#ParkRun 112 done and doooooooone. It's like the apocalypse out there. If the apocalypse was just a bit rainy and whatnot. LOTS of runners and because it was waterlogged and muddy it was a walking start then a few areas where it funnelled to a walk. However! Pacers this morning. And despite starting far back, and walking quite a bit, we still managed to get in front of the 30 pacer. Which is amazing if true. I would be genuinely thrilled to bits if our time was sub-30. Anyway I am taking my lovely wife for a coffee in the busiest trackside café in the woooorld! Power to you absolute legends. May you be covered in glory. X
Ben
boosted
First Saturday morning without #parkrun since Christmas 2024.
Both the local ones had to cancel due to icy 🥶 🥶 🥶 conditions.
Can't remember the last Saturday lie-in I had 😲.
Hope those who had better luck than me enjoyed themselves!
Ben
boosted
Foolish Christmas Dave, full of enthusiasm for the New Year, swore that he would do Flatts Lane #parkrun in January, the 9th hardest parkrun in the UK and our NENDY.
Well, January has almost come and gone, so today was my last chance.
They weren't kidding about it! One of the most brutal hill climbs I've ever walked, let alone ran. And you have to do it twice. Combined with muddy paths and treacherous steps, you can see why the first timer briefing is 50% apology.
Not a PB, needless to say.
Lovely lovely #ParkRun, as per. Cold and not easy, but affirming and joyous. Loads of people and I saw loads of people I knew. Quite weird when you're a me and you've sort of cultivated this internal persona of someone who (when not on the Internet) is a loner, a rebellious lone-wolf type, and then you've got a bunch of people cheering your name. Felt like I might be actually part of some kind of community? Or possibly I'm just imagining it. Yeah! Loads of people just cheer for me by name wherever I go! Yeah, actually that must be it. No it was really very lovely and I'm genuinely quite fond of some of those guys. I suppose this is what happens when you get older and your kids grow up and you don't have those sort of work-based relationships. You connect with other like-minded people and find friendship in unexpected places. I feel like I'm waxing poetical a bit, but it was just a nice morning. Feel great, laughed with some people I liked, went through a shared trauma/challenge with a thousand other people. Urgh. I regret to inform you I might actually be..... what is this emotion?......'ow you say?.... errrr.... huppy? Ploppy? Snoopy? Happy? Well it's good whatever it is. Strong recommend. 5 stars on Trip Advisor. Power to you, friends. May your weekends be as magnificent as you are, you bloody ruddy gorgeous utter bastards. X
Foolish Christmas Dave, full of enthusiasm for the New Year, swore that he would do Flatts Lane #parkrun in January, the 9th hardest parkrun in the UK and our NENDY.
Well, January has almost come and gone, so today was my last chance.
They weren't kidding about it! One of the most brutal hill climbs I've ever walked, let alone ran. And you have to do it twice. Combined with muddy paths and treacherous steps, you can see why the first timer briefing is 50% apology.
Not a PB, needless to say.
First Saturday morning without #parkrun since Christmas 2024.
Both the local ones had to cancel due to icy 🥶 🥶 🥶 conditions.
Can't remember the last Saturday lie-in I had 😲.
Hope those who had better luck than me enjoyed themselves!
A cold, muddy and waterlogged #ParkRun this morning. Surprisingly difficult to get a photo without people in it. To the left of this, some park fitness group has a bunch of sad looking people doing lunges. To the right the Army fitness group has a guy screaming at some very sweaty looking people carrying those weights with the handles (boots with the fur). All around me are runners of every kind, kids on scooters and dogs in puddles. It feels very quintessentially British and possibly the essence of humanity. There's no bigotry here. All are equal. All are cold. But we are all here in this TOGETHER. United in whatever the shit it is we're all doing here it is FREEZING. I'm flying solo today again. Bleurgh. Will hopefully feel better in about an hour. Pleased I was on the peppermint teas last night like an absolute legend. LEGEEEEEND. ❤️
Just did an 8k run. NGL fam - it was fucking dreadful. It wasn't as bad as I think but because there were so many people, there were two groups and I ended up with all the faster runners - many of whom usually do the 9 group (would run #ParkRun sub-27, which I do not). They were all very kind and supportive but I was clearly slightly out of my depth, which is weird because it's not like I've not done the 8 group before. But the beginning was all marginally up-hill so I fared much better in the second half. Although by that point was making noises that would put anyone off making love to me for life. Like a donkey that has been given the power of human brain processing but has discovered the end of the world is imminent and only they know but can't communicate it with their donkey vocal apparatus. Insistently distressed. Like 8 billion Timmys are trapped down the well and noone is listening. But I did it and I reluctantly feel pretty good about it and like it was probably a good thing despite feeling like a TOTAL FAILURE. Only joshing - if I was talking to someone else and not myself, I'd be congratulating them and telling them to give their head a wobble and not be so hard on themselves. So well done, me. Thanks, me. You're welcome, me. I'm now going to put sausages and gin into my face, just like the Olympians do. X
Good morning. My entire family appears to have gone mad this morning. Perhaps I didn't help by playing them One Too Many Mornings by The Chemical Brothers quite loudly first thing, but it made me serene AF so thought it might calm all of the screaming, but sadly it just made them even more furious. Thoughts and prayers please. Didn't make it to #ParkRun due to traffic, so did a local run. It was a struggle. Like they say: struggle struggle lemon bugle. No idea why. Cold, toe hurt, tired legs from Thursday. Still managed 6.5k and the time was good. When I'm with a bajillion other people I can gauge it better than when I just run with Patrish and she's faster than me and I try to keep up so burn out quicker etc etc BOOOORING. But it's done and I'll no doubt feel good for it and it was further than PR so hopefully that offsets the struggs a bit. I am boring myself. Do not read this. It's so astronomically self-involved. I suppose that's social meeds though, innit. A diary you hope people will like for some reason. Bit weird. What's the point of a diary that other people read. You might aswell just tell them. But I suppose you reach more people like this. Is that what I'm after? Is that what I need? Is this an email blast? Am I a spam?
