January and February parkruns

Been a while since I posted so thought I'd mix things up with a new format.   Instead of going week by week of which parkruns I've done, I'll go over the tourist ones, then any others I have repeated/home runs.

Erskine Waterfront parkrun

The first parkrun I did this year was Erskine waterfront parkrun.  This was the first time I did this one and was very handy to get to being just outside of Glasgow so I could drive there no problem and had no issues with parking having arrived around 9am.  I hung about in the car for a while before making my way over to the start.  This is where I met up with Craig, Douglas, Mhairi and Susan.  Got the first timers briefing which was good and lined up to start.  Craig and I started off together, but I prompted him just to go for it as I am a lot slower than him.  When I met him afterwards, he was grateful as he ran his fastest time in a while getting under 25 minutes.

I settled into a nice pace.  The course runs along the Clyde and is two out and backs which is perfectly flat.  You get great views of the Clyde and the Erskine bridge.  There were 123 runners and although the path was narrow at times there was no problem with overtaking or folk getting in the way each other. I finished in 33.27, not a great time for me for a flat 5k but it did feel comfortable, and I didn't have to walk. Afterwards I met up with the gang and their friend Callum and headed over to Caulders for breakfast.  

Hay Lodge parkrun (Peebles)

In the second week of February, I headed to Peebles with the folks to tick off another parkrun.  This one was really easy to find heading from Glasgow as the car park is on the same road you come in on, if coming from Glasgow direction.  The park is across the road.  The course is basically 4 laps, but the two middle laps are the only ones which are the same.  The first lap is the flattest and the gentle downhill start means you can go off too quickly and maybe I was slightly guilty of.  The second and third laps are the same and go up a hill, which I just walked up.  All three of the first laps go along beside the river for parts which was nice and the fishermen were out in force.  

The final lap is a shortened lap and the finish is uphill going on to the grass.  Even though it was hillier this was my fastest time of the year at that point coming in at 32.58.   There were about 70 runners today which is one of the smaller events I have been at recently which is not surprising given the location but still a decent number, nevertheless.

Keswick parkrun

As seems to be tradition in February, my parents and I have a short break away in February and this time the location was Keswick.  There were 2 parkruns to choose from in this area; Keswick or Whinlatter Forest.  The latter known as being one of the hilliest parkruns in the UK. I opted for the flatter Keswick parkrun.  The parkrun is an out and back along a disused railway which is now an excellent walking/cycling path.  And the start is at Keswick's disused railway station which acts as a perfect meeting point and if it does get wet it means the volunteers have cover.

At the start their was a special guest who was in town.   He was Iranian and directed a movie which was showing at the film festival in Keswick.  He was given the task of counting us down to start. But instead of 3,2, 1 go., He said 1, 2, 3 go. There were a few sniggers lol, but job done and off we went.  I settled into a slow pace at the start and noticed I was gradually overtaking throughout the first half.  The course is amazing; One minute you are going over bridges, next through a tunnel.  Then you have the river weaving its way round and beneath you.  It's quite a spectacular one really.  Instead of having marshals stood along the way, they let the marshals run with the other runners and if they see something happening, they can phone base.  There is a marshal at the turn.

I finished in my fastest time this year of 32.33 and enjoyed a nice sprint finish.  This was the busiest parkrun I have been to this year with 189 runners in attendance.

Queen's parkrun

So overall in January and February I did 7 parkruns.  3 above then 4 at my home parkrun Queen's.  These were back-to-back.  I pretty much had the same strategy for all of them.  Run the first 2 hills on the first lap, then walk the third hill on the first lap, then walk all the hills on 2nd and 3rd lap.  But try and be a bit more aggressive going down the big hill on each lap and run all the flat bits.  The result? 35.01, 34.40, 34.42, 34.19. 

So nearly a Groundhog Day in there and improving gradually.  My midweek runs have disappeared again so need to try and get more of a routine going again.  Pretty pleased though to add 3 more locations and have no cancelations which can often hit during winter. Long may that continue.

 

September parkruns

 I did have plans to do a lot of touristing this month but as this year is going, didn't quite fulfil my goals.

Week 1 - The first week of the month I was back at Queen's for a volunteering stint.  But got a run credit too as I was tailwalker.  The last 2 girls gave a good effort getting round in around 42 minutes.  The thing was they were running quite a bit of the uphills then walking on the flat bits, so it was actually a bit of a workout.  The thing is the marshals were encouraging them to run up the hills so can't blame them.  In my head if you think you’re going to have to walk bits of Queen's always do it on the uphill’s and you can make up more time on the downs and flat bits.  But I don't generally say this to people at the back as you don't want to come across like you’re telling them what to do, especially when you don't know them, and you don't want to put them off coming again.

