NI parkruns: Valley

Posted on November 22, 2014 by lindaharley

At the time of writing, Valley is the newest addition to the NI parkrun family, and I joined them on a clear crisp November morning for their 16th event.

20141122_085702

Access

The Valley leisure centre was always known to my little darlings as “the froggy pool” after one of the water slides in the swimming pool.  It sits under the towering mass of Cavehill, and has lovely views down to Belfast Lough and the shipyard cranes.  It’s very easy to find, near the Abbeycentre, and there’s plenty of parking.  The start of the run is behind the main building, and signs point the way.  There are toilets in the main building as well as in the smaller centre at the back, where the final scanning is done.  Fancy that, being able to scan in the warm and dry!

20141122_090411

Course

The course is 2 laps (always nice, you know when you’re halfway there).  It’s on a slope (the clue’s in the name), but not a very pronounced one.  It’s on gravel paths all the way round, though they are included to get muddy and puddley.  But the scenery is lovely, and there’s a pretty duck pond to skip round.

20141122_090221Gear

I discovered when I tried to put my car keys in the zippy pocket of my long sleeved shirt, that I’d put it on inside out!  Oh, well, that’s lucky isn’t it?  I was a little slow pressing go on my Garmin, but all my other equipment was faultless.

Strangely appropriate song

The playlist I was using was one called “Scotland” rather than my specific “jogging” one, and as my feet flew over those puddles, I almost felt I was flying to “Lift Me Up”, by a Luxembourgian group, ODC. But my biggest smile came when I was finished and driving off in my car to the strains of Jupiter, the bringer of Joy.

20141122_090918

Crowd

There were 60 runners that day.  I like these smaller crowds, it’s easier to find some uncluttered space to run with Mini on her hands-free leash, and people seem to be a bit chattier and friendlier.  And there was a lovely treat of a box of gummy sweeties at the end – I do think I should ask Haribo to sponsor me!

20141122_095815

Time

The all important time.  I’d been very good all week – I’d had a long run, a hill training session, and a speed run.  I’d worked on my core by doing 2 lots of 20 push ups and squats every day, as well as some hula-hooping.  I hadn’t had any alcohol on the Friday night, and I’d had a light breakfast of Greek yoghurt and buckwheat muesli.  Did this all work?  You betcha!  I romped home as 3rd lady (best gender position), in position 24 (best actual position), at an age grading of 69.20% (best ever), and a PB time of 25:10.

valley parkrun age category

Valley has pacers, which I’ve never seen before at a parkrun, and I want to say thank you to the 25 minute runner, whose heels I was clipping on the final 100m.  A great morning.20141122_100229

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: belfast, Parkrun, running | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

parkruns: Perth (that’s Scotland, not Australia)

Posted on November 9, 2014 by lindaharley

20141108_083501There’s an old joke that goes – what’s the smallest city in Scotland? Perth, because it’s found between 2 inches.

20141108_083231

The North Inch and South Inch are peninsulas or spits of land into the River Tay, which flows quite briskly here, and Perth retains many fine features befitting its long ancestry, including beautiful old churches, fine bridges, and tiny entries called Vennels.

20141108_130526

I was in town for a Scottish Dancing do.  I was here last year, too, but the Perth parkrun hadn’t yet started – in fact at my visit they were full of enthusiasm for their upcoming first birthday.

20141108_102008

Access:

To my great delight, the parkrun starts right beside Bells Sport Centre, where my dancing actvities were taking place, and I booked myself into Perth (if not Scotland)’s oldest hotel, The Salutation, an easy 5 minute walk away.  There’s plenty of parking in and around the Centre, and toilets and showers are available there too.

20141108_100735

Course:

There had been heavy rain during the week, and though Saturday dawned bright and crisp, the Perth parkrun Facebook page was warning of flooded parts of the route, due to the Tay bursting its banks.  During the new runners briefing, the marshall explained that we would be re-routed onto some slippery grass sloping sections, and that yes, a lot of the course was very muddy – trail shoes recommended.  Trail shoes I have none.  I usually travel in my second best trainers, the green/purple KSwiss which are slightly sturdier and heavier, but I’d done a quick de-pooping of the back garden before I left, and managed to stand in a hidden dog-poo.  So instead I’d brought my bestest trainers, the Brooks Ravenna that were my Sweatshop prize.  They’ve quite a lot of mesh, and I wouldn’t normally choose to wear them in mucky conditions, but they were all I had.  The route is just beautiful, hugging the banks of the river with its gorgeous trees and glimpses of wildlife.

