Huddersfield bunnies on tour at Cheadle Hulme parkrun

OH NO HUDDERSFIELD PARKRUN WAS CANCELLED WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO????

Tourism that's what!!!!

There were discussions during the week as to which parkrun we're going to visit or should I say descend on, there was talk of Barnsley but that was very quickly stopped because of the hillyness. Concord was mentioned because Dexter thought it meant we flew round on Concorde, Sheffield Hallam was having a birthday party but we end up deciding on Cheadle Hulme parkrun as it was fairly new and it had a cafe right at the finish. So we organised our car arrangements and meeting points and times and waited for parkrunday to arrive.

SJ and I had arranged for Flynn and Clark to stay at my mums the night before so we didn't have to make a detour via my mum's house at silly o'clock in the morning to drop them off. We now could get up at a reasonable time and drive over the tops to Manchester and Stockport and on to Cheadle Hulme. 

On arriving at Cheadle Hulme we all met up and had a pre parkrun chat and wished Tony Pinnington a Happy Birthday, then we all gathered for a pre run photo. There were 27 of us that had made the trip over but only 26 of us that made it in time for the photo as Mr Simon Brass Bunny had been delayed by a tyre blow out on the motorway. We rang him to see what was going on and whether he would make it for the Start and he said he would just start late if he was late.

After a great run brief where we were introduced to everyone and we were part huge number of first timers to Cheadle Hulme parkrun, 3/4 of the field were first timers. We then moseyed round the cricket pitch to the start line where we all sorted our watches, apps, etc. for the start. Then we all took part in a start line selfie for ED Sam and a last minute stretch ready for the RD Paul to set us off. 

Just as he was about to let us go we could see what can only be described as Japanesse movie style giant man/bunny charging across the pitch and bunny ears flapping in the wind. It was Mr Simon Brass Bunny fresh from his tyre changing adventure, bounding across the pitch and even the cricket wicket nothing was getting in the way of him starting at the same time as the rest of us. He had to be reminded to take his rucksack off his back he was that focused on being on time, just.

Finally we could start Cheadle Hulme event number 3 and in scorchio sunshine, the weather fairies were being extra awesome this morning. 

We were off and running round the cricket pitch for the first time before we were ushered through a gate to the rugby pitches where we navigated the outskirts of 3 rugby pitches and back towards the club house and the cricket pitch and the end of lap 1 of 3. The course was laid out really well by ropes all the way round the rugby pitches and markers round the cricket pitch. I even considered counting them on the 3 lap just to take my mind off the heat and my burning lungs, because I was going at a fab pace and from my split time I was on for a good time. I was finding the flat course really good and even when some people were finding the couple of patches of sand hard I was just flying. I was helped a lot by the really nice voluncheerers at the small bridge connecting the rugby pitches. There was a group of about 6 of them, some lovely little girls with rattles and bells cheering you on and a few adults guiding you in the right direction round the pitches. It was an awesome section of the run and almost a little reminiscent of the Tour de France where the spectators cheer on the riders with large cow bells and lots of cheers. It definitely helped everyone round even Dexter, he ran his first parkrun where he didn't stop for a walk or rest, he didn't want to look silly in front of the little girls at the bridge he told us afterwards. He's so cute sometimes.

On finishing the 3 laps in the searing heat the welcoming sight of the clubhouse and some shade was great and getting our barcode and tokens scanned just in the doorway was brilliant. It was easier to then go back outside to cheer everyone else across the line and then join SJ and Dexter on their final lap. 

With Cheadle Hulme being a smaller parkrun it had a very relaxed and friendly where you felt like you could go round and talk to all the runners and see how their runs went. Something that is difficult to do at Huddersfield and it's 600+ runners. Plus with a smaller crowd it meant that the queues for the post parkrun bacon butties etc. were smaller and you could fill your face with food quicker. We all sat outside in the glorious sunshine to have our post parkrun chats and chin wags and shared stories and played games with the smaller parkrunners that came along. We talked with the event team and shared thoughts and stories from our bunny adventures before we all had to make the trip back over the Pennines home again.

We had an awesome time at Cheadle Hulme parkrun and we will visit again I'm sure probably in the winter months when it could be a muddy affair. Great team, great volunteers I'd highly recommend it.

It wasn't until I was browsing the results after returning home that I noticed that Cheadle Hulme was graced by a soon to be the parkrun show legend Paul (chauffeur) Freyne. Who is so close to making it 200 different events and all within 250 parkruns. I wonder where his 200th event will be and where his 250th run will be, will he go run with his homies for the 250 at bushy. It would have been nice to have met him but I'm sure our paths will cross again soon.

Bluebell 10m Trail run oh... And Trooper lane

Last week I completed the Huddersfield half marathon and thought you couldn't get a tougher run....oh how wrong I was, along came the Bluebell 10m trail run and Trooper lane.