Week 2 - This week I was all booked up to go to Aviemore then things started to happen.  On the Thursday during the day, they had closed the train line at Perth meaning all trains cancelled up to Inverness.  At this point I was thinking would it be cleared by the next day.  Later on, that day sadly the Queen died.  That night things like football were cancelling all the matches for that weekend.  But there were no signs of what parkrun would do that night.  I had a hotel booked but hadn't booked any trains.  So, since my hotel I could get a full refund if I cancelled then, that's what I did.  As it turned out parkrun sent out a communication on the Friday lunchtime saying they would leave it to event teams to decide whether to go ahead or not.  I think about 6 in Scotland cancelled but Aviemore didn't announce they were on till 5pm so it would have been a bit of a gamble going there as I would have had to leave before then.

After all that I didn't even make it to Queen's in the morning.  As much as I enjoy a run there. When you have got all set on doing a parkrun further away its more difficult to motivate you to do a local one.

Week 3 - So to get myself back in gear I booked up to go to Stranraer.  Those that have been reading my blog will know I have tried to get to Stranraer many times to do the parkrun this year and last.  Last year I tried, and the hotels were fully booked up when I was trying to go.  April, I had booked but was ill.  May I got to Ayr and then Scotrail cancelled all the trains to Stranraer and I had to turn back.

and September............. I made it!   And what a trip.  I stayed in North West hotel which was right next to the station and 10 minute walk to Agnew park.  I didn't get a good sleep as per normal when I'm away but still got round the 3 lap course in just over 30 minutes.  It's one of those courses that they really do use every inch of it and you get to see all the runners a lot due to the out and backs.  It's quite nice running up and down the pier too for part of it.

Week 4 - I was due to go up to Oban but I was off work sick during the week so took the decision to cancel the trip. As it turned out I was feeling a lot better on the Saturday and went along to Queen's.  Not only that but actually did an alright time for me for Queen's in about 33 minutes.  

August parkruns

 Week 1 - Number checking at Queen's parkrun

Week 2 - The week prior I was down in Southport with my parents on holiday and they said the plan was to go back via Newcastle and can do a parkrun there.  So since I have a lot of the parkrun alphabet challenge complete and needed a J, I selected Jesmond dene as the selected parkrun for that week.  It was a great course in a nice park which was set in a big valley. Needless to say the course had some very steep ups and downs but also some flat parts too.  I thought it was a very interesting course.  I think it was the first one I'd been to that they said they would have to cancel during the event if a helicopter had to land in the field bit they used.  I had a pretty good run too coming in around 32 minutes.

Week 3 - Back at Queen's, this time for a celebration as some of my Rouken glen buddies were celebrating milestones.  Kirsty with her 50th run on her 50th birthday and Morag with her 50th volunteering stint.  Another run for me at the high end of 32 minutes but feeling a bit fitter.

Week 4 - This was proved when I went to Largs prom parkrun with my parents.  Nearly 2 months since my last new Scottish parkrun.  This was another one where they could have to cancel during the event if the lifeboat had to be used.  I paced this one well and ended up under 30 minutes for only the second time this year.  

For a change this month actually went to plan and good to have ticked off another couple of venues.  For the alphabet challenge I just need a B, Y and Z now. I say just but they are all decent journeys especially the Z which has to be done in Netherlands or Poland.  At the moment though my focus is still the Scottish parkruns and hopefully tick off a few more by the end of the year.  Largs was my 51st out of now 65 as Palacerigg in Cumbernauld has just started.  I initially set a target of 60 Scottish ones which I should have really reached but due to everything which has gone on this year I have accepted it's not going to be possible.  But that just leaves more fun for next year :-)

July parkruns

 This month I had planned to do different parkruns starting off with Oban on the 2nd July. However, the trains were still dodgy with a reduced timetable so I cut my losses and left it.

2nd July – So, instead I headed to Elder park for the first time.  This is a pancake flat course on the southside of Glasgow in Govan.  It's three and a half loop, almost 4 loop course.  Which takes a bit of time to get your head round as you go around. As the half loop to the finish line starts first.  Then you do 3 laps from there.  I ran all the laps till the last lap where I had a wee walk.  Finishing in just over 31 minutes.  Amazing the amount of folk, I knew there.  A lot more than I usually see at Queen's. Must be the flatness luring them in.  

