parkrun # 204 event # 47
Victoria, eh? Well, having done Belfast Victoria (which is a B for all you alphabteers), and noting that the latest London event is Victoria Dock, and hoping to see my son working on the cruise ship Queen Victoria, I have devised a little Victoria Lap of my own.
Talking of alphabeteering, I still need a G, and was hoping that a trip to Glasgow would net me one. But No! Sort it out, Glaswegians.
Access:
I was staying at the Argyll Hotel on Sauciehall Street, in leafy and beautiful Kelvingrove. There for a dance weekend, Victoria was the nearest parkrun, just under 3 miles away. I’d got to the city using the Hannon Coach service. £29 each way, very relaxed and friendly service, you can take as big a suitcase as you like, no worries about potions and lotions or security queues. I blagged a free upgrade to the Stena Plus lounge, and so my outward leg was very pleasant and well fuelled. There’s wifi on board, and to be honest, the opportunity to just sit in one place and do very little for a few hours was divine. 6 hours, city centre to city centre, which is I reckon about 2 hours more than flying, but waaaay less stressful.
Anyhoo. To the parkrun! The Argyll has a nifty taxi-call button in their reception, and I was kept informed of all the details about my taxi, which took about 15-20 mins to get to the famous Golden Jubilee gates. Many people seemed to arrive on foot or by bike. Car parking is just on the local streets.
Crowd:
On the day I visited, they were having a memorial run for Brian, on what would have been his 42nd birthday. There were quite a few youngsters taking part, but I’m not sure how frequent that is. Average attendance is 250ish, there were 350 this time. The marshalls were really friendly and encouraging.
Course:
It’s a 3 lapper on what at first sight seems a flat tarmac route round the obligatory duck pond.
This of course means that’s there is a sneaky hill hidden behind that clump of trees over there. And you have to do it 3 times. But it’s a wide flat path, and speedy runners will find they can get a good time here. Start and finish are in the same general area. I adored the swans, the daffodils, and the lovely trees. A really pretty park, no wonder it’s a popular spot for locals.
Facilities:
I had trouble finding any loos, and those that should have been open at 9 weren’t. The bag drop is at the tennis court fence.
Gear:
I always travel in my second best trainers, and they were suitable footwear for this course. My Garmin performed as expected, and I wore my tartan leggings, as I was in Bonnie Scotland. No other cow cowls spotted.
Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:
No headphones in, but my internal juke box was playing through the Scottish dances that I have to call at ball in a few weeks time.
Time:
It was a glorious warm morning with blue skies and welcome sunshine, but I found I was having difficulty finding a good rhythym for my breathing. Plus I was in town for a dance thing and didn’t want to risk any injury or aching calves. So it was a slow but safe 34 minutes (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it…)
And the rest:
The dancing part of the weekend was an absolute joy. It was my first time attending a Spring Fling/ Fringe event,
and having so many young people around made for a lively and exuberant atmosphere.
I bumped into old friends from past Summer and Winter Schools, including one who’d stooged for me in my Unit 3 exam! And I even had a spare hour or so to mooch around the delightful Kelvingrove Museum, and enjoy the organ recital.
All My parkruns:
Summary list of all events run
Filed under: Parkrun, running, Scotland, Scottish Country Dance, travel | Tagged: Glasgow, Spring Fringe, Victoria parkrun | 2 Comments »
For leaving your jacket etc beofre the run, many opted for the time honoured “hang it on a fence” tradition, and one of the volunteers had a basket at the start line to collect any discarded coats and belongings.
I could be critical and say it’s a bit boring, you definitely have to dig deep and “just keep running!”, and I’d wished I’d brought some headphones so I could have some music or a podcast.
It’s a dead flat all tarmac course, so very accessible for buggies and wheelchairs. I saw a couple of doggies (Hi Maggie!) and a blind-guide running pair, and I was in the tailwind of a lesser spotted 100 parkrun jacket most of the way. There were some pacers, and some “walk a minute run a minute” guides as well.
It’s also very fast – there were 3 sub-17 times on my visit, and the course record is an astonishing 14:37.
giggling at the plastic dinosaur in the nativity display at York Minster, going to the Cilla show at the Grand Opera House,
I’d bought some powdered spirulina when I was “veggie for November”, but never got round to using it. Since then, I’ve been trying to find a palatable way of including it in my diet, but have struggled with its gloopy texture and vivid black green colour.
Dancing At Lunacy 