BTM Parkruns

Can't remember why we did this one. I stupidly wore the NBs in the hope of them assisting me to a time that would brighten my spirits and went off way too fast. The tendonitis roared to life immediately and persisted for some time afterwards. 

  Pre A very short journey it was. Arif parked the car demurely in some victims front room and we were in the park with plenty of time to spare. The devil makes use of idle hands and feet so we spent over an hour playing football tennis, long balls, and finally basketball with the football. Childlike joy was in abundance and I had a fantastic time.  Another female outhouse was crabappled. The third of our Parkrun tour. This time though, it was in an old cricket clubhouse of sorts, which apparently doubled as the Parkrun base each Saturday morning. There was no light and the toilet was haunted by shadows of spiders. I exited swiftly, with that bank robbing sort of excitement that you get from not being caught.    The Parkrun The course was two laps around a very interesting and varied park. We crossed rivers, fields, paths, and a sodden no mans land of icy puddles. Although similar to Wimbledon, puddles do not adequately describe them. As such, no great time was on th...

  Pre Still on the Ramadan run train, this was another fairly local destination. The war beast was out of commission, so this would be the first run travelled using a train. Arif had informed me though, that it was touch and go with the motor. Cold and tired, and dare I say downtrodden at Canning Town Station, Arif then told me he had retrieved the car and was waiting in the cab bays. Music to my ears it was. Although, we did then get stuck behind a bus and perpetually red traffic lights for a good ten minutes. Getting to the Rotherhithe tunnel also proved to be arduous. However, we arrived, as always, in good time.  The Parkrun We had warmed up with a little shimmy there, and a hip swing here. Employing the same tactics as normal, positioning ourselves deceptively at the front of the masses, like chunky little cuckoo birds. Off we went. My first lap was incredibly sluggish despite feeling loose and my hamstrings allowing for a seemingly delightful kickback.  I spent the ...

  Pre As this was during ramadan, it was our first local Parkrun that was on the itinerary. It almost turned out to be one not so local at all, as mad man Arif suggested Black Park the night before, while I was pondering if Mile End would even happen. As I had booked swimming for 12 on the Saturday, we stuck with the original plan. We had discussed a preliminary fuelling strategy for this period months earlier, while sat in the Oak Hill cafe to which it seemed Arif had somewhat followed. He described himself as feeling like a meat fridge while also full of water.  The proximity meant we left much later and it was strange to witness the difference in this morning when compared to that on the 31st of December. We had left for Osterley in cold and darkness, and although the temperature wasn't much better, it was bright as day as we departed. This juxtaposition really emphasised how far we had come into this journey, particularly Arif, who had shed nearly 7 minutes from his origin...

  Pre We got there quicker than I would have thought considering this was one of the furthest runs we had done. We discussed a variety of subjects as we often do, including the imminent construction of the giant cube in Saudi Arabia. The entry to the car park was adorned with a voluntary donation sign which we scoffed at like the cockney villains we were.  Rain lashed the windshield but it did not adequately forebode what was to come. We did close to a mile warm up through sodden, although not too egregiously muddy trails before making it back to the briefing. Posh bitches were being walked by posh bitches everywhere.The race coordinator made frequent mention of the courage of first time runners at Wimbledon on such a fine morning.  The Parkrun As we set off, I attempted a decent pace to get another quick 5km in after Hampstead Heath, but alas. I quickly realised that today would be very much about survival, and not in the metaphorical sense. It was a hellacious course. I...

  Pre Hampstead Heath was a place I knew nothing about. Arif was very keen to visit and thus it was done. The car park had a very rural, almost bootsale feel to it. Not very noticeable markings and a gravelly, flat surface. The hills rolled around us and the trees were various and sprawling. There was a large pond of some sorts that apparently you could bathe in at certain times. It would have served well as an ice bath on this day. The start was probably the furthest away from the car park that we had experienced so far, but the walk was pleasant. Very much like Epsom but I would say more beautiful. There were many ancient and beautiful trees that I couldn't identify. The last stretch to the start line was a steady yet significant incline that would have been menacing had it not been so scenic. The Parkrun The congregation marched slightly back down the aforementioned hill and then we were off. The route was very stimulating with a combination of trail, inclines, downhills, and ch...