Hanging out at Hillsborough parkrun #444

Today was all about hightailing it to Hillsborough parkrun.

Although this is one of my locals as a Sheffielder, to be honest, I’ve only been the once before. I didn’t have a particularly good experience. There was a very competitive local running club there out in force and it was very bargy, as a multi-lapper I got shoved off the paths a few times and came away with quite a negative view of it. However, on reflection that was back in 2016 – almost a year to the day in fact as I actually went 30 Jan 2016 which is a pleasing factoid. Things change over 6 years, I should keep an open mind. Anyways, the incentive to drag my weary carcass there was largely that my new Huddersfield Besties were making the trip for the second Nab A Nelson Number Opportunity in two weeks, as it was to be – and indeed actually was – event number 444. I guess that makes it a NANO and as it was the second one, an actual nanosecond! The last opportunity being Concord parkrun #555 just last week. I know, spookily close together! You wouldn’t want to miss one of them, even though it’s actually very, very easy to do, on account of the fact a nanosecond is actually pretty small, and whizzes by very fast indeed. This nanosecond would not elude us though, oh no indeedy, we’d be there! Love a shared adventure!

Quite a lot of other people had the same idea of Nabbing A Nelson if the turn out was anything to go by. Third highest number of participants to date, and the event coped really well. Next week is their turning ten anniversary, I wonder if that will bring another influx. They have promised cake, that can incentivise some I know… Not too shabby a turn out this time round though at 627 parkrunners completing the course, and a zillion volunteers supporting them, including a photographer who took some fantastic shots, including this one, that’s a great many parkrunners I think you can agree:

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I got in touch to offer my services as a parkwalker as there were none on the roster and I’d be walking anyway, or as a second tailwalker as often two people undertake that role. I got a very gracious response, but it still basically indicated that the event chooses not to have parkwalkers as the three lap nature of the course means there are always other parkrunners around and the tailwalker and marshals can support any walkers during the event. They did not require a second tailwalker. I did find this more than a bit disappointing, as I think the blue high vis is also about making walking at parkrun visible, and turning away volunteers is always a shame if there are unfilled positions. It made me a bit apprehensive about going as I was unsure it would be in fact be welcoming to walkers if they are not accepting the parkwalker role as valid or necessary. Oh well, soon find out.

Back to us though and our shared adventure or ‘Five go wild at Hillsborough parkrun’ as my Huddersfield friend recounts it. A great improvement on the original Enid Blyton offerings, updated and inclusive is the way forward, yay for going wild together.

It was colder than expected heading out first thing. I had to wear my actual thermal base layer, I was quite pleased to have the opportunity to do that to be fair as they are newish and properly lovely and toastie. That was a clothing win, but I had a few fails. Specifically, I forgot my warm hat. Worse still, I remembered it, and then must have somehow dropped it going to the car as it was nowhere to be found on reaching my destination. I also found my watch hadn’t charged up, so I’d have to do a naked parkrun! To be fair, after my initial discombobulation and panic, I rationalised it that as I only walk now there is less fun in tracking progress, and although I crave my elusive last bingo number, knowing your gps time rarely helps as there is often a discrepancy between my run times and parkrun finish times, so even if you are within a whisker, those teasing seconds can be spirited away in the results processing. Sad but true!

I arrived early at Hillsborough park as I wasn’t sure of the parking situation. In fact there were loads of spaces, so many I did that thing of getting really indecisive about which spot to choose for ease of access to park and minimum awkward manoeuvring on departure. You do have to pay for parking but it’s modest, and very handy. FYI as I was leaving, it was getting busier, there was a football match going on and there was a crazy amount of on street parking and I think they were restricting access to the carpark to football officials. It was fine earlier though.

It was a crisp sunny morning, with the early morning sunshine so bright it almost dazzled. There were some slightly dodgy frost bits of path. As I sat in the car I watched some serious running training going on in front of me. There was a group of runners of all ages doing loops of the park in a group, a coach on a bicycle was keeping them together and encouraging them to sprint at the final section of the circuit. It was good watching them, even though I was horrified to think they were doing this INSTEAD of an actual parkrun despite being in the park at just the right time. There were dog walkers, some distant high vis volunteers with signs under their arms heading off into the distance, and a parkrun flag, right at the entrance to the park, hurrah. It’s always a cheery sight.

