felt like this one wasn't really about the parkrun itself but the journey to get there. I headed up to Aberdeen after work on the Friday and stayed in the city centre.  In the morning I got the bus out to Crathes castle which should have got me there for 9.05 to the entrance of the grounds then a 15 minute stroll to the start.  But about half way there the bus pulled over and the driver got out and it looked like the bus may have had a flat tyre.  It wasnt a flat tyre but a small pane of glass at the bottom of the door, had not shattered but it was cracked.  So he took a photo of it and sent it to the engineer who said to him the bus couldn't continue the journey and said to everyone to get off the bus.  At this point I was wondering what to do - should I just head back to Aberdeen as how long would it take to get another bus? It was every half an hour the bus so waiting for the next one would mean missing the parkrun.  I asked the driver how long it would be and he said he should be able to get to Crathes castle by 9.30.  I was still thinking I would miss the start and dont know the route. But I thought if I turn up late I could always volunteer at the finish and scope the place out.   The bus came and I arrived at the castle entrance at 9.26.  At this point I knew there was a chance of making it. I had scoped it out on google maps beforehand so knew the way to the start.  I ran pretty hard and reached the large grass section where the castle is to see the field assembled at the start with a car going right through the centre of them.  This bought me some time as I ran across the grass and it was litrally 3, 2, 1 Go. 

The run itself felt like an afterthought as I was already knackered.  Thankfully the first k was downhill. I had a chance to catch my breath a bit. Then after a k you turn around and go back up the path.  Then you hit the trails and go on quite a big loop. This bit was a wee bit lumpy but generally flat.  I quite enjoyed this bit.  Once you do the loop its all uphill to the finish. I have heard from people saying that its the toughest finish to a parkrun in Scotland whereby it is definitley up there but I think Camperdown is up there with it out of the parkruns in Scotland I have done.  I finished in just over 32 minutes which I was pretty pleased with considering it was a hilly course and the journey to get to the start!  A very nice parkrun though and well worth the trip.

20/07 - I wasn't quite sure where I was going to end up this morning but I eventually opted for Linwood because it is a nice and flat course.  I wasn't really feeling that up for it so decided not to go for it today and just take it easy. Well after the first mile I was walking and I just got slower and slower. I just wasnt feeling good at all. I made it eventually in 40 minutes which is easily my slowest time of the year.  The thing is it never really clicked I was ill at this point, I wasnt sure what was wrong.  I also have the challenge going of trying to average under 30 minutes for parkruns across the year and this has put a bit of a dent in that!

27/07 - On the Monday I went into work and had to go home at 10am as I was feeling unwell. I was off work for Tuesday, Wednesday tooo. I was back to working from home on the Thursday and then went into work on the Friday. I was meant to go up to Aberdeen to run Ellon parkrun but I was still in that zone on Friday where I wasnt sure if I was fit enough to go.  The only time I would find out was when I was actually doing it and for me I didn't feel like it was worth the trip to find out during the run that I wasnt 100%. So I opted for Pollok instead.  It was nice light showers and to be honest I was just pleased that I ran all the way round considering how was during the week and that Pollok is a tough course.  I ended up finishing in just over 30 minutes.

So an up and down month. In terms of the challenge to average under 30 minutes. I was doing pretty well and was under 30 minutes but this month my average has been pushed up to 30.06! So I have work to do to try and get it back down again. I am also doing the 11 for 11 challenge which is 11 different parkruns running then 11 volunteering stints. Thats what is required to get silver so I have done the volunteering now and just got a few more runs to do.

June parkruns

This month started off with more adventures to parkruns I hadn't done before.

02/06 - First stop Elgin. I took a half day on the Friday and headed north by train in the afternoon.  I just made my connection in Inverness as there had been delays but was nothing to panic about as it was only an hour wait till the next one and Elgin isn't too far from Inverness.

I stayed the night in the Premier Inn which was about 15 minute walk to the park. On the way I passed the cathedral and I could be wrong but it seemed like Elgin's main landmark. I got to the park in time for the first timers briefing where the guy described the course as a frying pan. It looked flat too so I thought I was in for a fast one today.