9th July - I did plan maybe a parkrun in Glasgow I hadn't done for a while.  But with my parents and brother on holiday I didn't want to go too far away in case of any car troubles or something else which would leave me too far from home.  So, Queen's was back on the agenda today.  I ran the first couple of hills but after that I was walking most of them.  I hadn't run much during the week so couldn't really expect a good time and ended up with a time just over 36 minutes.

16th July.  Back at Queen's again.  This time I was going in having had a few good runs during the week and felt a lot better on the hills. In fact, it wasn't till the last lap that I had to walk a few.   So managed to take 3 minutes off last weeks’ time and finished in 33 minutes
23rd July - I was undecided whether to run or volunteer today and, in the end, I did neither.  I hadn't run during the week due to the heatwave.  Then I was out on Friday night and when I woke on Saturday morning my body just didn't feel like running.

30th July - I got out for a quick mile loop on the Wednesday but due to having to wait in on parcels didn't get much done apart from that.  Plus spent the week in quite a bit of discomfort which I won't go in to.  But I managed to make it to parkrun which was an achievement in itself.  I changed my tactics this week due to the discomfort and walked pretty much all of every hill right front the start.  This meant a lot slower time coming in at 38 minutes and I was overtaken early than ever by 4 speedies coming down the big hill on the first hill.  It's amazing though that I felt way worse than last week, where I didn't make it to parkrun then I go when I probably had every right to miss it.  I was meant to go to Aviemore today but due to the week I was having cancelled that. And it was absolutely the right decision, as being on a train for all that time with what I have been going through would have been hell.

But every cloud, I have now run 25 parkruns at Queen's park.  I can't tell by stats who has run the most overall, but I can tell you that in my age group I'm now sitting joint top with another guy.

June parkrun update

 4/6 - Today I was planning on going to Drumchapel with some buddies from Rouken Glen but I did not get a good night sleep the night before due to worrying about something not parkrun related.  So, I didn't fancy the drive over to Drumchapel and opted for Queen's instead.  When I got to the start, I recognised more volunteers than runners.  Turns out there were 100 runners and 49 were first timers.  Seems everyone has gone away for the weekend with lots getting their Q for the alphabet challenge.  I was not expecting a good run today due to my tiredness and I was going very slow pace.  But surprisingly I didn't have to walk till the 3rd lap and that was only on the 1st and 2nd hill, the third one I was ok on.  So, I finished in just over 34 minutes but really the achievement was just turning up today.

11/6 - My parents were up for a trip today and offered to take me down to Stranraer to do Agnew parkrun after the fun I had last month trying to get there.  But as it should be doable by train when the trains do sort themselves out, I thought it would be a good opportunity to do a parkrun that is a bit harder to get to.  And that parkrun believe it or not is Loch Leven parkrun.  It feels like it should be easy, but you can't get public transport to it from my flat in the morning and it's even a bit complex getting somewhere to stay overnight and get there in the morning despite their being a bus stop next to Loch Leven Larder where the parkrun is.  So, my parents made it easy for me and gave me a lift in the morning.  Which I am very much grateful for.

We arrived in plenty of time and made our way to the start.  I started quite near the back and went off on the small loop.  It goes up a hill and when it comes back down the hill you can see the people behind you. This is when I realised there was only the tail walker behind me to my surprise.  Usually there at least some walkers but not today.  Once you do the small loop you do two big laps.  The first big lap I ran it all and managed to pick a few people off.  The second lap I had to walk jog as was feeling it a bit. It was very tough conditions today as it was very windy and the course is very exposed.  But I did enjoy it all the same and got round in just under 34 minutes.

18/06 - Today I was meant to be number checker at Queen's but due to a few dropouts in the morning I was moved to marshal point 2.  A fun morning all the same.

25/06 - Today was my parkrun buddy Stuart's last RD stint at Queen's park so a couple of my Rouken Glen buddies and I decided to go down for it.  It was nice because after Stuart had done the pre-run briefing, he said if the timekeepers were ready.  Craig one of the timers and another run director at Queen's said no and continued to thank Stuart for all he has done for Queen's and at parkrun. I think he and we all know Stuart will continue volunteering in some capacity, but this was his last RD stint.  And he deserves all the plaudits for all he has done for parkrun over the years.

In terms of the run itself I started walking in the second hill of the first lap and I was lapped earlier than ever before just coming round the last bend of the first lap.  So, I didn't think I was doing too well. But turned out the guy only went and smashed the course record. I continued running the flats and downs and walking the ups round the last 2 laps.  On the last lap the new course record holder was now doing some hill reps to warm down while supporting folk like me who were still busting a gut to get round.  I was going faster down the hills so came in just under 34 minutes again.