TLDR - I wish you well, you tiny creatures who live in my phone. HELLO IN THERE. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that. It's only me. The huge human who lives on The Outside. BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. AND ALSO YOURSELF.
Fin?
Apparently my first #ParkRun in 6 weeks! I went in with no expectations other than to just finish (that's what she said). There must have easily been 6 or 7 (6-7!) hundred people and I was quite far back. But I felt like I stretched myself. I temporarily downloaded Strava which reckons I was a bit over 30. I was thinking 32 so reckon that's OK? I did a bit of a run before and I ran some of the way home, so I certainly feel like I got a lot out of this morning even if it wasn't quite where I was at the end of last year.
B O R I N G C H A T
TLDR - did a run. Pleased I did and feeling pretty chipper. I now have some space as everyone is out for a few hours so I'm going to drink coffee and just exist for a bit. Lovely.
Whatever you're upto, I hope your secret plan is coming together. We will triumph and they will get theirs. Er, I mean..... Have a great day! (don't mention the secret plan) x
Good morning from Norman Park!
#ParkRun 110
My old ass tired face
And that's definitely not a "For Dog's sake, Ben" expression behind you? 🤣
Anyway morning! I'd hoped to awake full of joi de vivre and metaphorical beans but instead am TIRED and COLD and had an anxiety dream so am just slightly derailed and off-kilter. I had a crappy week last week but can't talk to anyone about it and have therefore internalised it and feel generally quite bad/guilty. I've therefore not really planned ahead / thought about this weekend, which is busy and I have to be on my game. Perhaps I can rescue it? Let us try. Let us think the positive thoughts of the forward-motion people. I must go and do a solo #ParkRun. Perhaps that will fix me! Good morrow to you all anyhoo. I hope your day is filled with laughter and magic. X
@TheBreadmonkey
I hope your #parkrun kicks off a better week/month/year.
Good morning from Norman Park!
#ParkRun 110
Anyway morning! I'd hoped to awake full of joi de vivre and metaphorical beans but instead am TIRED and COLD and had an anxiety dream so am just slightly derailed and off-kilter. I had a crappy week last week but can't talk to anyone about it and have therefore internalised it and feel generally quite bad/guilty. I've therefore not really planned ahead / thought about this weekend, which is busy and I have to be on my game. Perhaps I can rescue it? Let us try. Let us think the positive thoughts of the forward-motion people. I must go and do a solo #ParkRun. Perhaps that will fix me! Good morrow to you all anyhoo. I hope your day is filled with laughter and magic. X
@slowe actually yes! Can you recommend hashtags to follow for if I want to talk about publishing, children's books, comics for kids, reading for pleasure/national year of reading...? I've tried the "on the nose" ones and there's nowt. But also other interesting hashtags that have lots of activity and chat esp NON US stuff in english (cos everything everyehwere is so US dominated).
@Louiestowell I'm not sure I know of good hashtags for book stuff but I've asked people I know for suggestions.
I haven't really followed many hashtags myself (only #parkrun) because I get enough activity from people I follow (and "Trending" on the web interface and "Explore" on the Mastodon app).
Some hashtags that I notice other people using in my stream are #catsofmastodon (cats), #caturday (people's cats on a Saturday), #mosstodon (moss etc), #SilentSunday (photos), #UKpol (UK politics).
Ben
boosted
Bad: #parkrun is cancelled due to ice.
Good: there’s ice in the lake.
…so now I’m killing time in the cafe before my swim / sauna.
🧊 🥶 🏊♀️ 🧖 👌
Ben
boosted
Second #parkrun in a row celebrating someone completing their 500th event. Last week at Lloyd, today at Battersea. Busy event despite the cold.
Ben
boosted
#parkrun number 92 done.
Due to the weather, was a mandatory walk (though not all followed the guidance, at least nobody tried running at breakneck speeds).
My slowest ever parkrun, the average for the year continues to be slow.
Stopwatch and Position bingos achieved!
#parkrun number 92 done.
Due to the weather, was a mandatory walk (though not all followed the guidance, at least nobody tried running at breakneck speeds).
My slowest ever parkrun, the average for the year continues to be slow.
Stopwatch and Position bingos achieved!
Hurrah and huzzah! Despite missing #ParkRun due to road closures, Trish and I took ourselves off for a Franco Manca pizza run! So we did about 8k in roughly the shape of a slice of pizza, for a couple of half price pizzas perhaps later today or tomorrow. Was a very lovely positive experience - aswell as being my first run of 2026, we managed to reconnect a bit then she made me take her for coffee and cake. I apparently now have to make some pastries then later we're all off out to the pub for a late birthday. In the unlikely event you are reading this... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THERE ARE MUCH BETTER WAYS TO BE SPENDING YOUR TIME! However I also bid thee well and wish upon you the gladdest of tidings. May your day be filled with love and laughter. X
https://www.francomanca.co.uk/stories-and-recipes/map-my-pizza-run/