I started a bout middle of the pack and because the path is quite wide for the first quarter of a mile I could get into my running right away even with a good sized field of about 200 runners. It spread out quickly as we made our way round a loop of the park, passing the small lake. Then you go up the river, under the bridge and pass the football stadium. Up to the marshal and run back to the start. Then you do it all again. At the beginning of the second loop I was making good progress. About half way round the loop something happened that doesnt usually happen at parkruns that often. I got overtaken by a group of 4 women (not really relevant that they are women).  This is because usually i start off slow and gradually pick up the pace each mile so I usually dont get overtaken that often never mind 4 in one go.  But these girls were clearly running in a pack and had an excellent strategy.  Looking at the results after they finished about 26.20 which would have been a seasons best for me. 

But thats when things started to go wrong for me. Once round the loop and starting on to the out and back I had given everything and had to walk run the out and back bit.  But I still finished it off in just over 28 minutes and surprisingly didnt get over taken that much.

09/06 - I did intend to be back in Glasgow this week but my work were having a night out in Edinburgh on the Friday night. So I took the opportunity to book myself a hotel in Dunbar for the night and do Lochend woods parkrun in the morning.  It is quite difficult to get to Dunbar by public transport on a Saturday morning in time for parkrun without either being mega early or late so staying the night in Dunbar seemed like the wisest move.  And the hotel was about 10 minute walk to the start.

In terms of the course it seems like they have made the best out of what they had.  The course starts off round the football pitches before heading into the woods. This is good because it spreads out the crowds before hitting the narrower trails.  It had been raining quite a lot so the trails in the woods were quite muddy and quite a few puddles. But the puddles were easy enough to avoid.  I did like the out and back bit in the woods as you got to encourage runners runnning the other way.  It was 2 loops altogether. While I was over 30 minutes today, it was a comfortable 30 minutes so was quite happy with it.

15/06 -  This was to be my biggest Scottish parkrun trip to date and what a journey it was.  I took the full day off on the and headed up to Thurso for their parkrun.  Left the house at 9am and got to Thurso at  6pm.  The train ride from Inverness to Thurso was one of the best I have ever been on.  My hotel was again about a 10 minute walk to the start. I got there in time for the first timers briefing.  Usually there are quite a lot of tourists when I go to breifings and I wouldnt usually say where I was from. But today there was only 3 of us touring so I gave Glasgow a shout out.  I really liked the course. 3 laps of the river.  I got into a good pace and found myself running behind a guy for quite a bit.  At the end of the second lap there is quite a narrow bit as you go on to the bridge which really only has room for 1 person at a time.  The tail walker was just in front.  I looked behind me and the first place guy was coming.  So I signalled for him to go past me.  He thanked me, then I followed him past the tailwalker. On the 3rd lap there was walkers coming in the other direction and I was picking up the pace, catching the person in front of me.  He then looked behind and saw me coming up and slowed down so I could get past before the walkers got to us.  I would like to think this sort of thing happens all the time at parkrun.  I was both on the receiving end and giving end of a nice gesture which is what its all about. 

My time was also pretty good finishing in just over 28 minutes.  I made sure afterwards to thank the guy who gave me the space to move past him as well as the other guy who pretty much much paced me for half the run.  Its great for a place like Thurso to have a parkrun and the journey was well and truely worth it for the parkrun and the journey to get there. 

22/06 - I would be lying though if the travelling didnt take its toll for the next week though. It was knackering. And when this Saturday came although I was intending to go to parkrun I opted to have a very long lie in instead.

29/06 - With the heatwave hitting this week it is tempting not to go running at all but I managed to drag myself out of bed today and headed for Pollok.  Due to the heat I decided just to take it easy today and although still tough in the heat it was quite an enjoyable run.  I finished in 33 minutes which is probably my slowest time of the year but at least I got out there.

May parkruns

May was holiday time as I headed on a cruise from Southampton down to ports in France and Spain.  But due to the timings of the cruise, leaving on a Saturday and coming back on a Saturday, I did manage 2 English parkruns!

04/05 - First off was Newbury parkrun. There was no special reason for doing this parkrun. It was a case of discussing with my Dad which parkruns were on the way to Southampton as we drove down from Glasgow. Newbury parkrun had a Premier Inn nearby so ticked the box.  The parkrun is situated in a disused air field which means it has a very large space to use and they maximise it, as the course is a single lap.  The route doesnt go on the old runway but around it on reasonably widened paths.  When I looked around at the start it didnt actually feel like there were many people there, maybe a few hundred. Where in fact there was just over 600! Which is the second highest attendence for a parkrun I have ever participated in behind Edinburgh. Its such a wide space at the start that you feel that this parkruns capacity is not even nearly reached and there are plenty of car parks too to meet the needs.