I look back at my average time for the last few months and it's been pretty consistent at around the 34-minute mark.  This is a lot higher than I usually am for this time of year.  And in the first 6 months of this year, I've only managed one sub 30-minute 5k which is unusual for me too. I have been doing Queen's a lot though.  I think that is what I am going to change going into July as Queen's is one of the toughest parkruns in Scotland.  With Largs Prom and Elder park started up which are both flat I think I'll try and get them done in July and take things from there.

May update

 Bit of a different update this month.  It started off ok then fell off the rails.

7th May - For the first parkrun of the month I was volunteering at Queen's as number checker.  Really enjoyed it.  Mainly hanging out with the timekeepers for the day Tim and Derek and it was great.

14th May -  My sole parkrun actually running of the month was back at Queen's.  Had my usual walking breaks and plodded round in 33.41.  Quite a few people I knew were there so got chatting to them before and after.  Craig, Jo, Lisa and Kirstin.  They were all way ahead of me for most of the run but I did catch Lisa just before the last hill.  But on the final downhill she went for it and I couldn't actually go any faster (or I can say I let her win lol.)

21st May - I had the day off on the Friday to head down to Stranraer by train and had a hotel booked not too far from the start.  I left at 1pm got the train in to towm.  Then I headed for Ayr where I had to change.  But that was to be the turning point, literally.  I got to Ayr at 3pm and saw my connection was cancelled and the next one wasn't till 5.30.  I was considering turning round then and heading back. But I thought if I turned back I would end up getting in at 6 and I would still get to Stranraer at 7 so not that much difference.  So I found a Costa, told the hotel to put my dinner reservation back to 7.30.  Then at 5pm I headed for the station.  Only to find that the 5.30 Stranraer train had disappeared from the board.  And it was only going to Girvan.  Then the final train of the day was also cancelled.  So I had no choice but to cancel the hotel, turn round and go home.  I couldn't really believe it.  I have nearly missed parkrun starts by a fraction before but have always completed them.  It took me off guard and the next day I ended up not going to parkrun.  I had already decided not to do juniors that week either just to give myself a day off.

With the problems with the trains looking set to continue it has put me in two minds whether to continue the challenge of trying to tick off all the parkruns in Scotland.  Half of me thinks this may just be bad luck.  The other half thinks maybe I need a new challenge that doesn't rely on public transport.  Even trying to go sub 30 at Queen's.

28th May - This one I was thinking of running somewhere but Richie, one of the run directors at Queen's, said he was going travelling and this would be his last RD stint at Queen's for quite a while.  So I stepped up to volunteer.  Then Thursday came and about half way through the morning I had to log off as I was feeling unwell and unforetuaneltey had to miss all parkrun activity that weekend.

So, not the best of months but still need to document to see where I can learn and improve. I'll get to Stranraer one day lol.

April parkrun update

 2nd April - Today I was volunteering at Quuen's where I was marshaling.  There are 9 marshaling points at Queen's and I think I've now volunteered at 6 of the points which includes the new point I did today.  This one is arguably the best one as it's at the highest point of the course and everyone is relieved to see you as it means once they reach me they get a big section of downhill/flat part.

9th April - I headed up to Inverurie in Aberdeenshire for Ury Riverside parkrun.  This was the last Aberdeenshire parkrun I had to complete to knock off all 6 in the region.  It's one of those ones I had booked on various occasions but never made it.  I stayed in Inverurie on Friday night, so in the morning it was less than a 10 minute walk to the start, or so I thought.  I met Allen, a fellow tourist in the car park and had a good chat before he went with his kids on a warm up. Then I realised the start was not where the finish was so had to walk about 400 metre to get to the start.  It's about 1 and a half small loops then one big loop. And it's really flat.  I had a good run but did find I was out on my own for some of the big lap as it was so spread out and it was quite low numbers.  But it was my first sub 30 of the year coming in at 29.29 which I was pleased about.

16th April - I was back at Queen's this time to run it, or should I say attempt to run it.  I don't remember a lot about the run but I do remember I had to walk most of the hills and I think my time reflects that as I came in at 35.52.

23rd April.  I had it in my mind to get a hotel in Edinburgh on Friday and do Meadowmill parkrun.  But when my parents came over for tea on the Thursday they suggested looking up hotels for Kelso which we had planned to do for a while.  They were happy to help me with this one as it's not really straight forward to get to by public transport from Glasgow.  Hotels were a bit pricey for all of us so in the end my Dad offered to drive us down in the morning which worked out well and saved us all a bit.  They recommend parking in the Sainsburys car park but my Dad dropped my mum and I off at the entrance to the path then he went and parked the car in the car park as it's a bit of a walk.