20141108_084232

Gear:

I’d underestimated the cold – meant to pack a long sleeved top to wear under my JogLisburn tee, but forgot.  Luckliy enough I’d brought a lightweight Craghoppers cardi in white cotton, and wore that as a base layer.  And of course it got covered in mucky paw prints when I said hello to a lovely Vizla, making her parkrun debut…

20141108_092200

Strangely Appropriate Song:

Given the over-flowing river, I’ll say that The Bellamy Brothers “Let Your Love Flow” was the right song for the moment.

20141108_091321

Crowd:

I was one of half a dozen tourists – I guess Perth is a city that has more than a few visitors.  I particularly loved the marshalls with their big foam hands.  The start and finish are at the same point, so many runners leave their outer layers decorating a nearby tree.

20141108_100013

Time:

Ach, it wasn’t great.  Since it was more Tough Mudder than parkrun at times, I wasn’t expecting anywhere near a PB, and at 29.54 it was a few seconds faster than last week!  But part of me is disappointed that I don’t seem to be making much progress.

20141108_095903

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

parkruns: Crane Park, Feltham

Posted on November 6, 2014 by lindaharley

20141101_083050While I am working my way through the Norn Irn parkruns (8/19 at time of writing), I do try to visit others in the vicinity of where I travel.  I happened to be in London one weekend, and had a go at Crane Park, Feltham.

20141101_083032

Access:

My best friend lives in Feltham, and is my usual lodgings any time I visit the big smoke.  So I was truly delighted to find that this run was quite literally round the corner from her – a leisurely 10 minute jog took me to the starting point beside the children’s play area.

20141101_094351

Course:

Crane Park is a long thin patch of green around a stream.  The course is 1 1/2 laps of this rectangle, with the 2 short sides run on public footpaths.  It is very pretty, taking in an old shot tower.  And there’s plenty of wildlife around including the obligatory ducks, and a couple of squirrels.  The paths are a bit lumpy and narrow, but there are no hills to worry about.

20141101_093852

Crowd:

The turnout when I visited was 117, which seems about average.  They’re a speedy bunch, and they seemed to zoom through a pre-run brief, and didn’t hang around much afterwards.  What threw me a bit was the 9 am start – it’s 9.30 in Norn Irn and Scotland!

20141101_093307

Strangley Appropriate Song:

I was in town to attend my daughter’s debut at Saddlers Wells, so “Keep On Movin'” by Five made me grin.

20141101_083225

Gear:

I’m familiar now with my cordless earphones and Garmin watch, and they all performed well.  Had a bit of a panic when I got home and couldn’t find them, but they were safely tucked inside my toilet bag.  Phew!  I also got an email telling me that my red 50 Tshirt is still stuck in production limbo. Shame, I’d love to show it off on my parkrun tourism jaunts.

20141101_083239

Time:

I was disappointed with my 29:57.  I know I run much faster with canine-assist, and realistically, this is my first sub-30 without Mini helping me along.  But it was more than 3 minutes slower than last week, I was 97th, and 5th in my age category!  Oh well, parkrun is clearly doing wonders for the fitness levels of 50 year-old women in West London…

20141101_094200

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: London, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

NI parkruns: Ormeau

Posted on September 20, 2014 by lindaharley

20140920_085156

My lovely Jog Lisburn crew like to do a bit of parkrun tourism now and again, and so we had chosen Ormeau, Belfast for our next assault.  We’re quite choosy – we like flatish courses, with not too many laps, and we do like a good bun afterwards.

20140920_091739

It was Autumn when we visited, and so early in the morn, the shadows are long, and the sun low in the sky.

20140920_090622

Access: Ormeau Park lies between the Ormeau and Ravenhill Roads, and it is definitely the Ravenhill end that you want to be aiming for.  There is an indoor tennis arena and football pitches onsite, and as I arrived a marshall ascertained that I was a parkrunner, and directed me to  dedicated gravel parking area.  Loos are available in the Ozone/ tennis centre.

20140920_085556

Course: I loved the course.  It is basically 2 laps, although the second one incorporates an extra detour through the trees.  The signs for the start and finish, each km marking, and at each fork, are on wooden posts, and there are also plenty of marhsalls making sure no-one takes the wrong path.  There are lots of pretty features to look at en route, and to remind you that you’re in East Belfast, the Harland and Wolff cranes are visible at certain angles.