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I entered the park by the flag and headed off confidently up the modest hill – more of an incline really, towards the play area which is where I remembered the run briefing and start had been located previously. I was impressed by the actual playground monster that looks to gobble up wayward children, and my have accounted for the emptiness of the play area in general.

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The park was a lot lovelier than I remembered. Lovely mature trees;, a great many squirrels; a lively bijou lake with swans, and ducks and geese; the play area; newly tarmaced paths. It was well used too, with lots of comings and goings, and a lot of parkrunners seemingly heading away from the start area to get in a warm up lap before the event got under way. Actually, really a lot of parkrunners now I come to think of it. Pretty much all of them. They must be keen these Hillsborough folk? There must be a new running club challenge or something… Oh hang on. I turned around to look back from whence I’d come and admire the view, and espied the massing of parkrunners right next to the carpark. Oh. How did I miss that? In my defence, as I headed in there can’t have been that many gathered, but there were probably a few. I guess things change in 6 years. Who knew? I made my way back to the start, styling it out by taking photos from afar as I did so. They aren’t the best photos (same old story, annoying camera limitations) but convey the mood quite well I think. Also, it’s actually incredibly thoughtful of me to do these epic fails so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

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and as I walked towards the throng, I spotted the running brooms, hard at work on their latest vlog – always worth a looksie, and then what vision of loveliness was this? None other than my llama loving Huddersfield friend, resplendent in lock down bespoke apricot tee, coming towards me like the golden orb of a rising sun, or something. Hurrah. Wait, there’s more! She was not alone, but had a car full of Nelsoning comrades, hurrah, the more the merrier, also, huge kudos to Huddersfield parkrunners for buddying up for their tourism so effortlessly. I’ve still not really cracked that skill, I tend to tourism on my own and hope to meet kindred spirits on arrival, which is splendid too but in a different way. They were cheery and friendly and obviously we used the opportunity to capture the moment, and share our leggings and ooh, look there’s a pop up banner and all the mandatory selfie things. I say ‘we’ but as ever, I out sourced this element of the occasion to those with long arms, selfie expertise and smart phones. Delegation is a handy skill at times, know your limitations dear reader, it’s best in the long run for all concerned.

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Always good when a plan comes together.

We did our meeting and greeting, and then a call went up from the RD – I think the RD but he wasn’t wearing regulation high vis. I think the kit is changing over from the black and white RD vest to a new unsponsored blue version and for whatever reason they hadn’t got it. Rumour has it, he prefers the old version and wanted to give it one last outing, but then today ended up with neither over confusion of what goes where. Bottom line though, if you have a megaphone at a parkrun event people will obey you, quite frightening really. Anyway, first timers and tourists were encouraged to go over to the tennis courts for the official welcome, and so we did. And we all stood about staring at the volunteer we surrounded. She seemed happy to wait for everyone before starting, always good to be patient. My, she was patient. After a bit, it dawned on both her and the first timers circling around her like sharks that she had no idea why she had become the centre of attention in this way. That would account for her benign yet bewildered look. Turns out, someone else entirely was doing the welcome, and though yes, she was indeed by the tennis courts, there are quite a few of them and she already had a respectable gathering of newbies to Hillsborough whom she was briefing so hadn’t realised that loads of us were in completely the wrong place. No worries, we all traipsed round to join them, and she explained the essentials again. Gathering data about who had travelled the furthest, and milestones along with communicating basics about the course. Three laps, keep left is the gist of it. Can you tell from the photos which was the official briefing and which the decoy one? Also, very cute beagle, and also, how did I miss that helpful sign earlier? Though what happened to parkrun aowalc (all one word, all lower case). I was not having the most observant of days it seems. Slightly worrying, what else have I missed? Not the very cute beagle at least, that’s something.

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Just so you know, if there is one thing cuter than a little beagle, it’s a little beagle meeting up with its beagle buddy a bit later and both beagles being beyond excited at the reunion! Awwww. For those of you who have barkrunning companions this is a very good dpm (dogs per mile) parkrun. Thanks to dumbrunner for introducing me to this helpful metric. I’ve only recently stumbled on the Dumbrunner Facebook page and some of the content is hilarious. Gentle humour, but gets to the truth of running for many of us I feel.

