Diary of a parkrunner

It's Thursday... In a normal week I would be looking forward to parkrun on Saturday but this is another work weekend so I will be missing it. I will miss parkrun and catching up with my buddies but I am looking forward to a great work day that will make up for it.

I have all my fingers and toes crossed that we are not delayed getting back so I can get to juniors and volunteer for the 250th time 🤞❤️

What a parkrun weekend last weekend!

On Saturday, taking advantage of separate work trips within about 26 miles, Lee and I decided to travel a bit further south and go to Isabel Trail parkrun. We wanted to complete the 'Old Macdonald' challenge in the 5k app and needed a second I. Purists will tell us that our first doesn't count because it was volunteering at a juniors event but as far as I am concerned that is just as valid.

After a few weeks of really strong running I was excited to see what time I could get on a flat out and back course so I was a little disappointed mid-week to read they were still on their B course... 4 laps of a field 🥲

We arrived nice and early on Saturday morning after walking from our hotel. I had dressed fairly warmly after looking at the weather forecast but the warmth of the sun made it far warmer than I expected. It was easier to run in the layers than find somewhere to ditch them, I feel it might not be long until I swap out of the winter running kit.

We had volunteered to sort the tokens after parkrun so we could chat to some of the team so we went and said hi to the RD. We swapped stories as he had run some events in Scotland and then went to chat to some of the other tourists. There were so many cow cowls and plenty of first timers at the briefing. As there was only one person brand new to parkrun we were given some folklore tales as part of the brief before he had a chat with the first timer.

I set off pretty strongly and surprised myself with the pace. I have stopped going to the back to start so maybe I got caught up in everyone else's pace. Until I had completed the first lap I was a little confused about how it would work. As part of the B course there are 3 dead turns and a few corners. My pace was hindered a bit approaching the end of the first lap as we weren't particularly spread out at the first dead turn. It felt hard to keep a rhythm but looking at my pace it didn't seem to dip as much as I thought it had.

I set out aiming for under 33 minutes. I ran 32.55 at Lee-on-the-Solent parkrun last year and wanted to see if I could beat it on a similar course. I wasn't prepared for the time on my watch when I finished... 31.34! It left me wondering what I could have managed on their A course, maybe I will return to find out.

Lee had already finished so when I went to join him, he grabbed the first lot of tokens and we headed inside to sort them. We didn't end up sitting with the core team, but someone came over to chat to me about token sorting and, as she was on her own, I asked if she would like to join us. Julie is an RD at another event so it was lovely to swap stories. Later we were joined by one of the tourists we had been talking to before the start. It was really lovely chatting with like-minded people who enjoy the post-parkrun atmosphere as much as we do.

Before long we needed to head back to the hotel for showers ready for the long drive home. I really enjoyed the day but I m not in a hurry to drive that far for a parkrun.

On Sunday I went back to Baxter Park juniors, this week I was giving out the tokens. This role was my 249th different volunteer day, I am looking forward to the next one and achieving 250. I am hopeful it will be March 10th so long as nothing delays me getting back from work. All my recent volunteer milestones have been at Duloch juniors so I am hoping to be there for it. If things don't work out, it will be at Kirkcaldy parkrun the following weekend which will be great too.

4 days on, I still can't believe the time I got on Saturday. Unfortunately I won't manage to get to a parkrun for the next two Saturdays due to work commitments but if possible, I will try and do a freedom run.

Once again I am updating in bulk and covering two weekends in one go.

Last Saturday I was at Kirkcaldy parkrun. I ran the course and managed to knock 38 seconds off the time from two weeks before.

I was RD at Duloch juniors on Sunday. It is always great to see the enthusiasm from the juniors and to catch up with everyone on the cafe afterwards.

Yesterday I was back at Kirkcaldy for our 9th birthday celebrations. We had a special guest, Roary Rover who is the mascot at Raith Rovers. There was a great excitement in the air; was it due to Roary, the birthday, the promise of treats at the finish line or cake in the golf club? Who knows but it was great to soak it all up as the RD.

