Time in Parks

I decided to volunteer this morning. I set off from home at about 8:15 and took the more-or-less direct route to Cannon Hill Park through Moseley, a route I've run several times now. It took me 28:26, averaging 7 minute 34 second pace, which got me there in plenty of time for the 9am start. My pal Derek was there, having also volunteered and been given the 'Numbers' job, which basically involves handing bar-coded finishing tokens to each runner as they come through the funnel. Telling Derek that I'd decided to volunteer I was overheard by Helen, Race Director and Timer for the day, who was also down as timer. Three seconds later I had the timer dongle hanging round my neck, as it took less than that for Helen to relinquish the timer role!
I've worked out that I've volunteered 18 times at Cannon Hill parkrun since we started on August 28th last year, and once at Brueton parkrun, marshaling at their first event on 24th July. That's two more time than I've actually run! I've run at Cannon Hill nine times, Brueton three, Leeds three and Coventry twice. I would have run 18 parkruns had I not got lost in Hull on the way to their 1st birthday event!

With 157 runners we were close to our record turnout of 163, on 23rd April, and had just one more than last week. The winner was a teenage lad who had never run a parkrun before, so was totally unfamiliar with the procedure and with the course, so he just followed the leader until the last lap then powered past to win by six seconds, clocking 16:56. Doesn't it make you sick!

After a cup of tea and a toasted teacake, chatting to Derek and other volunteers and runners in The Garden Tea Rooms, I set the Garmin and headed off on the ten miles home via the cycle route along the River Rea Valley, the Stratford-upon-Avon canal, Chinn Brook rec and up the River Cole valley. However... Got it wrong again!

I conducted a small experiment, trying what appeared on the satellite image as a through path, but actually came to a dead end at a fence and some bushes between the river and some back gardens. No bother, it only added ¼-mile to double back, but turning this over in my head I went into auto-pilot and carried on along the route I used on Thursday. I was half way through Highbury Park before I realised I should have been continuing south along the river. By then it was too big a detour to get back on track, so I settled into the more familiar route, meaning that overall I finished 4½ miles short. Never mind - I shall make it up tomorrow!