I decided to start conservatively placing myself in the middle of the pack and never really had any problems. I gradually picked up the pace going round and ended up finishing in 28.23.

11/05 - This was probably the most planned/unplanned parkrun day I have ever had.  The ship I was on was due to get in about 4am but disembarkation was due to start till 7.30am. But we didnt really know how long it would take to get off the ship and then get the car. So the plan was to go to Southampton parkrun. I would just head straight there, getting the bus and mum and dad would take the stuff and get the car and meet me there. The parkrun was only 2 miles from the dock.  

But we ended up getting off the ship and got the car by 7.45am. So I suggested we could find a parkrun further up the road as we driving all the way up to Glasgow today.  Also Southampton parkrun is the second busiest parkrun behind Bushy most weeks. Today for example 1,200 runners so it may have taken a while to get out of Southampton. So anyway, my Dad started reeling off towns nearby asking if they had parkruns. After a few no, nos we settled on Winchester. Which wasn't too far from Southampton but gave us a wee head start for the day.  

We got to Winchester in plenty of time. The course is a bit mentally challenging with the all the loops and trying to work out the route. Although you run round cricket pitches a lot there is some extremely nice sections running along beside the river. I would say the course is about 80% grass/trail. 20% tarmac.  I had a good run today, again starting off conservatively and gradually increasing the pace.  Finishing in 27.09.  I did have one gym session duing the cruise, no running but a lot of walking which must have done the trick.

18/05 - No running of a parkrun today due to running a Millport 10 mile fun run on the Sunday. But I did volunteer down at Drumchapel parkrun for the first time.  I know the event/run director there from Rouken Glen and as he was run director at Drumchapel that I said I would help out.  I was number checker which is a very easy job at Drumchapel due to the low numbers they get. 34 today. But it does mean more time to chat and they have a really good bunch at Drumchapel.

The Milport 10 miler the next day went better than expected. I had a restless night the night before and felt rubbish when I woke up.  I actually phoned my brother to say I won't bother today but he talked me into going.  I hadn't done a long run since the start of April where training had been going really well up until that point.  But I still got round with a lot of thanks to my brother for running with me even though he could have gone a lot faster.  It was a good catch up more than anything. I managed to run 10k distance fine and took 3, 60 second walkbreaks to the end.  But a great day out with my brother and his family. Glad I went.

25/05 - Back to running parkruns. Today I went to Pollok for the first time since the start of March. I was half thinking I should be in line for my fastest Pollok time in while since my times have come down a fair bit this year.  On the other hand I haven't been doing many hilly parkruns recently so it was interesting to see how I would fair today. The answer though was positive. I paced it well and my legs felt good pretty much all the way round and the hills didn't seem that difficult.  Finished in 29.33 which is my first sub 30 at Pollok this year.

Overall a pretty good month for parkruns. I would say my training hasn't been as good during the week due to holiday and recovering from the Milport 10 miler. So hoping I can get into more of a routine again.

In terms of my challenge to average under 30 minutes over the course of the year things are going good and current average is 29 minutes 32 seconds and thats me up to 20 parkruns, run so far this year.

April parkruns

March was such a good month and April started in the same mould.  9 and a half mile long run on the first day of the month. Longest run in years.  But that was only the start of a very up and down month.

06/04 - First parkrun of the month was off to Portobello.  Prior to this I had my biggest training week of the year and including this run I was up at 22 miles.  So my legs were slightly tired going into it.  In my mind I just thought to take it easy today and just enjoy it.  Portobello is a very nice course and attracts about 300 runners a week.  Its 3 laps, which go round the lake then up the river, over a bridge then back down the other side the river then round the lake.  Its pretty much flat, more lumps all the way round. Nothing too taxing or that you could call a hill. I felt comfortable all the way round and had plenty in the tank for a sprint finish.  Finished in 31.20.

After this run though, the next week I got ill and had to take 3 days off work and then for the first time this year miss a parkrun.  Which was due to be Pollok but that will have to wait another day.