It nearly went horribly wrong when some of the runners thought I had said go (I said cool but I will be more wary next time) and started running but we managed to sort it out.

There was a great crowd in the golf club afterwards with everyone patiently waiting for their breakfast before diving in to the celebratory cake. There was more left than I expected so it was left on the bar for the golfers as the came back into the clubhouse; they seemed to enjoy it!

Today I went along to Baxter Park juniors and introduced the "Baxter parky larky" to the warm up for the first time. I'm not sure how the juniors took to it but I hope to include it each time I do the warm up there.

Seeing as I didn't run yesterday, I decided to run to juniors, for coffee and then back again. It probably won't be a regular thing quite yet but I am hoping to build up to doing this on weeks I have run parkrun too, albeit at a slower pace than today or at parkrun.

The end of the weekend and, just like that, I have reached the end of my current age category at parkrun. Next week we are on tour to Isabel Trail and my first run in the next category... what can I manage in this one I wonder!

The comeback continues...

We visited the University of Stirling parkrun today as I had a conference to attend straight afterwards. After the times of the last couple of weeks I was hopeful I would manage under 35 minutes, I looked at my watch when it beeped after the first km to see a pretty rapid pace. As they went by I got progressively slower and was worried everything was going to go horribly wrong about 500m from the finish when I stumbled on my ankle...twice. Luckily it didn't cause any issues so, while I protected it for a couple of minutes I managed to push to the finish. The route to the finish funnel is up hill so I wasn't able to push and sprint in the way I would normally like. I put a last minute effort in as I could hear someone behind me, I am glad I did as I only beat her by 3 seconds!

In the end I finished in 33.20. It is my fastest parkrun this year, my fastest in Scotland since March 2016 and makes this course my 4th fastest. I am sure these times aren't going to stay like this all the time but I am enjoying riding the high and wondering where I should run (and try and PB) next.

A huge thanks to Lee, as always, for coming back to run in with me. I might have given up after the stumble otherwise.

Luckily following my last post I have had a bit of a change of heart towards parkrun. Nearly two weeks ago I went back to Dunfermline parkrun so I could move up to a p-index of 5, I was also hopeful of running the course without stopping which I have never done here and potentially get a PB.
I saw quite a few people that I knew beforehand so it was lovely to chat to them all and I made sure I had a good warm up which definitely helped.
I didn't manage to run the whole way, I tried my best on the first hill but walked just before the top so figured if I could do the same on each lap it was better than nothing, on the following two laps I started to walk earlier each time though. I had noticed the time for each mile and knew I was running well, but I couldn't remember if I needed to beat around 36.30 or 38.30 for a PB. It turned out it was 38.57 which I smashed by crossing the line at 35.36. I definitely didn't think I would manage that on such an undulating course so soon after building my running back up, especially while still walking bits.

Last weekend I went to my home event, Kirkcaldy, it was great to run as I am normally there volunteering. Once again, I set out with the aim of not walking; after a week in a classroom and no real exercise it seemed the sensible option. I nearly wimped out very near the start and started to walk but managed to get my head in the game. I caught up with some parkrun buddies on the second lap and ran with them for a while until we hit the hill for the second time. I went ahead slightly so I could keep my own rhythm, until I saw one of my triathlon club mates coming back to see how I was getting on. It revitalised me and helped me push on up to him, I was very proud saying I had managed to run the whole way. I ran to the finish with Mark, somehow managing to talk a little. I was careful not to run for the line too early and finished very strongly in 34.12, my fastest time for nearly five years which is just incredible and only 11 seconds slower than a freedom run last summer before I picked up an injury.
It was a great way to celebrate my 50th run around the course at Kirkcaldy. It was only the following day when Lee was looking at one of the pages we follow that we realised I had completed 100 parkruns in Scotland that day, while Lee had done 200!

It is one of those weeks, a bit like Christmas, where I haven't got a clue what day it is but I do know that the weekend is quickly approaching. I am going back to a course I have only been to once before prior to going to a conference. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do on that course while trying to remain a little sensible and not push things too much.

