Woodbank Parkrun

I decided to take the plunge run the first Woodbank 5K Park Run on Saturday morning. To get here I memorized the directions, alternatively walking and jogging. The final road that I thought backed onto the park was impenetrable and I had to ask a dog walker for an accessible route to the running track. He advised me to follow a trail path at the end of Bideford Road. I found the running track with minutes to spare. There was to be respectable turnout of 59 runners. The route seemed an obvious place for running with its oval running track which would lead, out of the stadium, onto a path with wide paths. I wondered if most would be experienced runners familiar with the running track and I had no qualms about putting myself at the back of the runners lining up. There wasn’t the throng of runners that may initially slow things by dint of sheer numbers so being at the back of the pack would have no bearing on my performance.

It was a bright sunny morning and perfect conditions for the run. It wasn’t long after completing the initial running track that I established my position which turned out to be middling. I was able to see the person ahead of me by a respectable distance and aspire to overtake them if I had it in the tank to do so. The track is mainly flatter than Bramhall Park’s but it occurred to me running down Vernon Park’s path that what goes down will invariably come up which it certainly did after one sharp incline. On this trail, unlike Bramhall Park, I was also able to get a sense of how far ahead the front runners are on the further path as they swept past on an adjoining path many minutes ahead of us.

My final time at 25 and a half minutes was at about one minute slower than normal. I am loathe to blame it on anything other than a drop in my physical performance although my unfamiliarity with the new route may have contributed. At Bramhall Park, I know the parts to hold off and where to build speed and I‘d hope that my next run on this track finds me using my acquired knowledge of this route to hone my style better.

The greater space and smaller turnout to Stockport’s other established 5K run meant that I didn’t establish the familiar rivalries on the track and strike up any chat while queuing up with my number position at the end (although the efficiency of the coming of bar code system may unwittingly iron out the latter) . Bramhall Park’s greater numbers within smaller confines brings a more noticable community feel but as numbers expand on this race (not to mention the on site tuck shop and nearby café) , I’m sure the same will occur here. To organise two 5K runs in Stockport at the same time shows what a great amount of interest there is and with this now requiring double the amount of volunteers, I am full of admiration for the organizers and volunteers of the park runs.

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/woodbank/Home.aspx