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In case you weren’t there for the briefing, or were there and couldn’t really hear, please find following the official website blah de blah:

Course Description: A separate starting & finishing straight is in the centre of this three lap clockwise course. We start near the gates from Penistone Road to Hillsborough Park ? this is a flat start which takes you on the central park path to the corner by the children’s playground. Turn right and then follow the new paths around the main event square. Make a left turn when you pass the car park and go around the tennis courts and then past the new bike park. A small incline past the duck pond takes you to a bend & past Stephen’s Corner. Follow the path for a second small climb, make a right turn and follow the path over a rise and back down to the children’s playground. At the end of your 3rd lap, fork right and go back down the central park path with the finish near where you started. Please keep to the right-hand side on the finishing straight, following the signage and guidance from marshals as appropriate.

Facilities: Parking: The main car park is charged at 90p per hour. Limited on street parking is available in designated parking bays (either 1 or 2 hours free, depending on the road). Please be considerate to local residents.

If using SATNAV, the nearest postcode is S6 4HD.

Post Run Coffee (shame I didn’t read this before hand to be honest, oh well): Every week we grab a post parkrun coffee in one of the following nearby cafes. The cafes around the park aren’t large enough to accommodate everyone but you will find parkrunners in: Costa Coffee, 301-305 Middlewood Road, Hillsborough, S6 1TG – Depot Bakery, Coach House, Hillsborough Park, Sheffield S6 4HD – Riverside Café, Catchbar Lane, Hillsborough, S6 2LX – Jam’s Café, 181 Middlewood Road, S6 4HD – please come and join us!

and it looks like this:

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The park is a decent size, and to be fair, very much nicer than I’d remembered, but it is still a city park, well used and fairly compact. I didn’t need the loo as I went before leaving the house, but I don’t recall seeing any in the park, stop off en route if you are a tourist from afar I think.

Next stop, loose assembly in the start area. It was busy, so even though the RD had a megaphone, we were too spread out to really hear anything very much. There was a bit of chatter, but with that many people it would have been a challenge even without that. I did gather that next week is 10th birthday week so empty tables will be there for people to deposit celebratory cake and treats on. There was a guy taking part who was practising and raising awareness for his world record attempt at running a marathon (London) – dressed as a life guard raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust & the Little Princess Trust. If only I could remember his name. There was also a large group of Hallam Student Nurses, and no doubt many milestones and volunteer thanking as I joined in with enthusiastic clapping at intervals without quite knowing what I was applauding. In some ways this worries me, you can see how people get swept up in rallies and things, fortunately I think I can endorse parkrun ideals for the most part without being led over to the darkside so much as you would notice.

I tried to get some shots of the assembled company. I think the phrase is ‘good in parts’ but I do like the one of the tailwalker surveying the filed of parkrunners from behind if I say so myself. Oh, and is that a With Me Now t-shirt I espy? Missed out on my ‘Dolly or Bev?’ shout out to this parkrunner. Personally I’m more of a sitdown than cooldown fan, but each to their own eh.

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Pleasantries and necessities completed, it was off! It was a busy field, and I was well towards the back, and fairly quickly at the actual back with my Huddersfield companion alongside with her dodgy knees, and the tailwalker just behind. Given how many people there were it was a courteous and sedate charge forth. Lots of cheery thanking the marshals as we past. This parkrun has some excellent signage to help explain things, one of which is a reminder to call a thank you to volunteers which is a lovely touch. I meant to take a photo of it, but clearly didn’t, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

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It is a multi-lap course so you do get lapped. There are lots of jolly marshals round and about, and although you do have to squish over to the left at points to allow others to pass it was all pretty good natured. Faster runners shouted encouragement and there was no barginess that I experienced. Phew. It was great to have a twalking (talking and walking) companion. We mainly talked all things parkrun. The pros and cons of discontinuing selfie frames. They have been withdrawn ostensibly because they have the wrong sponsors on them now, but I don’t think they are being replaced. I suppose it’s not that environmentally friendly to keep reprinting them with each new sponsor, and they were never all that robust. I have noticed some parkruns Charlton and University Parks parkrun to name but two, have started making their own bespoke selfie frames. These are great, but not an option for all. I like the idea of characterful unique ones at different venues, but we’ll see. Meanwhile, new dinky pop ups are springing up, literally and figuratively. They are tiny! Check out this image lifted from social media – it really is tiny not far away! Hilarious!