I am excited to see what I can do at some of the different parkrun courses this year while trying to keep any injuries away.

I should probably do an update seeing as I haven't covered the end of 2023 or anything this year so far!

30 December
We headed to Loch Leven parkrun to finish the 5k year. It was pretty chilly and I was feeling terrible so I walked around the course. Luckily I had some company or I might have been tempted to stop or worse try and run, in the end I finished with a nice palindrome time of 54.45. We headed into the Larder for a cuppa afterwards and chatted to a couple of their regulars. It was a lovely catch up.

31 December
We were due to volunteer at Duloch juniors but unfortunately the icy conditions had other ideas so the sensible decision was made to cancel. What do you do when that happens....still go to the cafe of course!

1st January
As is my tradition at the beginning of the year, I was a Kirkcaldy parkrun, RD for the first time on New Years Day. It was a great turn out and everyone was in great spirits. Our usual cafe haunt was shut so we went to Morrisons to process the results and natter. A small group of us took the hot drinks and nattering very seriously and didn't leave until 3pm!!!!!

6 January
Given it is winter and anything can happen with the weather and course conditions we have decided to stay relatively locally for the next couple of months so we went to Montrose as it helps us work towards out p-indexes. They were on their alternative course which is potentially easier underfoot. I was feeling a little better so I decided to try and bit of run/walking with the walk segments being 3 minutes. Quickly I realised I was recovered enough to only walk for 2 minutes at a time which was pretty reassuring. The course was running long but in the end I was only 2 seconds slower than my first time there on their A course. Hopefully it means I may manage a PB there at some point.

7 January
Baxter Park juniors last weekend. I gave warm up leader a go as I haven't done it for a long time and Lee is taking a break from it. There is quite a bit of pressure to live up to what he does as the kids enjoy it so much. It wasn't great but I can improve (and signed up to do it again this week so I can do just that)

13 January
Yesterday was a return visit to West Links as I had only been there once before. They were on the alternative course too (I haven't done their official route yet) and it was pretty icy. As the conditions weren't great underfoot I decided I would use the opportunity to go slower and see how much of it I could run. After walking for the first 2 minutes I managed to run the rest of it although I diverted to the grass for most of it as it was better traction. I was a minute and a half slower than my first visit but after not being to run that far since August I am pretty happy with the time I got. I am hoping 2024 will be a good year for my parkrun times if I work at everything gradually and stay injury free!
We had intended on going for lunch but there was a change of plan due to the cold weather conditions. Hopefully we will be able to do that next time we visit but we still managed to drag out the post-parkrun cafe faff until 1pm so not all bad 🤣

14 January - today
Shock, horror, I am updating on the day!
I was back at Baxter Park this morning for a specific reason... To meet Paul Freyne of the Freyne challenge in the 5k app.
I tried not to be swayed by external forces in the warm up this morning (my helpers 😂) and stuck to the rough plan in my head which involved doing things slightly differently. I think there is still room for improvement but I was a little happier with it.
We had four new to juniors who all seemed to enjoy it and it was a beautiful morning.

I currently feel I am going through the motions with parkrun a little at the moment. With coming back from injury and no real touring or focus I seem to have lost the love for it a little. I hope that if I keep showing up it will come back so fingers crossed.

There are a couple of options for next week as the weather forecast doesn't look great. Hopefully we will find somewhere though.

As is often the case at this time of year I have been reflecting on the many things and changes that have happened this year, my parkrun journey is no different. I thought I would write about these before the final couple of events of the year.

I am a stats girl so thought I would start with those:
This year I have completed 38 parkruns, up from 32 last year. My job often means that my weekends are taken up so there is every chance I won't be able to match this over the next few years but I am happy to have made the effort this year.
I have volunteered on 84 different days, last year was 76. I have managed most Sundays this year, just a couple of work things that meant I couldn't do them all and I have volunteered as many times as possible while touring.