20140920_090120

20140920_08595420140920_090325Gear: MapMyRun wasn’t playing ball with me, so I had No Idea how fast I was going.  It seemed quick – I was trialling my new Trixie belt for runningwithyourdog.  This has a stiff bungee cord to stop the dog catapulting you dangerously, and a grab handle to grasp if the dog sees a bird/ squirrel/ bicycle that they’d rather chase.  I was a bit worried that the lead was longer than my usual one, and I would die of embarassment if we impeded another runner, but it was fine.  We started at the back, I shot past the tail end of the pack on the grass to the side, and we soon found a wide space that I could let go of the grab loop, and let Mini pull me along. It has a little pouch for treats, poo bags and keys etc, which I found was best to position at my back.  We have a canicross event coming up soon, and I’m looking forward to using the belt in its intended context in the very lovely Tollymore Forest for the Waggy Races.20140920_09043120140920_090609

20140920_090019

Strangely Appropriate Song:  Ormeau is another park that I am familiar with from days gone by – we used to live a stones throw away in Roseberry Road.  My teeny tiny children loved to play on the swings and slides, and when they were older on the BMX track, and my son had a teddy bears picnic birthday do here.  It was he who introduced me to Paramore, and as I’m working hard on my crap finish, it was “You go out in style” that made me smile.20140920_090139

20140920_090201

Crowd:  I found it hard to hear the briefing at the start, but we got the usual types trying to befriend Mini (hint: don’t approach her, she’ll bark; come and talk to me, and she’ll come and say hello in her own time).  I did get chatting before hand to an English parkrun tourist, which was nice, and she took some photos for me.  They’re a young and fast group!

20140920_090454

Time: My previous 4 parkruns had been in the 28s, so I was really hoping for a 27 something, and a sub-100 position.  MapMyRun being unhelpful,  I had to analyse what info was available to me: I felt it was fast, especially with the bungee lead.  I had finished, scanned, returned to my car, drunk my chocolate milk, Mini had had her bowl of water, and I was pulling out of the car park by 5 past 10.  But I’d been position 120! The text results were slow coming through, but late in the afternoon I learned that I’d achieved a time of 27:51, and was 4th in my age category.  4th!!!!!  An analysis of the results poured salt into that wound when I discovered that 2 out of those 4 were less than 10 seconds ahead of me.  But I always defer to my own scale; Under 30- good. Under 29 – great. Under 28 – brilliant. Under 27 – fabulous. Under 26 – standing ovation.

20140920_085930

Post-run: Sadly, I had to run and, errrr, run, as I was heading for the birthday luncheon of my godfather and 70 year old uncle in BallyGally Castle.  And I’m not sure any of my co-runners stayed for post run socialising either.  Maybe we should go back and see what the buns are like.  I mean, I have  an age category target to conquer!

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

NI parkruns: St Andrews

Posted on August 12, 2014 by lindaharley

Yes, yes, I know St Andrews isn’t in Norn Irn, but I felt I could include it in my continuing series of parkrun tourism. I happened to be in the town for a week’s Scottish dancing, and I had to skip half a class to get there on time, but I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to try  out a course that awards itself the title of “best parkrun in the world”! 20140809_085509 Access: Various tourist leaflets I had read claimed that Craigtoun Country Park was either 2 or 4 miles out of town.  If it was 2, and I knew exactly where I was going, I’d have jogged.  But given the uncertainty I booked a taxi.  The parkrun page gave directions from the main entrance, so I got the driver to leave me at the big gates by the road (to be honest, the fare was over £6 at this stage, and I only had £5.50 with me.)  As it turned out, I still had a bit of a walk to get to the entrance to the country park proper, but the views along the way were stunning.

20140809_083723

Course:  The park is absolutely gorgeous – white castles reflected in a calm duck pond, Japanese gardens, clumps of bright sunflowers, stone follies.  The route is three large laps across a variety of terrains including gravel and grass, with a final leg to the finish sprint across a grassy patch. There’s a slight incline on the way up, and then a gentle slope down on the way back, and the path crosses a minaiture railway track.

20140809_09050220140809_085104 20140809_085644

Crowd: The run director asked for anyone who was new to the course to come to one side, and he took us through its key features.  I got chatting to one of the regulars, and asked if anyone might be able to give me lift back to town.  He volunteered his services, and as we were chatting on the way to the car, we discovered that he was related to one of my Dad’s friends!

 

My kindly chauffeurs Blair, Jane, and neice Emma

My kindly chauffeurs Blair, Jane, and neice Emma

 

Gear:  I was travelling light, so I didnt have my jacket with me, and even though it was August, it was still rather chilly.  Fine once I started running, though.  I pressed START on MapMyRun too soon, so its time elapsed was about a minute too much, and I spent my run trying to bring down my average pace. As the finish line is in a different place to the start, any water bottles, keys etc can be palced in a fetching bag which is taken to the finish.  Apologies for the terrible photo…

20140809_092007

 

Oddly appropriate tack provided by shuffle: Since I was mitching class, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird made me grin, and it timed itself just right so that the fast section coincided with my final half lap.