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Probably a lot more practical, but I shall miss the dance display of those who fold up the pop up sign now the smaller format will make that a lot less challenging and therefore potentially less of a spectator sport. And they call this progress! Oh well, we must make way for the new.

My photos on the way round weren’t all that great, but I did my best. I love it when you see streams of other runners ahead of you in the distance, like some extraordinary and colourful train or wildebeest on a massive migration, wildebeest in Lycra obvs, which is a bit alarming, but you get the idea. Point is, parkrunners, as far as the eye can see, streaming over the horizon… and then circling back again. Can you have a murmuration of parkrunners? Nice spectacle anyway.

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Fortunately, there was a proper photographer to take proper photos, they give a good sense of the event I think you can agree. Thank you volunteer photographer, you are the best! Pretty sure there’s a caption contest in there more than once, oh, and spot the lifeguard parkrunner. That float is probably an asset to the health and safety measures on the course what with all that cold open water around the place. Happy to say it wasn’t necessary to deploy it to rescue anyone today #goodtoknow See what I mean about the dpm too? A barkrunner friendly course for sure.

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We thanked the marshals and interacted with some. Stephen wasn’t at Stephen’s corner today, but other lovely volunteers were, so that was good. The high vis heroes were all lovely obvs, and all extraordinarily photogenic as always. You think you’ve found the most striking one, and then the next one appears, even more resplendent in their radiant pink to match their radiant smiles. Yay for volunteers everywhere, for making the parkrun magic happen.

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With it being a multi lap course, we got to pass the finish line more than once. It was good to see the faster runners coming through, less good to find the course blocked by finished runners standing chatting en the route. Fortunately, I had the solidarity of my excellent twalking companion and the tailwalker too, but please, if you have finished your parkrun, keep the course clear, it’s horrible having to push your way through like a portly cat stuck in a cat flap. Humiliating even. It was ok today as I was feeling resilient, but it is the kind of thing that can really make it feel like you don’t have the right to be there as a slower participant. Just sayin.

On a brighter note, check out these sprint finishers, granted, not me, but other people, going for it, love a good sprint finish.

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I do love a good sprint finish, but we two twalkers opted instead for the solidarity of crossing the finish together. Hurrah, very comradely.

Then, much excitement, lots of familiar faces at the finish. I think I don’t know anyone, but I suppose over the years I have got to meet quite a cross section of the Sheffield running community one way or another, and it was excellent to find these two at the finish that I’ve not seen since we volunteered together at the Round Sheffield Run a couple of years ago. Excitingly, no VERY EXCITINGLY they have both entered for this summer, indeed, so has one of the Huddersfield Four, so this is excellent. I do feel more than a pang as I realistically am not going to be doing that, but I am excited that maybe I can volunteer again instead and I’ll know loads of people. They are doing the Saturday (parkrun clash alert) very first wave. What, the very first one? No, that’s the elite wave. The very first wave for people who are not the elite and want to have as much time as possible to get around. That would be my preference too. To be fair, they might even have a whole extra 24 hours as the event happens over two days, but they’d need a head torch and to carry extra provisions for that. Good news though! Those RSR tees are collectables. Check out the runner flaunting his winter edition tee en route today. I totally have running tee envy! Maybe again one day…

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And that was it, all done. We regrouped and pondered. We got an official Hillsborough parkrun portrait, always a win!

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What should we do about post parkrun breakfast. I don’t know this parkrun but I had heard amazing things about the new cafe and reckoned that might be a good option, as we were last to finish I thought queues might have subsided. We faffed about whether we’d got enough time in the carpark, but decided to go check it out. The Huddersfield lot didn’t want to hang around too long and risk a parking ticket.

I say they didn’t want to hang around, but then we got distracted by all the camouflage nets and the adult playground area, and so immediately had to do a lot of not so much hanging, but hilarious if ineffectual dangling and swinging about. It was really good fun, I wasn’t really dressed for it, and my fitness is shocking but such joy. Definitely allow yourself extra time for a post parkrun swingfest if you are coming this way!