There have been many highlights this year but there are some notable ones that jump out at me. I started the year chasing the various different challenges, especially the number ones but, if I am honest it started to take the love and fun away from parkrun. I have enjoyed the freedom since I decided to let the challenges in the 5k app just happen but if it wasn't for those numbers I wouldn't have met some incredible people.

The first weekend that jumps out was my visit to Upton Court at the end of January. I was actually meant to be going to Stockley Country parkrun for fibonacci number 3 but many events were cancelled that weekend due to ice. I had a hotel booked on the outskirts of London so on the way looked at the different options available to me. I was travelling by public transport so new I didn't have much room for change but saw Upton Court was a manageable distance and I didn't have the letter U so it was a bonus. The main highlight for the weekend was the amazing warmth I received from a mum and her son at the hotel I was staying in. They saw I was eating alone and asked if I would like to join them to play cards. They were currently displaced from their home due to flooding and were living at the hotel. Their generosity, even though they had nothing, was incredible, she was even prepared to get up early the following morning to take me to parkrun. They taught me many things that night and while our paths may never cross again, I am very grateful for having met two incredible human beings. I am a huge fan of random acts of kindness and so sent them a little something to the hotel to show my gratitude for their warmth.
The parkrun itself was awesome too, I had already been told it was a very friendly event by a fellow parkrun tourist and I wasn't disappointed. I met a lovely lady who I parkwalked with, she was working towards completing 25 different events within her first 25 parkruns (she has volunteered a lot more than that as an RD) and each were with a different letter. It was a very cold, icy day so I enjoyed the warmth in the rugby club afterwards, chatting to the core team. The RD gave me a lift back to the station afterwards which was welcomed. It is the small gestures that mean a lot.
None of this would have happened if I hadn't been chasing numbers!

I was working in Portsmouth and visited as many different events in the area as I could. Each one offered something slightly different but the welcome was always the warmest. Touring by myself was quite daunting, but volunteering allowed me to chat to others more easily than if I had just gone along to run and meant the weekends were a little less quiet!

The next and most notable parkrun outing for me was to Abbey Park; it was here that I finally got the number 3. Public transport was the order of the day again with a 6 hour journey to Leicester. This was the first of 3 trips there for me this year, each of them were amazing experiences. I am not going to recount the whole day as I already have a post on it (10th June) but it was here that I met Ian ODonnell and his family. For me, the way they approach parkrun is the best and it added to an amazing day. I also met Jenny and Andy Ball and their daughter that day and was fortunate to meet up with all of them again for Ewan and Iona's 100th parkruns in Market Bosworth.

There isn't an event I haven't enjoyed but these two defintely stick out for me.

Although I end the year still not able to run the full 5k again and with a horrid cold, I am grateful that throughout the summer I managed to get my fastest times in quite a while.

Volunteering will always remain important to me. As an RD and ED I know how tough it can be to get volunteers but the benefits can never be underestimated. It means I have met other people and been able to swap parkrun stories and been inspired to go to some of the locations I have been told about. I also have a lot of people around me who value this too: I tour and volunteer with many of them, especialy the Baxter Park juniors crew.

I am going to mention my main touring buddy Lee though. I may curse the day he introduced me to the 5k app but it has brought me a lot of joy and friends and I am grateful to have someone to plan different parkruns with. Indeed, if it wasn't for volunteering our paths would never have crossed!

If it wasn't the winter I would be looking to travel some distance today/tomorrow to be with Josh as he completes his final parkrun in Scotland (before they start up another 🤣).Instead I will end the year at Loch Leven parkrun tomorrow for their volunteer celebration with Lynne and her team and will be back at my own juniors, Duloch, on Sunday to end the year.

Thank you to everyone who reads this. I haven't yet come up with any plans for 2024 and my planner is looking pretty bare but I am sure that will change soon enough!

I need to update on last weekend's parkrun activities before this one gets too close! The bonus of last weekend and this one is three potential days of parkrunning and volunteering so Lee and I went on tour to make the most of them.