20/04 - This was my biggest parkrun trip yet as I headed up to Alness which is north of Inverness.  I headed up on the Friday and stayed in a great B & B which was about 5 minutes walk away from the park.  It was a warm day and 160 folk in attendence.   I was looking forward to this as it does have a bit of a reputation as being a good one. And it did not disappoint.  Its an out and back course which goes along beside the river, then opens up a bit out to the sea staying on trail like surfaces. Then it goes up along a pier, right to the end and then you turn back and retrace your steps.  I thought I started quite slow as for the first mile I was keeping up with the 30 minute pacer.  I decided not to check my watch.  Turns out I ran the first mile in 8.40!  I slowed up a bit in the second mile but kept it going in the 3rd mile to finish in my second quickest time this year in 26.53.  A great and fast course.

Then the next week I started to feel dodgy again but not enough to keep me off work, but enough to stop me running.  That was until Friday, when I nearly got to work, felt absolutley terrible, crossed to the other platform and took the train straight home.  I was wiped out and haven't felt that bad for a long time.  So Saturday parkrun cancelled again where I was meant to be tailwalking at Pollok.  One day I'll get back there!

Milport 10 miler training was going so well, hopefully I haven't lost too much fitness and can get a bit more training in before the race next month.  

Also 11 for 11 parkrun scotland challenge has started. I did 10 for 10 last year but this year you have to volunteer at least 11 times if you want to get anything more than silver.  It shouldn't be a problem getting silver if I keep volunteering at Rouken glen on Sundays.  But to get gold you need to run 11 different events and volunteer 11 different events.  Don't fancy travelling for junior events and missing too many at Rouken glen. So that would mean sacrificing more runs on a Saturday.  I have an initial plan to do this so I'll see how it goes.

As for average time it should still be under 30 as this month I averaged under 30!

March parkruns

02/03 - Back at Pollok for the first time in 3 weeks. Did something a bit different today and started my watch when I crossed the start line rather than when they shout go and their timers started.  I wanted to see how long it took to cross the start line which was 30 seconds today.  As usual the first k was a bit slow as pace is very much dictated. But I got into my running after that and ended up just under 30 minutes watch time and 30.22 official parkrun time.  The official time was actually my second fastest time on the new route at Pollok.  I'm slowly getting used to it!

09/03 - Out for another adventure today as I was up to Dunfermline for their parkrun in Pittencrief park.  I stayed in Holiday Inn Express the night before near Dunfermline Queen Margaret station.  It was about 2 and half miles from the start so decided that was a bit too long a warm up so took the train from queen margaret to Dunfermline town and had a 0.7 mile jog warm up from the station to the start via the abbey to arrive with 10 minutes to spare to the start of the run.  At the first timers briefing the guy made it clear it was a hilly course and it was 3 laps so it was good to be mentally prepared in that respect.

At the start, I posistioned myself about half way down the pack. And got into my running straight away, absoultely no problems during in the entire run of getting stuck behind people or anything like that. The paths are nice and wide and there was 138 runners today.  There is one main hill you go up on each lap which I adjusted my pace for and made it up pretty comfortably each time.  To be honest I couldn't tell you how bad it was as I make a habit of looking at the ground when going up hills rather than looking up as I tend to find it mentally easier not seeing how far I have to go up it.  But to give you an idea of difficulty there were people around me that were walking up it on the first lap.  There are many undulations dotted around the loop but apart from the main loop the rest does feel quite flat and downhill.

I was delighted with my time as I dipped below 29 minutes with a 28.51.  Its my best time on a hilly course for quite sometime and as my Dad says considering I didn't know the course before hand its harder to know what pace to set out at so a good run.

16/03 - I wasn't sure what parkrun I was going to do today. The weather was dodgy so it was a case of waiting till 8.30am and seeing who was going to cancel and who was going to be on.  Drumchapel, Pollok, Ruchill and Linwood all cancelled but noone else had declared they were actually on so I gambled on the least likely to be off and headed for Tollcross. I thought it might be the alt course due to ice but it turned out the grass was actually slippier than the paths. So it was normal course. Although the run director in the briefing did say to take care as it was a bit slipply in places.