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It’s true what they say about the best things in life being free. I’d go further and say the best thing in life is free weekly timed, but you can have both, hurrah!

We finally made it up the hill and into the Depot café which is the newly refurbished Coach House an amazing building in its own right.

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OMG! The food and baked breads looked amazing! The coffee smelt fantastic. Unfortunately, there was an hour wait for food, and even for take away, so we abandoned it. To be fair, the café had possibly been caught out by the extra influx of runners. Also, I now know, that if I’d bothered to read the notes properly in the first place, the café can’t cope with all the runners even on a usual saturday morning, so the core team tend to head off to a nearby Costas. I think I’d still prefer the Depot, but maybe in the summer when waiting is less of an issue. The hedonistic Huddersfielders stocked up on some amazing cheese and chilli or somesuch sourdough loaves as takeaway, and we chomped on that as we returned to the car park. It was sad to say goodbye, but I know our paths will cross again very soon and VERY EXCITINGLY. It was lucky the bread came in a paper back to breath in to calm ourselves ahead of what no doubt lies in store!

As we ambled back to the car, I got the inside info on how their running club came to be named, get this, it was because it was misheard. Was supposed to be Arcade Beers Running Group, but someone heard it as Bears so Bears became the associated animal for the group. Excellent. No need to be scared of bears running in Huddersfield, they seem a cheery and friendly lot. Phew.

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And then time for goodbyes and to wend our ways homeward.

I’m glad I made it back to Hillsborough, it is a lot friendlier and indeed more picturesque than I remembered, and it was lovely to see some familiar faces I’ve not seen in aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages, as well as a fair few nanoseconders for the consecutive week. It remains a multi-lap course which isn’t for everyone, but they clearly know how to throw a party if their bigging up of their tenth anniversary celebrations next week are anything to go by, so why not give it a whirl and judge for yourself.

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Oh and for triangulation purposes please follow the links for:

Running Brooms Hillsborough parkrun #444 vlog

Hillsborough parkrun Facebook page report for event 444 of on the News Pages Report #444 Third Busiest One

Thanks for sticking with me, but it’s finished now. You can properly head off.

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or if you can’t quite bear to tear yourself away from parkrun then you could always keep on going and browse through all my parkrun related posts here.  Or not.  It’s up to you.  You’ll need to scroll down for older entries though.  

Bye then, hopefully see you at a parkrun near you again sometime soon.

🙂

To the hills? Hightail to Hospitable Hillsborough – Smilies playing parkrun bingo

In the interests of maintaining a truthful and authentic voice, I will admit I wasn’t bowled over with enthusiasm at the prospect of heading off to Hillsborough parkrun this morning.  The problem was that foregoing an outing at my home parkrun (Sheffield Hallam) on today of all days, meant missing out on the prospect of a fancy dress parkrun.  Some sort of fundraising (unspecified) by some sort of students (of what unspecified) was taking place there today.   I consoled myself with the thought that they might have been fundraising for some cause I do not support, like, oh I don’t know, The Foundation for the Flat Earth, honorary chair that rapper guy B.o.B.   On the other hand, in the interests of gaining Smiletastic bonus points (the running challenge for Smiley Paces club members for the first thee months of the year) necessitated the Fighting Feathers spreading their proverbial wings, and taking on different parkruns.  Tough call.  Anyway, the die had already been cast, Hillsborough here we come.

I was marginally cheered by a quick sneak at Hillborough parkrun’s facebook page – it seems an active site, and a welcoming tone.  Also, and especially helpful when facing a multi-lap course, I was taken with a post about Tanzanian John Akhwari (who I’d never heard of before) who completed a race at the Olympics with a dislocated knee because “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”  I don’t feel quite that level of commitment to running to be honest, but I do think if he could do that, I should be able to drag my weary carcass round Hillsborough Park three times to do my bit for my Smiley Paces Fighting Feathers Smiletastic team.  Let it be.