Saturday
We had a return visit to Forfar Loch. After a week of feeling pretty rubbish I was resigned to walking the whole route which was frustrating as I knew a PB was possible but I walked it in a very respectable 46:15 so I am not going to complain. It was a wet day with plenty of puddles to dodge around the course, funnily enough I don't remember it raining but we were completely drenched by the time we got to the rugby club.
Te horse box was open for coffee as usual but as a Christmas treat the team had laid on soup, hot drinks and some tasty goodies so of course we went in to sample everything and dry of a bit by the radiator.
Forfar Loch parkrun is very well supported by its core team and a huge volunteer team from the local running community. What I love most and have done since my first visit is the family atmosphere you get at their event as the children are as much a part of the event as their parents. Saturday was no different with all the children dressing up and enjoying the post parkrun refreshments too. They even got a mention in the short speech 😍

Sunday - Christmas Eve
It was back to Baxter Park for junior parkrun as we had a couple of surprises. Connor and I had talked a while ago about playing a Christmas carol and not long after he wrote his own version of 12 days of Christmas entitled 12 days of parkrun. After the run brief Connor, Sam and I did a rendition of Jingle Bells before Lisa (Connor's mum) led us all in the 12 days of parkrun with 12 willing volunteers to hold up the different lines ❤️
We went along to Starbucks as normal where we began the festive games early with hangman. All the turns were Christmas or parkrun related ad it was a lot of fun.

Monday - Christmas Day
As had been my tradition since 2019, we went through to St Andrews for their extra event. Feeling slightly better, I decided to add a small amount of running in although I was careful not to actually push anything. I only ended up a minute slower than the other week when I was feeling a lot better so I am more than happy with that.
It was a shame though. At the beginning of the year I had set myself the target of getting a PB at St Andrews on Christmas Day by running in under 34 minutes. After hurting my ankle in the summer this target fell as there was no possibility of me doing it while run/walking. I take confidence from the fact that, while I might not have managed under 34 minutes at St Andrews, I did manage 34.01 at my home event which is probably slightly tougher so it is better than nothing. I am sure I will find an opportunity next year to beat this! I am already planning another goal though, I just need to stay injury free!

Happy (belated) Christmas to anyone who is readng. I will aim to be back a bit quicker with this weekend's parkrun fun.

Last weekend I stayed local and went to my home parkrun. No touring, no parkrun buddies, it was a little strange and I definitely missed the company.

It was nice to suport my fellow run director though and see my home crowd. It was the first time I had run the course since March and didn't do too badly considering, 39.01. I took the opportunity to give the first timers welcome as I love introducing new people to our lovely park.

The atmosphere in the cafe was great too, we filled two tables and there was plenty of chatter.

I definitely want to run my home course a bit more, I haven't hit 50 runs there yet! It is great seeing so many people I know and being able to cheet them on and thank the marshals by name ❤️

St Andrews parkrun on the 9th was great. It was a lot quieter than I am used to so I was able to start a lot further forward than normal. I walked for 2 minutes and ran 3 until the end... or that was the plan until not far from the finish my competitive streak kicked in as I wanted to finish in front of the two guys in front of me. I overtook the first chap fairly easily, then Lee ran ahead cheering me on encouraging me to sprint which unfortunately encouraged my intended target to get quicker too. I don't think he realised there was someone on his heels as when I said something he turned to see me and slowed and with that I pounced 🤣

It wasn't a pb there, that is going to take a bit of work but I don't think it will be too far in the future.

Afterwards we went into the cafe, had a chat to the ED Gary and sat at a table with another couple of parkrunners. We were lucky to have a mostly dry and very mild parkrun but the rain soaked us on the way back to the car.

Ian and Iona recommendation: you guys will love this park as there is so much to do! The course reminds me a little of Abbey Park where I first met you.

Looking forward to St Andrews parkrun tomorrow. It is my first visit that hasn't been on Christmas Day!

Junior parkrun tomorrow has fallen in the face of snow 😢 absolutely the correct decision.

