Running Ware
Having run to Wye I had the opportunity this weekend to add
Ware to my list of question runs. I was there for a recruitment roadshow with
Mission Aviation Fellowship and received special dispensation to attend parkrun
before we started work.
The run was at the Three Lakes Campsite at Westmills farm just outside Ware in Hertfordshire. I arrived early to scope out the course and despite the cloudy weather was met with a beautiful scene. Rolling green hills surrounded a series of fishing lakes. Tall trees with turning leaves of yellow and gold stood scattered over the landscape. You could see for miles from the high vantage point which was the start and finish line.
I jogged for a couple of miles around the lakes, greeting the fishermen that had no doubt already been there for hours. By a quarter to nine others had begun to arrive and we were given a race briefing outlining the route for those of us who were there for the first time. There were a few people who were parkrun virgins. I'm so excited to meet them and remember when I first started and the incredible journey it has taken me on. Not just in terms of running and fitness but wellbeing and the friends I have made. I honestly can't imagine my life without parkrun now.
At 9 o'clock we all applauded the volunteers that had enabled the run to take place. There were about 60 runners but must have been a dozen volunteers. They had set out cones along the route and there was even a car park attendant! We also acknowledged the fact that it was parkrun's 14th birthday.
In 2004 at Bushey Park in London, 13 people ran a 5km course and timed it. The rest is history. Read about it here https://www.parkrun.com/about/our-story/
Briefing done, we set off. I started at the front so that I could get a clear view and judge the pace of the front runners. We headed downhill into a field and traced along the camber. It was weird running on an angle but I was in touch with the leaders and felt strong. A young girl with her mum shouted 'FASTER!" as we ran past.
We were now down by the lakes. We weaved through a gate and along a gravel path that led us around the smaller of the two lakes before heading uphill on grass. The path steepened as we doubled back on ourselves and I felt the benefit of the hill running I have been doing as I began to close on the four people in front of me. Continuing to climb we diverted through woodland before cresting the hill back at the farm. A short flat section brought us back to the start and into the second loop.
As we rounded the lake again I began to sense the guy in front of me tiring. The other three were still within 50 metres but it would take something special to close the gap. As we hit the hill I turned on the afterburners and caught up with him, drafting for a moment and then pushing on. I called on him to work with me but he didn't have the legs so I pushed on hoping I might get near to the leaders.
I reached the top of the hill short of breath but still with plenty in the tank and decided that I would put in a sprint over the last 0.2 miles to see if I could get a podium place (yes, I know parkrun isn't a race...) As I rounded the next corner and got ready to push I saw the finish funnel where the first three finishers were getting their breath back.
I'd misjudged the course thinking that the start and finish would be in the same place. I was pleased with fourth and loved the course but I know I could have gone faster. Maybe I'll have to return...
I have parkrunned in 12 different locations and I can say that the volunteers in Ware were up there with the best I have experienced. Happy, encouraging, knowledgeable, friendly and efficient, they are a credit to the parkrun family. Although there were only 67 people running it was definitely a case of quality not quantity with a great atmosphere and a good mix of ages and abilities.
The run was at the Three Lakes Campsite at Westmills farm just outside Ware in Hertfordshire. I arrived early to scope out the course and despite the cloudy weather was met with a beautiful scene. Rolling green hills surrounded a series of fishing lakes. Tall trees with turning leaves of yellow and gold stood scattered over the landscape. You could see for miles from the high vantage point which was the start and finish line.
I jogged for a couple of miles around the lakes, greeting the fishermen that had no doubt already been there for hours. By a quarter to nine others had begun to arrive and we were given a race briefing outlining the route for those of us who were there for the first time. There were a few people who were parkrun virgins. I'm so excited to meet them and remember when I first started and the incredible journey it has taken me on. Not just in terms of running and fitness but wellbeing and the friends I have made. I honestly can't imagine my life without parkrun now.
At 9 o'clock we all applauded the volunteers that had enabled the run to take place. There were about 60 runners but must have been a dozen volunteers. They had set out cones along the route and there was even a car park attendant! We also acknowledged the fact that it was parkrun's 14th birthday.
In 2004 at Bushey Park in London, 13 people ran a 5km course and timed it. The rest is history. Read about it here https://www.parkrun.com/about/our-story/
Briefing done, we set off. I started at the front so that I could get a clear view and judge the pace of the front runners. We headed downhill into a field and traced along the camber. It was weird running on an angle but I was in touch with the leaders and felt strong. A young girl with her mum shouted 'FASTER!" as we ran past.
We were now down by the lakes. We weaved through a gate and along a gravel path that led us around the smaller of the two lakes before heading uphill on grass. The path steepened as we doubled back on ourselves and I felt the benefit of the hill running I have been doing as I began to close on the four people in front of me. Continuing to climb we diverted through woodland before cresting the hill back at the farm. A short flat section brought us back to the start and into the second loop.
As we rounded the lake again I began to sense the guy in front of me tiring. The other three were still within 50 metres but it would take something special to close the gap. As we hit the hill I turned on the afterburners and caught up with him, drafting for a moment and then pushing on. I called on him to work with me but he didn't have the legs so I pushed on hoping I might get near to the leaders.
I reached the top of the hill short of breath but still with plenty in the tank and decided that I would put in a sprint over the last 0.2 miles to see if I could get a podium place (yes, I know parkrun isn't a race...) As I rounded the next corner and got ready to push I saw the finish funnel where the first three finishers were getting their breath back.
I'd misjudged the course thinking that the start and finish would be in the same place. I was pleased with fourth and loved the course but I know I could have gone faster. Maybe I'll have to return...