Hence, as is increasingly usual, I shamelessly exploited the goodwill and mechanical carriage assets of my fellow Smileys to cadge a lift to said event.  We headed off pretty early, causing me almost to leave my house without tomtom and barcode (double jeopardy) but mercifully I realised in time and retrieved both before jumping into the car.  Four of us today.  Hillsborough really isn’t that far to get to, and it was lucky we did arrive early, because we found the promised car park to be inexplicably shut.  We were able to park on the road adjacent to the park by hoiking car up onto the pavement (not by literally carrying it, our designated driver simply mounted the kerb).  It was however a bit of a squash, and there was nearly an ‘oops, there goes the wing mirror‘ moment when a large truck came past perilously close with barely a cigarette paper’s width clearance between their vehicle and our car as they breezed by. It was all very strange, and somewhat frustrating.  Apparently the car park is usually open, so if you are planning a trip yourself you’ll probably be fine.  For us it did look like it might be a deal breaker at one point, as whilst I’m sure there is parking elsewhere, you’d miss the start of parkrun hunting for it, parking and then jogging back.  To illustrate the challenge, here is a photo of an empty car park in case you don’t know what that looks like, together with a photo of us looking a bit sad and bemused at its apparent shut-edness, together with one of a very parked up road adjacent to it, I did feel for the local residents, it was all a bit unnecessary.  Also, couldn’t help noticing the parking meter had been removed.  Surely they hadn’t shut it just because they couldn’t take payment today?

So, not the most auspicious of starts.  Hillsborough park looked a bit stark the way we approached it, surrounded on all sounds by a rather urban infrastructure, the dank weather and icy wind didn’t help.  However, as we made our way to the start I have to concede my first impressions were a bit unfair, it is a lot greener than you might think from looking in from the outside.  It has its own pond – resplendent with ducks, and regular readers will know I always think ducks provide added value to any water feature.  There was also the familiar rousing sight of runners jogging to the start.  I find this assembling of the parkrun faithful uplifting.  It always amazes me the way people gather as if from nowhere.  Five minutes before you’d happily have bet your shirt on the certainty that this time, no-one’s coming, but then quite suddenly they always do.  Like vultures gathering round a dead camel in the desert, they start circling inwards on their target as soon as the first volunteer hi-viz jackets are donned and the start line marker up.  Keep the faith, build it and they will come!

So we joined the start.  Bag lady, Cheetah Buddy provided plastic bags in which we could deposit our fleeces which showed excellence in the field of planning and forethought.  Even better, they were plastic bags from a running shop (Up and Running) so extra kudos there. The Hillsborough parkrun organising committee had helpfully laid on iron railings around the children’s play area at the start, which were very handy for the hanging of bags.  These run directors think of everything!    The good news was we also bumped into other Smiley Paces people who were similarly on migration to different parkruns in pursuit of the Smiletastic bonus points.  That was companionable.  However, this is also the bad news from a competitive angle, as effectively all our extra bonus points for our respective teams effectively cancelled each other out.  Oh well, it’s still fun to be Smiley Paces on tour.  Also, you have to admire the commitment of some of those other Smilies, who not only had made the run out in pursuit of a point, they had quite literally ‘run out’ to do so, and what’s more, were running back.  I think they earned their points today!  I still think our preferred option of following parkrun with breakfast at The Depot, was a better call than the option of running back to Endcliffe Park from Hillsborough, still each to their own.  We all run for our own reasons, as we all know…

There seemed to be lots of friendly marshals, and a reasonable field gathered, couple of hundred I’d say, though I didn’t actually count.  The statisticians amongst you can check the Hillsborough parkrun results page for yourself in due course.

There was the usual Run Director’s briefing.  Pleasingly, this was given from the vantage point of the top of a children’s climbing frame.  One amongst our number was of the view that this was a deliberate strategic choice, to increase the audibility of the pre-run instructions.  I beg to differ.  Of course I completely accept that a side-benefit of this location was that it would be easier for the speaker to project their voice, but really, isn’t it obvious?  What adult doesn’t secretly long to ascend the glorious heights of a climbing frame as soon as it looms into view? If giving an event briefing brings the opportunity to offer some basically spurious, but also vaguely plausible cover for this activity, then that’s great!  I bet there is a veritable stampede each week amongst the volunteers to take on this role, and I also bet the speaker always stays longer atop that frame than is strictly necessary.

