Oak Hill Parkrun 21.1.23

Pre

We were excited for this one. Alexandra Palace! the biggen. Hills the likes of which we had not run since we did 300m up Beckton Alps half a decade ago. We arrived over an hour early on a frosty and clean morning. We were rewarded for our punctuality by realising the Parkrun was cancelled due to ice, and being able to select a replacement in good time. I had suggested Pymmes due to its seemingly quaint and intimate attendance, smaller than Beckton I was lead to believe by the course page. After deliberation, Arif settled upon Oak Hill as his offering. It sounded like a winner and we left the car park to make our way down the omnipresent hill and towards the lesser present Oak. The orange sun rose up from behind the grey skyline of London, bathing the city in a deep, rich glow.  

It took all but 15 minutes to get to Oak Hill and we parked comfortably. The park was small but interesting. A scenic stream flowed through the center and the park was undulating, crispy with frost. Before anything else, I needed to use the bathroom. Uncomfortable with sharing the warmth from another man's likely contracted buttocks, I opted to defile a stall in the womens toilets. Much to Arifs chagrin. We did our warm up mile or mile abouts and positioned ourselves at the start line. Poised for another production of positive hormones. 


The Parkrun

The course was two laps of an undulating nature. Patches of ice still remained on the paths but the gravel and grass gave a satisfying crunch. This particular incarnation of the route was the alternative. The unused version included a bastard of a hill that we curiously completed in the cool down. I felt strong throughout and finished with a time of mid 25. Arif also finished strong as I believe this may have been his first foray into kamikaze downhills.


Post

Once finished, we had our customary photo and warmed down. The hill that had been omitted from the course truly was a bastard and certainly not conducive to our cooling down but when in Rome. The coffee shop we visited afterwards was very much a throwback but to my surprise, they had a real coffee machine. I remarked to the old bird behind the counter than i was happy to see it. Alas, after having a sip I was not happy to receive it. It tasted like she had filled the portafilter with fresh silt from the stream. However the company can alleviate any grievance with the coffee and myself and Arif chatted for a good while about the great morning we had and the many more to follow. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Alexandra Palace Parkrun 4.2.23

Image
  Pre Part ii. Boys are back in town. Arif vs Alexandra. Don't call it a comeback. We were back. We arrived in ample time and made our way inside. This was our first pre run coffee and based on our performances and current literature  (Rourke et al, 2018)  , something worth implementing in the future. We kicked back for awhile and spent some time watching ice skaters before departing for the start line and warm up.  The walk down the hill was scenic and refreshing. We wondered on the rationale and logistics of the Parkrun placement. As on top of the hill, closer to the palace seemed to have sufficient space and distance. During the warm up we speculated on potential times. 30 something was the general consensus between us, as the inclines seemed quite ominous. Although as I write this, it highlights the importance of a warm up.  The Parkrun This Parkrun consists of a sloping and gradual uphill, a 100m steep gradient, then a fairly Mad Max trail of a downhill. I ...
Read more

Fulham Palace Parkrun 14.1.23

Image
  Pre The journey was notable because we happened to pass Stamford Bridge. My impression was that from the brief glimpse I had, it was very much akin to the old Boleyn ground. Which seemed incongruent with the fact it had seen probably billions spent since being procured by an oligarch. Now I come to think and type of it, Chelsea FC always reminded me of Arif when they had that mammoth crest or whatever it was. Little did I know the mammoth undertaking that would soon be undertook.  We arrived in good time as we so often do and continued to break the foreboding parking curses that every Parkrun page seems to wish upon you, by parking a stone's throw from the course. As the car was locked, the heinous Thames wind buffeted our faces and the rain lashed across us. We did our mile(ish) warm up and attended the briefing. It was quite unnecessary, as a bunch of prized pratts prattled on quite pretentiously, all but drowning out the race director.  The Parkrun Two laps, up throu...
Read more

Richmond Parkrun 7.1.23

Image
Pre   Richmond Park was decided as the next stop on our Parkrun march. Myself and Arif the Conqueror set off at 7:15 and before long we were driving through the quiet streets of central London at 20mph (which I was thankful for, as this meant no lateral movement through the car). I often remarked at the beauty and stillness of an otherwise chaotic city. Arif has a far better knowledge of the geography than myself, and I enjoy his lessons on what and where everything is. At about 20 minutes away from the park I had the epiphany that we needed to have the exact post code entered into the satnav otherwise we may end up an unfeasible distance away from the course (due to the size of Richmond Park). After a slightly stressful delve into the location we needed, it turned out to be easily achievable. We entered the new destination.  We turned the corner and began the slow saunter by car to the car park. We parked easily due to the multitude of spaces and fortunately, directly in fron...
Read more