Wimbledon Park Junior parkrun (#38)

This was the first junior parkrun we visited that did not have a parent parkrun in the same park. There is of course a full 5k Wimbledon parkrun but that is held where the Wombles live on Wimbledon Common. However, just to the east, in the park described by Merton Council as ‘South London’s best kept secret’ you will find Wimbledon Park, the home of Wimbledon Park Junior parkrun.

pretty wildflowers around the start-finish area

Before visiting a new parkrun venue I always like to have a little look at the history and this one does not disappoint. A product of the last ice age, the land and the large ornamental lake that now forms Wimbledon Park was previously part of a larger open space in which Wimbledon House once stood. During the 18th century it was landscaped by ‘England’s greatest gardener’ landscape architect Capability Brown who designed over 170 parks in his lifetime. Over the years, the house and its surrounding land changed hands and gradually parts were sold off and used for other purposes.

the warm up session

Just before the First World War, the Borough of Wimbledon bought the land including the adjacent golf course which was later sold to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club by Merton Council leaving just the park and its ornamental lake in its ownership. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is of course best known for the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament, and this does unfortunately have a knock-on effect to the junior parkrun; in 2014 the junior run was cancelled for three consecutive weeks in order to facilitate the tennis (I think the park is used as a camp site where fans can pitch a tent and be just across the road from the action).

away they go

We are now left with 27 hectares (67 acres) of green space in the middle of residential Wimbledon and what better way to use it on a Sunday morning than for a junior parkrun. The eastern edge of the park borders the district underground line, which is actually above ground at this point and every couple of minutes a train clatters past. There are two tube stations that serve the park – Wimbledon Park is the obvious one to head for, but Southfields tube station is just as close to the start-finish area.

almost at halfway

For the start/finish of the run, you need to head for the north east corner of the park where you’ll find lots of friendly folk dressed in hi-vis vests. This venue has a 9.30am start time (always double check in advance before going to a junior parkrun as start times and frequency of events vary between venues) and attracts around 100 official participants every week and when you add in the number of accompanying parents, this figure rises by about half again.

the halfway turnaround point

The park itself is a popular place for dog walkers so it's worth bearing that in mind before visiting. The course is 100% grass underfoot and is almost completely flat. It is preceded by a warm up session (which I missed while having a freedom run) and a briefing, once they are complete it’s down to business with a ready, GO!

running through the course marking cones

When designing the course here at Wimbledon Park Juniors they have been very clever – it would have been so easy to make this a two lap course, but when you do that the front and back of the pack can get mixed up and some children could cross the finish line after just one lap, making timing and finishing tokens a bit of a nightmare...

one of many hi-fives

... So what they have done is made the 1 kilometre loop of the park into an out-and-back with the halfway point being next to the start-finish area. This way the children all run out in one direction and only approach the finish line once they have completed the full course. Genius! Any new junior venues should definitely consider this approach.

well into the second half (approx 1.5km done)

Other features of the park are the tennis courts (of course), bowling green, mini golf, a playground and a watersports centre based over at the lake (it could hardly be anywhere else). There is also a cafe and some toilets, but these are on the south side of the park near the tennis courts so if you think you might need to visit the toilets before the run, plan in a little extra time.

the final sprint

Matilda's run went very well. She started off mid-pack, but being so small she slowly got overtaken by almost everyone else. Even so, she was not discouraged and plodded on at her favoured pace. I stayed in the middle of the park and wandered from point to point taking photos. Just after the turnaround point she asked me if I wanted to run with her. I happily obliged and we ran the second half together. The marshals were dishing out hi-fives and Matilda loved it. She had a short walking break towards the end, but as the finish line came into view, she found a little more energy and put in a great effort to cross the line.

matilda on the other side of the scanning process

The results were online a few hours later and Matilda ran a new 2 kilometre personal best, but not by a little. She totally smashed her previous best by a whopping 2 minutes and 28 seconds! Her 2 kilometre personal best now stands at 17.16, which works out at a pace of 8.38 per kilometre or 13.54 per mile. She of course doesn't understand what all the fuss is about but I'm very proud.

Note on freedom running: This is a difficult route to follow without the full course being marked out as it follows a route that is marked out using cones and poles on an open grass area.