So once we had walked up the path to the start area we had a chat to the run director and a few of the volunteers.  The course itself starts off downhill, on quite a narrow path but it widens out and flattens out once you get on the disused railway line. Although you do need to watch your footing on the terrain as I imagine it's quite easy to roll your ankle.  I had an ok run.  Managed to run most of it and was overtaking quite a bit on the way back.  I did have to walk for about 30 seconds after 4k and the uphill finish is tough and came in at 31.00.  But it's a good parkrun and it's great that there is a parkrun in Kelso given it's quite far to the nearest one for them.

30th April - Once I found out it was one of the run director's from Rouken glen's 300th today, it was an easy choice for a change on what parkrun to do.  And the chosen parkrun for Pauline was Pollok which is her regular.  Good turn out from the core team too.  I had my best run for a hilly course this year as I managed the whole course without stopping coming in at 32.01

March parkrun update

 March was my worst running month in a while.  Mainly due to a lack of midweek runs and my health not being 100% especially toward the tail end of the month. But on the positive side thing I did make my presence felt at all parkrun opportunities available.

5/3 - On the first Saturday I volunteered as a marshal at Queen's.  This was actually my first 5k volunteering since December last year. Due to Queen's being cancelled for the one I had my name for in Jaunary. Then in February I wanted to get my 250th out the way and then had plans to go further a field.

12/3 - After talking to one of the run directors at Queen's the previous week, Richie.  He was keen to do some touristing this week and fancied some company so I happily obliged.  We decided on Kirkcaldy as we both hadn't done that before. Catelyn who was also volunteering the previous week at Queen's came along too so it was like a proper road trip.  To be honest I was delighted by the whole arrangement.  As I don't drive long distances, particuarly motorways, I would have to do overnights even to go to parkruns in Edinburgh. So having company and getting my own bed to sleep in really was a win win.

So we drove through to Kirkcaldy and arrived in plenty of time for Richie to do a good warm up. While Catelyn and myself met up with Rob and Anne who conincidently chose today to get their K for the alphabet challenge.  I enjoyed the run and it was the first time this year I had managed to run a parkrun without stopping.  It's a nice two loop course with a fair bit of a hill to run up each lap, then you have a nice diversion round the pond on the second lap to make up the distance.  Finished in 30.32 which is my fastest time this year.

19/3 - Today I was back at Queen's and this time running.  Not a great run as had to walk the hills from the 2nd lap.  But at Queen's now I kind of go in expecting that I'm going to have to walk bits so no big deal.  Didn't feel that fit today and finished in 34 minutes, which is only 3 and half minutes off my PB for the course so still doing not too bad.

26/3 - Unexpected visit to Springburn today as Richie texted me the day before saying Stuart who is another Run Director at Queen's and who I know well and him were heading to Springburn. I was happy to tag along having not been there in years.  It was very busy, well compared to how I remembered Springburn.  It's a nice rolling course and can be fast.  But due to my lack of running in the previous weeks it showed and I came in just under 32 minutes. 2 minutes faster than Queen's the previous week mind.  Stuart and Richie had great runs and all in all another great wee road trip.

February parkrun update

 For February this was a pretty eventful month parkrun wise.  Going into the month I was on 248 parkruns so I was determined to get to 250 as soon as I could. Especially because you don't know if cancellations are going to hit given the unpredictable weather this time of year.  I also had a planned trip to Inverness at the end of the month, so I knew I needed to do 2 out 3 runs to get to 250 before I went to Inverness. Usually, I would try and volunteer at a 5k once a month but due to the various factors that it wasn't really plausible.

5th Feb - For parkrun 249 I was back at Queen's.  This was my worst Queen's run in quite a while as I had to start walking the hills on the 3rd hill of the first lap, then walk all the hills on the 2nd and 3rd lap.  I say worse but I don't beat myself up about it.  I think it was being slightly out of practice with hills having missed the previous Saturday. My time on my watch was around 35 minutes but when I got my result it was at the higher end of 33 minutes. No point in giving the director extra work in this instance though as no PB and averages out when I got a time higher than expected last month.

