Kings Lynn parkrun

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/kingslynn/

Whilst staying with Hannah's parents in Norfolk it made sense to take part in a parkrun a bit further afield. Despite my previous dislike of flat courses, it did actually feel quite appealing to take part in a nice flat one just after Christmas so we headed off to Kings Lynn.

I'd studied the map on their parkrun homepage and to be honest I was a bit confused as to what the course was but knowing I wouldn't be in first place at any point it didn't really matter! As it happened they had to change the course to their 'B' course anyway due to flooding on one of the paths. On an unfamiliar course it's always quite tricky to pace yourself correctly but that's one of the advantages to a multi-lap race in my opinion. Also, the chap who eventually finished a good 30 seconds ahead of me, seemed to be setting the perfect pace for 80% of my run. He had a lot more in the tank at the end, but following him round that first 80% kept me bang on track. 

It was a bit of a cold rainy day and at first it didn't look like many runners would take part. As we first arrived there seemed to be more marshals than runners but eventually a decent crowd turned up of around 150. 

As expected, the course was very flat but the three laps were quite scenic and the course was enjoyable to run. It was all tamac paths, as advertised, which for me is ideal. There were two points on each of the three laps that you have to do a 'u-turn' which often slows me down but apart from a near slip on the first lap, these didn't take away too much pace and it did transpire to be a nice quick run (I clocked my second fastest ever 5k time).

We didn't get a chance to hang about and socialise at this one partly due to the grotty weather, but the crowd seemed very friendly. As we left we said thanks to a few marshals who still seemed full of the Christmas spirit so if you're ever up in this neck of the woods I recommend this friendly, fast Parkrun. 

It's also worth noting, the last runner would've finished around 9:45am and the results were up and texted through by 10am. Very speedy results indeed!

The Stats - 1st Jan 2015

This is the third of my updates where I try to rank the difficulty of the various Parkruns I've tried. I said i'd do it every three and with the completion of Kings Lynn i'm now at 12 so here is an enthralling start to 2015 for you all.

It's worth noting that a lot of this is based on personal opinion. Also conditions on the day. I've done Horsham twice now, for example, and the muddy conditions made a huge difference second time around. Take some of these stats with a punch of salt. I've tweaked a couple a little bit since last time as well so these could contradict what i've said in the past. I wasn't going to because it makes me seem even more clueless but on the other hand, if I have run them a few more times then it does make sense to update them with my latest theory. Basically I have just moved Hove up a place and adjusted the compensation figure. After a re-visit and new PB I realised Hove was easier than I had given it credit for.

I'll also say that I include my PB mainly just to help benchmark them against each other. They aren't listed to get a pat on the back for my efforts!

So, in order of difficulty, the easiest (in my opinion) first:

1) Preston Park, Brighton - total ascent: 32m - PB: 20.01

2) Hove Park - total ascent: 52m - PB: 19.22 - compensation vs Preston Park: +0.25%

3) Nonsuch Park Course B, Cheam - total ascent: 33m - PB: 20.24 - compensation vs Preston Park: +0.5%

4) The Walks Course B, Kings Lynn - total ascent: 19m - PB: 19.54 - compensation vs Preston Park: +1.5%

5) Horsham - total ascent: 45m - PB: 20.14 - compensation vs Preston Park: +2% (3% when conditions are muddy)

6) Bushy Park, London - total ascent: 21m - PB: 20.19 - compensation vs Preston Park: +2%

7) Richmond Park, London - total ascent: 57m - PB: 20.37 - compensation vs Preston Park: +2%

8) Eastbourne Summer Course - total ascent: 18m - PB: 21.05 - compensation vs Preston Park: +2%

9) Banstead Woods, Surrey - total ascent: 76m - PB: 21.36 - compensation vs Preston Park: + 3%

10) Tilgate Park, Crawley - total ascent: 63m - PB: 20.52 - compensation vs Preston Park: + 4%

11) Clair Park, Haywards Heath - total ascent: 89m - PB: 20.45 - compensation vs Preston Park: + 5.5%

12) Lloyd Park, Croydon - total ascent: 63m - PB: 21.22 - compensation vs Preston Park: +7%

The compensation vs Preston Park (the one I now deem easiest) is based on all conditions being the same. Obviously my PBs don't back up these figures, but this is because they were all run at different times and in different states of mind! I reckon that for each of these runs, if you ran them at your peak fitness with no illnesses in the same weather conditions etc, the figures I have added in red will be a fairly accurate indicator of how much additional time you can expect to add to your 5k for each of the ones on the list. This blurb will never get read so I can literally say anything here. Penguin.