Keeping running
Apr. 18th, 2020 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoIt's Saturday and so it's Parkrun day!
It's turned cooler and cloudier, but that made it 100% perfect running weather this morning. I achieved a 20:32 time, which I think is my fastest ever 5K when running solo :o)
I ran the normal course this morning, for the first time in a while. There has been a method in my running madness over the past week or so. I've been figuring out an alternative 5K route around the park, trying to avoid repeated paths as far as possible and make it a single giant lap. I've shared it on the Hillsborough Parkrun facebook page, and here it is:
Yeah, looks a bit complicated. Let's break it down, kilometre by kilometre:
0K-1K:
- Starting at the normal point by the playground, instead of going straight, turn immediately left up the path by the finish area, up to the main road.
- Turn left at the top onto Middlewood Road, past the Methodist church. (The pavement is plenty wide enough to maintain social distancing, just watch out for anyone going to and from the shops.)
- Head down Middlewood Road for the full length of the park and turn left to the gate at the far end. Don't cut the corner!
- Past the gate, turn immediately left once you're back inside the park and head up the hill towards the library. Rather than take the normal parkrun route, follow the path which runs closest around the outside edge of the park.
- Keep left again as you follow the path with railings which hugs the walled garden and the library. No one is using this path much at the moment, but keep an eye out as you may need to let someone pass.
- Go around the library by the normal route (take the corner wide in case someone is coming the other way - there are no marshals out there at the moment!)
- Pretend it's January again and the diversion is back, as you take the dogleg off the path down the hill.
- Rather than going straight down the hill, head up to the triangle of paths surrounding flower beds by the bowling green.
1K-2K:
- Go around all three sides of the triangle then back down the hill. Turn left again at the playground and begin a normal parkrun lap.
- It's the normal route all the way around the main field, past the car park and around the tennis courts.
- Pass through the gap in the railings onto Penistone Road at the back of the tennis courts, just before you would normally turn the bend towards the duck pond.
- Follow the pavement immediately round to the right onto Broughton Road.
2K-3K:
- You're alongside quiet roads for this section, with very little traffic. Go up Broughton Road, then turn left down Park View Road just before you would get back to the park.
- Keep following the road around to the right, along Park View Road, Borough Road, Owlerton Green (watch out on this corner as it's the only point where it can get busy) and right again up Hawksley Road.
- At the top of Hawksley Road is an entrance to a beautiful corner of the park we don't normally see on a Saturday morning. Sadly the daffodils are all but gone now but it's still a pleasant space.
- The path takes you up to Stephen's corner. Go straight across.
- Now pretend it's the anniversary event. Make a right turn down the hill past the duck pond and the "wrong way" around the tennis court.
3K-4K:
- Once you've rounded the tennis courts, stop pretending it's the anniversary event and start pretending the February diversion is back. Turn left and run the diverted route past the duck pond.
- It would be nice to do a full lap of the pond, but the path the other side of it is too narrow to easily pass other park users at a safe distance. Instead, complete the loop back to the main path by making a sharp turn along a path we never normally take, which runs in front of the tarmac playing area.
- Turn left and take the main path back towards the middle of the park (the diverted finishing straight on our most recent parkruns).
- At the top of the hill, don't take the path to Stephen's corner or the one towards the library, but the one which runs diagonally between the two.
- This brings you back to the straight just before the hill up to the library on a normal parkrun lap. Follow it and go up the hill as normal.
- At the top, for variety, take the middle of the three paths which head around towards the library.
4K-5K:
- Go around the library again and down the hill as if it were a normal parkrun.
- You'll want to turn left at the bottom to finish your lap, but you've got one more small loop to do. Turn right towards Stephen's corner instead, checking your time as you get there (What time would you normally be at this point of lap 3?)
- After that, it's a normal parkrun lap all the way to the finish line. Up the hill, back around the library one last time, down the hill and past the playground.
- Finish at the usual point. 5K done!
It's turned cooler and cloudier, but that made it 100% perfect running weather this morning. I achieved a 20:32 time, which I think is my fastest ever 5K when running solo :o)
I ran the normal course this morning, for the first time in a while. There has been a method in my running madness over the past week or so. I've been figuring out an alternative 5K route around the park, trying to avoid repeated paths as far as possible and make it a single giant lap. I've shared it on the Hillsborough Parkrun facebook page, and here it is:
Yeah, looks a bit complicated. Let's break it down, kilometre by kilometre:
0K-1K:
- Starting at the normal point by the playground, instead of going straight, turn immediately left up the path by the finish area, up to the main road.
- Turn left at the top onto Middlewood Road, past the Methodist church. (The pavement is plenty wide enough to maintain social distancing, just watch out for anyone going to and from the shops.)
- Head down Middlewood Road for the full length of the park and turn left to the gate at the far end. Don't cut the corner!
- Past the gate, turn immediately left once you're back inside the park and head up the hill towards the library. Rather than take the normal parkrun route, follow the path which runs closest around the outside edge of the park.
- Keep left again as you follow the path with railings which hugs the walled garden and the library. No one is using this path much at the moment, but keep an eye out as you may need to let someone pass.
- Go around the library by the normal route (take the corner wide in case someone is coming the other way - there are no marshals out there at the moment!)
- Pretend it's January again and the diversion is back, as you take the dogleg off the path down the hill.
- Rather than going straight down the hill, head up to the triangle of paths surrounding flower beds by the bowling green.
1K-2K:
- Go around all three sides of the triangle then back down the hill. Turn left again at the playground and begin a normal parkrun lap.
- It's the normal route all the way around the main field, past the car park and around the tennis courts.
- Pass through the gap in the railings onto Penistone Road at the back of the tennis courts, just before you would normally turn the bend towards the duck pond.
- Follow the pavement immediately round to the right onto Broughton Road.
2K-3K:
- You're alongside quiet roads for this section, with very little traffic. Go up Broughton Road, then turn left down Park View Road just before you would get back to the park.
- Keep following the road around to the right, along Park View Road, Borough Road, Owlerton Green (watch out on this corner as it's the only point where it can get busy) and right again up Hawksley Road.
- At the top of Hawksley Road is an entrance to a beautiful corner of the park we don't normally see on a Saturday morning. Sadly the daffodils are all but gone now but it's still a pleasant space.
- The path takes you up to Stephen's corner. Go straight across.
- Now pretend it's the anniversary event. Make a right turn down the hill past the duck pond and the "wrong way" around the tennis court.
3K-4K:
- Once you've rounded the tennis courts, stop pretending it's the anniversary event and start pretending the February diversion is back. Turn left and run the diverted route past the duck pond.
- It would be nice to do a full lap of the pond, but the path the other side of it is too narrow to easily pass other park users at a safe distance. Instead, complete the loop back to the main path by making a sharp turn along a path we never normally take, which runs in front of the tarmac playing area.
- Turn left and take the main path back towards the middle of the park (the diverted finishing straight on our most recent parkruns).
- At the top of the hill, don't take the path to Stephen's corner or the one towards the library, but the one which runs diagonally between the two.
- This brings you back to the straight just before the hill up to the library on a normal parkrun lap. Follow it and go up the hill as normal.
- At the top, for variety, take the middle of the three paths which head around towards the library.
4K-5K:
- Go around the library again and down the hill as if it were a normal parkrun.
- You'll want to turn left at the bottom to finish your lap, but you've got one more small loop to do. Turn right towards Stephen's corner instead, checking your time as you get there (What time would you normally be at this point of lap 3?)
- After that, it's a normal parkrun lap all the way to the finish line. Up the hill, back around the library one last time, down the hill and past the playground.
- Finish at the usual point. 5K done!