12th Feb - Then suddenly it was my 250th parkrun.  People celebrate milestones in different ways. Some make it public, inviting lots of people, having cake etc. Others just keep it quiet and just treat it like another run.  Both ways both perfectly acceptable.  I ended up being the latter.  While I do know a lot more people at parkrun now that I could have said to, I just didn't really fancy the attention. (well till afterwards lol).  But my Mum and Dad knew about it as we'd been counting down for months so they came along and my Dad told the run director who is a fellow Stuart who I know well so I got a shout out at the start.  I also was quite indecisive as to whether to do Queen's or Pollok.  Obviously, I started at Pollok and spent a lot of time there but more recently I have been at Queen's a lot more.  In the end I opted for Queen's.  That's the thing though. as I know quite a lot of folks now, there is always someone you know when you turn up to Queen's or Pollok and that happened today too. With the likes of Ian, Rodger, Jennifer, Martin and I'm sure there were others too.

In terms of the run itself I dipped just below the 33-minute mark, a good 2 minutes faster than the previous week. This time I didn't start walking bits of the hills till the second hill on the 2nd lap so gradually getting better again.  Then on the Sunday at Juniors word got around about my 250th and got a shout out from Finola who I run with on a Wednesday quite often and was run director.  And got cake in the cafe after which was very nice.  So, all in all a very enjoyable couple of days.

19th Feb - I can't really remember what I was planning to do for this one originally, but I got text on the Monday from my Dad saying he had tested positive for covid which meant I had to do a test every day for 10 days. I know I wasn't planning to do any trips anyway but meant I couldn't commit to volunteering either on the Saturday or Sunday.  But I did test negative all week, so I was good to go to Queen's on the Saturday.  This run I paced it a bit better and ran slightly faster than my 250 and only had to walk a bit of the last hill on the 3rd lap.

26th Feb - My Dad's isolation period finished with a few days to spare before our trip up to Inverness.  I had done Inverness parkrun a few years back, but they moved location of the parkrun to a purpose-built course last year and changed the name of it to Torvean parkrun.  This meant that it is basically a new parkrun and event count started at 0.  I really liked the course. It was basically two horseshoes linked together. One outer horseshoe and one inner horseshoe which you alter between.  So, you end up doing the inner one 3 times and the outer one 2 times.  It was quite windy at points making it quite hard and the outer loop had some short steep hills. One of which had an escape route for buggies to go round it.  

I had to walk bits of this but generally it was a good run and good to be on the tourist trail again.  I was just over 32 minutes for this one although the actual result is over 33 minutes.  Again, not impacting my PBs so no problem there.

Overall though a great month. I now have my 250 t-shirt, 250 pin badge and 250 barcode strap.  Very proud of what I have achieved.

parkrun update for September

 4/9/21 - First up was my home run Queen's.  I didn't really know what I was aiming for today but started off at a decent pace considering the course.  I managed the first 2 laps ok but duing the 2nd and 3rd hill of the final lap I had to take some walk breaks so maybe didn't pace it as well as I could.  I was yo yoing with folk quite a lot for the whole thing as people would fly past me on the downhill and I would catch up on the ups barring the last lap.  On the final downhill I let go a bit and actually felt pretty comfortable which made me think I might have been braking too much going down the hill on the first couple of laps.  I finished in a time of 30.48 which is nearly a minute off my PB at Queen's. So pleased with that.

11/9/21 - Today was my volunteering for the month and I was given tailwalker so got a run credit too.  Two ladies were at the back who didn't come together.  I always try and work out whether they want to chat or not when I'm tailwalking. While they didn't run it completley running together all the time. They did chat on occasion. So I joined in and chatted with either or both of them most of the way round.  From memory one was from Hereford and the other Penrith area.  Although they were at the back, both didn't walk once so was actually quite a quick tail walk at just over 42 minutes.

18/9/21 - Today I wasn't really sure where I was going till quite late.  A few folk from the Wednesday group were heading to Stranraer to do a 10 mile trail race.  In the middle of the week they found out the start time had been made later so they realised they could do the parkrun too.   But by the time I got round to looking into it, all the hotel rooms had gone.  So I then looked at Perth but again the Premier Inn there had no rooms left.  So I then looked at Stirling and the Travelodge had rooms so I booked up there. It was about 2 mile walk to the start and when I got there a bus was pulling up which made me realise I should have investigated that option.  I remembered the previous day that my gig buddy Craig was always talking about doing a parkrun so I put a message on the gig chat seeing if anyone fancied it. And Craig was up for it since he lives in Stirling so we met up at the start and I explained the ins and outs of parkrun.  We then went to the first timers briefing followed by the actual briefing and we were off.

As expected Craig went off ahead and I settled into a decent pace.  Its slightly undulating but generally flat, 2 loop course round a lake.  There are points going round you think you are further on than you are due to the shape of the lake and this messed with my head a bit. But its a really nice course.  On the second loop I did have to walk bits but was still inside 30 minutes at the finish coming in at 28.37.  Craig was about 25 minutes.

