Running at 4 new-to-us events in the month just wasn’t enough, so we rounded off January with another early start. The 6:20 alarm was not greeted enthusiastically, and if it wasn’t for the 2 very good reasons we’d chosen to go to Chippenham parkrun then I suspect we’d have stayed in bed. But a) we’d arranged to meet friends nearby after the run and b) Lani wanted to run a C dressed as a pirate.
In the course of planning (yes, actual plans occasionally happen), one of our parkrun friends said that Chippenham would be pretty tough with a buggy at this time of year due to a muddy field. But plans were already in motion so we decided to go for it anyway. This fact may or may not kick me later in the post.
Chippenham’s Facebook page said that the normal parking, right next to the park, is closed for redevelopment, and suggested using the old college car park instead. We located this fairly easily, and having layered/pirated up headed to the park, with a quick stop at the Olympiad sports centre to use the toilets. The first timers’ briefing confirmed the course layout we expected – 2 laps of the park, down the river, 2 laps of the field, back. We also learned that there’s a separate start for buggies and dogs!
And so we headed to the start – Ben and Lani on the path and me on the grass. This left me in an interesting position, as I tend to start off quite slowly and use the congestion to pace myself. But actually, being able to run alongside the path and slot into the group in the right place was pretty handy.
The lap round the park is on tarmac, and is pretty much a rectangle so lots of opportunity to practise sharp corners. The four sides are flat, up, up and down. This gave a nice opportunity to stretch out, and downhill tarmac sections are always popular with KK. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that I’d get lapped on this section, and so did take a moment to process the “keep left” calls.
After 2 loops, the course follows the first side of the rectangle again, but then continues down the river path. The setting morphed completely from town park to riverside trail. After a short section of proper path we reached the muddy field. As expected, the mud was sticky and energy-sapping. But then it started to get harder and harder.
See, pushing a buggy over that surface was fine. What wasn’t fine was that the mud stuck to the tyres. And then mud stuck to that mud. And the front wheel of the buggy is covered over at the top. So essentially I’d got myself one big sticky brake. I somehow kept running (albeit slowly) for that first lap. It was only when the surface changed to trail path that I realised the extent of the problem, as I still couldn’t get it to move properly.
A short section of tarmac gave me a quick enough run to clear things a little, but as soon as I reached the mud again I ground to a halt. So I did the only thing I could think to do – tipped the buggy so it was just on the back wheels, and walked the entire mud section. Two passing runners commented that they didn’t know how I was managing it, to which my reply was “stubborn-ness”.
Reaching the trail path again, I realised being stubborn was the way forward. So I pushed as hard as I could, and slowly the wheel managed to turn more freely. One of the runners who’d lapped me on the mud section ran back down the path to join me on the home stretch. He did also offer to help with the buggy, but see earlier reference to stubborn-ness. As we reached the tarmac, my wheel had cleared itself enough space to run freely.
The route finishes by heading back alongside the river and along the side of the park. I definitely appreciated having someone to run with, and he was a great influence in getting me to get over the mud and actually finish with pace.
I let KK out the buggy and he said he’d liked the run, but his shoes were muddy. Which was a fair comment. Barcode scanning was on the hard courts, which were right next to the play area. And that’s where we were when Lani and Ben finished a short while later.
One thing about Chippenham parkrun that I cannot express enough is how friendly everyone was. Several times I found myself in conversation with other runners, and Ben reported back friendly comments as well. The marshals were amazing – bringing an incredibly supportive and positive vibe all along the course.
We didn’t stay for the café, much to the kids’ annoyance, as we were heading straight off to see our friends. As for our other reason for attending, Lani is now the proud owner of a virtual pirate badge for having run 7 different events starting with a C and one starting with an R (say 7 Cs and an R – it’ll make sense).
All in all, I would thoroughly recommend Chippenham parkrun. A great varied course and a fantastic community feel. Just maybe wait til the summer if you’re going with a buggy…