I joined this run at a very late stage thanks to the lovely Pauline who unfortunately couldn't take part anymore and she kindly let me take her place. So I turned up early on Sunday morning to a very busy Heath Rugby Club and was greeted by friendly marshals directing cars to parking spaces close by. When I had parked and walked back to the Club I joined my fellow runners gathering in front of the club house after collecting numbers etc. I met up with Simon, Jo, Neil, Martin, Mark, Pauline, Ian, and many more familiar faces from parkrun and there was lots of sarcastic talk of why are we here can we go home please. It was all centred around the part of the route called Trooper lane which apparently was worse than the killer hill last week at the Huddersfield Marathon. I had heard Trooper lane being talked about for weeks now and was very curious now to find out what everyone was talking about. I was hoping that it was a bad as everyone had been talking about in a slightly sadistic way, plus at the finish there was a river crossing which sounded interesting too.

It was time to head to the start which was across the road in the grounds of Clay House and whilst we were waiting for the start I finally managed to meet Mr Ian Rutson (regularly talked about on the parkrun show, despite them not wanting to). Simon, Mark, HerWerMerNerBen (Ian R) and I were discussing our warm up routines which basically consisted of standing around which we all thought was fair enough. 

After a run brief we were set off and 450+ crazy people were charging round the field in excitement of the upcoming picturesque but devilish run. Running through the Clay house grounds was soon brought to a near standstill as 450 runners had to get through a gateway. Luckily there was a few friendly marshals to help and we were soon on our way again through the woods on a fairly solid woodland trail. I was running quite close to Simon and as I know he is a little faster than me I planned to try and keep with him as long as I could and as we left the woods and joined the canal I even passed him. He wasn't far behind me and that was good because I knew I was keeping a good pace. After what seemed forever we finally left the canal and were directed by yet more friendly marshals around a few bends and along a couple of roads. Until we hit an incline now as I had not done this run before and not knowing the area to well I thought this was the start of Trooper Lane so was almost contemplating walking even at this early stage. Happily I didn't give in to my doubts and kept going and at the corner where I thought we would turn and keep going up I was greeted by a flat road and a couple of helpful marshals helping us cross the road. At this point I knew that this was the last flat before the Trooper beast, and as I rounded the corner the hill started. It was fairly steep to start and then there was a fork in the road with the right fork being Trooper lane and just the sight of it had me walking almost instantly, I need to stop giving into hills so easily but oh well. Simon managed to carry on further and flew past me with ease around the first corner, I started to run again but was still only about a tenth of the way up the hill it wasn't long before the hill became steeper and almost everyone I could see was walking at this point. Some would rest then run a bit some were just happy to walk and a select few were jogging, very slowly but were at least keeping the legs going. Finally we started to reach the top and there was a fairly big crowd cheering people as they reach the top and when you reach the top there was a water station and it was a very welcomed sight. 

The next mile or 2 was a run across the tops of the hills with stunning views not that I could enjoy them as I was trying to keep my feet on the uneven ground. After a steep muddy track down there was another steep hill to climb not as far but it was too soon after the long downhill and the legs just couldn't adjust enough and it wasn't long before me and Simon both started walking again. The next two miles were more of the same downhills and uphill each time getting smaller than the last but as you tackle one you get even more tired and the next one feels just as big last. Finally after countless fields, gates, stiles and steps we were on our final descent into Elland park wood and a 1km long run through the bluebells. It was very beautiful but even surrounded by the lovely bluebells there was a few ups and downs to drag that little extra bit energy out of your already stamina stripped legs. There was one last steep downhill which made your quads scream or your calfs in Simons case before you were finally back on flat roads. With about half a mile to go you pass a very appealing pub which almost makes you stop for pint and a rest but you can also see the marshal up ahead where you drop down onto the canal path, so you know you're nearly there. But even though you're on the canal and you know the river crossing isn't far away it feels like another 5 miles before you start to see and hear the point you cross the river. When I arrived the nice marshals advise you to hold on to the railings as you go down the steps but the way I felt there would have been no way I could have done it without them. As you cross the river there is a banking full of people cheering and taking photos, lots of people were running across but I was too busy enjoying the cold water on my feet. 

After all the uphills and downhill my feet might as well have been on fire so the icy water was fantastic at the end. So when I climbed the bank at the other side and all you can see is this enormous finish funnel lined with people cheering it helps you run for the line and finish in style. 

Fantastic, what a run, and I can say that at least 95% of the runners would say the same. Even if like me you ran round going "oh no more hills" when you cross that line and look back fantastic is pretty much the only way you can sum it up. I crossed the line in a time of 1hr38m which considering the hills and the regular bouts of walking I think is a fantastic time and at my first attempt too.

After you finished you can't help but go back to the river crossing to watch and cheer everyone else across. There was plenty of happy faces and friendly chatter on the banks of the river, with everyone sharing times and their versions of Trooper lane. After all of the parkrun crew had finished we then went for a celebratory drink at the pub we passed near the end of the run, it was a great ending to a excellent morning of fun, friends and running.