25/9 - Today's run was in Pitlochery on the north side of the town in Faskally forest with the Wednesday social crew.  I stayed in the southern end of Pitlochry as I think due to September weekend a lot of the hotels had sold out.  But the hotel I did stay at was very nice.  Blythe offered to give me a lift in the morning to save the 2 mile walk to the start.  When we got there, there was lots of recognisable faces at this relatively new parkrun event as it was their 9th one.  We found the start and you could see instantly the course started with quite a hill. I had heard it was a tough course so I just planned to take it easy today.  When we started Kirstin had obviously decided the same and we spent the parkrun chatting all the way round.  It is a really nice setting for a parkrun in the forest with all the lakes and its all trails.  Yes the course is tough if you "go for it" as the hills are steep but if you just jog round its an enjoyable experience.  Still managed 33 minutes and its nice to have a long downhill to finish. Although I still felt fresh at the finish. I have to say it does take a few minutes to get my breath back at the top of each hill.  Afterwards we headed to Pitlochery golf club for a roll before I headed back on the train.

The return of parkrun! End of July, August update

Yes, finally! After 18 months parkrun is back, and it feels great.  Parkrun in England started up 3 weeks before Scotland on the 24th of July. I was very tempted to go down and knew some folk from Scotland were making the trip down, but I was a bit concerned they’re maybe a reaction to folk travelling south for parkruns so I thought I would wait to see what the reaction was like and if it was fine or not.  

31st July - Preston parkrun

As it happens there was no negative reaction that I could tell so I booked up a hotel in Preston and headed down on the train on Friday night which just took a couple of hours.  Preston parkrun is right in the middle of the town beside the river and was only 20-minute walk from my hotel, so it worked out well.  The course is 3 laps, starting off going along beside the river then turning up a steep hill. then you have a long gradual downhill which runs parallel to the river, just further away from it before heading down towards the river again.  The steep uphill really slows you down but because of the long, gradual downhills I wouldn't call it a slow course and I managed to get sub 30 on my return to parkrun with a 29.15.

7th August - Pontefract parkrun

I was on holiday with my parents in the run up to this one down in Harrogate for the week and it finished on the Friday. So, we booked a Premier in, in Pontefract. Mainly because it was cheap, and the parkrun was handy for heading home.  Another nice course. It goes in a small lap of the lake to start off which was about half a mile.  Then a big lap going on a forest track type road which runs inside the racecourse.  Then another small lap of the lake to finish.  It was quite busy initially but spread out after about half a lap of the lake.  I got a bit carried away on this one and my second mile was around 8.30.  There are a few hills on the racecourse and the one coming back towards the lake really caught me out.  Before I reached the lake again, I did take a short walking break just to give myself a breather.  And then continued round the lake to finish in 28.44.

14th August - Queens parkrun

This was the return of parkrun in Scotland where I spent the morning marshalling at my local parkrun, Queens.  It was great morning and good to see folk I hadn't seen in a long time.

21st August - Montrose parkrun

I decided to get back trying to get round the Scottish parkruns so headed up to Montrose.  My hotel was about a 20-minute walk from the start which was ideal.  I got chatting to a few folks who are setting up the new Arbroath parkrun, as well as a chap Bob whose home run is Victoria.  The course is very flat as you go up an old air strip before going in a loop which is almost a square.  It's weird I kept on getting a bit disorientated about where I was on the loop due to the gradual turns.  I kept thinking it was going to be the last one before returning to the air strip and eventually of course it was.  I pushed it quite a bit on this one and paced it pretty well finishing in 28.20.

28th August - Queens parkrun

I actually booked off a half day holiday to head up to Aberdeen on the Friday for Ury Riverside but I ended up not booking anything as with the rising covid cases in Scotland it didn't seem like the best idea especially travelling on public transport.  So, I decided to do my home run Queen's today.  I got there about 9.20 and there were very few people about but then Joe appeared, and I got chatting to him as more and more people appeared. Once it started Kirstin who I run with quite often on a Wednesday popped up, so we spent the run chatting all the way round.  I was a bit concerned about the hills today as I haven't really done any hilly runs in a while (well none like Queen's park) but I think we paced it well and ended up only about 20 seconds off my course best with 31.58.  Would love to get below 30 here which is my goal now.

March parkrun

Well this was to be a month unlike any other.  I can't remember the last time I went a whole month without running a parkrun but it must have been at least a few years ago.  But I feel the need to document for future why exactly I didn't run a parkrun this month.  

