Dancing At Lunacy

parkrun#335 event#90

Reason for visit – the fabulous Jemima Brown in the premiere of Surge!

http://tomdale.org.uk/production/surge/

I’d originally hoped to do Wollaton Hall, being walking distance from the hotel where I was staying on the Nottingham University campus. But it was cancelled this week (tourist tip – check the volunteer roster in advance), and Beeston was the next closest.

Access:

My journey had been fraught with difficulties. I’d booked flights to East Midlands with Fly Be, 2 days before they went into administration. So rebooked with Easyjet going via Birmingham, which is a good couple of hours away by in. I asked the hotel to book me a taxi, and watched them write “Weir Fields Playing Grounds” on a post it note, But when I got out where the taxi stopped and looked around I could tell I wasn’t in the right spot. The sign said “Beeston Playing Fields”, which was a very small pitch with little signs of life. I checked google maps which told me the location I wanted was a mile and a half away, estimating a 49 minute walk. And it was already 8.20! I could have cried. But instead I jog-walked in the direction I needed, hoping that at least I could play “catch the tail walker”. As 9 o clock loomed I could see a few other runners, and finally the welcome sight of a marshall, and I managed to join the throng just before the start whistle went.

What Three Words – Quick Flood Fits is the bridge crossing the canal to the car park.

The train station is a bit closer than the tram stop, but both are still a good distance away. The parkrun page gives details of other buses nearby.

Course:

Today we ran the alternative course, starting at the pavilion, along the canal and round in a big loop, before a final out and back and a little circuit on grass. The terrain was quite muddy, trail shoes might be an option particularly if it has been raining. No hills to speak of.

Crowd:

There were 300 ish that day – some were surprised it wasn’t more given that there were 2 cancellations of other local events. I fell in with a great bunch of women who scooped me up doing “walk a minute run a minute”, and we chatted our way around, discussing dogs, dancing and touring. I even made the run report!

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/beeston/news/2023/03/19/389-her-spirit/

I saw a couple of other cow buffs, but didn’t get a chance to say hi. There were a few runners with dogs and buggies.

Gear:

I wore my leggings with pockets (good for holding hotel key), With Me Now top, and cow cowl. Cracker, my squirrel mascot, came attached to my running belt. Blue hokkas – since I would have to wear them on the plane tomorrow I was trying NOT to get them too wet or dirty….

Time:

The “jeffing” approach of walk-run resulted in a time of 45 minutes, which I was happy enough with.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I had an earworm of Angelica singing “I came all this way!” from Hamilton as I made my way to the start. I had my bone conductor headphones with me, and was having a first listen through the songs for this year’s Eurovision. I always try to do this initial hearing without knowing which country they are from. So expect the usual madness with unicorns, watergun, Mama driving a tractor (?), something VERY French (tout le monde, mon sac a main), and a jaunty saxophone. Oh, and Edgar Allen Poe.

Facilities:

The car park gets very busy, particularly if there are other activities taking place.

There’s a toilet block by the pavilion.

And a very cute cafe serving crumpets, toast with marmite, bacon butties and a tempting selection of cakes. I couldn’t resist the cheese scones, just out of the oven.

And the rest:

Well Jemima was just brilliant, I was delighted I could be there from the premiere. I managed to get dancing with Nottingham RSCDS on the Saturday night, and J took me for Mothers Day brunch at Browns on the Sunday morning. Just the perfect weekend!

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

Filed under: Parkrun, running | Tagged: Beeston, parkrun |