I took this on board and set off pretty conservatively.  The weather was pretty wild with sleety rain pouring for the majority.  But after the first lap I realised the underfoot conditions weren't really that bad and I could pick things up in the second lap.  I finished just over 30 minutes which I'll take on that course but I know if I was I bit more free flowing on the downhills on the first lap I would have been under 30.

23/03 - Today's adventure was back up to Aberdeen for Hazlehead parkrun. My hotel was about a mile and half away from the start but I decided just to walk rather than have a jog warm up to save myself for the actual run. It was a glorius day.  Its an out and back course up a wide trail path which runs along beside a golf course.  The first mile is a gradual uphill and I was a bit surprised when I looked at my watch to see I had done it in 10 minutes.  I know I wasn't going all out but I did think I was going a wee bit quicker than that. At the same time I was running well within myself but I did think it might be a slow one today.  The next mile which included the turn around I picked up the pace a bit and ran 8.50.  Then I really got into my stride when running down the hill to the finish and ended up finishing in 27 minutes and 11 seconds.  30 seconds quicker than my time up in Aberdeen the previous month and my fastest time in any parkrun since June 2017. My last mile was 8 minutes.  Delighted with it.

30/03 - Today was a last minute decision to do Linwood parkrun as I hadn't done it for a while and its one of my favourites. Met Finola from junior parkrun at the start and after half a mile we realised we were going the same pace so chatted for a bit. After the first mile I started to pull away. She could have gone a lot faster I think but she was saving herself for Tom Scott 10 miler the next day.  I felt pretty good all the way round and gradually increased the pace in the second and third miles. I ended up with a time of 26.41. 30 seconds quicker than the previous week. A great way to end what has been my best month of running in some time.

In my challenge to get my parkruns below 30 minutes on average this year. Overall I am now 29.49, thanks to some quick times this month.

February parkruns

02/02 - The weather for this one was a bit dodgy. The previous day tempretures got down to -6 in Glasgow and some parkruns called off on the Friday with others in the Glasgow area holding off till Saturday morning to declare.  I had it in my mind to go to Tollcross again as I they had the good XC course. It came to Saturday morning and I was a lot more prepared than usual to deal with the elements and also cancelations.  I got down to my car for 8.15 and got rid of all the ice.  In the past I have missed parkruns due to not descraping quick enough - not today! I checked my phone and refreshed facebook reguarly for updates.  Victoria was first to declare it was on. I waited till about half past and no one else had posted yet. So I thought to just go for Victoria.

When I got there it was reasonably busy but it was quieter than I thought considering Pollok, Linwood and Ruchill were off plus Victoria is usually very busy at the moment.  The run itself was good. I think I started a bit too far back as for the first lap the pace was very much dictacted. For the second and third laps there was a lot more room so I actually ran a pretty good pace for me.  As it was the alternative course it was slightly longer so I reckon I would have been under 29 minutes if it was the normal course but I still managed under 30 coming in at 29.45.

09/02 - I went on a run on the Tuesday at work which was to change the way I want to approach running. It was a great run, I really pushed it and got round the route faster than I ever have before. Well below sub 30 min 5k pace.  However it took me days to recover from it and I did feel a bit dazed for the next few days as my body recovered. It made me realise that I was trying to race too many runs and I needed to take it easier if I am going to improve and be able to run more.

So with this in mind I went along to Pollok on the Saturday with my new easy approach mentality. I'm not going to say it was easy as the words "Pollok" and "easy" don't really go together. But I did run it more conservatively than I otherwise would and ended up doing it in 32.13. I realise this strategy is going to mess up my goal of averaging below 30 mins for parkruns throughout the year. But I am thinking of changing it so I do one all out effort a month.  This is something I used to do when I was a lot more successful a runner and I think it may be the way forward. I'll try it anyway and see how it goes.

16/02 - What a difference a week makes.  I have had a really good week running and I rept the rewards today.  It was Springburn parkrun time and I started off the run chatting to Pauline who is the ED at Rouken glen. Although she quickly realised I wanted to run slower and she wanted to run faster so off she went.  I maintained a comfertable pace all the way round and felt really good.  I looked at my watch when I finished to see 28.31. I could not believe it. A seasons best and the best I have run since I last did Springburn in September last year.