07/03 - I did go to Queen's parkrun as a volunteer where I marshalled.  Corona virus was starting to gather pace in the UK but the only advice at this stage was to wash your hands.  So token sorting meant bringing hand sanitizer and using it before and after sorting.  This was to be my last time attending a 5k parkrun and the last time volunteering at juniors the following day for the foreseeable future.  Looking back I am glad I spent the last 5 weeks at Queen's.  I have travelled a lot last year with parkrun but its nice to get into a routine of going to your home one.

14/03 - Parkrun was still on this weekend but corona virus was gathering even more pace and as well as washing your hands the advice was to basically not go near people or social distancing as its called now. This meant widened funnels.  Holding your barcodes and tokens when getting them scanned instead of giving them to the barcode scanners.  Or in my case the advice was if you feel unwell at all to stay away from parkrun. I didn't have corona virus symptoms but I wasn't feeling great so parkruns were advising just to stay away so that is what I did.

21/03 - This was expected.  But this was the first week where parkruns closed across the UK for 2 weeks which is now extended to the end of April.  They did a big quiz on Saturday morning to replace it. Which to be fair to the parkrun team was good.

28/03 - Then on the Monday after the last meant to be parkrun lockdown was announced. Only allowed out for one piece of exercise a day which is from where you are staying and one food trip a day.

All in the space of a month. Crazy times.  

February parkruns

2/2/20 - First up this month was Fort William parkrun.  To me this is the hardest parkrun in Scotland to get to since you can't get public transport to it in the morning and its 6 miles from Fort William town centre.  So, when my Mum and Dad agreed to doing our winter break there, we did it over the weekend so I could get the parkrun in too. To be honest I was preparing for it to be cancelled due to the time of year and really saw this as a holiday and if parkrun was on it would be a bonus.

We got to the Nevis range car park at 9am and it was chucking it down.  So, we stayed in the car till about 9.20 then headed over to the start.  Got chatting to a few folks and then we were off down the forest track.  It's a 1 loop course. With the first half on forest track and then coming back on mainly trails.   The first half is mainly downhill with the second half mainly uphill.  The field did spread out very quickly and although especially in the second half there wasn’t much space to overtake. Because the field was smallish this wasn’t a problem.  On a small section of the forest track on the way back someone overtook me, and they absolutely flew past. He was wearing a ben Nevis race t-shirt and I was half thinking it could be Findlay Wild who has won the Ben Nevis race for the last 10 years and lives up there.  I thought he must be on his own run rather than parkrun being where I was in the field.  So I checked Strava when I got home and checked flybys and sure enough it was him. He started 15 minutes late and still finished before me! He took just over 17 minutes whereas I was just over 33.  I thought at the end of it that this was one of the toughest parkruns I have done. Just because all the hard work is done in the second half.  But it is a very good course and I did enjoy it.

9/2/20 - Number checker at Queens

15/02 - For my final 3 runs of the month I went to Queen's each time.  And for each one I had three different approaches where I ended up getting faster each time.  For the 15th I ran there and back on top of the parkrun, adding up to 6 miles. On the way there I actually started walking after a mile, then I met Joe and we ran the rest of the way to the park.  When the run started, I was walking after the second hill on the first lap and was run/walking the rest of the way.  So that run I was 36 minutes.

22/02 - Next up I decided for the first time just to drive to Queen's to save my energy for the run.  This time I started a bit faster as for the first part I was running with Stuart and Kirsty. I think I pushed the pace a bit on the first lap, then Stuart went ahead, and I pulled away from Kirsty about half way through the first lap.  Then the second lap I had to start my run/walk for the hills and Kirsty overtook me.  But I ended up finishing 2 minutes faster than the previous week finishing in 34 minutes.

29/02 - Then yesterday I drove to the park again and decided to start slower.  This worked wonders and I managed to run the whole way round and finished this one in 33 minutes.

This year so far, I have only managed one sub 30 minute run and that was at Linwood.  I think it does reflect that apart from Linwood I have been doing hilly courses.  Also, my times for these hilly courses were getting worse up until the 22nd. But I don’t think that is a reflection on my fitness. It’s more like a learning curve as to learning what I can do to achieve better times at the moment.  

My challenge of running an average of sub 30 average parkrun throughout the year seems impossible right now unless I really get my act together but at the same time, I'm not going to run flatter parkruns deliberately just to achieve it.  Hopefully though I'll get under 30 at Queen's this year. That is my big aim which I feel is doable with a few months of good training.

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.