Dartford parkrun 14 - transporting more stanchions, perfect conditions and a freedom run

After last weeks tough (muggy) conditions and subsequent awful run, I headed over to Central Park (carrying some stanchions) looking to return to being a sub-20 runner. The stanchions and directional signs I was carrying were part of the original kit that had been residing in my garage. The night before I and my little helper had sat down at home with the roll of adhesive velcro tape and finally finished off the job that we had started back in July.

velcro - stanchions - signage [photo:7t]

We now have a few extra signs for setting out the course if we have to change it during the winter when the weather could cause problems. As usual, me and Richey (ed) got to work setting out the course and before we knew it we were back at the Dartford Harriers clubhouse and the runners were arriving. I couldn't help but notice that there were less runners than usual - the start of the half-term and the xc races later that afternoon both most likely played a part.

ivy leaf corner [photo: richey estcourt]

When analysing our course I have noted that on paper the first kilometre should be the hardest of the run as it contains the entire elevation gain from the main park, across the bridge and also the uphill trail part. However, with fresh legs and the flow of the crowd, it quite often ends up being one of my fastest km splits. The second km is usual my fastest split and this is expected as it is the km with the most amount of elevation loss and no elevation gain - it is also about 90% tarmac.

during the final kilometre [photo:richey estcourt]

The third kilometre is almost entirely flat, but does have the slight incline across the bridge included. The fourth is the second hardest split on paper, but when you add the tiring legs, this in effect becomes the run's hardest kilometre split. It features the whole of the grass/trail section including the second helping of the uphill incline, and even though it also contains the twisty downhill path from Ivy Leaf Corner back to the main part of the park, it is still a toughy.

over the line [photo:richey estcourt]

The fifth and final kilometre is almost all on tarmac and flat, but it does feature the twisty section around the gardens at the front of the park. The very last part of the last km is back on the grass which is a little bumpy underfoot, but shouldn't take too much time away as the runner is probably flat out by this point anyway.

matilda taking care of the finishing tokens [photo:richey estcourt]

Conditions for the day's run were perfect; 9 degrees, no wind, and partly cloudy. Underfoot the grass and trail part was still holding up pretty well. The uphill trail section was covered in leaves and it made the tree roots hard to spot at times. I started well and instantly felt so much better than at the previous week's run-to-forget. As I started lap two, I and two other runners had formed a pack and I really enjoyed running in this way. I did indeed manage to get back under 20 minutes so I am very pleased.

my favourite volunteering role [photo:richey estcourt]

Upon crossing the finish line, I saw that my daughter was giving out finishing tokens and it was awesome to see her smiling face before she handed me my token. Once the scanning had been sorted (yes, I'm still running and scanning every week), I handed the scanner and tokens to Tessa for processing, and headed off to collect the signage from around the course. With that done I spent a bit of time in the clubhouse drinking tea, chatting and being chased around by a little tiger.

people of dartford, take note [photo:7t]

To finish the morning off, I joined Richey for a freedom run before heading off to the market to pick up a few bargains. This was a very good parkrunday! I've left you all with a photo of the notice that Dartford parkrun is cancelled on 1st November 2014 - please spread the word! I'm hitting the road for a spot of parkrun tourism next week and I'm reaaaaally looking forward to it!

New Balance SS15 Press Day

I was lucky enough to be invited to the New Balance UK Spring-Summer 2015 press launch event at Hoxton Arches in the trendy part of the east end of London. As the title suggests, the event was held to showcase their new products for the upcoming spring and summer, it contained all of their new 'lifestyle' shoes and of course, their running shoes.

hoxton arches

I finished work and because I didn't fancy taking the tube, I ran the 6km from Westminster. Upon arrival I was greeted and then introduced to one of New Balance's professional athletes - Mark Draper and he talked me through the new updated ranges.

The standard lines

My main interest was with the update of the 1080 range and I must say that the shocking green/yellow of the V5 is one that I'd like to get my hands on when they are released.

If you have read my 1080v3 and 1080v4 blog posts you'll know that I love the v3 but I wasn't entirely happy with the changes that were made to fit around the heel of the v4. While at the event I had a chance to talk about this and discovered that the v5 is built on the same last as the v4 which means that, sadly, this particular issue will probably still exist.

The other road shoes that were of interest to me were the M1500, which is a racier shoe than I usually wear but one that I am keen to try at some point.

