222 or tutu too at Tymon

Posted on September 29, 2018 by lindaharley

The distance between milestones can seem awffy long, so I often find different challenges or number of runs to celebrate.  Usually with a sutiable outfit.  And cake, of course.

My 222nd parkrun was due to take place on 22 September.  I liked that coherence already, and started to research which parkruns would be having their 2nd birthday, or 2nd, 22nd or 222nd runs.  And lo, my friends in Tymnon, Dublin were having their 222nd event on the same day. I got in touch, asked how they felt about a theme, and did they prefer 2 little ducks or Desmond Tutu.  They laughed and we agreed on a tutu theme, one which reflects my dancing proclivities.

So, what to wear.  I already had a comedy number 2 which I’d pinned to my 100 shirt on the occasion of my 200th run.  I still had the black ribbon and the white fabric paint so another couple of number 2s were easily produced.

I’ve borrowed tutus from friends in the past (see Waggy Races Fairy Dogmother outfit), but felt it was time to invest in my own.  A black one was procured from Elliotts for the princessly sum of £4.75. Watch out for it being reused at Hallowe’en.

I persuaded hubby to come with me and make it a day trip, so thanks to him for the transport and photos.  Sat nav assisted we arrived just before 9 am to find the set up underway.

Last time I’d been here, there was just a table by the car park wall, but now they have use of the GAA facilities including an indoor space, and there were sweets aplenty, as well as a special rocky road cake.

I got a shout out in the brief.  The course was somewhat changed form my last visit, a reminder to ALWAYS listen to the run brief.

The weather was cool and slightly damp, but compared to the gale force winds of recent weeks that made for very pleasant running conditions.  With Minnie’s assistance I easily managed a PB, dancing my way over the finish line before enjoying some pleasant chat over the post-run goodies.

I was very touched by the gift that they had made for me – a large pebble painted with the date of the run on one side, and an uncannily accurate portrait of me on the other.  What a really lovely idea!  I made it my FB profile pic, and tweeted “Free Weekly Timed”, the podcast, that this week’s three words were “personalised tutu stone”.

 

Thank you to all at Tymon who made this such a fun way to spend a Saturday morning,

https://twitter.com/tweertweet/status/1043625058294489088

and who even tweeted a short video

 

of me dancing across the finish line!

Filed under: Dance, Dogs, Dublin, Parkrun, parkrunDANCER, running | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

parkrun tourism: Delaware and Raritan Canal

Posted on September 7, 2018 by lindaharley

event #53 parkrun #219

I’m not sure if this one qualifies for the longest name of any parkrun, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to get it to scan or rhyme in my “50 Ways” video!

Having missed out on Crissy Field last year (I may have mentioned this a couple of times….) I literally whooped with delight when I discoverd that a brand new parkrun was starting up which was reachable from New York, and that I would be there on a Saturday!  And so for their event number 3, I set off to join them on my first one outside UK and Ireland.

IMG_0217

Access:

OK, so it’s doable from Manhattan, but only by the really dedicated and serious tourist! It’s in New Jersey, so the NJ Tranist system is your first friend.  We were staying on 35th Street, just a couple of blocks from Penn Station, and I’d timed how long it would take us to walk there in time to catch a 7 am-ish train.  Your next and most important friend is the Facebook page.  So far, this has been outstanding at giving advice and and arranging station pick-ups for visiting tourists, and it was from FB that I contacted Neil, who offered to pick us up from New Brunswick station.  A return train ticket cost $28.  If you were going to get a taxi or Uber from there, it’s about 8 miles away.

A fellow tourist travelled out from her more southerly Manhattan base via the PATH, getting a lift at Bridgewater.  There definitely needs to be a volunteer credit for these fabulous local folk!

Facilities:

The Park is huge, and there is good parking and some restrooms nearby.  No cafe on site, and the usual meet-up spot was closed for Labor Day when I was there. It was very hot and humid in September, so do bring some water and maybe a small towel.  Start and finish are very close, so it’s easy enough to leave coats and bags there.

drvcoats

Course:

The pre-run brief takes place by the lovely wooden bridge across the canal, and the start is on the far side.  From there it’s an out-and-back along the side of the canal, with a turnaround point well marked, and across the bridge to finish. There’s one section of brick slipway, where you need to watch your step, but it’s flat the whole way.

Crowd:

Young and enthusiastic!  parkrun is still just getting going in the States, and there were only 36 runners there on my visit.  I’m sure it will be a “must do” for dedicated tourists, in the future, as well as attracting more home grown participants.

Time:

Running in the heat and humidity is hard work, especially for an Irish woman more used to the wind and rain.  But I was happy enough with my 32-ish time, and even more delighted that I grabbed a new age-category record.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I was running with no music, enjoying the sounds of the cicadas, but I did use the old Perry Como hit “What did Delaware” as my Cracker Says Facebook post.

 

All my parkruns

Filed under: New York, Parkrun, running, Uncategorized | Tagged: | 1 Comment »