event #52 parkrun #218
UPDATED JUNE 2019 – NEW COURSE AND FACILITIES!!!
Determined to regain my Norn Irn Regionnaire status, after missing the inaugural a few weeks ago, I headed to East Belfast. I’ll need to find a suitably sized bead to add to my T shirt.
This is an area I know well, in fact one of my previous addresses was in Orangefield Crescent. Back then, when my children were teenies, we knew this park for its spider shaped climbing frame. The spider is long gone, but the whole area has been very well revitalised, and the park is clean and tidy with some lovely bridges, each of which has a name.
Access:
There’s plenty of parking spaces across the road at the playing fields, and the 5A or B metro bus will leave you pretty close from the city centre. This is Belfast’s 9th parkrun, so visitors will have plenty of options.
Facilities:
PREVIOUSLY:
There’s a loo by the main entrance, but you’ll need 20p! (There’s a big Tesco not far away on Castlereagh Road that you could try). There’s no sheltered spot to congregate in, so no teas/ coffees so far.
UPDATED:
The course now finishes by the bowling pavilion, where there are loos, and where refreshements are provided for the post-run analysis. It will be interesting to see how big the bonefire gets!
Crowd:
There were just over 100 runners the day I visited, which is a nice size. Good age range too, with lots of speedy younsters, and some sprightly older people too. A few buggies and doggies, and some walkers, give it a good diverse feel.
Course:
PREVIOUSLY:
It’s one small lap and then 3 larger ones. This can get a wee bit confusing, so it helps to count how many times you’ve passed a certain bridge or other landmark.
UPDATED:
Start point is the same, but it’s now 3 big laps, and then carry on until the finish at the bowling pavilion. So you cross the Avalon bridge every time.
The paths are a good hard surface, and some of the course goes through woodland so it’s a trail surface.
The first lap can get a bit bunchy, but there’s plenty of grass to the sides for overtaking. And by the time you’re on lap 3, most of the fast guys have finished, so there’s a bit more room. It’s not totally flat, but the hilly bits are nothing to fear. The final stretch is up a short hill to the finish funnel.
Old finish pics:
New finish:
Second visit:
I revisited a few weeks later, and the course has been altered slightly, and now doesn’t run on grass at all.
Thanks to my daughter for the action shots.
Gear:
I wore my 50 events T shirt, though as this was my 52nd, it is rapidly becoming out of date. My Garmin refused to find a GPS, but it still told me the time, which was good enough. I knew as I passed the finish line at 9.50 that there was no way I’d completed in 20 minutes, so I must have another lap to do. I’d replaced the lenses on my running sunglasses with a lighter pair, and they were great when moving from sunny open paths to shady trees. My Hokka trainers were well suited to the mixed terrain, and I wore my skirty-calf-length leggings. The only problem with these is they don’t have a pocket, so I had to tie my keys to a strap on Minnie’s running harness. Only cow cowl I saw (as Andrew and other-Minnie keep forgetting theirs……)
Strangely Appropriate Song:
I tend to run without headphones these days, so I wasn’t listening to anything during the run. But I was singing loudly to The Dixie Chicks and “Some Days You Gotta Dance” in the car.
Time:
First visit: I wasn’t pushing myself to the limit, so I was really pleased with a 28:27 time, my fastest since February this year. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting at some stage to try to sneak a cheeky wee PB.
Second visit: I suspect the earlier version was a leeeetle bit short, and so I didn’t manage a PB. But I DID manage to grab the final seconds on my “parkrun Bingo” so the lack of PB was worth it. Honest!
Dancing At Lunacy 
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