So the briefing included what seemed like an astonishingly complex description of the course.  For those of you who like to have the official blah de blah, the course is described on the official Hillsborough parkrun page thus:

The three lap clockwise course begins with a 150m flat fast start, a right turn downhill section and then around the main event square, a left turn around the tennis courts and then the fun starts. A gradual incline past the duck pond to the top of the park before a slight sting in the tail. Its then along the top of the park, past the library and a quick short descent to the next of the 3 laps. Challenging, fast & fun.

As is my want, I just gazed about during this part, as I tend to mindlessly follow the people ahead of me when running, and hope they are indeed parkrunners not random others trying to get a bus, I’d got the ‘three laps’ bit, and was resigned to finding it a bit of a slog round.   I started right at the back of the field, and was a bit startled when suddenly the shout went up for ‘go’!  From the back, I don’t think it is accurate to describe it as a fast start.  I got pretty boxed in, the tarmac paths are narrow, and there was a bit of jostling to get into some sort of semblance of order.  You do a couple of turns fairly quickly, and although  I suppose I could have over-taken other runners by venturing onto the grass alongside, it looked distinctly on the skiddy side, so I just sort of stayed where I was.  This was a mistake really, because I never felt like I could get into my stride.  Once I did get the confidence to make a move to overtake I kept getting leap-frogged by some runners who would sprint for a bit and then stop and walk directly in front of me.  It wasn’t really working for me today.

On a more positive note, running through the park was a lot nicer than you might expect from looking at it through the railings from the outside.  It must be  a slightly strange shape, as there was more of it than first appeared.  The course I’d call undulating, not really hilly by Sheffield standards, though there was a bit of an incline towards the end of each lap.  There were friendly marshals at strategic points.  Some disguised in mufty, (i.e. no hi-viz) I didn’t immediately recognise as part of parkrun, but then them calling out lap times as we passed offered a clue to the wise that mayhaps they were!  Donned in my Smiley top, I also got a couple of extra marshal cheers ‘come on Smiley‘ as I limped by.  I do always thank marshals as I pass, because they deserve to be thanked of course – but it is also nice that it almost always triggers some sort of interaction and response, which makes the course pass more quickly.

In terms of other runners, folk from Steel City Striders lapped me just after the half-way point on my second lap, this is another harsh home truth of a three – lap course, which is hard on morale, i.e. you are much more likely to be comprehensively lapped than on a two-lap course.  On the plus side, you do get to see the faster runners whiz by, and fair play to them, they are really fighting inner demons to achieve those times, I wasn’t sweating to anything like the extent they were.  I also had some fun exchanging brief comments with other participants.  I could hear one guy puffing up the hill behind me, and as he summitted (is there such a word?  Sorry grammar police.)  I glanced across to see he’d achieved this run up the hill carrying his child on his shoulders – I asked if there was room for one more, and he went a bit ashen at the very thought.  As the incline shifted back down hill, he lifted the child off his shoulders and the infant sprinted off, wearing a superman beanie hat.  His dad (I presume it was his dad) looked distinctly knackered – ‘he’s getting heavier‘ he gasped, and then ran off to try and catch up with his progeny, who looked like the whole enterprise was entirely effortless, which to be fair it probably is if someone carries you on their shoulders during all the hard bits!

Also out and about today was a hen party in surgical scrubs.  Very impressive fancy dress, imaginative use of an old CD to act as a surgical head torch for example.  One of them I ended up running alongside of for quite a bit of the course.  It was reassuring, as I felt sure I would be in need of medical assistance at some point.  As we commenced the third circuit, my new companion shouted across ‘come on, this is the last lap!’  I think this was intended as companionable encouragement rather than a medical diagnosis of my projected lifespan, but the way I was feeling frankly either was possible.  I was a bit of a grump today, running just wasn’t working for me.  I don’t mean about being slow particularly, that is always how running is for me, I mean more that my legs felt like lead and I couldn’t get into a rhythm.  I spent the last lap thinking ‘breakfast better be good and the endorphins even better, or I’m never doing this parkrun malarkey again’ which is essentially a not-very-good hobbit runner muttering ‘hurrumph’ a lot.