20140809_090035

Time:  I was aiming for “around 30”, and came in at 30:53.  I did struggle with the final hill, and a few runners overtook me there, and I can always claim I was distracted by so many beautiful views.

 

20140809_085157

Atmosphere:  There was a good bit of friendly standing around chatting afterwards, a few waggy doggies to say hello to, and rice crispie buns!  See you guys again next year 🙂

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

NI parkruns: Queens

Posted on July 9, 2014 by lindaharley

The Queens parkrun is one of the longest established of Norn Irn’s parkruns.  It is nowhere near the main University building – it’s at its Sports Centre in Finaghy, known as “The Dub”.  The course is 2 laps around the tennis courts and playing fields.  It’s hillier than you’d think, some of the turns are quite sharp, and the terrain changes from car-park asphalt to gravelly path.

Access: Located close to the sign-post House of Sport roundabout, it’s easy to get to this parkrun either from the Outer Ring, or from the M1 via Stockman’s Lane.  There is ample parking, and facilities in the modern building are excellent.

Gear: When I first did this run I’d only just started parkrunning, and I was taking part in an accountants’ charity weekend.  So I got a lovely new T shirt to wear!

not quite on the cover of a magazine...

not quite on the cover of a magazine…

Crowd: As you’d expect, there are a fair few students and academics who regularly run this course, but it’s also popular with Lisburners looking for a change of scenery from Wallace.  Attendance is usually around 60 (at time of writing – it’s increased a fair bit since then!)

Strangely Appropriate Song: Reelin in the Years, by Steely Dan, made me reminisce about times past when I’d attended Queens University……

Time: I’d done this one pretty early in my parkrun career, and came in at 31:15, still chasing the elusive 30 barrier.

Update January 2015:

20150124_101610It’s been quite icy recently, and unfortunately this does lead to parkrun cancellations for safety reasons.  Queens is pretty weather-resilient, though – it’s a busy centre with lots of activities on each Saturday morning, so the staff are really good at gritting the surfaces.  After a Wallace cancellation, I made a quick decision to re-route to Queens, especially since my running mate Minnie hadn’t tried it yet.  It was a bright blue-sky morning, there were over 100 runners, including a few Wallace stable-mates, and we had a pretty enjoyable run.  I found some of the paths a bit narrow – it’s easy to get hemmed in at the start, especially with a dog!  But we managed a very satisfying 25:44, and I got those coveted letters PB after  my name.  The welcome from the regulars and volunteers was lovely, and I’m sure we’ll be back again soon.

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: belfast, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

NI Parkruns: Citypark Craigavon

Posted on May 11, 2014 by lindaharley

“Citypark” is a rather misleading name for this one, as it’s nowhere near a city! It is in the vicinity of Craigavon, though, with its many roundabouts to negotiate, and I was glad I had written out the directions on a piece of paper, and was travelling with a running companion to help me navigate.

20140510_091012

Access:

It’s not too far off junction 10 of the M1, but check their web page for detailed instructions.  The course is one single lap around a pair of lakes next to the Watersports centre and civic centre.

UPDATE: It now starts and finishes at the newly built South Lakes Leisure Centre, where there are loos and a fabulous cafe.

There’s a good car park, and shelter/ loos in the watersports building, where coats, keys and barcodes can be left during the run.  It’s a pretty route through lots of trees, and while there a few ups and downs, there are no killer hills.

20140510_090700

Gear:

It was raining when I visited, but not heavily, and I opted for my short sleeved Jog Lisburn T shirt, with long trousers.  MapMyRun seemed to be working fine, but it told me I’d completed the 5k when I was still 400m from the finish, which threw my pacing calculations off slightly. I had my waistband pouch to hold poo bags, dog treats etc, my sweat-wristband which is useful for the runny nose I always get when running, and I utilise the white headband from last year’s colour run to act as a brake under my armband phone holder. Our Jog Lisburn T-shirts provided a conversation starter, and we were able to do our ambassadorial bit for the club.

20140510_091404

Crowd:

It usually has in the region of 100 runners, with quite a few females taking part – I finished as 12th woman.  Mini was the only dog running, and as usual had a crowd of admirers coming to say hello. There’s tea, coffee, and water available afterwards, to enjoy over the post-run banter and comparing of performances.