1080v5 mens

1080v5 womens

860v5 (stability shoe)

880v4

m1500 (sorry about the blurriness)

Fresh Foam

The updated versions of the 'Fresh Foam' range were also on show. This range is made up of the 'soft and smooth' 'Boracay' and its lower profiled and racier 'Zante' which comes with the tagline 'smooth just got fast'. They also had the updated Fresh Foam 980 trail shoes.

large fresh foam molecules

fresh foam

fresh foam boracay

fresh foam zante

fresh foam 980 trail

fresh foam 980 trail

Others

While on the subject of trail shoes, I also had a peak at the new version of the 'Leadville' 1210. I had previously tried the original on and found that they are A LOT of shoe which put me in an unusually elevated position. With the word Leadville in the name, you can tell that this is a shoe that is designed for very long runs.

1210 'leadville' (grey and green)

The last few shoes looked like they were the children's range - although this is just my assumption going by the small size of the shoes. There were options for road and trail.

636

610v4

So that's about it. I think I photographed pretty much all of the running shoes that were there. New Balance UK no longer stock the minimus range (which I understand is still produced and going strong elsewhere) so there were none of these on show.

With that done, I headed back out onto the road to continue my evening's running with a short 3km trot down to Cannon Street to catch the train home.

[7t]

Brockwell Junior parkrun (#19)

Brockwell Park in South London is a gently undulating and pretty park with views across to Central London from its highest point. I first ran in this park at Brockwell parkrun [my blog] with my daughter in her running buggy on a drizzly morning in May 2013. Since then a junior event has been set up in the park and we paid it a visit on drizzly morning (that cleared up before the run) in October 2014.

brockwell juniors start [photo:7t]

Upon arrival we had a choice of parking in the Lido car park or out on the adjacent street - the streets have meters but they are only in use between Monday and Friday. We left the car on the street and headed into the park. As we were quite early I decided to have a cheeky freedom run around the standard 5k course, then once I had finished I did the same for the 2k junior course.

warmup [photo:7t]

By then the event team had arrived and had begun setting the course up and organising the volunteers. I had my camera with me so I offered to volunteer as photographer [photos here]. My wife also volunteered and took on the role of tail runner. The start/finish is located on the grass just opposite the lido (next to an odd looking building - see photo) and as this venue attracts a good number of participants, you couldn't fail to miss it.

runners almost ready to go [photo:7t]

There were a few workmen laying some cobbles next to the path and their van had been partially blocking the course, however they were more than happy to move it onto the grass before the run started. To be on the safe side an extra marshal was required at this spot, so headed over and doubled up as photographer and marshal.

taken from my marshaling spot halfway up the hill [photo:7t]

As you may have spotted, junior parkruns are all on Sundays but do not all have the same start time. At the time of writing Brockwell Junior parkrun has a 9.30am start time and I would definitely advise checking the official page of any junior parkrun before visiting. A few minutes before the start time, there was the usual parkrun briefing and then a warm up session for all of the kids. The participants then took their places on the start line. Seconds later they were off.

matilda looking comfortable and focused on the incline [photo:7t]

This is a two lap course with a little tail that links the start/finish to the triangular loop that creates the lap, and with the exception of the grass start/finish area, takes place on tarmac paths. For the first 100 metres or so along the tail is flat, then there's a left hand turn and the runners are heading up an incline. At the top of the incline, the runners swing to the right at the junction and head back downhill which flattens out before another right hand turn leads the runners on a slight incline back towards the end of the lap, the runners then turn right to complete the loop again.

sporting our trademark sock pairing [photo:7t]

Once the two laps have been completed, the runners head back along the tail towards the start/finish area, where they transfer back onto the grass and enter the finish funnel, collect their finish token, get scanned and have a well deserved rest.

i loved the oversized hand hi-fives [photo:7t]

It's worth noting that there are a lot of dog walkers in this park so if you have children that are nervous around dogs it might be an idea to accompany them around the course. Even though many will be used to the large amount of runners in the park, there still may be some dogs that could pose a risk to runners - I heard of one incident in the park (not with a child) straight after writing this blog.

just a few hundred metres from the end [photo: 7t]

As far as my daughter's run goes, she powered past my marshalling point on her first lap going up the hill, but then she didn't come back past me on lap two. It turns out that she was running with another girl that had decided to only complete one lap and had followed her, but after finding my daughter and reminding her that it was a two lap course she carried on with me in tow up the hill, round the corner, down the hill, and round the corner until we finally noticed the finish line in sight - from here it was a mad dash to the end with her pipping me to the post!

the finish line in sight [photo:7t]

With the confusion of her run and the timers thinking everyone had finished, the stopwatches had all been stopped. Fortunately everything was resolved and she was given a finish time of 21 minutes flat. I asked her what she thought of the course and she said that she liked it but wasn't too keen on the hill. I must add that on the way to the run she was telling me that she loves hills!

finisher 83 entering the finish funnel [photo:7t]

Despite only being going for 19 events at the time of our visit, this venue has already attracted a really healthy number of runners and at the event we attended there were 83 finishers, when you add in the number of parents running with their children the total number of runners would have been well in excess of 100.

just some finish tokens being sorted on a wall [photo:7t]

It's another really nice venue for a junior parkrun, as always the volunteers are fab and if you have the time it is definitely worth hanging around after the run to visit one of its attractions for example the playground or, if the weather is really good, the lido.