Let's see what happens next year, yes?

Keep running everyone

Thank you to Tim Walker, Tony Pinnington and Jo Talbot-Paterson for the pictures they are awesome.

Family parkrunday

This week there was a real excitement about the forthcoming parkrun for 2 reasons. Firstly it was a Halloween parkrun run with dressing up (sorry Danny Norman) and face painting etc. Plus the second reason for the excitement was the long awaited debut of Nana (my stepmother Janice). Nana was going to attempt her first parkrun and non walking 5k, after being diagnosed and recovering from Cancer over the last 12 months. This has been a parkrunday we've all been looking forward to and with the surprise apperance of my other sister Jessie as well, our parkrun family is growing steadily. With me running, SJ pushing Flynn and jogging along side is Dexter plus my sisters Jessie and Jodie also pushing Izzie and then there is Nana. I think that's 6 parkrunners and 2 babies and could be 1 of the biggest family attendances at a parkrun.

There is still more to come too, my sister Jodie's eldest Liam hasn't run yet, and Jessie's other half Matty to make an appearance we could make it a ten strong team. It may take a bit longer to get my Dad and Mum to lace up the running shoes and join the crew, but we are still optimistic they'll do 1 at least. 

So on Friday evening (parkrunday eve evening) SJ and I packed bags with spare clothes for boys after run clothes for SJ and me. Shoes, coats, Flynns essentials, milk, nappies and of course Halloween outfits for all. Then I packed the buggy and bags into the car so that all we had to do in the morning was get dressed and have breakfast. The past few parkrundays we have been cutting it close arriving as they are doing the run brief. So we made sure we got there with

enough time to meet up with all the family and brief them on what was about to happen. 

We arrived at Greenhead park and joined the back of the pack gathering at the start. Here we saw some childhood friends and some other friends who had come too. They had arranged to come with one of their friends and bumping into each was a nice surprise. As the run was about to start Grandad (my dad) took Clark and Liam to the playground to have a play and cheer us on from there. We all got ready and in our respective blocks mine being in the 16-23 min section which still amazes me that I run that quick, and the rest of the gang in the 35+  section. After a very funny and hungover run brief we set off on our All Hallows' parkrun. 

I completed my run in 22.05 and had just enough time to get my barcode scanned and turn around before SJ was sailing past the finish just starting her second big lap of the course which I thought was in a great time. But was slightly confused as she was with Jodie not so long ago but Jodie was no where to be seen. Neither was Nana, Jessie and Dexter but I quickly discovered what had happend. Jodie had ditched Izzie with Grandad and had picked up her pace to try and beat her PB. Jessie and Dexter had slowed down because Dexter wasn't 100% and a bit of a monkey and Nana had stopped around the 3km point. She was feeling a little too tired and didn't want to hold people up or finish on her own. Not long after stopping though she had a change of heart but by then we had all passed her and Grandad so she didn't start again. But we were all proud of her and it didn't matter if she finished or not the fact that she attempted it and is now determined to complete it next week is brilliant enough. Well Done Nana (Janice)!! 

I waited at the finish until Dexter and Jessie came round then I joined in to get Dexter motivated again and sent Jessie on her way so she could catch up with SJ and Jodie. Dexter and I kept going at a slow but steady pass until we bumped into a lady called Lynne and she started talking to Dexter, who being 5 and a little unwell just ignored her. Then when she held Dexters other hand to me he suddenly started to warm a bit to her and started talking again. She was very impressed that it would be Dexters 10th parkrun next week and she also picked up his spirits a bit so when she parted ways to run with a friend Dexter was still happy to run. So as we started to close the gap on SJ and Flynn he started to smile a bit more too and even thanked the Marshals who even at that point on a drizzly day were still smiling and cheering us on. We caught up with SJ and Flynn just after the 4km mark and we finished the run off together. Also at this point I had somehow managed to be wearing Dexters Skeleton mask from his Halloween costume and had made it very sweaty so when I gave it him back for the last 200 metres all he could say was errr daddy you're sweaty. Thanks son I love you too. At the last corner SJ  set off running and pretty fast too Dexter really tried to keep up with her but couldn't. The reaction that everyone gave him at the finish was ace and made it a really great parkrunday.

Once we had all finished and met up after all barcodes had been scanned we set off back to Grandmas for our parkrun breakfast were we compared our different versions of the run and enjoy a nice bit of family since we haven't all been together in what seems months. Even Great Grandma was up from Chelmsford so there was 4 generations talking about parkrun. Since making a visit to grandmas a staple of parkrunday and the numbers growing each week, my mum has had to expand her table layout and today I think we maxed out the space.

Next week Grandma is away but is happy for the rest of us to carry on the tradition of parkrun breakfast. 

I wonder if there are many other family turnouts to a parkrun this size and do they have a family breakfast too? 

Keep up the good work Huddersfield parkrun and keep running everyone.