Eventually, final lap sorted, I could follow the discrete little arrow that pointed in the direction of the finish. The finish was a sneaky further 26 metres or so uphill, but a friendly marshal urged you on to the time keeper, who shouted your finish token number as you went by.  (By the way, the ’26’ is a typo for ’25’, which was my initial guestimate of the number of metres to the finish.  I decided to leave it in though, so you dear reader might initially be bemused/impressed at/ misled by my measuring precision.  The thought of this subterfuge makes me smile, and I wasn’t smiling as much as I ought wearing my Smiley Vest today, so indulge me please with that simple pleasure…)  Two marshals were giving out finish tokens, and scanning was pretty instantaneous, it all went like clockwork, operationally speaking.  I found two Smileys at the finish, one had finished quite a way ahead, and one a bit behind.  I took a couple of finish shots, and even plucked up courage to ask the hen do for a snap of them all together.  Get that ring.  I said I was not a stalker, but clearly immediately created that possibility in their mind. Sorry about that.  The endorphins tried to put in an appearance, and the prospect of breakfast and sun peeping through the trees cheered my flagging spirits by degrees.

So there we go, job done.  We thanked the nice Hillsborough parkrun people, and wished them well for next week.  It is their birthday next week, which means fancy dress and cake in prospect.  Also, prizes for points AND they get to run the course in reverse.  Whizzing down that incline the other way around sounds like a lot of fun (Brain off, brakes off remember guys!)  Surely an extra incentive to turn out and help them celebrate if any is needed.  Volunteers required also…  However, I suspect our Smiley tour will take us to another venue next time out.

So here’s my strava of the route for information.  I’d say it was a pretty flat route in the grand scheme of things, and a tarmac surface throughout.  If you want to go for a faster time, you really do need to put yourself towards the front of the pack at the outset, or get your act together and do some proactive overtaking on the grass. If you don’t care about speed, then be like me, Hobbit Hasher and hide towards the rear, pleading ‘blocking’ or ‘tapering’ in defence of your times in the unlikely event you feel called to account for them.

The park itself is loads nicer than I imagined, a lovely library building within it, and a nice duck pond too.  You can’t escape altogether the urban location, the dual carriageway along one side is a dead give away.  The park though is a little oasis within it, and well used.  A bootcamp of sorts was taking place on a cricket or netball court or whatever it was that we went by en route.  I heard the instructor shout ‘this is your last 30 seconds, make it count‘ as I passed during the final lap.  Honestly, I felt like I was pursued by the grim reaper on a personalised countdown for me at today’s run – what are all these people trying to tell me?

There was an unfortunate triangular green which appeared to be the unofficial universal dog loo when I passed.  There must have been half a dozen pooches pooping as I ran by, almost synchronised.  Each had an attentive owner standing by with a black bag in readiness, but it wasn’t the most scenic of sights.  I suppose I could have looked the other way, instead of rubber necking, but like staring inappropriately at an accident my eyes were irresistibly drawn to their- er hem – respective performances.  I really am my own worst enemy at times.  Don’t judge the park by that detail of observation, it was a timing issue on my part, nothing more.

As we gathered at the finish area, the sun came out.  We had a bit of run de-brief with other Smilies,  then waved goodbye to the Smiley pair who were running back to the other side of Sheffield whilst the rest of us went in convoy in search of breakfast.  We were back to The Depot, which was quite busy this week.  They have changed their menu and so I branched out with mushrooms on toast, which was fantastically good (comes with a dollop of cheese and some chutney, plus different types of yummy mushrooms).  Others had variously, eggs on toast and raspberry pancakes.  This is fast becoming my favourite breakfast venue that I know of in Sheffield, shame it isn’t realistically in walking distance from where I live.  Though on reflection, that’s probably just as well….  I’d explode.

So that was that, job done.  Hillsborough parkrun, tick.  Thank you nice Hillsborough marshals, runners and supporters for the warm welcome to these Smiley Hallam migrants.  Thank you too for the inspirational updates on your Facebook page, they really help!  Happy Birthday for next week!  May you celebrate in style.  May you eat cake!

I feel compelled to note – as one wag on their Facebook page  has already observed ahead of me, that Hillsborough parkrun has not suddenly revised their course.  The picture illustrating this motivational sentiment, though posted by Hillsborough parkrun, doesn’t use a photo taken there – though I guess on a cold day running into a head wind it might feel that way at times… go run it for yourself and see!