Dartford parkrun 13 - a strangely muggy October day, an awful run and a tech malfunction

I did something this week that I've been thinking about for a while, and it's something that on the surface doesn't seem like a big deal. I changed my home parkrun from Riddlesdown to Dartford. Accompanied with this change was a sense of guilt and a feeling that I had abandoned the people and venue that had been my home for the last three years. 

volunteers [photo:7t]

However, things have changed and it now seems right that Dartford should be listed as my home. So with that done and my foot feeling a little better, I added in a few slow runs during the week and am pleased to say that my foot is still feeling fine, but I've been amazed at how quickly my fitness appears to have dropped off.

about 1.5k in and starting to feel it [photo: gary bignell]

This week the lack of running really started to show during the parkrun. I started off a little slower than usual but I just couldn't get going, I was knackered half-way around and I was getting slower every kilometre. I crossed the line in 20.09 which is my worst finish time in over six months.

heading towards the finish [photo: gary bignell]

I could blame my bad run on a lack of running, my double cycle commute (there and back) which resulted in 64 kilometres of cycling the day before the run which could have left my legs a little lifeless, or it could have been the freakishly humid mid-October weather. Probably a combination of all three.

scanning time [photo: gary bignell]

To be honest, I don't really have a lot of bad parkruns so it was time for one to come around. Of course there's always next week and maybe with the foot feeling better I can actually start getting back into some proper training. So this is one run that I'd like to forget.

some finish tokens [photo:7t]

Thankfully parkrun is about more than just running and it was great to be out on a Saturday morning with over 100 like minded people. I finished my run and picked up my scanning gear, and after a few minutes the conversations were flowing and I had partially forgotten about my bad run.

richey and tessa manually entering the times [photo:7t]

Then after the course had been cleared away and the kit put back into its storage container I headed into the clubhouse where I discovered that there were problems with the software for the stopwatches, which meant they wouldn't connect to the laptop. In the end Richey and Tessa added the 103 times manually. So Dartford parkrun 13 is done and dusted and apart from the slight tech problem and my bad run it all went extremely well. I can't wait to do it all over again next week.

Petts Wood 10k 2014

I entered the Petts Wood 10k 2014 a few weeks before the race day as an SLGR affiliated runner at a cost of £13, and then just a few days later, at the Les Witton Dartford 10, I developed some pain in the top of my left foot. Thankfully by the time race day rolled around the pain had gone and the foot felt fine to run on. The downside was that I had barely done any running in the three weeks prior to the race.

petts wood 10k [photo: 7t]

In the week leading up to the race, an email was sent out by the organisers, Petts Wood Runners, detailing the race day arrangements. The full race pack was available for download from the Petts Wood Runners website - the downloadable race pack fitted in with the ethos of this race which was to be ecologically friendly. In addition to the electronic race pack, they didn't use plastic bags for post-race goodies, the cups at the water stations were bio-degradable, the cakes, beers and food are all locally sourced, and they also sorted the post-race rubbish so that as much as possible was recycled.

meeting woody and woodina [photo: dani]

My return to running had been the previous day at Dartford parkrun event 12 where I struggled to get anywhere near my usual parkrun pace. With that in mind I knew to expect a slightly slower performance at the 10k. However, I still wanted to run my best possible time. I drove to Petts Wood and parked on the residential streets adjacent to the venue. The race HQ was at the Willett Recreation Ground which had ample space for the registration, massage tent, cake stand, hot food stand, toilets, baggage tent, bouncy castle and everything else that you would expect to find.