What should I do instead I wonder? 🤔

Set the alarm for slightly later and then meet the Baxter Park junior parkrun crew for a cuppa. The weather might put a stop to juniors but it won't stop the crew being sociable ❤️

With many cancellations across Scotland including my own event at Kirkcaldy, I am grateful that Forfar Loch was ok this morning. It was frosty as you will see in the photos but not slippy in the slightest. There were a couple of frozen puddles but the team in Forfar had everything under control.

I arrived early enough for a warm up, based on exercises I have been doing with my physio and after 3, 2, 1 go, I set off with my plan; 3 minutes walking and 2 minutes jogging until the end. I think it took around 2.5k before I could feel all my fingers and toes, note to self to leave gloves in the car for running...or take the ones out of my coat that was in the car!

The cold didn't take away from the stunning scenery, it only enhanced it, the enthusiastic marshals, the warm welcome from the RD and everyone warming together afterwards with a cuppa and it definitely didn't take away from the joy at officially being able to try some running again. When Lee came back to run with me it was a challenge not to run off with him and keep to my very sedate pace but I managed it and the bonus is I had no ankle issues and got a PB knocking nearly 2 and a half minutes off my previous PB ❤️

parkrun might have been low in numbers there today after festive celebrations among the running community last night but it remains a great location to visit. It is already in my planner to come back again. Forfar Loch parkrun keep being the great community that you are!

I haven't really posted over the last month as I haven't done a 5k parkrun.
I was at Livingston 4 weeks ago to complete my 50th different event, since then I have been away, one a course and RD. I am back on it tomorrow and with encouragement from the physio to up my run/walk plan it has all come at the right time.
Just hoping it isn't too icy tomorrow 🥶

Late again...

I managed to get to the University of Stirling parkrun last week, somehow. With the weather forecasts as they were, I secretly hoped heading west was the best option and it turned out I was right. Apart from a bit of drizzle as the start, we were lucky to stay a lot drier than the reports I was hearing from Fife, we even saw chinks of blue in the sky!

The course is a really nice one around the loch at the university, taking in two laps. I started walking with the parkwalker but as she was chatting to any walkers we met I ended up walking ahead of her so was on my own for just over a lap until Lee came to fin me after finishing and cheering the rest of our touring group in to the finish. I decided on the second lap to try very short bursts of running; it was probably against the physio's orders but she put the idea in my head by asking if I had been tempted to do any during my previous appointment. I would love to say it was 10 seconds here and there and that would have been sensible but I ended up doing it every minute. I didn't suffer too much afterwards but in future I will be a lot more sensible!

We went into the cafe afterwards. I have spent time there before during my triathlon coaching course so it was quite a surprise to see someone from my course looking around the university with his daughter for the open day. The three of us had a lovely chat before they went on their way and I went back to our touring group.

The drive down wasn't terrible, the drive back was lovely with not too much rain which was great. I would like to go back again to try and run the whole course.

It is a good idea I didn't type this last week as I got a little angry during my walk. I spend my whole time looking out for the faster runners, making sure I keep out of their way so I don't affect their time. I was off the racing line when one of the front runners barged past me, very annoying. A little way on, I heard one of the marshals I had already passed shouting (not the words I want to use) at some other walkers to get out of the way. parkrun, especially with the introduction of the parkwalker, is meant to be inclusive for everyone whether they walk, jog or run. Yes, the slower participants should be mindful of others and not take up the whole route but the faster runners should also look out for those in front of them. Let's face it, they can see what is coming up a lot easier than we can behind. A little "passing on your left etc" takes nothing. I have spent so much of my walking parkruns sacrificing my own already slow time for others so I don't interrupt others, but if we are all aware of each other than maybe I don't have to do that as much. I am a nice person though so I will continue to move over, cheer them on and enjoy the fact that I do. Rant over!

ian and Iona, the cafe is great with plenty of options but there is no play area. There is plenty to do in the vicinity though so you could have great family time in the area.

parkrun plans for Saturday are truly in the hands of the gods, who knows where I will end up tomorrow 🤷