23/02 - I was due to run Pollok today according to the schedule. But that schedule has now gone out the window. I saw the weather forecast earlier in the week was meant to be good for the weekend. I fancied a bit of adventure so headed up to Aberdeen after work on the Friday and stayed overnight within a short walk of the start of Aberdeen parkrun.  This was an extremely good run. It is an out and back course. But the out is beside the road on a wide pavement with plenty of room for the 300 runners.  It takes a while before you get views down to the beach but they do come.  At the turning point you go down to the bottom path which is nearer to the beach so no problems at all with people getting in the way as you are on 2 different paths.  The path on the way back does have slight inclines and delines but this is a very flat and fast course. 

In terms of my own performance it couldn't have gone any better. Getting faster each mile and at no point I would say I was feeling it while putting in a good effort. I think taking it easier and have more runs during the week is starting to pay off. Time was easily a seasons best 27.40

So after saying I would scrap the average time thing in week 2 of this month. I have ended up getting an average of below 30 minutes this month. So average parkrun time this month was 29.32. And out of January and February average I have reduced it to 30.23.

January 2019

Well on the whole 2019 has kicked off fairly good.  Out of 6 parkruns on offer this month I did all 6.

01/01 - On New years day its double parkrun day. Although to be honest at the start of the day I was only thinking about doing one parkrun as I have not really been doing enough training to manage two.  So I turned up to Pollok and gave it a good effort.  I did have to walk in my ususal spot but apart from that had a pretty good run and ended up with a time of 31.51.

After the run I got talking to folk who were asking if I was doing the double.  And eventually I just thought - well why not! So I drove over to Victoria parkrun for round 2.  It was very busy with around 500 runners. I had a good run and was getting faster with each lap.  There was a queue to cross the finish line so by my watch I was just about 30 minutes but my actual time was 30.20.  Not too far away then.

05/01 - Next up was a trip across to Ruchill where I suddenly realised I had gatecrashed another Runbetweeners meetup (Although this one I didn't know about! honest lol.) It was good catching up with them before and after the run. The run itself was very good.  This was the 7th time I have done Ruchill and this was the first time I had broken 30 minutes. My actual parkrun time was a bit faster than watch time due to the timer being a bit out of sync with the token sorting. But over the course of the year it will balance itself out especially as some of my times have already been slower due to queues at the finish line.  But anyway my parkrun time was 29.07 and watch time 29.37.  So pleased with it either way.

12/01 - Back at Pollok and it was extremely busy and not far off the record with 596 runners.  Again I had a good run and finished round about 30 minutes.  But due to the queue at the finish line the timer didnt click me till 30.40. 

19/01 - The forecast wasn't great for this day and the previous night it had been snowing. So I thought it would be best to be on the safe side and go to a parkrun with an alternative course. So the chosen one today was Tollcross which I hadn't been to for a while.  Turns out it was icy on the main course so they used the alternative. This is 4 laps on the grass and pretty hilly.  I really didn't know how to pace it so just took it easy.  I did really enjoy this one and it was good to see Jacqui as run director who I knew from my Giffnock days.  Also bumped into Doug and his friend who I know from Rouken Glen.  I finished this one in 32.14. Reckon I should be going faster than that but hopefully that will come as the year progresses.

26/01 - I had one of those days with this one where it was an achievement just to start the run.  I was just not in the frame of mind for it at all. Sitting in my car at Pollok wondering if I should just wait for it to start then drive home. But with about 5 minutes to go I saw my brother and thought to myself I can't not do it now.  So got out the car and headed to the start.  I caught up with one of the run directors Alan in the first mile. And to be honest for the first couple of miles I was paying no attention to how fast I was going.  Apart from talking to Alan my mind was well and truely away with it.  Then when I got to the bottom of the glade for the second time I realised I had a lot left in the tank and actually recorded a segment PR for the bottom of the glade to the burrell which was even faster than my brothers time who ran the course 5 minutes faster than me today.  I finished in 31.35 realising that I know I am fitter than that time shows but today was just an achievement completing it.  With it being on every week your not always going to be at the races every week.

So overall a very good month.  I know I went on a bit about timings not reflecting my watch times. I honestly realise that just happens and will do more as parkrun gets more popular.  The reason I focus on it is that one of my challenges this year is to try and get my average parkrun time below 30 minutes.  At the moment for January my average is 30:58.  So I'll just need to get faster and get sub 30s to the point where queueing is not an excuse!