#teamslgr and co. [photo: dani]

There was a really nice vibe at the race HQ and in addition to the 10k runners there were plenty of children and other family members and/or supporters. The event also featured a performance from local band The Dirty Perks, which really added to the great atmosphere. While I collected my race number with inbuilt timing chip, the wife registered our daughter for the children's race. Soon after this I started bumping into, and chatting to, fellow runners including one who is doing the #7weeksofparkrun challenge. There were six 'So Let's Go Running' runners taking part in the race and eventually #TeamSLGR plus our friends from Swanley AC and Plumstead Runners had formed a little huddle.

at the start line [photo: dani]

When the race start time came around, we were directed to line up in our predicted finish time pens. If I hadn't had the problem with my foot I would have optimistically lined up in the sub-40 pen, but as I knew that I'd be slower than usual, I took a more conservative approach and went into the 40-45 minute pen. The start was staggered and the first group went off about 10 seconds before us in the second pen. The subsequent pens were released at regular intervals of about 10 seconds until all of the pens were empty.

and we're off [photo: dani]

This race would definitely go down as mixed terrain. It started on grass with a lap of the recreation ground before heading out onto the local streets, which eventually lead to a footbridge (with steps on both sides) that crossed the railway line. After this the course was a mixture of more roads, uneven tarmac or concrete paths, grass and forest trails. The course undulated throughout, had a couple of steeper climbs and one steep downhill thrown in for good measure. Once over the railway, the course had a steady incline followed by a steady decline until reaching the 3.7 kilometre point.

matilda somewhat dwarfed by her competition in the children's race [photo: dani]

Around this time the children's races got underway - the first was the 5-7 year olds, and there were so many entrants that this age group were split into two separate groups, which is very encouraging for the future! My daughter went out in the first wave and completed the 400 metre course with no walking breaks and was given a chocolate medal at the end. Once the younger children had finished, the 8-11 year olds had their turn. It was good to see the junior races on the day's schedule, but there seemed to be a oversight for anyone aged 12-16, who unfortunately ended up excluded from the junior and adult races.

bringing it home [photo: dani]

Back to the main event, and the 3.7 kilometre point marked the start of the first challenging incline which lasted for the next 600 metres. The course then headed downhill for a bit. From 4.7 to 6.5 kilometres the course went back uphill and upon passing the 5 kilometre point, the race entered Petts Wood itself. At the 6.5 kilometre point the course reached its highest point and continued to undulate but making its way back downhill. While in the woods this was a proper twisty trail run with tree roots, mud and other hazards (eg a slippery wooden bridge) to look out for.

during the residential street section [photo: brian page]

There was a good amount of support in the woods with a couple of places being particularly noisy - especially the spot where a few members of The Dirty Perks had relocated themselves to the woods and where knocking out some tunes - as I passed they happened to be playing 'Don't Look Back in Anger' by Oasis. This part was captured on video, and you can see me pass by at around 51 seconds into this video. On the subject of videos, there is a full course fly through on youtube.

the final sprint [photo: dani]

Towards the end of the section in the woods the route went past a stone memorial to William Willett. He was the man that had the idea and campaigned for daylight saving time to be introduced - it is said that the idea came to him while riding his horse in Petts Wood. He died in 1915, the year before daylight saving became law so he never lived to see his idea in action. The memorial features a sun dial which is permanently set to British Summer Time in his honour. Incidentally he is the great-great-grandfather of Chris Martin - the lead singer of the band Coldplay.

and done [photo: dani]

Just after the 8 kilometre point the race exited the woods and went back onto the local roads which lead back towards the Willett Recreation Ground where the runners were back onto the grass to sprint for the finish line. Once across the line, all participants were presented with a really nice bespoke Petts Wood 10k medal, plus there was an abundance of bananas, water and vegetable samosas on offer for all finishers.

comparing medals [photo: dani]

One of the quirky features of the race was the race mascot Woody the gorilla - this year Woody was joined by his new girlfriend Woodina. It was great fun for the kids (and adults) and really added to the brilliant atmosphere at the race HQ area. I suspect that the real effort made by the organisers to include all of the added extras are part of the reason that this event sells out every year.

#teamslgr [photo: dani]

This year 678 runners finished the race and the official results are available for viewing on the Petts Wood Runners webpage. My chip time was 42.24 and I finished in 35th position which puts me in the top 5.2% of finishers. That is a good result for me, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed because I know that without the interruption to my training I could have been a minute or two faster than that.

the bling [photo: 7t]

My overall feelings about the 10k race are slightly mixed - I think as an event it was faultless and I cannot praise the Petts Wood Runners enough - the enthusiasm and support from all around the course was fantastic. The course itself was a mixed bag of road running on pleasant but uninspiring residential back streets followed by some amazing running on the fun, twisty, undulating trails in the woods. However, I would have prefered to have spent a larger percentage of the race in the woods, which for me was the best part.