20140510_091416

Strangely Appropriate Song provided by shuffle:

With all the pacing calculations going on in my head, it had to be Stevie Wonder going “five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes!” from Seasons of Love.

20140510_090709

Time:

Having PBed the previous week with 26:19, I was hoping that this less-hilly route would help me get under 26.  That meant pacing between 5 and 5:12 per km.  My plan was to run the first half as fast as I could, and I kept my pace around 5:03.  For the back stretch, I was aiming to hold position.  As I started the last km I was pretty sure I’d get a solid time, but then MapMyRun told me I’d completed the 5 when I was still some way off the finish.  So I wasn’t too sure of my actual finish time until the official text and email results came it, and was delighted to have broken into the 25s with a 25:57.

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: Dogs, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

8 down, 4 to go

Posted on May 26, 2013 by lindaharley

Right, the day of the race is getting really close now! But I’ve had a great week of running, and I’m looking forward to the big day.

Two Dogs Running

On Tuesday I tried something new.  My big dog, Max, is my usual running mate.  Except for parkruns, where the crowds freak him out.  But I also try to exercise my little dog, Mini.  She’s allowed at parkruns as long as the weather’s good.  I can just about walk them both together, using head collars, but the thought of running with them together is just a bridge too far.  But I chose a shortish route, and ran it twice, once with each dog.

Thursday morning was a bit damp, but I did my run round the river before breakfast.

Saturday dawned dry and sunny, so it was looking good for Mini to accompany me to Wallace Park.  Having broken the 30 minute barrier last week, I put all thoughts of speed and pace out of my mind, and instead just ran for the sheer joy of it.  The sun was shining, Mini behaved herself impeccably, and my shuffle gave me Daft Punk’s Harder, Faster, Stronger, which I think is my fitness theme song.

When I started Parkrunning 10 weeks ago, I was very despondent that out of a field of 33 runners, I was 30th, and was finding it really difficult to improve my time even by seconds. Today I finished 51st out of a field of 107 runners (ie in the top half), was the 7th lady, and once again broke my previous best time, coming in at 28:46.  It did occur to me that the more I run, the less I weigh, and the less I weigh, the faster I can run.  So being a stone lighter than I was at Christmas is undoubtedly bringing benefits.

I know an old lady…

Sunday was Max’s turn to come with me on my distance run.  I chose the same route as I’d done the past 2 times, as it’s basically the last section of the race route, and added on an extra loop at the end to take me past the finishing line.  It was lovely.  I was running without my usual jacket (same as yesterday) so instead my little pouch came in handy, holding phone, house key and poo bag.m&s food 001

I had a huge grin on my face as Taio Cruz’s Higher was playing.  But I had to stop singing along, as all that lovely burgeoning spring wildlife means there’s lots of flies around, which managed to get in my mouth, up my nose, in my hair….and yes I know insects are full of protein, and could be the answer to the world’s food shortages, but bleurgh!

Anyway, that’s 3 Sundays that I’ve run about 10 miles.  Following my training plan, I have a 6 mile run to do next week, then the longest run pre-race, or 12 miles, and then we’re into a taper week.  Still time to donate to a great cause!

http://www.justgiving.com/Linda-HarleyGillespie

Filed under: Lisburn, running | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

7 down, 5 to go

Posted on May 19, 2013 by lindaharley

OK, one month to go before the race. For the first time, I didn’t manage to get all 4 runs done, as I was out every evening, and on my day off I was at the Balmoral Show. But the 3 runs I did manage were good.

a pair of Nubian kids at the Balmoral Show

Tuesday morning – 3 miles round the river. It’s so lovely watching the signs of spring burgeoning, the colours and smells of the trees and flowers never fail to put a smile on my face.

Saturday Park Run. My best time had been 30:12, and I was getting my head in the right place to shave off those 12 seconds. It had been raining, so the ground was a bit wet, although thankfully the showers stayed away while I was actually running. I set off strongly, and tried to keep up with some of the faster guys. I did my usual approach of slowing down for the hill (3 times) before sprinting along the flat section to the duckpond (3 times). I leaped for joy when the official results were emailed that afternoon – 29:57, 6th lady overall!

For Sunday’s long run I chose the same route as last week, with a little extra loop added at the start.  This was to make sure that I’m increasing the distance of my long runs each week, and also to minimise any running on the same section of road.  It was slow, especially near the end where I was tiring, and suffering form some digestive problems, but I’m confident I can run the 3 additional miles that would take me to the half-marathon distance.

Over £100 raised so far for Clic Sargent – still time to donate!

http://www.justgiving.com/Linda-HarleyGillespie

Filed under: Lisburn, running | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

« Previous Page